5 New CarPlay Features To Check Out After You Update To iOS 26

The just-released iOS 26 added new features to iPhones while giving Apple smartphones a fresh new look. And if you connect your phone to your car via Apple CarPlay, you're also getting several new features that will make driving more enjoyable, even if you're stuck in traffic, without compromising on safety.

The navigation capabilities of modern smartphones, alongside their data connection, make them great for finding directions while driving. However, they can also get distracting to use, with notifications and other apps that might appear on your screen as you drive along the highway. Aside from that, even though these gadgets typically have large screens, they're still usually smaller than the latest infotainment systems found on most cars.

Because of this, Apple CarPlay (and Android Auto) has now become an essential feature that many car buyers look for in new vehicles. But aside from automakers putting in the functionality in the models they offer, Google and Apple also have the responsibility of updating its in-car platforms to ensure that its users get the most out of their phones. So, these are some of the latest Apple CarPlay features that you must check out after updating your phone to iOS 26.

One of the biggest new features Apple CarPlay received in iOS 26 is widgets. Although this is no different from the widgets you can place on your home screen, having them available on your car's infotainment makes them so much more useful. This means that you can now have your favorite apps readily viewable on your car's screen, even if they do not have an Apple CarPlay-specific version of the app.

These widgets make driving more fun while still limiting distractions. One such widget that you should check out is from the Dynamic Lyrics app. You can download it from the App Store and then connect your Apple Music or Spotify account. From there, you can go to your iPhone's settings and add the app as a widget. This will then show the lyrics of the currently playing song on your car's infotainment system, allowing your passengers to sing along as you crawl through traffic.

There are other available widgets, too, like Calendar, Tasks, and Weather. If you have these on your screen, you can then see what you need to do for the day at a glance, helping you plan your drive accordingly. Alternatively, you can use the Photos widget to further personalize your car with images of your friends, family, and pets.

It can get annoying (and sometimes even dangerous) if you're looking at your map while driving. This is even more true, as you enter a turn or head towards a fork in the road, and then you suddenly lose the map because someone calls you, or you receive a text message. But iOS 26 improved on this by showing a small notification that appears at the bottom of your screen instead of taking over the entire display, especially if you have Waze or Google Maps open.

Although this is a relatively minor improvement, it makes things more convenient and helps reduce distractions, especially when you're driving. This means you can continue navigating even when someone calls or sends you a text message. Nevertheless, the Phone and Messages apps will still take up the whole screen when you open them on your car's infotainment system — but you shouldn't really be doing that anyway while you're on the wheel.

Live Activity is a handy feature that first arrived in 2022 with iOS 16, and we're now getting it in our cars in 2025 with iOS 26. This lets you keep track of live events while you're on the road, without needing to get your phone out. 

For example, if you're picking someone up from the airport, you can download the Flightradar24 app and then track their flight live on your phone. That way, you can time your arrival at the terminal with the plane's landing time, ensuring that both you and your passenger do not need to waste time waiting for the other to arrive. It's also useful if you want to see where your food delivery is at and time it to arrive within minutes of you getting home. And if you can't get in front of your TV in time to watch your favorite team win (or lose), you can at least keep track of the score right on your infotainment system. 

Apple has been expanding the customizability of its devices in recent years, like with the introduction of widgets and custom app layouts. Apple CarPlay is getting the same treatment with iOS 26, with new wallpapers (even a pink one), and the ability to change the icons on your car. You can now choose between the default, dark, or glass icon packs, allowing you a choice between the classic look, the sleek new glass design, or going all black for dark mode lovers. You can even force Apple CarPlay to be in dark mode all the time, ensuring that you're not suddenly blinded when you turn off your headlights. 

These changes make the Apple CarPlay interface look so much sleeker, unifying it with the look of Apple's latest operating systems. Despite all these updates to the UX, my experience using CarPlay on my iPhone 14 Pro Max is still so much faster and smoother than Android Auto on my Samsung S24 Ultra. Not to mention, it is two years newer than my Apple smartphone.

The last thing to get excited about is users finally get the ability to stream videos to their car's screen. This means users can now watch YouTube videos on a larger screen, which is especially useful for passing the time when we're waiting. Of course, you still can't watch on your infotainment while you're driving, which is dangerous and potentially illegal.

However, I haven't been able to make it work with my car, as the feature must be turned on by the car manufacturer before you can use it. So, unless you're getting over-the-air updates that will activate this specific functionality, it seems that the majority of users won't be able to enjoy it. But if you really want to enjoy watching movies or TV shows on your car screen, then you should instead pick one of the best Apple CarPlay wireless adapters you can buy that has this specific capability.