Starting with iOS 26, Apple will officially enable video playback via CarPlay. iOS 26.4, released in beta this week, appears to be the first version with support if two conditions are met. While CarPlay video playback isn’t ready for users just yet, one developer has shown what it will look like and what the Apple TV app looks like in the car.
Apple first told developers in June 2025 that iOS 26 would introduce in-car video support via CarPlay. That’s when we learned that video playback will only be allowed when the car is stopped. For this reason, car manufacturers must opt in to support video playback.
Then on Monday, Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 26.4, which includes the first signs of CarPlay video support in the code. The Apple TV app is known to support this feature.
Since then, developer Thomas Dye has unlocked some never-before-seen UI elements by simulating CarPlay in a development environment.
Specifically, Dye used a version of Apple’s TV app with a virtual simulation of CarPlay. This shows how video-specific CarPlay will work once support is officially ready. It’s unclear if the TV app will actually appear like this once CarPlay video playback is released, but if it is, it’s a pretty impressive implementation.
And for video from apps without CarPlay versions, Dye video unlocks a new UI element for moving video between an iPhone and a connected CarPlay display.
Finally, Dye shows that when CarPlay eventually gets support, a new Video section should appear in the Settings app.
All of this is very promising for drivers eager to start using video in CarPlay. The first step was Apple’s decision to allow support. Now it seems that Apple is finishing up the work on its end to actually support this feature.
Once iOS 26.4 is publicly released, we can finally start to expect automakers to work on CarPlay video playback support.
FTC: We use automatic affiliate links with income. More.
