I’ve tried CarPlay’s new iOS 26 makeover – here are my 5 favorite upgrades
Many have been debated from the latest Apple iOS 26 software update, which provides the interface “ liquid glass ” and undoubtedly the most radical modifications in the way users interact with Apple products in recent years.
Another aspect he affected is the extremely popular Apple Carplay user interface, which allows drivers (and passengers) to reflect their smartphones on the infodivement screen of a vehicle.
Most modern manufacturers now offer Apple Carplay and Android Auto compatibility as standard, but, if like me, you drive an older vehicle, you can also take advantage of the functionality when you are driving with a dedicated spare head unit.
It was on one of them, certainly rather small and a little clumsy and spare units, that I took the last iteration of Apple Carplay for a tour. Here are my five best new features.
1. The interface looks better
Although the new interface “ glass liquid ”, with its almost opaque application icons, is not really suitable for Apple Carplay (this makes them difficult to see), the default parameters and the dark mode are fantastic and really pop.
The icons of the application now have rounded edges and they contrast well with an elegant background choice, even on an average screen like mine.
Compared side by side with the previous generations of Carplay, it is difficult to assert that it does not seem more modern. The icons of the application move with a neat animation, rather than remaining static too.
Above all, there is an impressive quantity of consistency throughout the interface, all the application icons receiving the same arrondising refreshment. There is also a platform platform on the side of the screen.
In my right -wing driving vehicle, this has been easily pinned to the right, allowing quick access and easy to reach the most recently used applications.
Apple introduces its functionality of popular iPhone widgets to Carplay with the iOS 26 update, allowing a dedicated screen to display compact versions, “look-looking” of favorite applications.
However, on smaller infotainment screens (mine is only about 7 inch), it is only possible to display a widget at a time, which in a way beats the object of stacking them for fast looks.
In the settings of my Apple iPhone 15, I could choose from five favorite widgets, all drawn from applications that have already installed. These can then be mixed in order of importance.
There are things like a digital clock, newspaper summaries, recent WhatsApp and daily calendar entries, which are all pinned on Apple Carplay’s first page.
As mentioned earlier, I could only see one at a time on my small screen, having to scroll from top to bottom between them, but it is always a very practical way to obtain quick access to news, to consult a meteorological update or to shorten towards a WhatsApp conversation.
3. Notifications are less intrusive
Most people connect their phone on a vehicle, start Apple Carplay, then sail via Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps. Having notifications appearing on these applications can be confusing and frustrating during driving.
Apple sought to counter this with a new “Tapback” function on incoming images. Now it is possible to respond quickly with an emoji, or to silence future notifications in a small panel that appears.
The number of responses is limited and if you need to explain something beyond an emoji of heart of love or a question mark, you will have to use Siri.
Likewise, incoming telephone calls no longer take control of the screen, destroying any chance of visualizing the next navigation instruction. Instead, they carefully slide at the bottom of an application screen. Yay.
4. You can customize things (a little)
In addition to the possibility of selecting between an elegant wallpaper handle (no access to the photos for the moment for personalized backgrounds), there is a good amount of personalization in the Carplay settings.
You can modify the size of the text, which is practical for smaller infotainment displays or those that have a bad view, select between default or dark screens, as well as for the complete treatment of “liquid glass” if you dig this look.
The latter is supposed to be less distracting, because he “fancy” the icons of the application. But on my screen, it made everything impossible to see almost in broad daylight, sending distraction levels through the roof.
5. Live activities are really useful
If you have a larger infotainment display, the widget widgets page can also include live activities, which are very practical if you want to follow something.
The most obvious example is the live flight information from your favorite carplay compatible application, because it allows you to progress on your way to the airport.
Likewise, there is the possibility of having live sports scores displayed in a widget, as long as you first follow teams or games in the Apple sports application.
The other applications that have been optimized for this feature include things like Ringgo parking, which can display the parking time remaining on the screen, if you are sitting in your car while waiting to take someone.
But Airplay only works with audio
It has been reported that Apple seeks to support Airplay Video in the Carplay environment, so that users can enjoy entertainment when they are parked.
I tried this using my system, but I could only succeed in the audio of a YouTube video casting in my head unit compatible with Carplay. This is not the end of the world, because you could always enjoy a mixture of DJ or a documentary that does not require visuals, but it is not perfect.
Apple says that it “will integrate carplay support with AirPlay Video to activate this feature in your car”, but it will be due to the manufacturer to choose how and when they activate it.
Likewise, the new Pinch-to-Zoom function only works on selected vehicles which allow large multi-large control, which must still be decided by the car manufacturer.
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