Android Auto and Apple CarPlay won’t match this lesser-known in-car streaming feature

• What does personalized audio even mean
• Offering a new take on an older piece of tech
• Why should this worry Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

If you’re like me, you’re constantly wondering what infotainment could look like as several manufacturers move away from features like Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Just last week, I got up close and personal with the future of native in-car infotainment at the Harman EXPLORE event at its exhibition facility in Novi, Michigan, and one of the most impressive takeaways was their upcoming Ready Stream Share platform, which turns your car into a personalized experience for both drivers and passengers alike.

Some of these features, such as vehicle announcements, will sound familiar. However, it’s how Harman plans on executing them that makes Ready Stream Share a cut above the rest of the crop. After experiencing how the platform actually works, I can confidently say this will be the next feature that providers try to either copy or make their own.

What does personalized audio even mean

Every person enjoys road trips their own way

I get that personalized audio is a bit vague, so let’s break it down. Say there are four occupants in a vehicle. With advances that have been and are expected to be made in spatial audio, each occupant will, in theory, have their own set of speakers within their seat and immediate space that only they can hear. As a result, each occupant will be able to link their device to their specific speaker set. I’ll put it to you this way: have you ever argued with the family over what gets played during a road trip?

Ready Share takes away the need for that conflict. For instance, if my fiancé and I took off on a road trip, she would no longer need to be subjected to my thriller audiobook, and I wouldn’t have to cue up her Pilates playlist after the first few miles. Not that I can’t vibe to Pink Pony Club with the best of them, but instead, we each have our own space and playlist to make the drive more enjoyable. What’s not to like? That covers the streaming portion, then, but the real tricks are only just beginning.

Offering a new take on an older piece of tech

In-car announcements have never felt this cool

When Honda announced its in-car announcement feature for its popular minivan, the Odyssey, it was deemed as one of the most useful of the year, and is still in use on modern Odysseys as recently as the 2025 model year. Dubbed “CabinTalk,” the feature allows the driver of the car to speak directly to the occupants in the rear (oftentimes kids) through a set of headphones that come with the car. This was an expensive feature for Honda to add, and thus, increased costs on the manufacturer’s end. As a result, the feature is only available in higher-trimmed Odyssey models.

Where Stream Share differs the most is in its cost. Harman hopes to offer an alternative to CabinTalk that is easily applicable and road-ready into any car it pleases directly through its native infotainment software. There are some more subtle differences, though. For instance, CabinTalk mutes the audio inside the announcement recipient’s headphones when a button is pressed on the infotainment screen, which causes a sudden change in sound. As you would imagine from one of the automotive world’s premier brands in audio, though, Stream Share mixes the audio to ensure that the announcer’s voice comes through clearly, but not surprisingly. We were shown the feature firsthand at the Explore event, and the transition was seamless, for the most part.

With Stream Share, there’s no longer any reason to turn around away from the road to try and get your child’s attention. With just the press of a button, occupants can communicate clearly, effectively, and in style.

Why should this worry Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Control is everything in this space

One of the main reasons manufacturers are bear-ish on CarPlay and Android Auto is because it pits the two companies in a battle for control over a prime piece of real estate within your car — the main screen. Brand identity and control is incredibly important for any manufacturer, and that doesn’t stop with exterior design choices. Now more than ever, the interior of a car can convey just as much about a brand as its exterior.

That’s why many manufacturers, such as the Volkswagen Group and General Motors, are opting to go all-in on ensuring that their native software is more functional, better equipped, and more useful than anything CarPlay or Android Auto can offer. In its current state, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto can do little more than operate your phone as you drive without causing harm. In the future, more manufacturers are expected to lean heavily on their own infotainment suites to tap into the best features of their own cars, making CarPlay and Android Auto obsolete, in theory.

Only time will tell if that ends up happening, but one thing is for certain — 2026 will be the biggest year yet in the battle for control of your car’s infotainment experience.