iOS 26 CarPlay: Everything About Apple’s Next-Gen In-Car Experience

iOS 26 CarPlay brings Apple’s biggest in-car upgrade yet. Surprise! Now it is possible to watch YouTube while a vehicle is parked. It turns your car smarter with a redesigned interface, smarter Siri, and full dashboard integration. Here's what the latest changes are and why they're game changers......

What Is the iOS 26 CarPlay Features?

The latest features available in iOS 26 Apple CarPlay are listed below.

Liquid Glass Design and Widgets

Apple has added a new Liquid Glass aesthetic to CarPlay. It brings a glossy look to your dashboard. It is compatible with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS 26.

Apple has added Widgets to Apple CarPlay iOS 26, allowing users to do everything without touching their iPhone. These widgets allow drivers to view:

Live Activities

Another great addition to CarPlay iOS 26 is Live Activity support. Previously, this feature was limited to the iPhone Lock Screen and Dynamic Island.

Use cases include:

Messages, Phone, Maps improvements

With iOS 26, there are major improvements to Messages in CarPlay, creating a smoother and more intuitive communication experience for drivers. New CarPlay features include:

Phone call alerts have also received iOS 26 CarPlay updates. This allows you to:

Also, drivers can now adjust with CarPlay in iOS 26:

Smart Display Zoom 

iOS 26 introduces a new Smart Display Zoom setting for CarPlay features. When enabled, it reduces the size of UI elements, allowing for an extra row of app icons and providing a better layout.

Wireless Video Streaming  

There's a catch! iOS 26 introduces AirPlay video streaming support for both standard CarPlay and the CarPlay Ultra. This allows users to wirelessly stream video (YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, etc.) from their iPhone to their car's infotainment screen. But this can only be done when the vehicle is parked. As soon as the car starts moving, the iPhone automatically stops playing video.

But don't worry, you can still watch streaming platforms while driving. Let's see how it is do!

How to Watch YouTube on Apple CarPlay?  

Here are the top tools and devices that let you add YouTube, Netflix, and more to your CarPlay screen safely and easily.

• WheelPal
• CarBridgeX

WheelPal (Software Solution)  

WheelPal is a CarPlay upgrade software solution. It can also be used as an alternative to the CarBridge app. However, the iPhone must be jailbroken to make this app work. WheelPal allows users to add any app to CarPlay. You can also watch YouTube, Netflix, etc. on the CarPlay screen.

The WheelPal app is not compatible with the latest iOS versions such as iOS 18.5 and iOS 26 due to the lack of jailbreak tools.

CarBridgeX (Hardware Solution)  

CarBridge X is a wireless CarPlay adapter. With CarBridge X, you can connect your iPhone without cables. The CarBridgeX allows you to play Netflix on CarPlay, watch YouTube on CarPlay, Prime Video, TikTok, etc. with your CarPlay. It is compatible with any car that has factory wired CarPlay (BMW is not supported).

iOS 26 Compatible Devices

iOS 18 Vs iOS 26

Disclaimer: Watching videos in the car while driving is dangerous. Make sure you watch video content and other distractions responsibly.

Conclusion  

By exploring these features, you can tailor CarPlay to suit your needs. iOS 26 and the CarPlay Ultra in-car experience are now available to you. If you're looking to upgrade with new features or add your favorite apps to CarPlay, the tools listed above can help you.