The best CarPlay upgrades to try in the iOS 27 public beta

Apple released the iOS 27 public beta with several CarPlay upgrades, including Siri AI for hands-free navigation and messaging, a persistent Now Playing MiniPlayer with an audio scrubber, new wallpapers, and stability improvements for GPS and wireless CarPlay. The update also enables developers to create dedicated video apps for CarPlay, though automaker support is required before they become available.

The iOS 27 public beta https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/13/ios-27-public-beta/ is now available, and it includes several CarPlay changes worth checking out. Here’s what you should try after updating. CarPlay features to try in iOS 27 Siri AI Siri AI is the flagship feature of iOS 27, and it extends to CarPlay. In fact, I’ve found it to be especially useful via CarPlay. Siri AI can answer questions around your personal context, world knowledge, and much more in iOS 27. For example, you can ask Siri to find a specific address or location in your email or text messages, then begin routing to that location, all while using just your voice. Robust, hands-free control is important in the car, and iOS 27 finally gives Siri the power that it deserves in CarPlay. Now Playing changes CarPlay in iOS 27 offers a persistent “Now Playing” MiniPlayer throughout audio apps. This appears in the upper-right corner of the interface and shows playback controls and album artwork. The Now Playing interface in CarPlay has also been updated to include an audio scrubber at long last. You can drag the scrubber to easily skip to different parts of a song or podcast without using steering wheel controls or reaching for your iPhone. New wallpapers CarPlay isn’t known for its robust collection of wallpapers, and Apple doesn’t let you use your own photos for some reason. In iOS 27, Apple has at least added https://9to5mac.com/2026/06/12/download-all-18-wallpapers-apple-included-in-carplay-with-ios-27/ a collection of new wallpapers that you can choose from. They are similar to the stock iOS 27 wallpapers https://9to5mac.com/2026/06/10/download-the-new-ios-27-and-ipados-27-wallpapers-here/ available on iPhone. Stability improvements iOS 27 focuses a lot on platform improvements to performance and reliability, and that applies to CarPlay too. Apple says iOS 27 addresses two key things in CarPlay: - Improved navigation heading and GPS accuracy in CarPlay - Improved wireless CarPlay reliability So if you’ve ever had problems with those two things in CarPlay, it’s possible that iOS 27 makes the experience much better. Coming soon ish : Video app support Finally, Apple says that developers can now make dedicated video apps for CarPlay https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2026/212/ in iOS 27. The feature, however, requires support from automakers. This means it might be a while before you can actually use any video apps with CarPlay in your vehicle. Wrap up While the dream for many people is still CarPlay Ultra, it’s really nice to see Apple make meaningful improvements to the version of CarPlay already available in millions of cars on the road today. Are you running the iOS 27 public beta? What CarPlay changes have you noticed? Let us know down in the comments. My favorite CarPlay accessories Charge your EV with solar panels https://www.energysage.com/landing/home-solar/p/9to5mac-cm/ iOttie Easy One Touch iPhone Car Mount https://amzn.to/3SamrpO Bring wireless CarPlay to any car https://amzn.to/3RBXa7T Belkin MagSafe-compatible Car Charger for iPhone https://amzn.to/4tZmrGx Wireless Portable CarPlay Screen https://geni.us/i8H3f9N In-car USB-C charger with retractable cable https://amzn.to/4vlNBbS Follow Chance : Threads https://www.threads.net/@ChanceHMiller , Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/chancemiller.me , Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chancehmiller/ , and Mastodon https://mastodon.social/@ChanceHMiller . FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. https://9to5mac.com/about/ affiliate our homepage http://9to5mac.com/ for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on exclusive stories https://9to5mac.com/feature/exclusive/ , reviews https://9to5mac.com/guides/review/ , how-tos https://9to5mac.com/guides/how-to/ , and subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/9to5mac