Wireless Carplay disconnects at the same place on my commute with new iPhone 13

I have the exact same issue. In Cambridge, MA at Fresh Pond / Mt Auburn outside of Harvard Square- my 2022 Porsche Cayenne loses connection from my iPhone 14 Pro. Same spot, every time. Coming and going, either direction. I made Porsche replace the PCM computer module in the car this week ($8k) and Apple replaced my iPhone 14 Pro just this week as well. This morning the exact same thing, same location…music started to cut out then screen faded to black. Phone disconnects and nothing works.

In an attempt to isolate it, I turned Bluetooth and Wi-Fi off on my phone and engaged a phone call in each direction this morning and there were zero connectivity issues…phone calls were clear as day without interruption.

Then, I tried another test- put the phone into airplane mode (allowed the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to remain active) and the cellular service was switched off…the issue DID happen again- music cut out and screen blacked out.

This is 100% an apple issue…it began with my iPhone 12 Pro after one of the updates last Spring (‘22). Prior to that my phones never had an issue in this vehicle or any other that I have owned over the past decade. Having replaced all of the hardware it is clear this is a software or Wi-Fi issue Apple has created.

really stinks having spent so much time and money replacing parts to realize this is Apple’s problem….

Also happens to me on both of my cars on I-25 and Lincoln (between Cabelas and the Schwab campus). Very frustrating. But at least now I know it's not just me.

I have also experienced this issue with my iPhone 13 Pro. It seems to happen in the same location: when I enter and leave my apartment complex. My guess is it is a location services process that runs when I leave/arrive home. For some reason it disconnects CarPlay for around 20-30 seconds. Sometimes it plays audio via a different source (sounds like music coming from a tin can) or it doesn’t play anything at all. I use Spotify but I believe it happens with any music app. It doesn’t matter if I change my commute leaving East or West, it still disconnects when I’m about 500-1000 feet away from home. I might try changing my home address and seeing if that is the root cause.

I guess you don’t realize that this is a user-to-user forum, not a way to connect with Apple. You need to contact Apple if you want help from Apple, you can use the Support link at the top or bottom of this page.

But the problem is not something that Apple can fix; it is almost certainly an problem with interference at that specific location→Resolve Wi-Fi and Bluetooth issues caused by wireless interference - Apple Support

I went through my privacy and location settings and changed all of my apps using my location to only request location “While Using the App”. The Amazon Alexa app was the only app I changed. Since then, it has been about a week and I’ve had zero issues! While this seems to work, this is still a major inconvenience knowing Alexa routines aren’t able to function so it would be great for Apple to make some progress on fixing this, as it seems to affect other apps as well.

You are losing the cell data signal and it has to do with 5G and fallback to LTE. I have two places when driving to downtown Fort Worth, Texas via State Highway 121 where I drop the signal. If I use a pre-5G phone it only happens very briefly at one location as I stay on LTE. The 5G problem also occurs with a friends Samsung. You can report it to your cell carrier, unfortunately the area in question for me is on a restricted river flood plain so they can't add a tower there. It was really bad on 3G phone calls back in the day.

Hi, ky4wvu,

It sounds like you've isolated a CarPlay connection issue to occurring at a specific location along your commute. There may be something in area interfering with your connection, but it could be something else (such as it disconnecting at a specific length of time versus a specific location). To help isolate this, we suggest taking a drive along another route away from the area in question, but that will have you traveling the same amount of time.

In addition to the above isolation suggestion, we also recommend using If you need help with CarPlay - Apple Support, which includes troubleshooting for CarPlay issues.

Don't hesitate to reach back out if you still need assistance.

Thanks for visiting the Apple Support Communities.

Have a great day.

That’s not how software works. It is an Apple problem. When your users have an issue, you don’t say “oh we didn’t cause this”, you find a way around it. This also didn’t used to be a problem, so something has changed that’s caused this to begin happening.

Not true. It could be a specific problem with a specific version of CarPlay or models of cars. Apple still is the owner of the application and it is their responsibility to work with the automotive or cellular vendors to address the issue. Specifically if it is repeatable and happening to many users.

There's a 2-mile stretch on SR 92 where I live. The problem started I think in connection with the Texas Instruments takeover of the Micron facility along that highway.

2023 Ford Bronco - gets interrupted so badly that the entire radio reboots twice along that stretch

2021 Silverado 3500 - cuts out 2-3 times for a total of 20 seconds along that stretch

2015 Jeep with 2017 aftermarket JVC radio - crashes multiple times like the Bronco

Same Jeep with a new Pioneer radio - behaves more like the Chevrolet.

I'm sure it has to do with how the makers buffer and manage connections, it seems like if Apple could use the standard Bluetooth frequency/protocol for wireless CarPlay there would be no problems since Bluetooth never has an issue

I have iPhone 11 and have started having the same issues in just one area I travel in. I travel multiple states and cities and it happens in just this one area. I do notice that there is a lot of electrical wires crossing the interstate in the city I travel through. It disconnects and reconnects but my screen in my car goes black and then phone projection will not work. It only started happening about a month ago and it only happens in the one area. I start anticipating it each day during my trip. I would like to find out what the issue is also.

I am facing the same exact issue. It’s not time related but place related. This happens to me at many places. One such place is in Richardson TX, when I am driving on highway 75, exactly when I pass E Campbell Rd. It’s a regular place. No overhead wires or anything. I am using iPhone 13 Pro Max on my 2023 Acura Integra. Same used to happen on 2022 Honda Civic. Both have same systems. I don’t have other models of iPhones to test this. I will try this on 2022 Audi Q3 sometime later when I get a chance.

CarPlay screen either freezes or disconnects and reconnects. When the screen freezes, audio works fine in background. Only if I turn off WiFi Bluetooth and turn back on, it reconnects again. Until that point it’s shows the same frozen screen. It’s same issue even if I don’t use use any navigation apps. Just Spotify.

I agree and you’re 100% correct. So in an effort to be part of the solution rather than further contribute to the problem, my apologies - the vulgarity was unneeded, uncalled for and a lazy way for me to express MY reaction to your post. I appreciate you calling it out.

Now let’s hope Apple/Car or device OEMs sort this out! It really is unusable for me I drive through 3-4 of these spots within 2kms.

Also a quick list of fixes that I’ve come across so far that have worked for some;

• Starting with a fresh pairing (remove all connections on the car and phone - then re-pair the device)
• Turn off location services on certain apps (some have mentioned Alexa can cause conflicts)
• Use a cord :(

Would be great to add to the list if others find anything that works.