Apple Reinvents CarPlay with Liquid Glass Design and Smarter In-Car Features

Apple is giving CarPlay a fresh look and feel as part of its broader platform-wide redesign arriving with iOS 26. Announced at WWDC 2025, the new version of CarPlay will feature a more responsive, modern interface that brings several highly requested features into the driver's seat — all while embracing the company’s striking new “Liquid Glass” visual language.

This design update brings CarPlay in line with the rest of Apple’s ecosystem, blending layered transparency and subtle lighting effects that mirror the fluidity of visionOS and the upcoming iOS experience. But beyond appearances, Apple is pushing to make CarPlay more intuitive and practical on the road.

A redesigned call interface now ensures that incoming alerts no longer take over the screen entirely. Instead, call notifications appear as streamlined overlays, giving drivers the ability to see who’s calling while keeping navigation and other essential info visible. It’s a subtle shift, but one that improves real-world usability, especially during turn-by-turn directions.

Messages in CarPlay are also evolving. Drivers will now be able to send quick reactions — known as Tapbacks — directly from the interface, making it easier to respond on the go without typing or dictating a full message. Additionally, users can access pinned conversations for faster communication with frequent contacts.

The update also introduces full widget support and Live Activities, extending features that have become popular on iPhone and bringing them seamlessly into the car. Whether tracking a food delivery, checking calendar events, or keeping tabs on the weather, Live Activities can now be viewed and interacted with directly within the CarPlay environment.

These updates will also be available on CarPlay Ultra, the next-generation version designed for vehicles with deeper Apple integration and more flexible screen layouts.

With this upgrade, Apple is continuing to evolve CarPlay from a basic infotainment mirror into a more immersive, intelligent driving companion — one that keeps pace with the visual and functional direction of the broader Apple ecosystem. The new version is expected to roll out later this year alongside the public release of iOS 26.