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Microsoft Copilot joins CarPlay, leaving Gemini as the biggest holdout

2026-09-11 | original

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Why This Matters

Apple has quietly turned CarPlay into a competitive marketplace for AI assistants, with Microsoft Copilot becoming the sixth major third-party chatbot to support the in-car platform alongside a new dedicated Siri AI app in iOS 27. For drivers, that means voice assistants in the car are no longer limited to whatever the automaker or Apple ships by default. Google Gemini's absence stands out given Google's scale in both search and mobile.

Key Takeaways

Microsoft Copilot now supports CarPlay, joining Siri AI, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Meta AI, and Claude — six third-party AI apps in total.
Conversational CarPlay apps require iOS 26.4 or later, and Copilot appears to need a paid subscription; Siri AI arrives with iOS 27 on Monday but stays in beta with a phased rollout.
Google Gemini is the last major AI assistant missing from CarPlay, a notable gap as the car becomes a key battleground for voice AI.

Worth a Look

Anker Roav Wireless CarPlay Adapter — If your car still requires a cable for CarPlay, a wireless adapter lets your iPhone connect automatically the moment you get in s perfect for hands-free voice chats with Copilot, ChatGPT, or Siri. It plugs into your existing USB CarPlay port and keeps your phone in your pocket while you drive.

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Apple CarPlay now works with six major third-party AI chatbot apps. Microsoft Copilot is the latest iPhone app to add CarPlay support. This leaves Google Gemini as the last major holdout for now.

CarPlay now works with six major third-party AI chatbot apps

Starting Monday, CarPlay will also include a dedicated Siri AI app. That’s when iOS 27 will be officially released and out of beta. Siri AI itself will still be in beta and rolled out in waves.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has added CarPlay support to its Copilot chatbot app for iPhone. Conversational apps for CarPlay require iOS 26.4 or later.

Copilot appears to require a subscription to work with CarPlay. The voice-driven app mirrors chat history from the iPhone app, including text-based threads.

Here’s how the app looks in action:

As mentioned, Microsoft Copilot coming to CarPlay leaves one key holdout in the AI apps space: Google Gemini.

Copilot joins Siri AI, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Perplexity, SpaceXAI’s Grok, Meta AI, and Anthropic’s Claude as CarPlay options.

See also:

Explore topics: microsoft copilot apple carplay google gemini ios 27 siri ai