Danny Weber
Apple's iOS 27 beta introduces a smarter Siri with AI, native video apps in CarPlay, fresh visual designs, and improved audio controls. Learn about the updates.
Apple has released the first beta of iOS 27, and with it comes a full rundown of the key CarPlay changes. While this isn't a radical overhaul of the in-car interface, it introduces a handful of noticeable features: a new AI-powered Siri, expanded video support, a fresh visual style, and more intuitive audio controls.
The standout addition is the updated Siri, now fully integrated into CarPlay. The assistant gets a new interface — a glowing orb at the bottom center of the screen — and moves closer to modern AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Early tests show Siri answering questions more effectively and holding better context throughout a conversation.
Conversations with Siri in CarPlay are automatically synced with the separate Siri app on the iPhone. Users can review their query history on the phone, and any dialogues started via the car interface are tagged with a special car icon. This effectively turns Siri from a simple road voice assistant into part of a unified AI interaction history across devices.
Apple has also expanded video support in the car. In iOS 26, video playback was limited to AirPlay streaming. Now, developers can build full video apps for CarPlay. Users can browse catalogs and select content directly on the car's display — provided their vehicle supports the video-in-car feature. As always, availability depends on automakers, and it won't automatically roll out to every CarPlay-equipped car.
The visual side of CarPlay has been refreshed too. iOS 27 introduces new wallpapers inspired by the system's style and macOS Golden Gate, and app icons now adopt the Liquid Glass look. Media apps also gain a MiniPlayer in the top-right corner, showing cover art and playback controls — far more useful than the previous simple wave icon.
Finally, Apple has added audio scrubbing directly on the Now Playing screen. Users can now drag a larger progress indicator to skip through tracks, podcasts, or other audio files. Combined with the new MiniPlayer and revamped Siri, this makes CarPlay in iOS 27 notably more convenient for daily use — especially for those who frequently listen to music or podcasts and rely on voice commands while driving.
© A. Krivonosov