iOS 26 adds a new Smart Display Zoom setting to CarPlay.When the setting is enabled, CarPlay will be automatically resized to better fit the shape and size of your vehicle's dashboard screen, if possible.The images below show what CarPlay looks like before and after the Smart Display Zoom setting is enabled.
With the setting turned on, all of the user interface elements become smaller, allowing for an extra row of app icons to fit on the screen.Apple highlighted the setting in a WWDC 2025 video for developers this week."Vehicle screens come in many shapes and sizes," said Olivia Hess, a CarPlay software engineer.
"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." To see this new CarPlay setting, you will need to be using an iPhone running iOS 26, which is currently in developer beta.A public beta will be available next month, and the update should be released in September for the iPhone 11 and newer.
CarPlay is gaining many other new features with iOS 26, including a Liquid Glass design, Live Activities on the Dashboard screen, a new widgets screen, Tapbacks and pinned conversations in the Messages app, multi-touch support in mapping apps, the ability to play videos from an iPhone via AirPlay while the vehicle is parked, and more.
