Feed: Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Feed Link: https://www.engadget.com/
---

Title: iOS 26 will fit CarPlay to better match the shape of your car's screen

Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2025 12:00:36 +0000
Link: https://www.engadget.com/transportation/ios-2...

iOS 26 has introduced a new feature that will help CarPlay take better
advantage of the shape of your vehicle's display, Apple announced at WWDC
2025. When enabled, the new Smart Display Zoom will shrink down elements on
the screen to fit an extra row of app icons.

"Vehicle screens come in many shapes and sizes," CarPlay engineer Olivia Hess
explained in a developer video spotted by MacRumors. "In iOS 26, some screen
configurations allow drivers to adjust their display scale with Smart Display
Zoom configurable within Settings in CarPlay. When Smart Display Zoom is
enabled, your CarPlay app will be automatically resized to the new display
scale."

Apple

Though the change is relatively small, it should make CarPlay less of a
hassle to use if you have a lot of apps. The feature is only available in a
developer beta for now, but will appear in a public beta next month and in
the final iOS 26 release by September this year.

CarPlay is receiving other updates as part of the iOS 26 update. It will
feature a more compact view for incoming calls so the display doesn't
obfuscate directions. Tapbacks (i.e. emoji responses) and pinned
conversations are coming to Messages in CarPlay, and widgets and Live
Activities can be reflected on the infotainment system. These updates will be
present in CarPlay Ultra too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/transportation/ios-2...
match-the-shape-of-your-cars-screen-120036182.html?src=rss

---
VRSS v2.1.180528