CarPlay finally gets its biggest update in years. iOS 26 does more than copy over iPhone features.
It reshapes how CarPlay looks, works, and helps you drive.
From Live Activities to video playback, here’s everything new coming to your iPhone soon.
The most notable visual change is the introduction of the new Liquid Glass design.
Icons have a soft gloss, and you can now choose between light, dark, or clear icon styles.
There’s a new icon customization menu in Settings, where you can switch icon modes manually or set them to change automatically based on time of day.
The Settings app itself now matches the iPhone’s rounded UI. It also adds new sections, including one for customizing widgets.
You can add, remove, and reorder them right from your iPhone, using the CarPlay settings menu.
Widgets can also rotate based on time or location. You can turn off wallpaper if you prefer a black background.
The widgets panel supports third-party apps like Instagram, Carrot Weather, Spotify, and more. You’re limited to five at a time.
Widgets update live, and their translucent look blends into the background. Apple also recommends adding a HomeKit widget if you have smart locks or garage doors. Now, you can control them from your dashboard.
Live Activities now show up on the CarPlay home screen. If you’ve ordered food, booked a flight, or checked the weather with a third-party app, you’ll see real-time updates without having to look at your phone. And yes, you can turn this off.
In Maps, Apple added on-device intelligence to learn your commute and suggest faster routes. You get better incident reporting, with new options like road work, closures, and hazards.
Some vehicles now support pinch-to-zoom while navigating. The ETA bar also has the new liquid glass style.
A new Smart Display Zoom setting automatically resizes CarPlay to fit your screen better, instead of stretching or cutting off edges.
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Accessibility settings now allow you to increase the text size up to 135%.
There’s also a new Sound Recognition feature. It listens for car horns, sirens, or a baby crying and notifies you on screen if you’re hard of hearing.
The Messages app now shows pinned conversations at the top. When you receive a message, you can respond with a Tapback thumbs up, heart, “haha,” and more without needing to touch your iPhone.
The incoming call interface has changed. Calls now appear in a compact bar at the bottom of the screen, rather than taking over the whole display.
The Music app has a new tab bar and supports pinned playlists, albums, and singles at the top of your Library. It’s now closer in design to the iPhone version.
The Podcasts app now lets you fine-tune playback speed using a turtle or rabbit slider, eliminating the need to tap through presets.
iOS 26 also adds a toggle to disable CarPlay screenshots. If you don’t want your iPhone to save images of the CarPlay screen when you take a screenshot, you can now block it.
One of the biggest changes: video playback. Developers can now enable in-app video viewing while the car is in park.
It’s not turned on by default, and most apps don’t currently support it. But the option is there, and it’s a clear step toward making CarPlay more than just a passive mirror.
