My Apple CarPlay is making a static/crackling sound and I don’t know how to fix it.

I have the exact same issue, using Waze and talking on the phone. Not certain it's a Waze issue but when I completely close the Waze App and make a call it seems to stop. Problem is I use Waze all the time. I have a 2021 Nissan Murano and the dealer never heard of the issue lol.

Same issue on iPhone XR with Seat Ateca 2017. Never had this issue in my old car with an aftermarket Sony XAV-AX3005DB so thought this was a stereo fault. Seat replaced the speakers as they sounded broken but didn't fix it and so off to google I went and found this thread. Thank you everyone for confirming this isn't just me going crazy and is a genuine fault with CarPlay. I will get a wireless adapter as it is the cheapest way to fix this until Apple (maybe) acknowledge and fix the issue.

Yes, seams to be some kind of buffering issue. In my car, the issue disappears temporarily (10-15 minutes) if I mute and unmute the audio from the steering wheel.

The issue started suddenly ~2 years ago, and CarPlay worked fine before that.

Doing a factory reset might also help, but last week I tried it again, without any success.

It is indeed a worldwide issue, I live in the EU, but I have seen reports from all around the world.

Sure! I tried this one and it actually works well. I’m pretty happy w it. Minimal issues and definitely no more crackling which was driving me nuts.

Hieha Wireless CarPlay Adapter... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09YXXZHMS?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Hi, I have the same issue. I have a 2023 Nissan Pathfinder.

I find that this issue only happens when I'm connected to CarPlay via USB only (wireless is working great).

I also noticed that this only happens when I'm using maps or waze and listening to music.

If I'm listening to music without maps/waze i don't have any issues. (even with USB CarPlay).

Seems to be a Nissan problem as most people here complaining with Nissan brand.

I wish this would have a quick fix as i don't like wireless CarPlay....

Same issue with both an iPhone XS Max and a iPhone XR wired to CarPlay on a Seat Arona 2018 (factory HeadUnit).

Latest software on vehicle and phones.

Screen is really clear and responsive, but if playing music via any app, the audio starts off clear and distortion starts to plague the sound within only a minute or two of playback.

I am an electronics engineer by trade and my initial suspicion was an over-heating power-amplifier in the head unit.

However as this problem, going by this thread, affects many vehicle makes, each with different Head Unit electronics hardware, I very much doubt it is a hardware common fault as the chances of that are virtually implausible. It definitely points to how Apple have configured the CarPlay software and it sounds like CarPlay cannot buffer the data in quick enough.

I suspect it is a simple case that Apple CarPlay has a data through-put limitation, probably due to Apples usual over-the-top security restrictions, that cause the data buffer to empty and the databus cannot keep up with demand. Hence the screen and functionality remain functional but the audio begins to contain error and missing data packets as it tries and fails to keep up with demand for visuals and audio over the one USB cable.

What is really odd though is that when the distortion starts, it muddies the audio but it doesn’t get progressively worse.

Long story short, Apple will never admit liability on these forums for anything but it is 200% an Apple Software issue and no fault of the vehicle hardware or manufacturer.

Just waiting for an advert on TV to pop up with a “Have you been mis-sold Apple Car Play in your vehicle between X and Y date, if so you could make a claim for thousands of your car!” topic 😂👍

Hey bro. Get a wireless car play adapter. It’s the only way. Read above. It worked very well for me.

I have a 2021 Nissan Leaf and Ford F-150 and am experiencing the same thing. I've run a few extra tests:

• On the Leaf - Using a shielded cable, switching between USB-C and USB-A connections (no effect - garbled audio sometimes)
• On the Leaf - Using CarPlay with wifi off, or in airplane mode, trying to initiate Siri (no change - garbled audio sometimes)
• Listening closely to the audio output on my vehicles when in CarPlay audio streaming (E.g., music) vs Siri/phone calls
  • There is definitely a different audio quality on both vehicles when in Siri/phone calls, as compared to listening to an audio book. If I had to guess, it's using different CODECs. bit rates, stereo vs mono, or bidirectional vs unidirectional channels.
  • On the Leaf, the audio quality on Siri/calls is either almost exactly the same, or incredibly choppy. It doesn't matter whether Siri is saying that there is no internet connection, or I'm making a call, etc. Once it seems to get into a bad state, it will stay like that unless I unplug and replug the phone, and most of the time, it won't work nicely until I restart the car. People on the other end of calls also say it sounds horrible.
  • On the F-150, the audio quality seems to be a little bit worse, but entirely understandable and consistent and everyone always hears me well as long as cell reception is good.

I have the same issue on my 2020 Murano Platinum. Music works fine, but with cabled airplay it’s complete garbage. My Bluetooth has an issue with notifications. When my phone is playing music and a notification isn’t silenced it beeps loud and somehow makes my volume go to max. Crazy issue and so annoying. I have an iPhone 13 pro max.

today I tried using my iPhone 11 from work with the cabled airplay and it worked with no issues on the phone call. Perhaps it’s only effecting newer model iPhones? Idk but I’ve taken it to nissan several times to complain and they update the software but it doesn’t do much. Apple needs to address the issue.

Mine is happening when playing certain songs. It will sound staticky or like a busted speaker. When I tried spotify the issue went away. For me its only on apple music and carplay. I have a brand new 2022 F150. This is beyond frustrating since I've been with apple music for many years.

Did you ask dealer what they can do?

as many people go ask dealer about that issue as fast they gonna address Apple to fix that… I hope))

I’m having this issue even when using Bluetooth. I’ve tried different appe(Spotify, Patreon, Music) and they all are stating and crackly. I’ve tried disconnecting CarPlay and restarting the phone. The iOS is up to date and all the apps are as well. It’s driving me nuts.

I’ve been having the same problem. I have no problem with music through Apple CarPlay. It’s just phone calls. There is so much static and crackling that I can’t hear the caller. The car dealer couldn’t find anything wrong. I’ve tried using the USB-c port and the USB port. I’ve tried different cables and brand new cables. I even bought a brand new phone and still the same problem. I would love a solution!

Ugh!! DEFINITELY having the same static problem! It’s terrible! I’m driving a 2021 Mercedes GLE, my phone is running IOS 15.6.1and when I turn on my Satellite radio, static goes away immediately! Apple please address this!!

I know this thread is a few months old but I just upgraded to iPhone14pro and Apple car play has a horrible connection. But my phone sounds great when connected to my car via Bluetooth. It’s definitely a car play issue

I had no problems with CarPlay on my iPhone 8plus up until yesterday.