I upgraded my iPhone 12 Pro to a 16 Pro, and the new phone will not connect to my 2018 Mazda CX-5 with CarPlay. When I plug it in, it charges but makes no sign of connecting.
iPhone 16 Pro, iOS 18
I had the same issue with my 2019 Toyota Avalon. I tried some cable adapters (both lighting and USB A) to convert one of the ends of the old cables I had. That failed miserably and didn’t work.
I bought an Anker USB-A A to USB-C cable for about $10 from Walmart. It comes with a cable wrap which is nice in the center console to keep things organized.
The new cable worked right away. CarPlay booted faster than ever before. No issues at all.
Bought a USB-C to USB-A to use in my Skoda car. The cable would be with data transfer and not just charging according to specification. Only charging, nothing else worked...
Bought another cable, different make, quite cheap. Everything works!
It’s the cable. Need a data cable. The cable that comes with the new 16 is not a data cable, believe it or not. Have to use your old lightening cable with an adaptor (which is what I did) or buy a new, special cable for this. There are examples of what to buy in this thread.
Purchased the Belkin braided USB-A to USB-C cable as recommended in this thread and CarPlay worked immediately. Thanks you guys!
Get a CarPlay cable from Amazon, they are made for IPhone 15 and 16.
Check to see if you have a VPN connection. If you do, turn it off. Carplay won't work with VPN in use.
Cable swap worked for me.
Buying a new cable worked for me.
Have you tried getting a better usb to usbC cable? I see that lots are saying some of the cables aren’t working.
OK.... I have been checking this thread often and have tried just about every suggestion without any success. Three days ago I finally saw one that mentioned resetting your car stereo. I went a step further and reset my phone and my car stereo at the same time. For the last three days it has worked without any problems. Does not need to be plugged in, doesn't need to be repaired each time I get in the car...it just works like it use to!!!! Good luck!
Have you tried going into Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, and turned it on? That's fixed it for a lot a people. But you might have something in those settings specifically disallowing Music.
I want to thank you for posting this. I bought the Belkin A to C as suggested, and eureka! My iPhone 16 now connects to Apple Car Play. My car is a 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. It worked for my son’s car as well, which is a 2022 Toyota 4Runner. Thanks to this community and all of your help.
Fixed! 2019 GMC Terrain. iPhone 16 Pro. Was not connecting. Kept saying plug in supported phone to launch Apple car play. And then kept cutting out and black screen. Purchased the Belkin Boost Data cable. And had to do an infotainment reset in the settings of the GMC. Only had to reprogram the radio stations back in. Plugged in the phone and we’re back to normal. Very stressful for awhile. Dealer installed new update and couldn’t get it to work and wanted to install a new infotainment system. 🤔How bout NO… 😬 Goodluck out there. And thank you for the advice in this forum. Hope this helps someone also. 👍🏻
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Jul 26, 2025 5:53 PM in response to brianc407
As others have stated the problem was fixed 100% by using the Apple USB-C to Lighting Adapter. I have the iPhone 16 Plus and after a year of frustration finally bought the adapter today and voila it is fixed. Just mad I didn't do this sooner.
USB-C to Lightning Adapter - Apple
USB-A is the side that goes in the car USB-C is the side that goes in phone.
CarPlay not working with iPhone 16 Pro
