CarPlay is one of the most popular infotainment solutions these days, and it’s getting a significant set of changes.
Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) usually brings quite a few announcements for techies to pore over, and this year is definitely no exception. For one, the company is moving away from individually numbering its operating system updates to a new, year-based naming convention. Now, it doesn’t matter what Apple device you use, the software will match up across the board (so you’ll have iOS 26, iPad OS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26 and visionOS 26, all of which reflect the fall 2026 updates). It’s a system we’re used to as Apple basically took a leaf out of the auto industry’s playbook, and on the automotive front, one of the changes we’re most interested in lies within iOS 26 — significant updates to CarPlay.
These latest announcements come hot on the heels of last month’s “CarPlay Ultra” announcement, shown in the 2025 Aston Martin DBX. The “Ultra” system brings Apple’s software into a car’s instrument cluster, and not just its infotainment screen, opening up possibilities for more holistic integration down the road (for better or worse, depending on your stance toward Apple). For now, CarPlay Ultra is only available on 2025 Aston Martin models, but will expand out to other automakers over the next year or so.
WWDC’s CarPlay announcement focuses on the standard setup that virtually anyone can use. One of Apple’s biggest claims to fame with the iOS 26 update is “Liquid Glass”, making menu bars translucent (a la 2007’s Windows Vista and Microsoft’s “Aero” aesthetic, as virtually every tech outlet has pointed out at this point). Essentially, the buttons and bars will look more cohesive to your iPhone, Mac, watch, etc. with prettier bars, icons and buttons.
This update also adds in widgets, which we got a glimpse into through CarPlay Ultra. We’ve already been able to see some pre-determined infromation through info cards on the home screen, but widgets allow users to customize the information they most want to see on one screen. Apple is also incorporating “Live Activities” as well as Tapbacks in messages (that let you react to messages) — all of which the company says allows users “to stay in the loop without losing focus on the road”. Hey, in a world chock full of distracted driving, it is arguably better than looking at your actual phone.
And finally — finally — Apple is dealing with one of CarPlay’s most annoying call-related features. Now, instead of an incoming call taking up the entire screen, cutting off whatever you were looking at before (be it media or navigation, for example), there’s now a smaller pop-up that won’t completely obstruct everything you’re looking at.
Likely in a bid to get folks to ditch Google Maps as their primary navigation tool, Apple is also updating Apple Maps functionality in iOS 26, and by extension in CarPlay. The latest version of the app will analyze your daily route and present it when you’re headed home or to the office, as well as notify you of delays and alternative routes when necessary. And if the word “privacy” just popped into your head, Apple swears that “Visited Places”, as they’re known here, are end-to-end encrypted and cannot be accessed by the company.
While a public beta version of iOS 26 will be up for testing next month, the actual launch will happen in the fall. iOS 26 and its associated feature improvements will be available to anyone with an iPhone 11 or newer as a free update. As for CarPlay Ultra, you’ll soon be able to check it out in the latest slate of Hyundai, Kia and Genesis models, though you’ll need an iPhone 12 or newer and iOS 18.5 or newer (the absolute latest version that’s available right now, basically) to access it.
