This CarPlay app lets you watch video, and Apple is totally going to kill it

Summary

Sidecar is an Apple CarPlay-compatible app for logging trips, performing OBD scans, viewing vehicle stats, and more.
Apple doesn’t allow CarPlay apps to serve as video streamers, but a stealthy Sidecar app update has managed to slip through the cracks.
It’s unclear if and when Apple will take action, such as to remove the app from the App Store due to its policy violation.

A popular navigation app on the Apple App Store, known as Sidecar: Automotive assistant, has pushed out an update that unlocks video streaming in your car via CarPlay connectivity. This is significant, as it violates Apple’s current policy surrounding CarPlay video streaming, which outright doesn’t allow this.

To get CarPlay video streaming up and running via Sidecar, you’ll need to provide it with a website URL through the iPhone version of the app, and then head over to the web browser feature within the app’s CarPlay interface. While Sidecar itself is free to download, this newfound video streaming feature is locked behind a $10 in-app purchase.

Presumably, this new Sidecar app update was able to slip through the cracks of Apple’s software review system, without being flagged as being in violation of App Store policies. For the time being, the app remains available to download, though I’d expect the video streaming feature to be stripped out in another update sometime in the coming hours.

Sidecar: Automotive assistant

Sidecar: Automotive assistant is an Apple CarPlay-compatible app designed to help you log trips, perform OBD scans, view vehicle statistics, and more.

Is it time for Apple to open the CarPlay streaming floodgates?

In-vehicle streaming would be a great addition to Apple’s upcoming CarPlay 2 standard

Apple

Apple’s longstanding policy of rejecting video streaming through CarPlay is beginning to feel long in the tooth. While it makes sense from the standpoint of mitigating distractions while driving, other vehicle makers like Telsa have solved this issue by simply disabling video streaming while driving.

When parked, the ability to watch YouTube and Netflix using your car’s built-in infotainment display makes a ton of sense: the screen is often larger, therefore providing a more comfortable content consumption experience when compared to the average smartphone or small tablet.

There are concerns over whether CarPlay 2 will stick the landing.

With Apple’s next-generation CarPlay 2 standard expected to arrive sometime down the road, now would be the perfect opportunity for the company to loosen its stringent grip on the type of apps it allows to run on built-in car displays. There are concerns over whether CarPlay 2 will stick the landing, and a lack of media streaming is only worsening the general sense of malaise surrounding CarPlay as a whole.

If you’d like to experience video streaming via CarPlay at this very moment, the Sidecar app is still actively listed on the App Store, complete with its in-app video player purchase. Keep in mind that the feature is likely to be gutted out of the app in a future over-the-air update, which could take place at any time.