CarPlay Album Art: How to Show, Hide & Fix It

If you've connected your iPhone to CarPlay and wondered why album art isn't showing up — or maybe you want to turn it off for a cleaner look — you're in the right place.

Apple CarPlay album art is one of those small features that makes a bigger difference than you'd expect. At Car Tech Studio, we hear about this a lot from customers upgrading their setups.

In this post, I'll walk you through exactly how to control it, fix the most common issues, and share what's new in recent iOS updates.

Key Takeaways

• To show or hide CarPlay album art, go to Settings inside the active CarPlay interface, then tap Display and toggle "Show Album Art in Now Playing"
• The setting must be changed from within CarPlay itself, not from your iPhone's standalone Settings app
• Album art was added to CarPlay in iOS 13, and iOS 26 introduced animated album artwork
• Missing album art is often caused by a weak connection, outdated iOS, or Bluetooth-only connectivity
• Wired USB connections display album art more reliably than Bluetooth-only connections
• Some users prefer disabling album art for a cleaner, more distraction-free interface
• Different music apps like Spotify and Apple Music handle CarPlay artwork differently

What Is CarPlay Album Art and Why Does It Matter

Apple CarPlay album art is the cover image that appears on your vehicle's display when you're playing music through CarPlay. It shows up on the Now Playing screen alongside the track title, artist name, and playback controls.

It might seem like a small detail, but it actually plays a role in how quickly you can identify what's playing. Visual recognition is faster than reading text — especially when you're glancing at a screen while driving.

Before iOS 13, CarPlay didn't display album artwork at all. When Apple announced iOS 13 at WWDC 2019, they specifically called out the feature, saying that "Music now showcases album art so it's easier to find the perfect soundtrack for your road trip." That tells you how much users wanted it.

According to Edison Research, as of 2025, 40% of Americans who've been in a car in the past month have access to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in their primary vehicle. And 83% of those users actively use the technology. That's a lot of people for whom something like album art actually matters.

How to Show or Hide Apple CarPlay Album Art

This is the most common question we get, and the answer is simple once you know where to look.

Step-by-Step: Turning Album Art On or Off

Here's the part that trips most people up: you have to be actively connected to CarPlay to change this setting. You can't do it from your iPhone alone.

1. Connect your iPhone to your car's CarPlay system via USB or wirelessly
2. On your vehicle's screen, open the Settings app within CarPlay
3. Scroll down and tap Display
4. Find the toggle labeled "Show Album Art in Now Playing"
5. Turn it on to display artwork, or off for a cleaner text-based interface

That's it. The change takes effect immediately on your Now Playing screen.

Accessing Album Art Settings from Your iPhone

On some iOS versions, you can also access this setting directly from your iPhone without an active CarPlay connection. Go to Settings on your iPhone, tap General, then CarPlay, select your vehicle, and look for Display options. You can find more detail on this in Apple's official CarPlay settings guide.

That said, this path isn't consistent across all iOS versions. If you can't find it there, the in-CarPlay method always works.

Why Can't I Find the Album Art Toggle?

Some users report that the toggle doesn't appear in their settings. A few things to check:

• Make sure your iPhone is on the latest iOS version
• Confirm you're accessing Settings from within CarPlay, not from your iPhone
• On some vehicle systems, the setting lives inside a Display submenu rather than directly in the main Settings screen

What Your CarPlay Now Playing Screen Looks Like With and Without Album Art

When album art is enabled, the cover image takes up a significant chunk of the Now Playing screen. It sits below the music app icon and above the track and artist information.

When it's disabled, that space opens up. You get a clean dark gradient background with larger, easier-to-read text. Some users genuinely prefer this — especially on longer highway drives where they want fewer visual distractions.

Neither option is objectively better. It really comes down to what works for you and how you drive.

What's New: iOS 26 and Animated Album Art

iOS 26, released in 2025, brought some big changes to how album artwork behaves in CarPlay and across iOS.

Animated Album Art on CarPlay and Lock Screen

The biggest change is animated album art. When you tap on album art from Apple Music through iOS 26, the artwork can come alive with motion that moves in sync with the music. On the Lock Screen, tapping the artwork expands it to full screen and triggers the animation.

Not all songs have animated artwork yet, but Apple has said the selection will keep growing as more artists and labels provide animated covers to Apple Music.

CarPlay Widgets and Music Display

iOS 26 also introduced widgets to CarPlay. You can now add music controls, weather, calendar events, and Live Activities to your CarPlay dashboard. This changes things for music display — you're no longer limited to just the Now Playing screen.

To set up widgets:

1. Open Settings on your iPhone
2. Tap General, then CarPlay
3. Select your vehicle
4. Tap Widgets to customize your layout

The Ambient Music Widget

iOS 26.4 also added an Ambient Music widget that plays music based on moods like Sleep, Chill, or Productivity. No Apple Music subscription required. And yes, it includes album art as part of the display.

Smart Display Zoom

Another iOS 26 addition is Smart Display Zoom. When enabled, CarPlay adjusts its resolution based on what Apple calculates is best for your screen. Some users prefer turning it off — doing so gives you the full native resolution, making artwork and text sharper, though text appears slightly smaller.

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Why Is My CarPlay Album Art Not Showing?

Missing album art is one of the most common CarPlay complaints we hear. Here's what usually causes it and how to fix it.

Check the Setting Is Actually On

Before anything else, confirm the "Show Album Art" toggle is actually enabled inside CarPlay Settings. iOS updates can sometimes reset preferences, so it's worth checking even if you've set it before.

Bluetooth vs. USB Connection

This is a big one. If you're connected to CarPlay via Bluetooth only, album art often fails to display or shows up inconsistently. Bluetooth has limited bandwidth compared to a wired USB connection, and artwork metadata sometimes doesn't transfer reliably.

Try switching to a USB cable connection. Many users who struggled with missing art on Bluetooth find it works perfectly once they plug in.

Weak Internet Connection

Album artwork is fetched from your music service's servers, so it needs a working internet connection. If you're in an area with weak signal, your music may keep playing from cached files — but the artwork might not load.

Disconnecting and reconnecting to a stronger network often fixes this.

The iOS Bug Problem

One well-documented issue hit after iOS 15.4, where album artwork suddenly disappeared for many users despite no setting changes. Apple community discussions acknowledged it as a known bug. Most users saw it resolved in later iOS updates, though some reported it fixed itself on iOS 15.5 without a specific update.

The lesson: keep your iOS updated. Most artwork bugs get patched in point releases.

Try These Fixes in Order

1. Verify the "Show Album Art" toggle is on in CarPlay Settings
2. Switch from Bluetooth to a USB cable connection
3. Check your iPhone's internet connection and try reconnecting to a stronger signal
4. Clear the cache of your music app (for Spotify: go to Settings, then Storage, then Clear Cache)
5. Update your iPhone to the latest iOS version
6. Unpair and re-pair your iPhone with your vehicle's CarPlay system in Bluetooth settings

If none of these work, the issue may be specific to your music app or a temporary server-side problem with your streaming service.

Apple Music vs. Spotify: Album Art on CarPlay

Not all music apps handle CarPlay album art the same way. This comes up a lot in customer conversations at Car Tech Studio.

Apple Music

As Apple's own service, Apple Music benefits from deep native integration with CarPlay. Album artwork is a prioritized feature, and it includes support for iOS 26's animated artwork. It generally delivers the most consistent and highest-quality album art experience on CarPlay.

Spotify

Spotify has solid CarPlay integration overall, but its artwork display is less reliable. Some users report that album art shows correctly in the Spotify app on their iPhone but fails to transfer to the CarPlay display. This is especially common over Bluetooth.

The fix that works most consistently: clear the app's cache and make sure you're on a wired connection. Spotify integrates with CarPlay through standard APIs rather than Apple's native system access, which explains some of the inconsistency.

Other Services

Services like Pandora, YouTube Music, and TIDAL all handle CarPlay artwork a bit differently. Pandora had a well-known artwork issue following a specific iOS update, where album covers showed as a blank blue box. Pandora acknowledged the bug and patched it in a later app update.

The general pattern holds: Apple Music offers the most polished experience, while third-party apps can be hit or miss depending on your iOS version and connection type.

Should You Keep Album Art On or Off? The Safety Debate

This is genuinely debated, and it's worth addressing directly.

The Case for Keeping It On

Album artwork makes it easier to identify what's playing at a glance. Visual memory of a cover can be faster to process than reading text — especially when a passenger is helping pick music. It also makes the interface feel more polished overall.

The Case for Turning It Off

Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that some CarPlay tasks require up to 33 seconds of driver interaction. A study from the UK's Transport Research Laboratory found that drivers took their eyes off the road for up to 16 seconds while interacting with infotainment systems.

Album art itself doesn't require active interaction, but it does create a visual pull — especially with iOS 26's animated artwork, which is designed to catch your eye.

Some drivers deliberately turn off album art on highway drives to keep the Now Playing screen as minimal as possible.

There's no right answer. It really depends on your driving habits and how much visual stimulation you find distracting.

Common Myths About CarPlay Album Art

A few misconceptions come up again and again.

"The setting doesn't exist on my device." It exists, but you need to access it from within CarPlay, not from your iPhone Settings app. Most people get stuck looking in the wrong place.

"Album art settings apply to all my vehicles automatically." They don't. CarPlay settings are configured per vehicle. If you connect to a second car, you'll need to set your album art preferences on that display separately.

"Spotify and Apple Music have the same album art experience." They don't. Apple Music has native access to CarPlay's display functions. Third-party apps use standard APIs with more limited access, which creates real differences in reliability and quality.

"Missing album art means my CarPlay is broken." Not usually. It's almost always a connection type issue, a weak internet signal, or a software bug that gets patched in the next iOS update.

Album Art and Older Vehicles: What If Your Car Doesn't Support CarPlay?

If your vehicle is older and doesn't have CarPlay built in, you can still get this experience. That's actually where we come in at Car Tech Studio.

We offer wireless CarPlay and Android Auto modules that add full CarPlay functionality to older vehicles without native support, including album art display on your existing screen. We also carry premium Android head units and Tesla-style vertical screens that replace your factory radio entirely and give you a completely modern infotainment experience — album art and all.

If you're working with a small or outdated display, upgrading your head unit is one of the most effective ways to change how your car feels from the inside.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I turn on album art in Apple CarPlay?

Connect your iPhone to CarPlay, then open Settings from within the CarPlay interface on your vehicle's screen. Go to Display and toggle on "Show Album Art in Now Playing." The change happens instantly.

Why is my CarPlay album art not showing up?

The most common causes are a Bluetooth-only connection (switch to USB for better results), a weak internet signal, or a software bug from a recent iOS update. Try clearing your music app's cache, updating your iOS, and re-pairing your iPhone with your car.

Does Apple Music show better album art on CarPlay than Spotify?

Yes, generally. Apple Music has native, deep integration with CarPlay and benefits from all of Apple's display optimizations. Spotify uses third-party API access, which can lead to inconsistent album art display, especially over Bluetooth.

What is animated album art in iOS 26?

iOS 26 introduced animated album artwork in Apple Music. Tapping on the album art causes it to animate in sync with the music. On the CarPlay Now Playing screen and iPhone Lock Screen, artwork can expand and come alive with motion. Not all songs have animated artwork yet, but Apple is expanding coverage.

Can I change CarPlay album art settings without being connected to my car?

On some iOS versions, yes — you can find the setting under iPhone Settings, then General, then CarPlay, then your vehicle name. But this isn't available on all iOS versions. The most reliable method is to make the change from within the CarPlay interface while connected.

Will disabling album art make CarPlay safer?

It can reduce visual distraction, which some drivers prefer on highway drives. Research shows that infotainment systems can pull driver attention significantly, and animated or prominent visuals add to that. Turning off album art creates a more minimal, text-focused interface that some drivers find easier to manage while keeping eyes on the road.

Why does album art show on my phone but not on my CarPlay screen?

This usually happens with third-party apps like Spotify when connected via Bluetooth. The artwork displays in the app on your iPhone, but the metadata doesn't successfully transfer to your vehicle display. Switching to a wired USB connection typically solves it.

Does every CarPlay update reset my album art setting?

Sometimes, yes. Major iOS updates can occasionally reset some CarPlay preferences to defaults. It's worth checking your "Show Album Art" toggle after any significant iOS update to confirm it's still set the way you want.