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What's new in CarPlay in iOS 26: widgets and more

Updated 30 September 2026

iOS 26 is the biggest CarPlay update in years. The headline is widgets on the Dashboard, but several smaller changes are just as useful behind the wheel.

Widgets on the Dashboard

Apps can now put their own cards on the CarPlay Dashboard next to the map. You choose them on the iPhone (Settings → General → CarPlay → your car → Widgets) and swipe through stacks in the car. Clock, weather, photos, countdowns, speed — anything an app renders as a small widget.

Liquid Glass design

The whole interface got the new translucent look: sidebar, Now Playing, the Dashboard cards. Wallpapers show through more, and the day/night switch is smoother.

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Live Activities

Ongoing things from your iPhone — a flight, a food delivery, a timer — appear on the Dashboard as compact cards, the same way they do on the Lock Screen.

Messages: Tapbacks and pinned conversations

  • React to a message with a Tapback straight from the CarPlay screen.
  • Conversations you pinned on the iPhone show at the top in the car.
  • Incoming calls use a compact banner instead of covering the map.

Settings worth knowing

  • Show Widgets, Smart Rotate, Widget Suggestions and Show Wallpaper live in the car's Widgets settings on the iPhone.
  • Each car keeps its own widget setup — useful if you drive two cars.
  • Widgets need iOS 26 on the iPhone only; the car doesn't need an update.

What it means for customization

Until iOS 26 the only personal thing on a CarPlay screen was the wallpaper. Now a widget app can show your photo, your car's badge, your countdown — and a Shortcuts automation adds your own connect sound. That's the combination CarMood is built around.

CarPlay guides