CarPlay is getting even better with these new iOS 26.2 features

Earlier this year, CarPlay – Apple’s infotainment system for cars – received a major update with the first release of iOS 26. Not only did it gain the new Liquid Glass interface, but it has also received features such as widgets on the Home Screen, video streaming over AirPlay when the car is parked, Live Activities, and more customizations.

With iOS 26.2 rolling out this week to iPhone users, CarPlay is also getting some nice upgrades that make the whole experience even better. More specifically, there are two new features that CarPlay users have been requesting for a long time that are finally on the way.

More widgets on the CarPlay Home Screen

With iOS 26.2, Apple is further refining some of CarPlay’s new features, starting with Home Screen widgets.

Similar to widgets on the iPhone, CarPlay widgets let users see brief information and even access quick interactions right from the Home Screen without having to open an app. This includes options such as a calendar widget to show your upcoming appointments, the weather forecast, or even Home controls.

Users can currently place up to two widgets on the CarPlay Home Screen, but that will change with iOS 26.2.

The update enables support for more widgets on the CarPlay Home Screen. However, there’s a catch. The ability to add three or more widgets is limited to vehicles with larger built-in screens. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t specify which car models support more widgets in CarPlay, but if your car has a large built-in screen, you will likely be able to add more widgets to it.

A cleaner interface for the Messages app

Also with iOS 26, CarPlay introduced a new interface for the Messages app that shows pinned chats at the top. For users who prefer a cleaner interface, there’s now an option to disable pinned conversations in CarPlay.

In the Settings app, you will now find a “Pinned Conversations” toggle. Turn it off, and you’ll no longer see pinned chats in the Messages app, just the regular list of chats. For CarPlay users who didn’t like the new Messages app interface, the update will certainly come in handy.

The new CarPlay features are automatically enabled after installing iOS 26.2 on your iPhone. Just go to Settings > General > Software Update and look for the latest version of the operating system.