Apple is planning to release iOS 13 this fall to iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads (under the guise of the new iPadOS). It has a lot of improvements under the hood, but the most dramatic overhaul is coming to Apple’s in-car interface known as CarPlay.

CarPlay was first introduced four years ago, and aside from gaining the ability to use third-party mapping apps last year, it hasn’t really changed since then. But in iOS 13, it’s getting a major overhaul that makes it much more competitive with Google’s similar Android Auto platform. I’ve been testing the new CarPlay in beta form and have been immediately impressed with the changes, though Apple does still have a little bit of work to do before this launches publicly later this year.

The biggest upgrade is CarPlay’s new multifunction dashboard. This allows you to see a map, what’s currently playing on the car’s stereo, and the next piece of guidance to your destination all in one place. Believe it or not, prior to this, CarPlay required bouncing between different screens to see a track name while getting directions to a destination. This new design makes it much easier to see that information at a glance and then quickly put your eyes back on the road where they belong.

Right now, third-party audio apps, such as Spotify, Audible, or Pocket Casts, can display what’s currently playing in the new dashboard, but the map view is locked to Apple Maps. It’s not clear if third-party mapping apps will be able to take advantage of it when iOS 13 officially launches, but I’m hoping they can.

The new dashboard makes it much easier to quickly get information

For its part, Apple has overhauled its own Maps app extensively for iOS 13, and those improvements are seen in CarPlay, too. The new Maps app makes it easier to access your favorite destinations and provides better lane guidance on multi-lane highways.

iOS 13’s new dark / light theming modes are available in CarPlay, too, though the default is the dark mode and the light theme is only available during the day, presumably because it’d be too distractingly bright at night. The interface has also been given updates like rounded corners and a refreshed status bar, though outside of the new dashboard screen, the grid of app icons remains the same.

Siri behaves the same as ever in iOS 13’s CarPlay, but the interface for when you’re speaking to Siri and it’s providing a response has been simplified and doesn’t kick you out to a different screen. If you’re viewing a map and make a request to Siri, you can still see your map and directions while Siri processes and provides an answer. Siri will also provide suggestions in the new dashboard view for HomeKit-compatible devices like garage door openers and will be able to play music and other audio through third-party apps like Spotify or Pandora. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test either of those integrations at this point, but I look forward to them coming later this year.

There’s also a new Calendar app for CarPlay, which lets you see upcoming appointments and get directions to them or call attendees with one tap. Like the new dashboard, this feels like something that should have been in CarPlay since day one, but I’m glad it’s finally arrived.

Carmakers will be able to develop microphones that can always listen for “Hey Siri” commands, so you won’t have to hold a button on your steering wheel or long-press the home button on the CarPlay screen to launch Siri. It’s not clear what exactly will be needed for this to work — in the 2018 Honda Pilot I’ve been using to test the new CarPlay, Siri would respond to a “Hey Siri” command when it was quiet in the car, but it would not do so when any music or media was playing. That means it’s more likely the mics on my phone were picking up the voice command, as opposed to the car’s built-in microphones.

There are a lot of other updates to CarPlay for automakers, as well, such as the ability to support various-sized screens and display information on two different screens in the vehicle at the same time.

CarPlay now lets you control apps independently on the iPhone

Finally, CarPlay now allows for the ability to independently control an app on the phone that’s different from the one being displayed in the car’s screens. Prior to this, anytime you used the phone to do something, it would close the screen displayed in the car, which made it frustrating for passengers to look something up or read something on the phone itself. Now you can use the phone for any app and the CarPlay session will remain uninterrupted. Unfortunately, this will also make it easier for the driver to reply to a Slack message or email while waiting at a stop light, which probably isn’t Apple’s intention here.

Many of these updates have been a long time coming, and largely bring CarPlay up to where Google has been with Android Auto for years. And Apple still isn’t making it possible to use a car-friendly CarPlay interface on the phone itself without a compatible head unit, like Google lets you do with Android Auto. But these upgrades do make for a much better experience for drivers and passengers, as well as give automakers more flexibility in the designs of the displays inside their cars. If you want to try the new CarPlay yourself now, you can install the public beta of iOS 13 and plug your phone into a CarPlay-compatible car or head unit. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for the full release of iOS 13 this fall.