{"id":198502,"date":"2025-11-24T16:22:02","date_gmt":"2025-11-24T21:22:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/?p=198502"},"modified":"2025-11-24T16:22:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T21:22:02","slug":"how-to-use-iphone-app-widgets-in-carplay-on-ios-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/midatlanticconsulting.com\/blog\/2025\/11\/how-to-use-iphone-app-widgets-in-carplay-on-ios-26\/","title":{"rendered":"How to use iPhone app widgets in CarPlay on iOS 26"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

iOS 26 lets you add widgets from your iPhone apps to your car’s screen when using CarPlay. This handy feature ensures you can quickly glance at important information while driving, thus eliminating the need to open a CarPlay-supported app on your car’s infotainment system or take your eyes off the road to reach for your iPhone.<\/span><\/p>\n

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All about CarPlay widgets in iOS 26:<\/b> hide<\/a> <\/span> <\/div>\n
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1)<\/span> Add widgets to CarPlay<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n
2)<\/span> How many widgets can you add to CarPlay?<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n
3)<\/span> Customize CarPlay widgets<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n
4)<\/span> Access CarPlay widgets on the car’s screen<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n
5)<\/span> Using CarPlay widgets<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n
6)<\/span> Rearrange CarPlay widgets<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n
7)<\/span> Always see only your added widgets; nothing more<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n
8)<\/span> Opt for a plain black widget background<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n
9)<\/span> Reset all widgets to default<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n
10)<\/span> Turn off all CarPlay widgets<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n
11)<\/span> If you’re an app developer<\/span> <\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Add widgets to CarPlay<\/span><\/h2>\n

1)<\/strong> Open the Settings app<\/strong> on your iPhone when you aren’t driving.<\/p>\n

2)<\/strong> Tap General<\/strong> > CarPlay<\/strong>, select your car, and tap the new Widgets<\/strong> option.<\/p>\n

3)<\/strong> Tap Add Widgets<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

4)<\/strong> Select from a list of apps that support widgets, and tap Add Widget<\/strong>. At the bottom, you’ll also see an ‘Other’ option, tapping which will show app widgets that aren’t optimized for CarPlay. You can still add these unoptimized widgets, but they may not work well.<\/p>\n

How many widgets can you add to CarPlay?<\/span><\/h2>\n

The number of app widgets you can add to your CarPlay depends on your vehicle’s CarPlay screen. My Renault car has a small 7-inch display, and I’m only allowed to add five<\/strong> widgets to it.<\/p>\n

Customize CarPlay widgets<\/span><\/h2>\n

Just like Home Screen iOS widgets<\/a>, you can customize certain CarPlay app widgets to display the desired data. As an example, you can set the Weather widget to show the conditions of your current location or another city of choice.<\/p>\n

To customize a CarPlay app widget, add it to your widgets first, then tap the information icon<\/strong> \u24d8 if visible, and select an available option.<\/p>\n

Access CarPlay widgets on the car’s screen<\/span><\/h2>\n

Simply swipe across to the left-most page of your CarPlay Home Screen to get to the widgets section and glance at the information there.<\/p>\n

Using CarPlay widgets<\/span><\/h2>\n

The entire widget setup on the car’s screen, at least on my car with a small 7-inch display, is super simple (as it should be when driving):<\/p>\n