Can't connect my iPhone to CarPlay

I have an iPhone X and it will not connect with CarPlay now. I have tried all steps and still cannot connect. Is Apple going to get this fixed? It happened after the last iPhone update.

My Iphone15 had always connected to wired CarPlay until I updated to IOS18, then didn’t connect, I tried averything suggested on this or other forums…..but I found my solution, simply turn off your VPN , then connect in car USB, then you can turn on VPN again and and it’s all good ……for me, good luck!

I've tried everything, including washing the car, changing the oil and pumping up the tires. Nothing works to get CarPlay to work. I guess I will have to buy a new car. Thanks Apple!

I am having the exact same issue after the last iPhone update. My iPhone 15 will not connect to my CarPlay without doing technical gymnastics to get it to work again turning Wi-Fi on and off Bluetooth on and off searching for my navigation address without Wi-Fi on cellular then reconnecting. It’s a mess. Please fix it.

LOL! Thanks for the terrific laugh! I've been having this trouble on and off for a few weeks with the iPhone 16.

i've also tried everything except resetting the entire phone, which I don't want to do because I have many specific settings, especially accessibility settings. CarPlay worked fine with my iPhone 15 Pro Max and iOS 17. Something.

Here are some troubleshooting steps you can try to get your iPhone 14 connected again:

1. Double-check Bluetooth and Wi-Fi:
   1. Ensure Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled on your iPhone. Go to Settings > Bluetooth and Settings > Wi-Fi to confirm.
   2. For the Wi-Fi connection, tap on the CarPlay network and make sure Auto-Join is turned on.
2. Verify CarPlay settings:
   1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > CarPlay.
   2. Tap on your car and select "Forget This Car".
   3. Now, try reconnecting your iPhone to CarPlay by following the car's specific instructions.
3. Restart your devices:
   1. Turn off your car completely and wait for a few minutes. Then, restart it.
   2. Simultaneously, perform a forced restart on your iPhone. Instructions for doing this vary depending on the model, so refer to Apple's support page for specific steps How to factory reset your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support.
4. Check for updates:
   1. Make sure your iPhone is running the latest iOS version. Go to Settings > General > Software Update and download any available updates.
      1. Update Over-the-Air (OTA) —> Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support (IN)
      2. Update using iTunes/Finder —> Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support (IN)
   2. Consult your car's manual or manufacturer's website to see if there are any firmware updates available for your car's infotainment system.
5. Use a different cable (wired connection): If you're using a wired connection, try using a different Lightning cable to connect your iPhone to the car's USB port. Sometimes, damaged cables can cause connection issues.
6. Reset Network Settings: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings: Only network settings are removed.
   1. When you reset network settings, previously used networks and VPN settings that weren’t installed by a configuration profile or mobile device management (MDM) are removed. Wi-Fi is turned off and then back on, disconnecting you from any network you’re on. The Wi-Fi and Ask to Join Networks settings remain turned on.
   2. To remove VPN settings installed by a configuration profile, go to Settings > General > Profiles & Device Management, select the configuration profile, then tap Remove Profile. This also removes other settings and accounts provided by the profile. See Install or remove configuration profiles on iPhone in this guide.
   3. To remove network settings installed by MDM, go to Settings > General > Profiles & Device Management, select the management, then tap Remove Management. This also removes other settings and certificates provided by MDM. See “Mobile device management (MDM)” in the iOS Deployment Reference.
   4. Reset your Network Settings. Tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This also resets Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, and VPN and APN settings that you've used before.
   5. 
7. If the issue persists, you can try resetting all settings on your iPhone. This will not erase your data but will reset all personalized settings to their default values. Go to Settings > General > Transfer & Reset > Reset > Reset All Settings and confirm the action. Note that you will need to reconfigure your settings afterward. 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.
   4. 

If none of the above steps resolve the issue, it is recommended to reach out to Apple Support or visit an authorized service center for further assistance. They can provide specific guidance based on your device model and iOS version.

If none of these steps work, it's recommended to reach out to your car's manufacturer for further assistance. They may have additional troubleshooting steps specific to your car's infotainment system.

Thank you! I can’t believe that actually worked!

After an update on phone, I have found that to get Carplay to work on my ID.4 I have to turn off Bluetooth on the phone and then back on again prior to getting in and waking up the car. I just got a Rivian and to get the phone to be recognized as a phone on the Rivian it seems I need to do the same cycling on and off of bluetooth on the phone. I wish the Rivian had carplay but so be it. My suspicion is there is some glitch in the current iOS but what do I know.

I had a similar issue recently using wireless carplay with an iphone 16 pro on ios 18 in an audi q4.

What solved the problem was connecting to the carplay wifi and changing the Private Wi-Fi Address to "Fixed" instead of "Rotating". I'm not sure why it was ever rotating, but hopefully this helps others!

Did you ever resolve this? New truck worked fine for two weeks then all of the sudden it wont connect to car play wirelessly, other family phones do just not mine. Have done everything above multiple times.

I have a brand new (today) Sony XAV-AX4000 car stereo, wired and wireless, to which CarPlay does not work. It was professionally installed. Software for both phone (iPhone 12 ProMax) and the stereo are up to date (17.6.1 and 2.00.01 respectively). I have followed the Sony protocols, I have read the various issues with earlier IOS versions, and tried all recommended suggestions. Can anyone offer a solution?

I’m also having issues but just with my 2024 Trax. OnStar helped me with a reboot but it’s doing it again. I have iPhone 16 now and ios18 so I’ll see if that helps. For now I’m connected - but my Bluetooth shows it as not connected even though I’m listening to music from the phone (I wanted to rename it to distinguish from my other two Chevys but it has to be connected for that). I’ve never had a problem with connectivity in my 21 Corvette so I’m thinking it’s a GM issue and that’s why I haven’t called Apple support.

Both of my phones were listed on my car's CarPlay dashboard, settings, so I removed the older phone. Then I did the usual disconnect the phone from the USB cable and reboot it completely, turn off the car, try a different cable, try a different USB port. No change. I was at the dealer getting the car preventive maintenance done and they looked at it, and of course it worked at that moment, but it stopped working again a couple of days later.

I have a message in for them to see if they will check the infotainment system that was suggested by our level 14 tech-support rep. (Thank you).

I read that suggestion at the end of the day when they were almost closing so I have to wait till tomorrow. I'll post the results once I find them out!

Hi I had the same problem working fine then all of a sudden stopped kept telling me unable to connect and make sure my Bluetooth is on. It wouldn’t even pair to my phone even tho car is giving me a pair message on car screen but not on my phone. So I reset all phone settings and nothing even tired factory reset my iPhone still didn’t work. But I’ve finally fixed it here’s how I did it.

Before you get in your car go into carplay in settings on your phone and forget the car you use to connect your phone to so it’s all blank and come out of CarPlay app. Make sure VPN is off if you use it.

When you get in your car turn off Wi-Fi and connect via usb cable and press the voice button on steering wheel and delete your phone that’s on there then search for the phone again BUT NOT through CarPlay app on your phone.

It should give you a message saying Wi-Fi will give you better location connection click ignore this. It should ask to pair if it dose carry on with this. If not still try this.

Then pull down the screen on your iPhone top right, and click on the small Bluetooth icon and then click it again where its says Bluetooth on.

Click on Bluetooth settings it should bring a page up with my devices that you have used before.

At the bottom it says other devices wait for your phone to discover your car will take about 30 seconds and click on it should give you a pair message on your car screen as well as you phone click both. Go into CarPlay app and it should be there again and working fine. Turn on Wi-Fi and you’re good to go.