5 New Apple CarPlay Features Coming to iOS 27

During the WWDC 2026 keynote, Apple outlined its plans for iOS 27 and other operating system updates. However, unlike in previous years when the company was moving from one software release to another, Apple decided to focus on Apple Intelligence features, child safety features, and general bug fixes. That said, the company hasn’t addressed new Apple CarPlay features, as it did in 2025 with iOS 26. This upcoming software update, still in beta, includes four new features that will improve drivers’ lives: a new mini audio player, audio cleanup, improved navigation, and more.

While Apple could still improve the CarPlay experience in the coming months with more unannounced features, it’s still unclear what else the company might have in store. However, it’s important to note that one major feature of iOS 26 CarPlay could be greatly improved in iOS 27: video in CarPlay. With this feature, drivers can stream their movies, TV shows and more to the CarPlay screen via AirPlay once the car is parked. While this has been a long-requested feature, Apple is now working to make it much more useful for daily drivers.

CarPlay aims to provide a simple and safe driving experience while keeping you connected to everything that matters to you, like your friends, important work messages, and other notifications that might need real-time attention. With an upcoming mini audio player in iOS 27, CarPlay users will be able to easily control their media with a persistent, unobtrusive overlay that can coexist with their maps.

This way, even if you have a big turn to make or don’t want to take your eyes off the route you’ve known for years, someone in the passenger seat can easily access the mini player to change songs, pause them, and more. The best part of the mini player is that it works with all audio apps, which means you will always have access to audio playback at a glance. This feature is expected to roll out once iOS 27 is available to users, and it’s part of a set of quality-of-life experiences Apple has been preparing for CarPlay over the past few years, making the infotainment display more useful and safer for all drivers.

If you enjoy listening to long podcasts or audiobooks while traveling, you probably realize how difficult it can be to navigate audio while you drive. With CarPlay in iOS 27, Apple will add Audio Scrubbing to the Now Playing screen. Until now, drivers were limited to the basic skip and back buttons. Audio Cleanup introduces a functional and user-friendly slider that allows drivers to quickly forward or rewind the audio content they are listening to with precision. This can be helpful when they’re trying to find a specific quote, skip playing a commercial, or replay their favorite part of a song.

What’s interesting about this feature is that it took Apple years to make the Now Playing tab more similar to the iPhone’s. With this change, the company will help drivers avoid reaching for their phone to find the correct timecode for what they are listening to, as they can now swipe their finger along the infotainment screen.

Apple also plans to introduce improved heading and GPS accuracy with iOS 27. While this feature isn’t as sophisticated as a new set of icons or other UI changes, it’s an important step toward a more reliable driving experience. This feature should improve performance in harsh environments, such as areas with tall skyscrapers, complex underground tunnels, or any other place where GPS signals can drift or freeze completely.

Through advanced algorithms and better integration with the iPhone’s internal sensors, Apple will provide more stable and accurate readings of vehicle position, ensuring drivers never miss an upcoming turn or take the wrong street. In other words, whether the user uses Apple Maps, Google Maps or Waze, they will have fewer missed turns, more accurate arrival times and far fewer “recalculation” alerts. This is one of those quality of life improvements that drivers will definitely notice in their daily commute once the new system is launched.

Although we will have to wait for an official version to be released, one of the main complaints from CarPlay users is connectivity issues between the iPhone and the car. Every so often, Apple releases a software update that fixes these issues, whether with a new iPhone or due to a previous faulty update. With iOS 27, on the other hand, the company is taking the issues more seriously, as improving the reliability of wireless CarPlay is one of the main features of this update.

What’s more likely is that Apple is overhauling back-end connectivity protocols, improving Bluetooth connectivity, and stabilizing Wi-Fi connections. At the moment, the company hasn’t said much about the reliability of the CarPlay experience. However, considering that iOS 27 is expected to improve Bluetooth connectivity, AirDrop transfers, app launch speed, and even photo download speed, it seems that Apple has focused on improving the overall experience. Some of these improvements are coming to CarPlay. Ultimately, this feature is more about making the iPhone-to-vehicle experience smoother, especially now with the new CarPlay Ultra, which completely takes over the vehicle’s system, with the iPhone truly becoming the brain of the car.

With iOS 26.4, Apple released the Video feature in CarPlay. However, using AirPlay is still blocked from streaming video to the CarPlay screen once the vehicle is parked. With iOS 27, Apple significantly improves this experience, allowing developers to create apps that allow users to browse and play videos in cars that support this feature. According to Apple, iOS 27 will allow users to browse their favorite videos from iPhone to the CarPlay screen. So, if you’re waiting for your child to finish school, taking a break on a big trip, or waiting for a friend at the airport, then you can take advantage of your vehicle’s big screen for your favorite TV shows, movies, short videos, and much more.

If you start driving with the Video feature in CarPlay, Apple will intelligently turn off the video and switch to an audio-only experience. This is useful if you’re watching a video stream or following a sports match, as you can always listen to what’s happening and then resume streaming once you’re parked again.