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CarPlay widgets not showing? 7 fixes for iOS 26

Updated September 30, 2026

Added a widget in Settings but the car shows nothing? Nine times out of ten it's one of the reasons below — and each has a two-minute fix.

1. You're on the wrong CarPlay screen

Widgets live on the Dashboard — the split screen with the map on one side and small cards on the other. They never appear on the Home screen with the app icons. Swipe sideways from the Home screen or tap the Dashboard icon at the bottom of the sidebar.

2. The Widgets option is missing in Settings

  • Your iPhone needs iOS 26 or later — check Settings → General → Software Update.
  • Widgets are set per car: Settings → General → CarPlay → choose the car you're connected to → Widgets. A car you renamed or a second head unit shows up as a separate entry.
  • Make sure Show Widgets is turned on at the top of that screen.
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3. The widget is blank or shows old information

After a restart, iOS keeps app data sealed until you unlock the iPhone once. If you plug in before unlocking, the widget can't read its design and stays blank. Unlock the phone, then reconnect CarPlay.

4. The widget shows a placeholder or grey shapes

That's the system waiting for the app. Wait 10–20 seconds, then swipe the stack. If it stays grey, open the app on your iPhone once (it refreshes all widgets on launch) and reconnect.

5. Only one or two widgets fit

The number of widget stacks depends on the car's screen: wide screens show three side by side, standard ones two, small screens one. Each stack still holds up to five widgets — swipe up or down on the stack to switch between them.

6. A widget is cropped at the edges

Some aftermarket and older head units scale the CarPlay picture and cut a few pixels at the edges. Designs with centered content look best there; keep text away from the corners.

7. Everything else fails

  1. Remove the widget in Settings → General → CarPlay → your car → Widgets, then add it again.
  2. Forget the car in the same menu and connect once more.
  3. Restart the iPhone — this also refreshes the cached previews in Settings.
  4. Check that the widget app isn't restricted in Screen Time → Content & Privacy Restrictions.

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