Excessive battery drainage during CarPlay - Still happening in 2023

It’s nice to see the reply so quickly! I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max and an Audi eTron, and experience the same issue of battery drainage only while in CarPlay. This week I started monitoring the drainage more closely. In a 40 minute ride I lost 60% battery without any other apps running in the background!! When connected to a charging cable, I still lost 40% battery!! My partner has an Android phone and does not experience this issue. It feels like this could be better addressed by Apple.

Still happening in 2024… I’m not using it anymore. Going through the trouble of disconnecting Bluetooth or wifi is just poor customer experience. Are you going to do that every time you get in the car? And turn everything back on when you get out of the car?

If your iPhone's battery drains quickly when connected to CarPlay, there are a few potential reasons for this issue. You may try any or some of the steps given below:

1. Ensure that you have the latest software updates for both your iPhone and your car's infotainment system. Outdated software can sometimes cause compatibility issues that impact battery performance.
2. Close any unnecessary apps running in the background on your iPhone. Background apps can consume power even when using CarPlay, contributing to battery drain.
3. If you have a wired CarPlay, disable any unnecessary features on your iPhone that you're not using while connected to CarPlay. For example, turn off Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or location services if they're not required for your CarPlay experience.
4. If you have any other accessories connected to your iPhone while using CarPlay (e.g., charging cables, headphones), disconnect them as they can draw power from your device.
5. If the issue persists, Reset All Settings: including network settings, the keyboard dictionary, the Home screen layout, location settings, privacy settings, and Apple Pay cards—are removed or reset to their defaults. No data or media are deleted.
   1. Reset All Settings: Return iPhone settings to their defaults - Apple Support:- Return iPhone settings to their defaults
   2. You can return settings to their defaults without erasing your content.
   3. If you want to save your settings, back up your iPhone before returning them to their defaults. For example, if you’re trying to solve a problem but returning settings to their defaults doesn’t help, you might want to restore your previous settings from a backup.
6. Contact car manufacturer: If the problem persists, it may be worth reaching out to your car manufacturer or checking their support documentation. There might be specific compatibility issues or settings that need adjustment for optimal CarPlay performance.

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, it's recommended to contact Apple Support for further assistance.

Can you explain how you’d set up those automations?

Had the same issue, it was due to the Podcast app playing, here is the answer I found: Apple Watch shows the media controls (pla… - Apple Community

Please know that you can automate this: if 'when connected to CarPlay' then 'disable wi-fi' and 'disable bluetooth' or whatever.