New Apple CarPlay Version Brings Significant Upgrades
Apple has unveiled iOS 26 at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), introducing significant upgrades to Apple CarPlay and Apple Maps. With over 600 million daily CarPlay users, Apple is focusing on smarter, safer, and more intuitive driving experiences.
A sleeker CarPlay interface now shows incoming calls in a compact view, allowing drivers to stay focused on navigation. Messages in CarPlay also get a boost with Tapbacks and pinned conversations, making in-car communication easier without distraction.
The enhancements extend to the new CarPlay Ultra as well, which Apple is positioning as the future of in-car infotainment.
On the navigation front, Apple Maps now offers memory-based routing, using on-device intelligence to learn your routines. It can suggest preferred routes, alert users of delays, and offer real-time alternatives—all without needing a constant internet connection.
iOS 26 is available to developers now, with a public beta rollout in July. Free updates for iPhone 11 and newer devices will begin this autumn.
