GMC Sierra or GM Silverado 2023-2025 Infotainment CarPlay Connection Issues
Reading previous connection issues, here is a fix:
GM 2023-2025 vehicle owners HAVE to activate the vehicle's Wi-Fi hotspot first, whether you pay for it or not, so that CarPlay will work. If you then Sync the vehicle's normal Wi-Fi to your iPhone's Hotspot, the GM Google Built-In will work off your iPhone's LTE data going forward. No need for a separate GM hotspot subscription.
SOLUTION for iPhone users (Android users, you’ll have to adapt here, on your own):
A. You can say “Siri, make my hotspot discoverable” every time you get in the vehicle. That’s a PITA and you have to remember to do so every single time. Or;
B. You can use my following solution to keep everything working.
1). Enable the Wi-Fi Hotspot on your iPhone, then on your vehicle Infotainment unit go to Connections and WiFi, and connect to your phone’s Hotspot.
2). Check that Google Built-in on the vehicle now works through your iPhone’s LTE data, by asking, “Okay Google, show me the closest gas stations”. Maps should also work.
3). Then, enable the WiFi Hotspot in the vehicle (remember Hotspot name/password). Disable the iPhone’s Hotspot and connect your iPhone’s WiFi to the vehicle’s Wi-Fi hotspot, as Always Connect, for CarPlay to work.
4). Make sure CarPlay from your phone shows up on the Infotainment screen.
5). This back and forth swap is total insanity but necessary with the GM Infotainment Center.
6). Here is the fun part, Enabling Shortcuts and Automations on your iPhone to autostart the iPhone’s Hotspot so GM's Google Built-In can connect to it.
7). On the iPhone, Go to Shortcuts, Automations on the bottom, and New Automation or Plus+ up top to add a Personal Automation.
8). Look for Wi-Fi, Network > Choose, select your Vehicle’s WiFi hotspot name, Done. Select “Network Joined”, then Run Immediately. Next, Controls, Set Personal Hotspot, Turn On, Done.
9). This allows everything to work so far. HOWEVER, your phone’s normal Wi-Fi may not come back once you leave the vehicle! From all appearances, after the vehicle is shut off it hangs on to the connection with your iPhone or the iPhone’s Wi-Fi just doesn’t come back. I haven’t had time to go back and verify the exact cause, however here is the solution to ensure the iPhone’s Wi-Fi DOES come back.
10). Create another Shortcut Automation, New Automation or Plus+, Car Play, Disconnects, Run Immediately, Next, Controls, Set Personal Hotspot, Turn Personal Hotspot On is default but you need to touch “On” changing it to “Off”, Done.
Finale: You should now have two Automation Shortcuts and this should “just work”. However I have found that it works about 80% of the time because 20% of the time the vehicle’s own WiFi fails to activate and find ANY hotspots to connect to. The is either GM incompetence or something wrong with the Android Automotive OS.
