Hands on with all the new CarPlay features in iOS 26

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in iOS edited June 12

Apple is rolling out a slew of new features for CarPlay and CarPlay Ultra in iOS 26. Here's what you can expect in the fall when the new operating systems ship.

Car infotainment screen displaying various app icons, such as Phone, Music, Maps, and Messages, with notifications. Sunglasses rest on top of the dashboard.
CarPlay gets a big upgrade in iOS 26



As with Apple's other platforms, CarPlay is getting a fresh coat of paint with iOS 26. The new Liquid Glass UI touches all parts of the CarPlay appearance.

Newly introduced elements now match their iOS counterparts, complete with glass-like depth. They don't have the same moving specular highlights, though.



There is a new background option to complete the look, based on the stock iOS 26 background. Apple typically does this for each new release.

The bottom of the screens now have left and right arrows in the lower corners. This small change is appreciated, as it makes it easier to switch between screens.

Car dashboard with a touchscreen displaying phone controls and settings. Sunglasses rest on the dashboard above the screen.
Icons can now be clear with iOS 26



Apple also took the opportunity to include more customization for the icons this time. Each icon now has a dark and light mode as well as light and dark clear versions.

Widgets and Live Activities



Apple has been slow on adding new features to the vanilla version of CarPlay, but we're getting more love this year with the addition of both widgets and Live Activities.

Car dashboard screen displaying 12:18 and signal strength, with app icons on the left and a clock face on the right against a blue and purple background.
The Clock widget with iOS 26 in CarPlay



Widgets are built on Apple's WidgetKit framework, which means the same widgets you have on your iPhone and that work in StandBy mode will now work in the car. Even during the beta, there are a ton of widgets to choose from.

Car dashboard screen displaying home automation controls with options for kitchen cabinets, stove, living room, and patio. Sunglasses rest on top, with sunlight highlighting details.
You can view your smart home accessories and control them from the widget



In our testing, we used widgets to show blood sugar levels, the weather forecast, music suggestions, and plenty more. Your phone will have other options based on the apps you use.

You can change the widgets via the CarPlay interface by swiping up and down. The number of widget stacks will depend on the size of your car's display.

Car dashboard touchscreen displaying smart home app controls, including kitchen cabinets and stove. Sunglasses rest above the screen.
You can add, remove, and reorder widgets on iPhone



The widgets can be added from the Settings app on your iPhone. Widgets, or a version of them, were previously exclusive to CarPlay Ultra. Now iOS 26 makes them standard for everyone.

This includes the ability to control smart home accessories. Users can check if a window was left open or if a fan is still running, and with just a tap, the problem can be fixed.

Apple has introduced Live Activities to CarPlay in iOS 26. This helpful feature allows you to track events happening in real time.

Car dashboard showing navigation map, music player, and flight arrival status. Maps displays a route with traffic lights and 35 mph speed limit. Settings show 9:35 time and 5G signal.
Flighty Live Activity in CarPlay



These are shown on the split-view of the CarPlay interface, right in the bottom-right corner. A long press allows you to clear the activity.

You could see the live weather predictions on when it may start raining, sports scores, flight details, or the status of your pickup food order.

Even more changes with CarPlay



Inside the Maps app, Apple has made a few small tweaks that are worth pointing out. It's now using on-device intelligence to get a better understanding of how people travel.

This will help in route predictions and can better offer preferred routes over what may just be "fastest."

The new CarPlay in iOS 26 can also predictively tell you about delays. Even if you don't start navigation, based on where you've gone, it can let you know about a delay ahead of time.

Car dashboard screen displaying navigation with report options for traffic, roadwork, hazards, and road closures. Surrounding interior includes control knobs and buttons.
New incident types in CarPlay Maps



While navigating, Maps has new types of incidents to report. Before, you had hazards, speed checks, and accidents, which now sit beside traffic, roadwork, and road closures.

Apple Maps has a new feature that will help you remember where you've been. It can now log your previously visited locations for lookup later -- all on-device.

A person holds a smartphone displaying a recent locations list. Nearby are wireless earphones in their open case on a textured surface with colorful cards in the background.
Recent locations saved in Maps



Then, you can go back and say, "Hey, what was that restaurant we went to last week?" or "what was the name of that park we liked out west?" While not everything is displayed on CarPlay, it all integrates seamlessly during navigation.

The Music app has seen a minor layout adjustment, with some sections reordered. Hopefully, we'll see the addition of pinned content before the release of iOS 26 in the fall.

A message replay with colorful icon responses
You can respond with a simple TapBack with iOS 26 in CarPlay



With Messages, iOS 26 CarPlay shows your pinned message threads prominently, making it faster to get to who you want to find. Plus, when a message comes in, you can respond with tapbacks in the updated UI.

Car dashboard showing a navigation screen with upcoming right turn, current time, weather, and call interface displaying contact Tito Santos.
A phone call now doesn't interrupt the entire screen. Credit: Apple



Calls now feature a new, smaller UI that appears at the bottom of the screen. It no longer takes over the entire screen, which is helpful when trying to navigate.

And, CarPlay will let you play video on the screen while the device is stopped. It immediately reverts back to the user interface screen when the iPhone detects any movement at all.

Finally, and this isn't so much a new feature, but I wanted to mention it -- you can still take screenshots with CarPlay. Apple has just disabled them by default.

If you want to turn them back on, head to Settings > Screen Capture > and toggle on CarPlay screenshots. Then, when you use the screenshot action on your iPhone, it takes a screenshot of both screens.

The new CarPlay interface with new icons running on a dashboard screen
The new CarPlay UI with Liquid Glass



Overall, it's a notable upgrade for Apple's in-car system with big new features, an improved UI, and many other quality-of-life improvements. Plus, they're not tied to the higher-end version and won't require a new car to run.

Apple says more support is coming for things like Car Key and CarPlay Ultra. Follow along with AppleInsider and we'll be sure to let you know when more get announced.

Currently, iOS 26 is in beta, and as such, some of these features may change by the time the full release is available.



Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 9
    Anilu_777anilu_777 Posts: 612member
    When I took a screenshot on my phone while connected to CarPlay it took the car screen too.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ This isn’t new. What I wish is that we could set 3D as the preferred display rather than trying to catch it each time we start a trip. 
    Alex1NStrangeDayswatto_cobra
     3Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 9
    sc_marktsc_markt Posts: 1,404member
    So, will all cars with CarPlay get updated to CarPlay 26? Or do you have to have an iPhone with iOS26 to get the newer CarPlay?
    From the title, sounds like you have to have an iPhone with ios26. 
    edited June 12
    williamlondonwatto_cobra
     1Like 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 9
    sc_marktsc_markt Posts: 1,404member
    I hope CarPlay 26 lets you now drive in track up in the map where you can zoom to what zoom out level you want and it stays at this zoom level.
    williamlondonScot1dewmewatto_cobra
     3Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 9
    mbenz1962mbenz1962 Posts: 176member
    But Apple, why oh why have you not taken this opportunity to return the battery life/charging indicator in CarPlay.  I cannot for the life of me understand this decision. Not only is this important for those who use wireless CarPlay, but even for me with a wired connection, I'd like to have some idea of what my battery life is after a long drive before I unplug my phone.
    edited June 13
    williamlondongrandact73ravnorodomappleinsideruserwatto_cobra
     4Likes 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 5 of 9
    AppleZuluapplezulu Posts: 2,534member
    sc_markt said:
    So, will all cars with CarPlay get updated to CarPlay 26? Or do you have to have an iPhone with iOS26 to get the newer CarPlay?
    From the title, sounds like you have to have an iPhone with ios26. 
    CarPlay lives in the iPhone. The screen in your car is just a ‘dumb terminal,’ so the iPhone has to be upgraded to iOS 26 to get the upgraded version of CarPlay. 
    Scot1dewmeStrangeDaysmaltzwatto_cobra
     4Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 6 of 9
    ravnorodomravnorodom Posts: 755member
    mbenz1962 said:
    But Apple, why oh why have you not taken this opportunity to return the battery life/charging indicator in CarPlay.  I cannot for the life of me understand this decision. Not only is this important for those who use wireless CarPlay, but even for me with a wired connection, I'd like to have some idea of what my battery life is after a long drive before I unplug my phone.

    I 100% agree with you. I can’t stand how sometimes the screen shows the battery life, and other times it just shows that dumb-looking, useless car icon. What?!


    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 9
    StrangeDaysstrangedays Posts: 13,215member
    Anilu_777 said:
    When I took a screenshot on my phone while connected to CarPlay it took the car screen too.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ This isn’t new. What I wish is that we could set 3D as the preferred display rather than trying to catch it each time we start a trip. 
    Yes, this is very annoying and quite dumb.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 8 of 9
    Ooh. Video on the screen while stationary. Nice! Especially for people with EVs that sit in their car while charging. 
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 9 of 9
    MplsPmplsp Posts: 4,177member
    Meh, still waiting for the next generation CarPlay they demoed with Jaguar. 
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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