Can't connect my iPhone to CarPlay

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.

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.

Mine has definitely been working perfectly since the dealer update was completed a month ago. Don’t accept excuses - it’s not OnStar, it’s not Apple it’s probably not the hardware. There is a way to update it and your dealer can do it in minutes. I believe my service dept contacted Chevy/GM for instructions or they had just sent the update. He said he’d call GM and let me know. Three hours later I got a text to bring the Trax back down and they applied the procedure.

My service dept was at Cargill Chevrolet in Putnam CT.

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!

I have been speaking with apple as I had the same problem.

I have reset all settings in my iPhone and now CarPlay works in my car.

This does not factory reset your phone.

go to General> Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings

you will need to reset such things as location, wifi passwords, phone lock unlock codes on your phone.

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.

Just in case you missed it, the issue a few of us, including me, have had is that we need to turn off our VPN. If you use a VPN, you have to turn it off. It blocks CarPlay.

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 this happen on my Prius after an update and it ended up being IOS VPN that was causing the issue. Turning off the VPN from the root menu onlined Carplay again for me

I was just about to post the same thing because I had an epiphany (LOL! )while screen mirroring a show from my iPhone 16 to my TV. It finally dawned on me to see if I turn off my VPN, maybe it would work and it does!

i'm relieved! I know this won't help if you don't have a VPN, but if you have a VPN, definitely sign out of it. I use Nord and I can only pause it for one hour and that's not long enough.

I turned off the VPN on my iPhone 16 while in my car and CarPlay works beautifully again.

Turn off your VPN , then connect with CarPlay, once connected , you can turn your VPN back on

Did you turn off your vpn before connecting

I think my issue with connectivity was resolved this week. I have a ‘24 Trax which was the source of the problem, the dealer received a new update this week and tried it - so far it solved the problem.

check to see if your phone is listed twice in the car software. I had to delete the older phone setting - again in the car not on the phone. However I haven’t been back in the car to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

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!