Anyone who has a CarPlay-enabled vehicle knows just how convenient the additional iPhone connectivity features can be. CarPlay allows certain iPhone apps to run on the vehicle’s head unit, making those features more accessible and safer to use while driving. Unfortunately, some features are locked out for obvious safety reasons.
In an announcement post shared to /r/jailbreak over the weekend, iOS developer tawfika1 shared that they are working on an app for TrollStore devices that will allow users to cast virtually any web-based video playback to CarPlay so that it can be watched on the CarPlay-enabled vehicle’s head unit. They call this app CarCast.
A demo video shared in the thread appears to showcase the app working with YouTube videos, X videos, Vimeo videos, and more. Some users asked if it would support Netflix, and the developer responded DRM likely won’t work and that they haven’t specifically tested Netflix yet.
Lots of comments share excitement for such a release, as these features are obviously lacking in stock iOS. Apple is bound by certain laws to block video playback behind the wheel in the name of driver safety, but it’s obvious that just because you’re sitting in a car, this doesn’t mean you’re actually driving. Having access to video playback while the car is parked, for example, can offer time-passing entertainment while waiting in a parking lot for a store to open or for your arrival at the airport to land.
As CarCast works with TrollStore and doesn’t require a jailbreak, this means that CarCast should support any firmware ranging from iOS & iPadOS 14.0-16.6.1 and 17.0. It can then be perma-signed on that device, which is similar to sideloading except that it doesn’t require an Apple ID and the app remains signed indefinitely via a CoreTrust exploit.
While CarCast isn’t available just yet, the demonstration video shows that it’s well on its way. It shouldn’t be long now before CarPlay users are able to take advantage of CarCast on their own devices, and we’ll let you know when that happens, so stay tuned!
