Apple CarPlay GPS wrong location issue

Hello,

 


I bought a car with CarPlay functionality (RAV4 limited 2023). I am using it with an iPhone 13 pro under IOS16.4.1a (latest OS to date). CarPlay works except for navigation apps. When I use either Waze, Google maps or Apple maps, the location gets switched between the actual current location and somewhere 20-30 meters from the car. Therefore the GPS guidance doesn't work since the actual location is incorrect.

 

GPS apps on the iPhone works fine when not connected with CarPlay in this car. GPS navigation system from the car works fine when the phone is not connected.

 

I tried to start GPS apps first before connecting it to the car. It usually works for a few minutes (1-5 minutes) then the location is again off by 20-30 meters. I tried to start the GPS apps after I connect the phone to the car and I get the same result.


If I disconnect the phone, the car and iPhone GPS give me correct location. If I reconnect them, both give me the wrong location. When the car is not moving, the wrong location remains at the same spot even after I

disconnect/reconnect the phone. So it's not giving a random location. It's off by 20-30 meters.

Has anyone ever seen anything similar?

iPhone 13 Pro

Posted on May 2, 2023 4:40 PM

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Posted on Oct 3, 2023 3:27 PM

Update: With CarPlay in my 2023 VW Taos, the GPS will suddenly and unexpectedly show me to be in the wrong location. The error is several hundred feet to several miles. This is very dangerous when you are on a highlway and it suddenly tells you to turn on a road that does not exist. I updated my iPhone to iOS 17.0.2. It did not help. I have rebooted both the car system and the phone. It does not help. Most recently, this happened when I was parked in my driveway. I was connected to CarPlay. The map in the car AND on my phone showed the same WRONG location. I simply turned off Wi-Fi on my phone and immediately as the iphone disconnected from the car, the map on my phone switched to the correct location. Incidentally, my phone works fine with CarPlay in my Bolt.

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127 replies

Nov 11, 2023 2:45 PM in response to Lsr1238

That's good info Lsr1238. Two questions though, esp. since they are pointing finger at Apple...


Do they claim that with the VW Apple CarPlay OTA update, it will prioritize the location sources so that CarPlay will use the location derived from the phone over the car?


When I have experienced the location issue past week, I disconnected my phone from CarPlay and checked the VW native maps and the location did not change. Which means that the incorrect location that CarPlay was using in maps (Apple & Google) was coming from the car. Also, that means that the incorrect location from the car GPC is propagating back to the apps on the phone too (while running CarPlay).


So what exactly is the VW update going to change? If you didn't get that detail from VW, can you ask them that?


Maybe prior to the last update (it seems to have gotten much worse a month or two ago like in Sept.), the phone's location info was used (if available) instead of the car's GPS location info.


ALSO... (for VW owners), do you have a green light on the roof near the SOS buttons? Usually the light is on, but sometimes not. I was wondering if that was related to the overall issue -- that is if the issue is a VW hardware/communications device problem.

Nov 13, 2023 7:36 AM in response to J-Apple324

J-Apple324 wrote:

dangermen: Looks like the car's location info is being fed back to the phone and overriding the phone's own location info while connected via CarPlay. ?

I agree. That’s what it looks like. I have an aftermarket head-unit and it’s like the iPhone is just ignoring that it might have better data than the GPS in the truck. I think my screenshots caught IOS in a lie. I have tried to cable up but my head unit really only wants to do wireless carplay too.

Nov 13, 2023 8:38 AM in response to dangermen

dangermen wrote:

I have an aftermarket head-unit and it’s like the iPhone is just ignoring that it might have better data than the GPS in the truck.


Interesting that it works this way for an aftermarket system too. So it's probably a CarPlay design choice/flaw and not the vehicle manufacturer design choice.


Do you know how your head-unit is getting the GPS data? What model is it?

Nov 25, 2023 7:55 PM in response to Hch1946

I have the same issue with my 2022 VW Tiguan. Both maps go about 2-3 miles off course but both the car nav and iPhone map are in the same wrong location at the same time. If I reboot the infotainment system, the Apple Maps goes to the correct location while the car nav stays wrong but will correct itself in about 5-10 minutes. Very frustrating. It’s like they are feeding off of each other. I had the software updated to 0841 and it still does it.

Dec 3, 2023 8:12 AM in response to sealclas

I have the same issue on a new Smart#1 that's about 6 weeks old. Smart just issued an OTA update 1.3.0 that implemented Carplay and Android A so I was pleased as I use Apple Maps a lot. Anyhow, this problem surfaced immediately.


HOWEVER, I followed up the 9-5 Mac article link posted in this thread - this related to an article written in September. About half way down the (many) comments was this one:


I sent a lengthy email to the author yesterday after reading this and the comments. Yes, this is an issue. Yes, I've experienced this issue with and without CarPlay. The issue was caused by the manufacturer of my vehicle - Mercedes Benz - and was resolved just a few weeks ago in both of my vehicles.


The issue was the Local Search section of the nav units was walled off from the HERE MapCare services. I'm in the US, one of our vehicles is garaged in France and has had the same issue for about 10 months; my local vehicle's nav worked until February - both are working as expected again.


Mercedes recently pushed an OTA update connecting vehicles with NTG 5.5 and newer to the new Google Cloud Services, which includes at a minimum traffic, POI, and navigation services.


HERE MapCare was used by at least 23 vehicle manufacturers (refer to the Wiki) including many of the vehicles many of the commenters have posted about. Mercedes owners have aired their complaints for some time now. I'd been working with my vehicle's Service Department on this since March. The PR by M-B for the OTA update was announced on 9/3/23 and was pushed to my vehicles about 10 days later (there is no record of the update in the Connect app). I hope that this issue gets resolved shortly for each of you.


If this is correct, the common factor here across all the brands is the HERE mapping, which would make sense.

I have sent the post to my Smart dealer (who of course is also an M-B dealer in the UK) and will push them for a response next week.

Dec 11, 2023 4:53 PM in response to sealclas

Just did a 5-1/2 hour trip from south Jersey to Massachusetts and back again. On the way there, no problem. On the way back from Massachusetts to South Jersey, apple car play was useless. Thank goodness we had my husbands phone and could use it without Apple Car play. This is the second time we have had a problem on a long trip. I will never by a car again with Apple Car Play.

Dec 11, 2023 7:35 PM in response to Letthecatin

What vehicle is this?


It seems to be mainly the vehicle maker's fault in the implementation. At least that's my current thinking.


Try this next time the location is off (if your vehicle has built in navigation):

Set your phone to airplane mode (in order to disable CarPlay). Check the location on the native maps. Is the location still wrong? Did it move to a different point on the map?

Now, turn the vehicle off and turn off airplane mode. The phone should show a good/better location.


Could you try some of this?

Dec 13, 2023 4:57 PM in response to sealclas

Same with me, this issue happened in my 2024 Audi A3 where I would open Google Maps and my starting location would be correct, but as soon as I connect to Car Play either through WiFi or through a wired connection, my starting location would change to something several miles behind me where I was originally parked. I reboot my phone, did a system reset on my car and nothing seems to have worked.

Dec 17, 2023 7:47 PM in response to nddave

Read through all the messages.


I believe when you connect your phone with CarPlay the vehicle's incorrect location is used in the vehicle and is also used by your phone (it overrides the good location from your phone).


Do you have built in navigation? If so, try switching your phone to airplane mode (so that it disconnects CarPlay) and see if the car's navigation location is correct or incorrect.

Apple CarPlay GPS wrong location issue

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