CarPlay stopped working after iOS 26 update.

Wired only CarPlay still does not work. Drops frequently and / or never loads. 2020 Chevrolet Silverado RST.

3/6/1026

Same exact issue since these updates

Oh my. This worked. I tried so many different things. Thank you!!

26.4.2 broke CarPlay for me. Very annoying. It works until you leave CarPlay and go to another screen (eg Climate Control). After that, you can’t go back.

Thanks! I’ll try that. I had Content and all Privacy Restrictions set to Off so it shouldn’t affect CarPlay. But I just turned it on with all apps enabled.

Happy to report the bug has been fixed for me after the latest update. Wired car play worked the moment I plugged it into the same vehicle model (not same as it was a rental) using the same wire and no special settings.

iphone 17 pro max

ios 26.0.1

polestar

The CarPlay widgets are what’s causing the issue. Your CarPlay head unit isn’t powerful enough to have them running even in the background. To fix it, go to Settings > General > CarPlay, select your CarPlay stereo, and then go to Widgets. Now, slide the Show Widgets toggle off to disable them.

I think two things can be true at the same time. There was an issue with BT connections before iOS 26. When my dealer did a software update on my vehicle it was post-iOS 26 release. So thinking the update had fixed my issue, which was occurring on both of my iPhones I still had connection issues. I had already updated my phone(s) iOS 26 when the vehicle was updated. That's when I came across the latest issue with widgets on iOS 26.

I've tested turning off the widgets and that resolved it for me. So far...

Thanks @Brandon2021 for the solution.

The current issue I’m having is I can’t hear my call audio while in CarPlay. Everything else works perfectly but when I make a call I can’t hear the ringing of the other line or the voice of the other person. I have done all the required troubleshooting and nothing has worked, even check my infotainment software for my Integra and everything is up to date. As anyone else had this issue and does anyone have a solution?

I did what @Brandon2021 sugested... It seemed to work at first, but it failed again...

I ended up using the Ottocast Mini 2025, I´m still playing with the settings but seems to work ok. The label on the box reads "Ottocast Mini Flow".

I disabled wifi and bluetooth on the Atoto Unit and it "thinks" the connection is wired... it is to it...

Apple Support said the "new and improved" wireless chip is better, even if it looses compatibility with "obsolete" devices.

The only things I have to figure out yet with the ottocast dongle is:

• When i start my car it does connect automatically and starts transmitting audio, but i have to press the carplay button on the screen (it doesn't switch to the carplay display).
• I think I have to switch something in the ottocast settings about the GPS.

I'll also contact Atoto Support... they asked for me to inform them if the atoto dongle worked.

By the way, wired carplay works great, It's just that my drives where i live are short and i leave my phone on my pocket most of the time.

iPhone 17 with iOS 26.1 RC

Apple Watch Ultra 2 with watchOS 26.0.2

Atoto F7 XE head unit

Ottocast Mini 2025 (Flow)

For the issue in this thread related to wired CarPlay just not connecting/working at all for some people, that is still not fixed as of 26.1.

Will continue to retry as 26.2 public testing rolls out. I’m using the feedback app to report back to Apple, also referenced this thread. Hopefully we get their attention eventually!

Posting here in case this helps anyone. My old iPhone 14 pro was working fine with CarPlay, but I upgraded to an iPhone 17 pro recently. CarPlay was a spotty mess with the new iPhone 17 Pro, then the 26.1 update happened and my 2019 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk wouldn't recognize the phone at all when plugged in. I then reset my phone and the Uconnect Panasonic head unit.

After pulling my hair out trying new cables and accessories, I ended up making my way through the settings on the Panasonic head unit of the 2019 Jeep. I clicked Projection Manager and screen mirroring, made sure it was check marked, and CarPlay works again. I took my whip for a 30 min spin and it remained stable, which hasn't been the case prior to the 26.1 update.

My guess is that the 26.1 update helped with stability, and after I reset the head unit, I had to re-check screen mirroring. Seems like a combination of resets and the new iOS update has resolved the head-splitting problem (so far). Even works fine with the old cables I had prior to purchasing new ones.

Came on here whining about mine stopping also. Turns out I’m just ret@rded. Must have coincidentally turned my express VPN on. CarPlay doesn’t work with VPN on (at least for me) turned it off and all is well again. Feel stup!d for coming on here whining that mine stopped too.

Hope this may help someone else.

sorry to say my iPhone is still a mess with CarPlay. It is beyond frustrating...I've been a big fan of apple for over 25 years - but this has severely impacted my perception of the brand. Music / maps are a mess. I'm up on the latest release and my Mercedes GLE 350 from 2017 had its firmware upgraded in December of '25. I too have done all the recommended (so called) fixes...close to changing platforms

UPDATE: My issue appears to be resolved by updating the firmware on my Pioneer AVIC-6000NEX headunit to v1.21. iPhone 14pro on ios26.0.1