With the latest software update, Polestar 2 owners can stream videos from YouTube while their cars charge, and they can use Apple Maps to navigate with their dashboard displayed on the screen.
This last feature is intriguing because it may provide a glimpse of Apple’s next-generation CarPlay, which will feature support for numerous screens across the dashboard.
P2.9 is Polestar’s fifteenth OTA (over-the-air) software upgrade since 2020. Over-the-air upgrades are becoming increasingly important for automakers in the era of connected automobiles as a means of adding infotainment functions like streaming video, gaming, and other creature comforts.
Polestar 2 is the first car manufacturer to offer YouTube, Google’s video streaming service, to its customers. Only a select few automakers, including Polestar, already employ Android Automotive, Google’s in-house platform for automobiles.
However, prior to the most recent upgrade, YouTube was not part of the core Android OS. Google said last month that it would bring YouTube to cars running Android Automotive, beginning with Volvo and Polestar models.
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CarPlay may now show Apple Maps’ journey on the driver display and center screen.
After installing this over-the-air (OTA) update, however, the appearance of CarPlay on Polestar vehicles will change significantly. Swedish manufacturer implemented Apple CarPlay for the first time via a software update late last year. Polestar claims that this latest upgrade adds “extended functionality” to the phone projection system.
When using CarPlay, you can make and take calls with the controls on the wheel. In what is likely the first time CarPlay is used on two screens in a vehicle at once, Apple Maps will appear on the gauge cluster display located behind the steering wheel.
Apple’s in-car phone projection technology was supposed to undergo a revolutionary change last year when it gained better integration and supported multiple displays. However, adoption has been modest, and some big automakers have shown an interest in replacing CarPlay with something else. GM’s new electric vehicles won’t be compatible with Apple CarPlay or Google Android Auto, the company said earlier this year.
Finally, Polestar is enhancing the energy monitoring capabilities of its Range Assistant app. For the app’s anticipated range, the company claims to have implemented a new algorithm that can “account for changes in environmental and other factors that influence efficiency.”
FAQs
The update will be installed automatically when your Polestar 2 is connected to a Wi-Fi network. If you are not connected to a Wi-Fi network, you can install the update by connecting your Polestar 2 to a USB-C cable and a computer.
The update will be rolled out gradually to Polestar 2 vehicles over the next few weeks. You can check for updates by going to the Settings menu and selecting Software.
