Apple’s CarPlay dashboard system was not friendly to radio. While the technology shows navigation, apps and even podcasts on the dashboard automobile, it does not integrate AM/FM radio. Drivers would need to switch out of the CarPlay interface over to the regular radio if they wanted to listen to their local station. Thanks to Gracenote, there’s now an app for that.
Yesterday at CES, Gracenote showed off the new app in a demo and, as CNET reports, the app gives drivers a rich radio interface integrated with CarPlay. “Beyond simply playing local radio, the app lets drivers choose from a list of favorited stations and browse stations based on location or genre. Even better, it seamlessly combines streaming and broadcast stations, so drivers can get their local favorites while traveling.”
Gracenote has also indexed stations across the country, tagging them with genre and location information.
The bad news, as CNET reports, is that the app is not available in the iTunes store, and it will probably take an automaker to implement the solution into an app, and make it compatible with Apple CarPlay. Gracenote only provides the technology to its partners.
Gracenote is a Nielsen owned company.
