Over the last several years, CarPlay’s new features have been rare and few. But between CarPlay Ultra’s launch and everything new in iOS 26 for standard CarPlay, things have quickly changed. Here’s what’s new in iOS 26, CarPlay’s biggest update in years.
As part of Apple’s cross-platform design revamp this year, the new Liquid Glass look of iOS 26 extends to the car too.
This means app icons and various UI elements have all received a fresh new design, and you can even customize the look with different icon appearance modes, choosing from Default, Dark, and Clear—with the latter offering several of its own variants.
For a gallery of the available design options, check out our coverage here.
Additionally, CarPlay in iOS 26 benefits from a lineup of new wallpapers fashioned after the new default iPhone wallpaper.
