How to Fix Apple CarPlay Not Working? 7 Possible ways.
For safety reasons, the use of your phone is prohibited by law.
Apple CarPlay provides hands-free and easy access to apps on your iPhone as it guides everything through your car’s infotainment system. This way, you can use your iPhone to make calls, send and receive text messages, and listen to music while driving.
However, there are times when CarPlay won’t connect or you can’t hear anything even when it’s connected. In other cases, the CarPlay apps do not open as expected, so you are limited in what you can do.
This guide covers some of the reasons why CarPlay is not working and some possible fixes you can use to restore all connections.
Causes for Apple CarPlay Not Working
Depending on your car, you can connect your iPhone to CarPlay using a USB cable, or connect your iPhone to Bluetooth in your car if it supports wireless.
Whichever method you use, there are several reasons why CarPlay might not work even if it worked fine before, for example:
- Faulty USB cable
- iPhone not found
- Bluetooth connection issues
- iOS update issues
- Incompatibility Issues
- Application Integration Issues
How to Fix Apple CarPlay Not Working
Apart from the iPhone, there are many different car systems that make it difficult to troubleshoot CarPlay issues. Whether the issue is related to sound, no connection, or not working apps, in this guide we’ve put together some helpful fixes and tips to help you get CarPlay working again.
Preliminary checks
Before trying any of the fixes below, you need to check the following:
- The first thing to check is whether your iPhone and your car’s infotainment system are turned on. If your vehicle has an activation option, make sure it is selected.
- Make sure your country region supports Apple CarPlay, as it is not available everywhere.
- Make sure CarPlay is compatible with your vehicle. … If you are unsure, check your vehicle manual or contact the vehicle manufacturer. If your car stereo is not compatible, you can get a compatible stereo from manufacturers such as Alpine, Clarion, Blaupunkt, JVC, Pioneer, Kenwood, or Sony.
- Make sure your iPhone has the latest version of iOS. and that it supports CarPlay (iPhone 5 and newer).
- Make sure your car has the latest firmware. If you are using a aftermarket stereo, check the manufacturer’s website for firmware updates for instructions on how to update it.
- Disconnect iPhone from your car and try pairing again. This usually helps when the Bluetooth connection between your phone and your car’s infotainment system is damaged.
- Unpair any other Bluetooth devices connected to your iPhone that may interfere with or conflict with the device and your vehicle while using CarPlay.
If you’ve completed all of these checks and CarPlay is still not working, try the following fixes to see if it solves the problem and starts CarPlay again.
1. Check your connection
You can connect to your CarPlay stereo using a USB cable or wireless. If you are using a USB cable, check it physically to make sure it is not damaged or loose, or try plugging a different cable into a different USB port if you have one.
If you choose to use a wireless connection, turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in Settings on your iPhone.
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To turn on Wi-Fi, go to Settings> Wi-Fi.
- Press Wi-Fi and flip the toggle on / green to turn it on.
- Then tap Settings again, tap Bluetooth and flip the toggle to On / Green to turn it on.
2. Restart iPhone and vehicle infotainment system
If CarPlay does not work after trying to connect to another device, check if the CarPlay logo appears on your car display. If not, restart your iPhone and car.
Follow these steps to restart your iPhone depending on your iPhone model:
- The iPhone SE for (1st generation st generation) or iPhone 5: Press and hold the top button to turn iPhone off and on.
- For iPhone SE (2nd nd generation) iPhone 6, 7, and 8: Press and hold the side button to turn the device off and back on.
- For iPhone X or newer models, press and hold the volume and side buttons, and then press the side button again to turn it on.
Note. To restart the vehicle’s infotainment system, refer to the instructions in the vehicle’s owner’s manual. After restarting your devices, try using CarPlay on your iPhone again to see if the problem is still there.
3. Make sure Siri is turned on
If your car supports Siri Eyes Free, you can hold the voice command on the steering wheel to make a request. However, if Siri is disabled, you won’t be able to use it with CarPlay.
- To turn on Siri, go to Settings> Siri & Search.
- Turn on the following options: Allow Siri when locked, Listen to Hey Siri and Side Button Press for Siri, or Press Home for Siri.
4. Make sure CarPlay is not restricted
If CarPlay does not detect your iPhone, please make sure the service is not limited on your iPhone.
5. Check if CarPlay is allowed when locked
If CarPlay still doesn’t work after checking and fixing we’ve listed so far, check if it’s allowed when locked.
6. Disable USB Restricted Mode
USB Restricted Mode is an iOS feature that protects iOS user data from password hackers who use USB devices to crack your password through Lightning ports. This function will disconnect the internal USB data connection after a while.
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- To do this, open Settings on your iPhone and tap Screen Time.
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- Then click Content and Privacy Restrictions.
- Click on your car, then click Forget This Car. Follow the instructions in our guide to set up Apple CarPlay again.
- To do this, open Settings on your iPhone and tap General> CarPlay.
- Click on your car.
- Then, toggle the toggle next to Allow CarPlay when locked to enable it if disabled.
Note. Disabling this feature may allow Lightning phone accessories to work even if iPhone is locked. However, disabling USB Restricted Mode exposes your iPhone to certain threats. But if you’re happy with that, you can turn it off when using CarPlay and turn it on when you don’t need it.
7. Reset all settings
Sometimes problems with apps on your iPhone can change some of the system settings, which can cause CarPlay to not work properly. In this case, resetting all system settings to their default values ​​will restore everything in order.
Get CarPlay Working Properly Again
We hope the tips and fixes in this guide helped you troubleshoot and fix when CarPlay isn’t working. If you have further problems, you can contact Apple Support or your vehicle manufacturer for assistance with your vehicle‘s infotainment system.
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- To turn off this feature, open Settings on your iPhone and tap Face ID & Passcode or Touch ID & Passcode.
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- Enter a password if prompted and go to the “Allow access when locked” section.
- Then click USB Accessories and flip the toggle to ON to disable USB Restricted Mode.
- To reset all iPhone settings, go to Settings> General> Reset.
- Click “Reset All Settings”, follow the instructions to complete the process and check if CarPlay is working properly.
- You can also reset your phone’s network settings as network errors may have disrupted or destroyed the connection between your iPhone and CarPlay. To clear and reset network settings on iPhone, go to Settings> General> Reset> Reset Network Settings.
- Enter the iPhone passcode and tap the option to confirm the reset. Once completed, your iPhone will automatically reboot and load the default network settings. However, you will need to re-enable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in order to use them again with CarPlay.
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How to Fix Apple CarPlay Not Working? 7 Possible ways
How to Fix Apple CarPlay Not Working? 7 Possible ways