--- title: "iOS 27 CarPlay’s Best New Features, According to Someone Who Used Them" date: "2026-09-14" modified: "2026-09-14" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/ios-27-carplays-best-new-features-according-to-someone-who-actually-used-them" categories: - "Car Tech" - "Infotainment" - "News" --- # iOS 27 CarPlay’s Best New Features, According to Someone Who Used Them ![CarPlay iOS 27 home screen]() *\Adam Ismail\* Today, iOS 27 goes live for iPhones, and while Apple is mostly focused on loads of AI features of dubious practical use, here at *The Drive* we're mostly interested in what the big update will bring to CarPlay. [Last year's software]() added the love-or-hate Liquid Glass aesthetic, along with widgets and new options to tailor CarPlay's UI scaling to your vehicle's display size. But the 2027 update is arguably even more helpful—just in specific, tiny ways. I have had iOS 27 on my iPhone 17 for a few days now through the Release Candidate beta, which is essentially the same final version that most people will be downloading today. While most of the UI overhauling was done last year, iOS 27's CarPlay looks a little more polished, with the Liquid Glass theme consistently covering more of the interface, extending to new wallpapers and animations. On the widgets page, you're no longer stuck with the very simplistic clock, calendar, and weather items Apple whitelisted for CarPlay. You can now add any widget you like that would normally display on your iPhone's home screen. That's a really nice addition. ![]() *I added an MLB widget from Apple Sports to my CarPlay, which wasn't possible before. *Adam Ismail** You can also use the new dedicated Siri app to revisit conversations you've had with the occasionally intelligent digital assistant before, and I actually think this can, depending on the request, be more useful than trying to remember what you said previously that led to a successful query. Siri remembers that you asked it to "play the new Olivia Rodrigo album" or "text [Jerry]() that the GR Corolla is better than the Civic Type R," and you can simply tap on these prior requests to initiate them again. The only wrinkle with this is that you'll need to have a more recent iPhone that supports the new, AI-powered Siri and enable it in your device's settings to gain access to the Siri app and view past conversations. But my two favorite features are related to navigation and media playback. First, if you're using Apple Maps to navigate, as I do, and you want to share your route with your car's built-in maps software, that's now possible. This could be useful if your vehicle's nav system has extra features that Apple Maps doesn't, like routing with charging stops in mind for EVs. Depending on what you drive, you may get more or less mileage (no pun intended) out of this feature, but it should help bridge the gap between phone projection and automakers' own platforms—a gap that some companies, like [GM]() and [Rivian](), have used to justify that CarPlay shouldn't be offered at all. For what it's worth, my all-gas Corolla's infotainment system didn't support this one specifically. ![]() **Adam Ismail** And finally, users can now scrub through media within music and podcast apps—as in, drag the playhead through the length of the song to go to the desired spot. It's frankly incredible that this wasn't possible before, and I can't for the life of me understand why, particularly as automaker infotainment platforms have offered the freedom. One item that doesn't appear to be broadly working yet is the ability to play videos over vehicle displays when parked. Apple and [Google announced]() this earlier in the year at their respective developers conferences to great fanfare, but they each noted that automakers will have to whitelist the functionality in their products before it actually rolls out. The car needs to be able to share its drive state with iOS and Android for this to work reliably and safely, after all. *Got a CarPlay hack that makes your drive easier? Reach out to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()