At WWDC 2025, Apple announced a series of enhancements for CarPlay as part of the upcoming iOS 26 update, with the most notable being a new Smart Display Zoom feature. This innovation is designed to better accommodate the varying screen shapes and sizes found in modern vehicles by dynamically resizing the CarPlay interface.
CarPlay engineer Olivia Hess highlighted the purpose of the feature during a developer session, explaining that “Vehicle screens come in many shapes and sizes. In iOS 26, some screen configurations allow drivers to adjust their display scale with Smart Display Zoom, configurable within Settings in CarPlay.” Once enabled, the feature automatically shrinks down interface elements, creating room for an extra row of app icons. This makes the interface more versatile, especially for users with a large number of apps.
Currently, Smart Display Zoom is only available in the developer beta of iOS 26. Apple plans to release a public beta next month, with a full rollout scheduled for September alongside the final version of iOS 26.
Beyond display scaling, iOS 26 is also bringing meaningful enhancements to CarPlay’s messaging and call experience. Incoming calls will now appear in a more compact format, preventing navigation directions from being blocked. This small but crucial update improves usability, especially when using CarPlay for GPS navigation.
In addition, the Messages app within CarPlay will support Tapbacks—emoji reactions to messages—as well as pinned conversations, allowing users to keep their most important chats accessible while driving.
Apple is also integrating widgets and Live Activities into CarPlay’s interface, allowing real-time updates from apps like weather, music, or sports scores to be displayed directly on the car’s infotainment system. These updates will also be included in CarPlay Ultra, Apple’s next-generation platform for deeper in-vehicle integration.
