Add Car Widgets
Your CarPlay,
the way you want it.
Car Play Connect is an iOS app that adds widgets, a custom startup sound, and synced lyrics to your CarPlay screen on iOS 26. Up to five widget slots — photos, weather, music, reminders, compass — plus 46 audio packs and Apple Music/Spotify lyrics. For cars without CarPlay, Mount Mode runs the full dashboard on your iPhone.
install
iOS 16.2+ · Full widget stack on iOS 26.0+
Built around CarPlay. Plus a backup for cars without it.
iOS 26 brought widgets to CarPlay. That was the start, not the finish line.
Photos, weather, info — all yours.
Pick any iPhone widget. Set the photo album. Lock the weather location to your commute. Stack five for an at-a-glance dashboard you actually built.
A startup chime worth hearing.
The default CarPlay chime is a two-tone signature, unchanged since 2014. Swap in a Tesla-style chime, a custom .m4a, or silence on disconnect. Set it once. Forget it.
The line you sing highlights as you sing.
Karaoke mode for the car. Synced lyrics on CarPlay and the lock screen. Current line bold, past lines fade, next lines preview ahead.
Dynamic
Lyrics App
CarPlay
Lyrics
Time-coded · Apple Music + Spotify · Karaoke window
Lyrics On
Lock Screen
See live lyrics in real-time, right on your lock screen
Five widget slots. Two
seconds of glance.
CarPlay shows up to five widgets in iOS 26. We give you templates that fit: a photo of your kid that updates daily, a weather card that shows the AQI for the city you're driving to, a music widget that doesn't cover half the map, a compass that actually reads at a glance.
- 11 widget templates, more shipping every month
- Live photo refresh from any album
- Multi-city weather, locked to a route
- Works on every CarPlay-capable iPhone (iOS 16.2+)
A sound when you plug in.
A sound when you park.
Two independent sounds — one when CarPlay connects, one when you unplug. Tesla engine roar for the morning drive, a soft ping when you park. Or silence on either. 46 packs out of the box, or drop any .m4a directly into the app.
- Different sounds for connect & disconnect
- Per-vehicle profiles (work car vs. weekend car)
- Custom audio import, trimmed in-app
- Works wired and wireless CarPlay
Built for the cars
CarPlay never reached.
Tesla owners don't get CarPlay. Pre-2016 vehicles often don't either. Mount Mode turns your iPhone into a dashboard with the same big-button logic — speed, navigation, music controls, hands-free dialing — built for tap-without-looking.
- Speedometer with GPS-based readout
- Driver-mode UI — buttons sized for glance use
- Day / night auto-switching
- Works with any phone mount, vent or suction
2,300+ ratings. 4.6 average. Not a fluke.
“The photo widget alone is worth it. I finally have my kid's face on the CarPlay screen instead of the default Apple Maps tile.”
“I have a Tesla so I don't get CarPlay. Mount Mode is the closest thing — and honestly nicer than what most cars ship with.”
“Custom startup sound is silly until you have it. Now I notice every time it doesn't play (rental cars). Set it once and forget.”
The ones we
get most.
What are CarPlay widgets?
CarPlay widgets are iPhone widgets that render on the CarPlay screen, introduced in iOS 26 (June 2025). You get up to five widget slots in a stack on the right pane: photos, weather, music, reminders, GPS speedometer, AQI, and more. Before iOS 26, only navigation, audio, and communication apps could put anything custom on CarPlay.
How do I add widgets to CarPlay?
To add CarPlay widgets in iOS 26: open Settings → CarPlay → tap your car → Customize → Widgets. Drag widgets into the slot stack and reorder them. The changes apply the next time CarPlay connects. Car Play Connect adds 11 widget templates that ship free on first launch.
Does iOS 26 add new CarPlay features?
Yes. iOS 26.0 introduced CarPlay widgets, Live Activities (lyrics, sports scores, food orders), and a redesigned CarPlay home screen — the first version with real widgets on CarPlay. iOS 26.2 (December 2025) added wireless reconnection improvements and three additional widget templates. Older iOS versions (16.2+) still run the app with fewer widget slots and no Live Activities.
Does my car need CarPlay?
For the widget, custom-sound, and dynamic-lyrics features, yes. For Mount Mode, no — Mount Mode is for cars without CarPlay (Tesla, pre-2016 vehicles, rentals, motorcycles). Mount Mode runs the dashboard entirely on your iPhone.
Is this an Apple-made app?
No, it's independent. We're not affiliated with Apple. CarPlay and iPhone are Apple trademarks.
Will my widgets work on Android Auto?
No. This is iOS only. If you have an Android phone, this app doesn't install — it's not in Google Play.
What does it cost?
Free download with in-app purchases. The annual subscription is $19.99/year, with in-app purchases. There are also one-time purchases for additional display packs.
Five minutes. One commute.
You'll know if it works.
Free to try. The widgets and Mount Mode are unlocked from the first launch.