1. Check the iOS version
CarPlay widgets need iOS 26 or later. iOS 27 works the same way. An app that installs on an older iOS, as Car Play Widgets does on iOS 17, still cannot show widgets in CarPlay until the iPhone itself is on iOS 26.
Troubleshooting · iOS 26 and iOS 27
Widgets not showing up in CarPlay? Check these 7 things
Updated October 5, 2026 · written by N5 Labs, maker of Car Play Widgets: Dashboard (version 1.5)
If your widgets are not showing up in CarPlay, check four things first. The iPhone must be on iOS 26 or later. The widget must be added under Settings, General, CarPlay, your car, Widgets. Your vehicle's screen decides how many widget stacks appear. And widgets sit in stacks, so another widget may be on top. If you are looking for Car Play Widgets: Dashboard in the widget list, look for Car Widgets instead: that is the name the iPhone uses for the app, and its widget is called Car Widget. A widget that looks dimmed and ignores taps is working the way Apple designed it for apps without a CarPlay app.
2. Add the widget for the car you are driving
While you are not driving, open Settings on the iPhone, tap General, tap CarPlay, tap your car, tap Widgets, then tap Add Widgets. The widget settings sit under each paired car, so check the entry for the car you are in.
3. Look for the right name
The iPhone lists Car Play Widgets: Dashboard as Car Widgets, and its widget is called Car Widget. If you search the list for Car Play Widgets you will not find it.
4. Check what your display allows
Apple says the number of widget stacks you see depends on your vehicle's CarPlay screen. Your car may show fewer stacks than the pictures you have seen online.
5. Check the stack order
A stack shows one widget at a time. Under Widgets you can drag widgets to reorder them. If a different widget keeps showing, try turning off Smart Rotate and Widget Suggestions in the same place.
6. Fix a widget that shows an old design
A placed Car Widget shows your newest saved design. Saving a design requires Pro. To pick another design on the Home Screen, touch and hold the widget, tap Edit Widget, and choose a design or Latest design.
7. Know what a dimmed widget means
Apple's developer documentation says that when an app has no CarPlay app, people cannot open it from its widget and the system dims the widget to show a tap does nothing. On a vehicle without a touchscreen, widgets are inactive. Both are normal.
If a change does not appear, disconnect and reconnect CarPlay, then look again while parked. The guide to adding widgets to CarPlay has the full setup steps.
What to send support
If the widget is still missing, contact N5 Labs and include the app version, iOS version, iPhone model, vehicle and head-unit model, whether CarPlay is wired or wireless, and which check failed. Remove personal information from screenshots.
Email Car Play Widgets supportWhat Car Play Widgets costs and what it cannot do
- Free: you can browse and customize every design. Saving a widget requires Pro, a weekly or yearly subscription with no free trial.
- It has no CarPlay app of its own and does not change or reskin the CarPlay interface. Its widgets are standard small iPhone widgets.
- It reads no vehicle data, so it cannot show speed, fuel, mileage or range, and it does not ask for location access.
- CarPlay widgets need iOS 26 or later, which includes iOS 27, and a CarPlay display that shows widgets. The app itself installs on iOS 17 or later.
- Car Play Widgets 1.5 has no synchronized lyrics. Its text cards show words you type yourself.
Checked against Car Play Widgets: Dashboard version 1.5 on the US App Store, 2026-10-05.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my widgets not showing up in CarPlay?
Check four things first: the iPhone is on iOS 26 or later, the widget was added under Settings, General, CarPlay, your car, Widgets, your vehicle's screen has room for the stack, and another widget is not sitting on top of it in the same stack. Widgets do not appear in CarPlay on iOS 18 or earlier.
Why can't I find Car Play Widgets in the CarPlay widget list?
Because the iPhone uses a shorter name. Car Play Widgets: Dashboard appears as Car Widgets on the Home Screen, in the Shortcuts app and in the CarPlay widget list, and its widget is called Car Widget.
Do CarPlay widgets work in every car?
No. They need a CarPlay display that shows widgets, and Apple says the number of widget stacks depends on the vehicle's screen. On vehicles without a touchscreen, widgets are inactive. We cannot confirm individual car models; your vehicle maker is the authority.
Why does my widget look dimmed in CarPlay?
That is Apple's design for widgets from apps that have no CarPlay app of their own. The widget still shows its content, but a tap does nothing, and iOS dims it to signal that.
Does saving a widget require Car Play Widgets Pro?
Yes. Browsing and customizing are free, and saving a widget requires Pro, a weekly or yearly subscription with no free trial. The price is shown in the app before you buy.
Sources and disclosure
N5 Labs develops Car Play Widgets. Apple behavior on this page comes from Apple's iPhone User Guide, Customize widgets in CarPlay and Apple's developer documentation on CarPlay widgets, read on October 5, 2026. App names and behavior come from version 1.5 of the app.