In February, Apple announced that it would allow third-party voice-based conversational apps on CarPlay with iOS 26.4. The update began rolling out last week, and OpenAI is among the first to take advantage of the new capability with support for ChatGPT in Apple CarPlay.

To use ChatGPT while driving, you need to update your iPhone to iOS 26.4 and download the latest version of the chatbot from the App Store. If the feature is available in your region, you will see ChatGPT under Included apps in Settings > CarPlay > My Car > Apps. If it is in the More apps section, tap the green plus button to add it.

(Credit: Jibin Joseph)

I was able to test the feature right away, and it isn’t as easy as using Siri while driving. While talking to Apple’s voice assistant is a hands-free experience, you need to tap the screen a few times to use ChatGPT.

From your car’s infotainment screen, launch the ChatGPT app and tap the New voice chat option to begin. Here, you can save a click by asking Siri to launch the app. This will force the Apple assistant to bring up ChatGPT’s homepage.

(Credit: Jibin Joseph)

To check if Siri can help me avoid tapping the screen altogether, I asked the assistant to open New voice chat in ChatGPT. It responded by saying the feature isn’t currently available.

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Once you enter the voice chat, you can interact with ChatGPT as usual. Depending on who is talking, you’ll see Listening and Speaking on the screen. After you end the voice chat, a transcription of the same will be saved in the Recents tab.

(Credit: Jibin Joseph)

As MacRumors points out, for safety reasons, Apple will only allow voice-based interactions for AI apps on CarPlay. These apps will not be able to display written responses or any imagery on the infotainment system.

Gemini-based voice chat features began rolling out to Android Auto in November. Google's AI is also expected to land on CarPlay.

Apple is reportedly preparing to add support for rival AI chatbots in Siri with iOS 27. We should have a clearer picture on June 8 at WWDC, where Apple is expected to unveil the latest updates to its operating systems.

Disclosure: Ziff Davis, PCMag's parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April 2025, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.