- iOS 26 promises a lot of new and updated features for iPhone fans
- Some of the most interesting changes come to music and carplay
- Here are five of the best changes that come to these areas
If you saw Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2025) Keynote video earlier this week, you may have noticed all the new features that come to Apple’s Music and CarPlay offerings.
Whether you love using your Apple Tech with your favorite tunes or while driving, there were some notable updates to be aware of. Here we have outlined five of the best features that come to these areas in iOS 26.
Mix melodies as a professional
Any good DJ knows how to mix one song in another, ensuring that beats -line -up and one track fall into another so trouble -free that it is hardly remarkable. In iOS 26, Apple Music can now do it for you.
It is thanks to a new feature called Automix, and it uses a smart analysis under the cap to choose the “perfect moment” for your songs for transition, smooth mix the music when one track ends and the next one begins. Automix replaces crossfade (which did a similar thing, albeit in a much less advanced way) and can be activated when you open Apple Music in iOS 26.
Apple Music Replay
Like Spotify wrapped, Apple Music Replay allows you to check your listening habits and see exactly how many hours you spent listening to one owed pleasure. Before iOS 26, however, it could only be accessed as a popup web -view that did not give the best experience.
Now it is a native part of the Apple Music app, which means it is much easier to find and see than before. You will also find an Apple Music Replay playlist at the bottom of the app’s home tab, and this will be updated throughout the year to give you the very first statistics and numbers.
Custom ringtones
Apple has a dedicated ringtone section in iTunes -just tap the more tab in the iTunes Store app on iOS, and then select Tones. However, if you would rather create your own custom ringtones, the process has always been a little more involved, which requires you to create a ringtone of your own, export it from the garage band app to your phone and then select it manually in the Settings app.
In iOS 26 this process is simplified. If you open a ringtone in an app like files, just press the Del button and select the use as a ringtone. It can cut out a few steps, even if you still need to create the ringtone in the first place.
CarPlay is about putting useful checks at your fingertips, all with the goal of not distracting you from the road. The fine Balancing Act has had a new update in iOS 26 with the addition of widgets and live activities.
Widgets such as weather forecast and your calendar agreements are now available in your car, and they use a compact layout that Apple says offers “fast and glossy” information. And you will also find live activities in CarPlay that show continuous data such as flight status and help you know.
Carplay Zoom settings
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It is always important that CarPlay’s information is appropriately dimensioned to your car panel and it has been made a little easier in iOS 26 with the addition of Smart Display Zoom. This automatically changes the size of CarPlays Interface to fit your vehicle’s display area (where possible).
In an example given by Apple, Smart Display Zoom shrinks a little on the screen icons, which allows you to view an extra range of buttons. Unless swiping, you need to be able to get to the info you need a little faster.
