Apple has recently released the fourth beta of iOS 26, bringing a range of new features, improvements, and bug fixes. Among the changes is the addition of several new wallpapers for CarPlay. If your iPhone is running iOS 26 beta, you can now customise your vehicle’s infotainment system with a fresh new background. For those who’d like to use them on other devices, the full collection of CarPlay wallpapers is also available to download.
As with previous releases, the new CarPlay wallpapers take inspiration from the official iOS 26 wallpaper collection, featuring the same distinctive design in a broader range of colours. These new designs come in red, purple, green, blue, white, black, and brown variants. The update also removes many of the older wallpaper options that had carried over from previous iOS versions.
More wallpapers:
iOS 26 CarPlay Wallpapers
The upcoming version of CarPlay includes 12 eye-catching wallpapers. Thanks to Aaron from MacRumors, the official wallpapers are now available in high quality, with both light and dark versions included. Each wallpaper is available in a resolution of 4000 x 2182 pixels. Scroll down to view preview images of the new CarPlay wallpapers.
Please keep in mind that these are low-quality preview images to give a glimpse of the wallpapers. So downloading them will do you no good. Instead, use the designated download link below in the provided section.
Downloads
If you like these wallpapers and wish to use them on your phone's home or lock screen, you can download them from this Google Drive folder. All wallpapers are available in JPG file format.
Once you've downloaded the wallpapers, use your launcher's wallpaper picker to set them on your phone's home and lock screens.
How to Access the New CarPlay Wallpapers in iOS 26
If you’re running iOS 26 beta 4 or later and your vehicle supports CarPlay, follow these steps to access the new wallpapers:
- Connect your iPhone to your vehicle via CarPlay.
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > Wallpaper > CarPlay.
- Browse through the available options and select your favourite.
The CarPlay interface will refresh instantly once a new wallpaper is selected.
What Else Is New in CarPlay with iOS 26?
iOS 26 introduces several new features to enhance the CarPlay experience:
- Compact Phone Calls & Notifications: Incoming calls and alerts now appear as less intrusive banners. However, outgoing calls will still take over the screen.
- Tapbacks in Messages: You can now react to messages with emoji—just like on your iPhone.
- Home Screen Widgets: Your iPhone's widgets now sync automatically to CarPlay with no setup required.
- Live Activities: CarPlay now supports Live Activities, allowing you to track things like flights, Uber rides, or food deliveries without leaving your current app.
- Smart Display Zoom: This new feature enables an extra row of app icons on vehicles with larger displays.
- Multitouch Support in Mapping Apps: Maps can now be zoomed in and out using pinch gestures on touchscreen-equipped vehicles.
- AirPlay Video Playback: You can now stream videos from your iPhone to your car's display when parked.
And for supported vehicles such as those from Aston Martin, CarPlay Ultra unlocks enhanced controls and fullscreen visuals, offering a more immersive, high-end experience with iOS 26.
How do you like the new iOS 26 CarPlay wallpapers? Drop a comment below and share your thoughts.