# Personalizing CarPlay in iOS 26: Five New Features
CarPlay has undergone a major enhancement with iOS 26, bringing a variety of novel features that expand user customization possibilities. Here are five methods to tailor your CarPlay experience.
## 1. Intelligent Display Zoom
Intelligent Display Zoom is a recent addition aimed at optimizing your CarPlay arrangement depending on the dimensions and form of your in-car display. The Intelligent Display Zoom toggle can be located in CarPlay’s Settings app under Display. This feature is disabled by default and might not be present in all vehicles, but it should be available in most contemporary cars.
## 2. Widgets
Widgets have finally arrived in CarPlay with iOS 26. They are placed to the left of your CarPlay Home Screen, allowing you to see anywhere from one to three widget stacks, based on your screen size. To modify your widgets, head to Settings on your iPhone, then General > CarPlay > Your Car > Widgets. You can add or delete widgets, with a limit of five per stack, and decide whether to enable Smart Rotate.
## 3. New Backgrounds
iOS 26 presents a variety of new backgrounds for CarPlay, providing a refreshed appearance for the interface. Six color variants are available, all adaptations of the new default iPhone wallpaper. Each background adjusts dynamically based on whether you are utilizing light mode or dark mode. You can alter your CarPlay background through the in-car Settings app under Wallpaper.
## 4. Text Resizing
For the first time, iOS 26 permits users to adjust text size within CarPlay, akin to the accessibility settings found on the iPhone. To modify the text size system-wide across CarPlay, follow these steps:
1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Select Accessibility, then Text Size.
3. Choose your desired text size, and CarPlay will provide a preview of the size.
## 5. Modify App Icon Styles
CarPlay now includes customization choices for app icon styles, reminiscent of the iPhone’s Home Screen. In CarPlay’s Settings app, you can select from Default, Dark, or Clear styles for app icons, which can be adjusted for light or dark mode. The clear style offers a transparent Liquid Glass appearance to your icons.
These new features in iOS 26 enable a more tailored and user-centric CarPlay experience. What are your preferred methods to personalize your CarPlay setup?