CarPlay can become even better when you take a few minutes to customize it.
Your iPhone turns your car’s infotainment system into a navigation and communications center, thanks to CarPlay. While it works great by default, there are several ways to make it even better, as well as new features arriving from time to time.
From setting up the basics of CarPlay to designing the perfect app layout, tweaking functionality can make your trips safer and more entertaining. And with iOS 27 bringing several new updates to CarPlay, it’s the perfect time to dive into this core iPhone feature.
Get the most out of layout and display
The easiest way to improve your CarPlay game is to customize its presentation to your liking. You might be surprised to learn that you need to rearrange the icons on your iPhone, not on your car screen. To do this, open Settings on your iPhone, tap General and select CarPlay. From there, select your vehicle and enter the Applications menu.
Here you will find a list of apps on your phone that are compatible with CarPlay; drag them up or down to make the most important ones easily available on your CarPlay screen. The size of your car’s screen defines how many apps appear on the first page. So you may need to get creative when prioritizing which ones you use the most. To remove or add apps, tap the red minus or green plus, respectively.
Starting with iOS 26, you can further organize your infotainment system with CarPlay widgets. These bring the same quick views you use on your phone’s home screen, such as weather, calendar and clock, to your car’s screen. Edit them by pressing Widgets in the same menu where you selected your Applications earlier. CarPlay will intelligently swap your widgets throughout the day if enabled Smart rotationand similar Widget suggestions will show the available ones even if you haven’t added them.
CarPlay’s overall brightness should change based on your dashboard controls, but you can go further to switch between light and dark modes depending on conditions and time of day. Go to Settings > Appearance on your CarPlay screen, then select Automatic to allow the brightness of your CarPlay to adjust automatically. Apple’s CarPlay Visual Accessibility Guide can also help here.
To enhance its look, personalize your wallpaper by opening Settings in CarPlay and pressing Wallpaper. Choose your preferred option and tap Together. You can also change the colors of your icons, by toggling between Default, Dark And Clearbelow Settings > Customize Icons in CarPlay.
Maximize what you get from CarPlay
Siri is integrated into CarPlay; By saying “Hey Siri” or pressing the voice button on your car’s steering wheel, you can send messages, start navigation, change the playlist and perform other actions. On a compatible iPhone, the revamped Siri AI in iOS 27 is also more useful in the car. And if the assistant becomes a driver in the back seat, you can prevent Siri from interrupting you when you’re using CarPlay by changing various settings.
If you want, you can go further by enabling Voice Controls, an accessibility feature that provides more CarPlay commands with your voice. To activate it, go to Settings > Accessibility > Voice control in CarPlay. Once enabled, it will continually listen for commands like opening apps, swiping left/right, or tapping a certain item on the screen. For a complete list of controls, see the Apple Voice Control CarPlay support page.
The Focus feature is a productivity must-have on your iPhone, and Driving Focus helps reduce notification distractions without affecting essential driving apps. To enable Driving Focus, go to Settings on your vehicle’s CarPlay screen, select Concentration on driving and choose Activate with CarPlay. For best results, customize your Driving Focus notification settings on your phone by going to Settings > Focus > Driving. Below PeopleSelect the contacts whose messages you want to allow or disable. You can also allow repeat calls from people who would otherwise be deleted, as well as create auto-replies. Visit the While driving to activate this Focus automatically every time you connect to CarPlay, if you haven’t already done so on your iPhone.
Beyond these settings and app tweaks, elite CarPlay users use both wireless and wired connections depending on the situation. While a wireless connection is convenient, it won’t charge your phone while you’re using it unless your car has a wireless charger. So, during long car trips, plugging in your phone is the right choice to keep the battery charged.
Other little tricks make CarPlay even smoother. In the Messages app on your iPhone, long-press a frequent conversation and choose Pin to keep it at the top – this will also pin it to the Messages app for CarPlay. And don’t forget the Shortcuts app, where you can create CarPlay automations.
