Apple CarPlay GPS wrong location issue

We’re having the same issue as most others have described in a 2024 BMW X5. The wrong location is shown in Apple Maps and Google Maps while in CarPlay. Once disconnected from CarPlay, the location is correct on the phone.

This is clearly a Toyota issue. I have the same issue in my 2024 Toyota Highlander with my iPhone 15 Pro. Additional data points for you:

1. The car GPS location is accurate when I switch between CarPlaya and the Toyota navigation functions.
2. As soon as I turn CarPlay off, the phone corrects its location within 60 seconds.
3. Resetting the phone or reinstalling the app does not help.
4. When I plug the phone in and use CarPlay in a wired capacity, it corrects itself within 60 seconds. If I unplug the phone again and return to wireless CarPlay, it drifts again.
5. I have not had this issue with dozens of other CarPlay pairings in my other cars or in rental cars.

I thought CarPlay was universal - brut it clearly does not work well with wireless instances in Toyotas.

This issue happens when your vehicle infotainment system Wireless car play. If the head unit only support Wired then the issue will not occur. If car support wireless then it does not matter if you connect with wire or wireless but you will see your GPS playing with you frequently. After iOs 15 this bug was introduced but seems Apple gives a **** about the sufferings and inconvenience customer faces. THIS CAN BE VERY VERY DANGEROUS.

Same:

1. Fire up Apple Maps, shows EXACTLY where I am.
2. Fire up GAIA GPS and it shows my accuracy as +/- 15 feet
3. Turn on Car Play with my Denon, as soon as it shows up, I move 300 feet NE
4. GAIA GPS shows my accuracy as still +/- 15 feet (WRONG)
5. Disconnect from my Denon, I am back to where I should be
6. Cable to my Honda, and it’s stays accurate.

Dead reconning is the feature where a car will use it’s other sensors to ‘kinda’ keep you in the right spot with a loss of signal but still show you where you are at. This is broken/messed up. For me I felt like this started happening with a firmware upgrade to my Denon.

Here is a video I made showing the issue.

https://youtu.be/1NT0rXI1a3M?si=ZRJJn_jyKO2jVidt

I have opened a support case. Apple is going to reach out to both my head unit manufacturer and the other car manufacturer I was able to reproduce this on. I am going to take a video of this happening in my vehicle and then upload those case details. I’ll post back here when I have more.

The reason of this behavior is Apple CarPLAY default to use Vehicle's GPS Antenna.

They do not rely on iPhone antenna once connected to Vehicle unlike Android Auto.

This is the reason Android Auto works well.

If your vehicle has inbuilt GPS Navigation, then ensure that works fine whenever you face issue with CarPlay navigation.

If your vehicle does not have inbuilt Navigation, then check if it has a working GPS antenna. If the GPS antenna is not working properly then your CARPLAY will get wrong location information and will pass to Maps apps.

If no Antenna, then CarPlay is built to behave like a dumb - guy and will rely on FM Antenna and will get and feed wrong GPS data to CarPlay.

Is not this fallback mechanism being Stupid?

DO NOT DEPEND ON HARDWARE OR SOURCES THAT YOU HAVE NOT MANUFACTURED OR CONTROLLING.

Simply go back to the Basics of iOs 14 where Carplay will use the Device Antenna always.

IF More number of Users will raise "iPhone Feature request" asking to make CarPlay to use Device antenna always or at least the Device Owner must have some means to override this weird CarPlay settings, then APPLE might listen giving up their arrogance.

This has been an ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE for me!!!

I am at a loss I have reset my phone reset my network settings etc and NOTHING seems to help!

I have a 2024 Lexus NX.

HOWEVER, my daughter just bought a 2024 VW SUV and her husband just bought a 2024 Chevy GMC and they thought I was crazy until now with both of their new cars they are experiencing it as well.

We can only think that it has to do with the new computer chips that were so backordered not long ago.

I even went as far as paying hundreds of dollars to get Wifi in my car hoping it would fix it and it did not.

Like others in the above comments reported it does it with all apps. Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze etc.

I drive to patient's homes for a living this has GOT to be resolved.

It is very dangerous as it had me driving the wrong way on a busy street in KC before.

I had the same issue with mine and there is a fix. You have to reset the 3D calibration settings on your head unit. It immediately fixes the problem, but it will start doing it again after a couple of days. At least you can use your gps until they find a permanent solution! Hope this helps!

For VW -- how to change the Wi-Fi/Bluetooth names:

Note: I have a 2023 VW GTI.

1st go to the main infotainment screen with all the icons. You may have to scroll down a page to find the settings icon (gear).

Change VW Wi-Fi hotspot name:

• Settings <gear>
• Wi-Fi
• Infotainment system as hotspot
• Network name: "My VW 1234" (edit name to anything else that's unique)
• OK

Change VW Bluetooth name:

• Settings <gear>
• Mobile devices
• <gear> (settings, top right of the screen for mine)
• Device name: New Name (edit name)
• OK

When I changed these names, my iPhone picked them up automatically. Pretty nice!

I did this two days ago and have driven through areas where I had experienced this issue before and so far it's been working great. Maybe just a coincidence...

If you are having trouble and have a VW, please try this and see if it helps and let us know what you find.

I have another update:

<Recap>

I have a aftermarket head unit and use wireless carplay. Until mid-last year it was fine, worked great. Then it started going way off the mark. I hit a patience wall and opened a ticket with Apple. I was also to randomly reproduce the issue with a WIRED-carplay in a different unit. Wired/wireless make no difference with this issue.

</RECAP>

• I am working with developers via support.
• We were able to take diagnostics while my carplay showed me driving through fields and homes
• I got back that I probably should buy/install more hardware to improve the accuracy. I pushed back, it worked up until mid-last year so something else has changed. My response: “I fail to see why I should have to buy more hardware for something that clearly worked before”.
• I was also asked to wipe my phone and see if it worked better. I let them know the sheer amount of work for me around that(not going to explain why here). I also let them know I get why they may want that BUT even if that worked, clearly this is an OS issue and something I cannot break by using my phone. It’s a bug/defect they need to fix and I do not except that a ‘wipe’ is a fix. If something is corrupted, it’s their walled garden.
• when I am clearly off by 1,000+ feet from my current position but the accuracy is reported as 32ft+/-, then that too is another bug of some kind, nothing I can personally do to my device.

I am waiting to hear back on more regarding my ticket, hoping to hear back shortly.

same issue here, with the same car. Extremely annoying!! Is anyone from Apple actually working on it?

Exactly, I have to figure out if you can disconnect easily while on the move. It just makes me mad because it seems a lot of people are having this problem. Somebody should be responsible for fixing this problem. Especially, with the price of cars, these problems should be fixed.

IOS bug unable to distinguish between the GPS data from Mobile and Vehicle Antenna. So as long as it is connected and working with Mobile device's antenna Car play works. Why Apple not in a hurry to fix this simple bug to allow car play to always use the Mobile device's GPS antenna?