iOS 27, released on September 14 and available to download now, brings the biggest update to CarPlay in years — but several of its headline features depend on the car as much as the iPhone. Some additions work in any CarPlay-equipped vehicle today, while others require automaker support or a phone that supports Apple Intelligence.
What Works in Any Car with CarPlay
In any vehicle that supports CarPlay and runs iOS 27 on a compatible iPhone, several improvements are available immediately. Custom widgets: CarPlay can now host any compatible widget from the iPhone Home Screen. To add them, go to Settings ➝ General ➝ CarPlay, select your car, then Widgets ➝ Add Widgets. Widgets can be rearranged, removed, and have Smart Rotate and Widget Suggestions toggled.
Audio scrubbing: The Now Playing screen gains a progress bar so you can drag to any point in a song or podcast, plus a persistent mini-player that keeps artwork and controls visible while you browse.
Apple Music filters: Apple Music on CarPlay can filter playlists, albums, artists and songs by categories such as “Favorites” or “All Playlists,” and Apple says third-party music apps can adopt the same filtering.
New wallpapers: CarPlay gains the new “Celosia” wave wallpaper found in iOS 27 and macOS 27, offered in 14 color options.
Maps improvements: Natural language search for navigation now works in Apple Maps on CarPlay, and Siri can accept directions that avoid toll roads, highways and similar preferences.
Better wireless reliability: Apple says wireless CarPlay connections are more dependable in iOS 27, with improved GPS accuracy and navigation heading detection; these are phone-side changes, so no new hardware is required.
Features That Need Manufacturer Support
Some CarPlay features require explicit support from automakers. Video apps: AirPlay video browsing inside the CarPlay interface needs automakers to certify AirPlay video integration for the vehicle. Playback is allowed only when the vehicle is parked (it switches to audio if you shift into drive) and the car must be able to share its drive state with iOS. As of writing, no manufacturer has announced plans to support the feature.
Sharing routes to the car’s own screens: Navigation apps can pass route data to a vehicle’s built-in infotainment screen or digital instrument cluster, including EV charging stops and range information, but the vehicle must support that capability.
Features That Need a Supported iPhone
Siri AI: The upgraded Siri can handle back-and-forth conversations in the car and syncs chats to the Siri app on your iPhone so you can continue them later. Siri AI requires an iPhone that supports Apple Intelligence, and access is controlled via a Siri AI waitlist you can join on your iPhone in Settings ➝ Siri.
One to Watch
Apple has provided developers with a voice control template that any category of CarPlay app can adopt for voice conversations. Adoption depends on individual app makers, so this capability is likely to arrive gradually as developers integrate it.
If you have a CarPlay-capable car and a recent iPhone running iOS 27, you can immediately use third-party widgets, audio scrubbing, the new wallpapers and Maps improvements. For video playback in CarPlay and route-sharing to the car’s native displays, you will need your carmaker to add support.
