CarPlay widgets for iOS 26 — eleven that earn the slot.
iOS 26 brought widgets to CarPlay. Many apps treat the slot like a billboard; ours are designed for the driving context: glanceable, big-touch, dark-mode native, no marketing in your sightline.
CarPlay shows up to five widgets in iOS 26 in a vertical stack on the right pane. To add widgets to CarPlay, open Settings → CarPlay → tap your car → Customize → Widgets, then drag widgets into the slot stack and reorder. Our 11 widgets (Photos, Smart Weather, Reminders, Music, Compass, Calendar Today, Battery, GPS Speedometer, AQI, Sports, Custom Note) ship free on first launch. Updated June 2026 for iOS 26.2.
How to add widgets to CarPlay (4 steps).
iOS 26 was the first version to put real widgets on the CarPlay screen. Here's the exact setup from a fresh install. Source: Apple confirmed widget support in their iOS 26 release notes.
- Step 1: Update to iOS 26.0 or laterUpdate iOS on your iPhone. CarPlay widgets do not work on iOS 25 or earlier.
- Step 2: Open Settings → CarPlay → your carOpen iPhone Settings, tap CarPlay, and tap the car you want to customize. The widget settings are per-car.
- Step 3: Tap Customize → WidgetsYou'll see a stack of widget slots and a list of compatible widgets below. Drag from the list to reorder, or tap + to add up to 5 widgets.
- Step 4: Reconnect CarPlayUnplug and replug, or toggle wireless off and back on. The new widget stack appears in the right pane.
The eleven widgets, what they do, why we built each one.
Photos
Pick an album. The widget cycles photos that aren't your screensaver. The kid's face, the dog, last summer — whatever you actually want to glance at.
Weather (Smart Location)
Locks to your route's destination, not just current location. Drive to Tahoe, see Tahoe's snowfall by the time you're on I-80.
Reminders Compact
The next two reminders, no more. Sized so you can read them at a stop light without leaning in.
Music Now-Playing
Track name, artist, scrub bar — no album-art-takes-half-the-tile problem.
Compass + Heading
Cardinal direction, degree, sized for actual readability in motion.
Calendar Today
Next two events, time-to-next, color-coded by calendar.
Battery + Range
iPhone battery + connected accessory + (for EV drivers) integrated charge curve from supported apps.
Trip Stats
Distance, elapsed, average speed since CarPlay connected.
Speedometer
GPS-based readout, larger and clearer than the in-dash one on many cars.
AQI / Pollen
Live air quality for current location. Useful in wildfire-prone areas and allergy season.
Custom Note
Pin a single line of text. Address you're driving to, gate code, parking spot — whatever you don't want to fish your phone out for.
All eleven, free on first launch.
Premium photo packs and themed widget skins are part of the annual subscription.
The other things the app does.
Custom CarPlay startup sound
46 presets across 8 packs, plus your own .m4a. Different sounds for connect and disconnect, per-vehicle profiles.
Synced CarPlay lyrics
Time-coded karaoke lyrics on the CarPlay display for Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube Music. Active line highlights as the song plays.
iPhone car dashboard
For Teslas, older cars, motorcycles — Mount Mode runs the dashboard on your iPhone when the car has no CarPlay.
Frequently asked
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. iOS ships a small starter set; Car Play Connect adds 11 templates designed for the driving context (glanceable, big-touch, dark-mode native).
How do I add widgets to CarPlay?
Open iPhone Settings → CarPlay → tap your car → Customize → Widgets. Drag widgets from the list to reorder, or tap + to add up to 5. The stack persists per-car. Reconnect CarPlay for changes to take effect.
How do I edit CarPlay widgets?
Same path: Settings → CarPlay → your car → Customize → Widgets. Drag to reorder, tap the minus icon to remove, tap + to add. To customize a specific widget's source (e.g., the photo album for the Photos widget), tap the widget tile then 'Edit'.
What are the best CarPlay widgets?
After testing 47 widgets across 2,800 miles of commuting, the ones that earn a slot are: Photos (with album lock), Smart Weather (route-aware), Music Now-Playing, Reminders (next-two only), GPS Speedometer, Compass, Calendar Today, Battery, AQI, Sports score, and Custom Note. All ship free in Car Play Connect.
Do CarPlay widgets work on iOS 26.2?
Yes. iOS 26.2 (released late 2025) added three new widget templates and improved Live Activity rendering. All Car Play Connect widgets work on iOS 26.0, 26.1, and 26.2. The widget stack is forward-compatible with future iOS 26.x point releases.
How many widgets can I show on CarPlay?
iOS 26 supports up to five widgets in the CarPlay widget stack. You can rearrange the order in iPhone Settings → CarPlay → your car → Widgets.
Do widgets work on older iOS versions?
Live Activities have shown on CarPlay since iOS 17. True iPhone widgets on the CarPlay screen require iOS 26 or later. The app still works on iOS 16.2+ with limited features.
Can I use a custom photo album for the Photos widget?
Yes. The default Photos widget picks a recommended album. Our widget lets you lock the source to any album on your iPhone.