Apple CarPlay problem with 2019 Acura RDX and iPhone X

Acura admits the CarPlay disconnect is a problem. They say it will be fixed in an update this “winter”. Many of us are having the same problem, if you search thru the previous posts in this you will see many owners complaining about the same issue. There are some owners that do not have the problem, but many of us do. You can call Acura client relations to let them know you are dissatisfied like many of us have already done.

I see the same thing, about half the time CarPlay works OK, the half the time it disconnects. It is going to take an update to the RDX Infotainment system to fix this problem. Last I heard from Acura that update is suppose to be released this winter. Meanwhile I just end up using the limited functionality that you get with Bluetooth. At least that is a lot more reliable so it is a lot less stressful to use.

I'd say it's a pretty thin assumption that just because people aren't flocking to the internet to fix a problem with their car, that they aren't having problems. Most would just go to Acura customer service or their dealer I would think.

For what it's worth, a factory reset fixed my problem about 10 months ago. After the iOS 13 was released, I had hard freezes on my system again as everyone else has explained. I factory reset the system again and it cleared again. I think my whole point is, people are having very different experiences than you and I, so please don't discount all of this as user error. These problems don't seem to exist on many other implementations of Car Play, so it's an issue Honda needs to figure out to provide some stability to their system. Hopefully we see that soon because I'm tired of worrying about going on a road trip and having my Car Play fail.

That is not at all the case. I have a 2019 TLX and CarPlay works PERFECT. I spoke to the Acura Field Technician at length about the issue and he told me that it is 100% an issue with the vendor that makes the infotainment system for the 2019 and 2020 RDX. None of their other vehicles have the issue. It is a defect that Acura knows about and they are solely responsible for resolving it. Whether that means buying the car back or replacing the system with one from another vendor. Talk to a different lawyer. The first lawyer I spoke to told me similar info that yours told you. I think there are some shady lawyers out there (despite popular belief) 😂 that only take the cases that fit into certain criteria. You paid a lot of money for that car. Hold them responsible for not delivering the features you paid for.

I am not sure any overload is necessary. I think the USB (not Apple CarPlay) drops, could be an overload, or a defect in some USBs. This is why I want you guys to do this test.

Please, turn Bluetooth Off. Disable Apple CarPlay. Use the music with USB, not Bluetooth, and let’s see if it will drop.

I was able to catch this glitch in Video. But I want to see if same happens with you guys.

Next test, is positive with you guys as well, is to make same happen with an Android Phone, USB audio with an android, and same glitch, where USB becomes unavailable for 5 minutes after dropping. This will prove that problem is unrelated with Apple, and it is an Acura issue. I can’t believe their engineers never test that on the defective cars.

I think it is a broader USB interface problem, not just CarPlay. I did the following steps:

Disabled bluetooth on iPhone.

Disabled CarPlay by forgetting vehicles on iPhone and deleting device in settings on RDX system.

I then went into the USB Audio input on RDX and plugged in the iPhone to play music. Nothing happened. I unplugged and tried again, but still no recognition that a device was plugged in and on the iPhone it didn't even show that it was charging. It was as if the USB port was dead. It then occurred to me that the car had been running for about 10 minutes and maybe it was already cycling so I left it plugged in and on USB Audio. In a few minutes it suddenly recognized it had a USB device plugged in, and the system asked me if I wanted to enable CarPlay and I left it disabled. Then music started playing. I let it play via USB and five minutes later it stopped. Interestingly the phone still showed that it was charging, so the USB port wasn't totally dead. Basically it was the exact same behavior as the CarPlay drops I've been having for months, but I wasn't using CarPlay at all.

I definitely think the issue is not related to CarPlay, it has something to do with the USB hardware, USB controller firmware, or USB interface driver in the OS on the RDX. It would be interesting to do the same test with an Android phone playing music via USB. It may not happen with a smaller device like an old iPod or USB stick as they draw less power and might not cause the same issue as a phone trying to charge.

It's incredibly frustrating that Acura engineers aren't doing what we're doing. It has nothing to do with the phone, my phone works reliably on lots of other vehicles I've tried it on when renting cars.

I tried a slightly different test, got a similar result: First I loaded a USB memory stick with a couple of MP3s and inserted it into the console slot that I use for connecting the iPhone. It worked, playing music well beyond the 5-minute limit. Then I removed it but kept it handy in the car and went about my business, routinely plugging in the iPhone every time I got in the car, knowing that sooner or later CarPlay would cut out on me. When it did, I removed the iPhone cord and plugged the memory stick into the USB slot. Bingo: No music. The USB port failed to recognise the memory stick. I take this as another confirmation that the 5-minute drop off was not (or not only) a CarPlay issue but a USB issue.

It's simple--see the attached page from the PDF version of the manual. Follow the steps for "Defaulting System Settings." The most complicated part is reestablishing the Bluetooth and CarPlay connections; resetting FM and XM station presets and audio preferences (equalizer, fader, volume setting for the Navigation instructions, etc); rearranging the icons on the home screen, etc. I can't say that it works. Others have indicated that it seems to work for a while. It my case, it has worked "so far."

Following a Factory Data Reset, I'm up to over 20 segments without a CarPlay problem over a two-week period. I'm hoping that both Apple and Acura have learned something with their recent updates, and that the problem doesn't return. I'm aware that this is only a hope.

BPpark wrote:

Not to be argumentative, but I have an honest question: How do we know that the CarPlay problem stems from caching in the car's entertainment system?

Because I build integrated systems for a living. I've actually worked on the inner workings of nearly all the major players in the industry. Not much domestic though and I'd prefer to keep it that way. The OS is based on QNX and dynamic partitions were never intended to be used, yet, they still use them. Ironically, Alpine who makes these for Acura do not use the same style in their aftermarket stuff. They don't even use dynamic cache partitions because it's just a bad idea considering how cheap storage is these days. This was an Acura decision through and through. Audi did the same thing but were smart enough to include 80GB drives for caching and playlists and even smarter to ditch it entirely from 2015 up.

Also, if this is the case, woudn't there be numerous things than can overload the cache, not merely Apple CarPlay?

CarPlay does not overload the cache. Map/telemetry data, caching from album art and a few others things that should be purged aren't being purged. This is all from the built in apps that come with the car. CarPlay is the easiest on these systems as it needs a minimal amount of cache to do the job. But, if no space is left then no space is left.

Yet it seems that the problem of 5-minute drop-offs and related issues are only being reported by iPhone users.

Nope, big issue with Android as well. Probably bigger. Android fails a bit more gracefully though by just not showing you the data it can't cache. Android collects way more data than iOS/Carplay does. Telemetry data alone is ten times as much. To be expected though, it's a Google product and they like your data. This "graceful crash" behaviour makes people think it is a provider issue which it is clearly not.

I'm afraid to update. I did a factory reset (not the reboot "fix") and haven't had one issue since. That was about 5 months ago.

I’ve been having the same issue with my 2019 RDX and iPhone 8 Plus. I went to my local Acura dealer and he said that I was the second or third person the same day reporting the problem. He appeared to be reading from an Acura technical notice and after confirming all software was put to date, turning the phone on and off and confirming that I’m using an Apple issued power cord, the notice says that Acura is working on a software update but no one knows when it’s coming. Finger crossed that’s the issue and it won’t take long.

Reading this post, cost me 30 seconds of my life I'll never get back.

"Found this on the web from an older post, might help?

"Have you followed all the steps here to ensure your iPhone X is set up properly to work with CarPlay? There may be a setting toggled on your wife's iPhone 7 that isn't turned on for your iPhone X. For example, be sure that Siri is turned on in Settings > Siri & Search. Also check out the "Get Help" section at the bottom of the article:

Set up CarPlay with your iPhone - Apple Support"

Also give the Acura / Honda Dealer a call, they might be of some help as well."

Call customer relations - they know the problem. Read Twitter feed for Acura customer relations. There must by 15 tweets in last 2 months on this exact issue. Maybe the specific dealer isn’t aware - but likely they are

I spoke to Acura Client Relations again yesterday (Alan I, the district case manager), and they are very aware of the problem. Alan said that the Apple/Acura fix was originally scheduled to be complete in May, but has since been pushed out to August/September. At that time, the fix (update) will come directly to our cars, and there will be no need to take our cars to the dealer. Since this has been going on for close to a year already, I am not sure that they will make this promised deadline. I am really disappointed in Acura and Apple, as my Acura purchase was based on the advertised Apple/Acura interface and its accompanying safety consideration. I expressed the safety concern to Acura Client Relations, and although they were sympathetic, the fact that the car still runs is sufficient for them. So much for customer care!