Apple’s upcoming iOS 26.2 update brings great new features for Reminders, Podcasts, and Apple Music, as well as two significant changes to CarPlay. Here are the innovations that will transform the in-car experience.

More Widgets and Message Settings!

Widgets were added to CarPlay as a brand-new feature with iOS 26. This feature will become even more useful for some users in iOS 26.2. This is because Apple has increased the number of widget stacks visible for certain vehicles. Tom Warren of The Verge, via X, reported that his vehicle now displays three widget stacks in iOS 26.2, instead of the two in iOS 26.1.

Similarly, some readers noted that the number of widget stacks increased in iOS 26.2, while others noted no change in the number of visible widgets. Apple hasn’t yet documented the specific requirements for getting more widget stacks, but more information is expected when iOS 26.2 is released. Regardless of how widespread this change is, seeing more widgets onscreen will be a welcome upgrade for some CarPlay users.

When iOS 26 was released, it introduced two major changes to CarPlay’s Messages app. Messages finally started supporting touch responses in the car and also displayed pinned conversations. However, Apple seems to have realized that the latter change isn’t always the best option, especially for users with smaller in-car screens.

In iOS 26.2, Apple added a new CarPlay setting that allows you to disable pinned conversation threads in the Messages app. Open the Settings app in CarPlay and scroll down to find “Pinned Conversations.” Toggling the switch off will revert your Messages app to its previous design, which displays recent conversations.

So, what do you think of this update? Share your thoughts in the comments.