TL;DR: CarPlay’s split screen is called Dashboard. You can’t freely resize the tiles, but you can influence what appears where by starting navigation, choosing your audio app, and tweaking a few iPhone settings. This guide shows exactly how.
What “split screen” means in CarPlay
CarPlay has two main views:
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App view (full screen): one app at a time (Maps, Spotify, etc.).
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Dashboard (split screen): a large navigation panel plus smaller Now Playing, Calendar/Siri Suggestions, and other context tiles.
You don’t manually drag panes around; the layout adapts based on which apps are active and your car’s screen size.
What you can & can’t change
You can:
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Pick which navigation app is active (Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze).
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Pick which audio app feeds the Now Playing tile (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.).
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Reorder/hide CarPlay apps from your iPhone (affects the Home screen and what’s easy to launch).
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Tweak Siri Suggestions, Calendar access, appearance, and notifications to cut clutter.
You can’t:
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Manually resize the tiles or pin a specific app to a specific small tile.
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Force a permanent custom grid—Dashboard always prioritizes navigation first.
Quick prep checklist (on your iPhone)
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Update iOS to the latest you’re comfortable with.
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Go to Settings ▸ General ▸ CarPlay ▸ [Your Car] ▸ Customize
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Drag to reorder apps, tap “–” to hide ones you never use.
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Siri & Search: enable the services you want Siri to use (e.g., your favorite music app).
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Calendar & Contacts: allow access if you want meetings and next destinations to appear.
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Optional: Appearance
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Settings ▸ Display & Brightness ▸ Appearance → Light/Dark/Auto (Auto often looks best in-car).
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Optional: Driving Focus to reduce notifications while driving.
Step-by-step: Shape your Dashboard layout
1) Switch to Dashboard
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In CarPlay, tap the Dashboard icon (often the leftmost or “home” icon on the status strip).
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You’ll see the large navigation tile and smaller tiles on the side.
2) Make your preferred navigation app the star
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Open Apple Maps / Google Maps / Waze and start a route.
→ The active navigation app automatically fills the large tile on Dashboard. -
Tip: Save Home and Work so one-tap routes appear in suggestions.
3) Control the Now Playing tile
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Launch your favorite audio app and start playback.
→ The Now Playing tile switches to that app and shows track controls. -
If nothing is playing, that tile can collapse or show suggestions, making Dashboard feel “empty.”
4) Clean up your CarPlay app grid (so launching the right apps is quick)
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On iPhone: Settings ▸ General ▸ CarPlay ▸ [Your Car] ▸ Customize
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Move navigation and audio apps to the top.
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Hide rarely used apps.
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This doesn’t change Dashboard’s tile sizes, but it speeds up launching the apps that do control those tiles.
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5) Tame Siri Suggestions & Calendar
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If you want upcoming events or suggested destinations on Dashboard:
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Ensure Calendar has permission and events.
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Keep Siri Suggestions on (Settings ▸ Siri & Search).
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If you prefer a minimal Dashboard:
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Consider limiting Suggestions and Calendar permissions so that small tiles don’t constantly change.
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6) Use voice to flip tiles quickly
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Say: “Hey Siri, navigate to [place] in Google Maps.”
→ Navigation tile switches to Google Maps. -
Say: “Hey Siri, play [song/artist] on Spotify.”
→ Now Playing tile switches to Spotify and shows controls.
7) Know when to use full screen
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Tap the navigation tile to make it full screen for detailed lane guidance.
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Tap the audio tile to go full screen for browsing playlists.
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Tap Dashboard again to return to split screen.
8) Fine-tune appearance for readability
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Auto appearance + your car’s Night Mode keeps maps and tiles readable.
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If your car is very bright or very dark inside, try Light or Dark fixed.
9) Keep the experience stable
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If a tile looks wrong or stuck:
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Return to Home/Dashboard, reopen the app.
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If needed, disconnect/reconnect CarPlay.
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As a last resort, restart iPhone.
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Pro tips
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Favorites first: In your nav app, add Favorites (Home, Work, frequent stores). They’ll show up as one-tap options, making Dashboard more useful.
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Voice first: While driving, use Siri to switch audio/nav—Dashboard updates instantly with fewer taps.
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Declutter apps: The fewer apps on your CarPlay Home screen, the quicker you reach the ones that influence Dashboard.
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Shortcuts for routines: Set a Shortcut like “Drive Home” that opens your preferred nav app and starts the route—then trigger it with Siri when you plug in.
Troubleshooting
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Dashboard icon missing: Tap the Home/Car icon; some head units put Dashboard behind a dedicated soft key.
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Wrong nav app keeps taking over: Close the other nav app and start a route in your preferred app; Dashboard follows the active route.
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No audio tile: Start playback in any audio app; the tile appears.
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Layout looks different from screenshots: Screen size and car maker skins can slightly change Dashboard’s look, but the behavior is the same.
FAQs
Can I pin Spotify permanently in the small tile?
Not permanently. The small tile shows what’s currently playing. Start playback in Spotify and it’ll appear there.
Can I resize tiles or move the map to the small tile?
No. CarPlay keeps navigation in the large tile on Dashboard for safety/readability.
Does this work wirelessly and wired?
Yes. Dashboard behavior is the same; only the connection method differs.
What about “next-gen” CarPlay with multiple screens?
Some newer cars support multi-display CarPlay. The principles here still apply—navigation/activity dictates the main areas—but exact layouts depend on the car.