CarPlay Disconnecting - iPhone XS Max

After reading this - on Monday I purchased the USB power meter as suggested in this discussion. I have also opened a trouble ticket with Apple so that they are at least aware that many of us are having this issue. I started using the USB meter on Tuesday. I have not had a single disconnect/reconnect since using the meter (4 days now) - no matter what charge is remaining on my iPhone XS Max (2018 Audi A5). I updated Apple on this discovery and they said that they have noted it in my open trouble ticket - hoping that helps Apple figure this issue out (it does seem like a software power management issue) and hoping that this helps all of you reading this thread.

I'll add to the mix. Having the same problem.

iPhone XS, running 12.1 and will disconnect on both 2018 Audi A4 and 2018 Audi Q5. Noticing a trend, as this was not an issue when I was using an iPhone 8.

Apple and Audi need to figure this out and fix the issue. Both products cost a premium and as such, should perform flawlessly together. We shouldn't have to troubleshoot, figure out and purchase secondhand solutions for these things..

I ordered one and hope it works. I will say this I think it’s important to reach out to apple and let them know you are having an issue. I reached out to them on the internet chat and someone called me to follow up. I of course had tried almost everything they suggested but they have created a ticket and engineering is working on it supposedly. Anyway I think if more people properly report the same issue that maybe they will pay attention to it. The nice representative on the phone told me he did not have anyone else report this issue to his knowledge.

Uplate, tried once more with my “no name” usb meter and did manage to get it to connect with my Audi and apple CarPlay, but sadly just for about 20 seconds and then it disconnected. Conclusion, same behavior as before without the usb meter plugged in sadly...

But I noticed that when CarPlay goes in ”disconnecting mode” the display of the usb meter starts to switch on and off. Like it has bad power connection in the USB port of my car or something. This on/off switching continues simultaneously until I unplug the usb meter or if it automatically connects with CarPlay again, and then the disconnecting procedure starts over again...

I ordered the amazon usb meter today and will let you guys know how this works when I receive and can try it.

I got a call back on my support ticket. Basically they said there is a software issue specific to certain vehicles. At this point they have no solution. The rep said he was on a long list of reps that will get a mass communication once they have a solution and he would contact me then, basically we have to wait for the next iOS update. Yes it ***** that CarPlay isn’t working properly but hopefully they will have a fix in the next update.

Well I installed the 12.1.1 update yesterday, did a reset on the network settings, and the problem recurred this morning. For my Honda CR-V whilst playing downloaded media (that's on the phone) connecting or disconnecting wifi or cellular data causes a carplay interruption or disconnection. I can cause the failure by doing this. There can be power supplied in parallel by a wireless charger and it makes no difference. An iPhone 6 in the same vehicle runs cleanly.

For those in Australia this USB voltage meter has fixed the problem for me

https://www.amazon.com.au/COOWOO-Multimeter-Chargers-Capacity-Banks-Black/dp/B0787TYM4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544518157&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+tester

Agree that it's linked to power/charging management issue on the XS Max. When plugging in at full charge (or very near full charge) CarPlay works fine for me. When plugging in at a lower state of charge, the phone will connect and disconnect repeatedly but will eventually stay connected (once charge reaches near 100%). Super irritating. Would be nice to have someone acknowledge the issue.

2018 A4; XS Max

Same issue here too.

I have done everything I can think of to get it to work and no joy. The phone just buzzes when plugged in. Sometimes it holds for 10/15, most times it 2 seconds.

I don't get the issue in my Wife's Golf GTD (2018 model), so I am assuming this is an Audi issue. Perhaps the USB ports are not putting out enough power for the Max?

I have raised it with my local Audi dealership, see if they can help.

2018 Audi Q5 + XS Max with same symptoms here. It dropped constantly after I switched out from a X. Happy to report that turning off WiFi in the car made CarPlay stay connected. (Also should nite I am not paying for WiFi, presumably others are not either in this case.) Thank you to those on this thread for posting.

UPDATE: Have been using USB y-splitter (https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B009EAF0RU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&language=en_GB&psc=1%29) for past month, not a single disconnect since. Power (red) plug is connected to car's second USB port.

I should add that I first purchased the car in October of 2017 (although a 2018 model). At that time I had an iPhone 7. The issue never emerged until sometime after I upgraded to an iPhone XS in September 2018.

It is difficult to determine if the cause is the iPhone XS, an iOS software issue or an update to the Audi MMI. The car has been in for routine service at which point the MMI could have been updated, but I can’t be sure. Unfortunately Audi points the finger at Apple and provides no assistance to solve this issue. We as the consumers are the unfortunate ones with brand new cars and phones that don’t work properly. Please help Apple.

What year and model of Acura?

I tried Bluetooth off, but that didn’t help.

Today I tried deleting my memorized vehicles from the CarPlay settings. In other words, it should be a first time fresh connection. I wonder if a glitch occurred in the connection history? Haven’t had enough drive time to test it.

I have a 2018 A5 but my car was built in '17 so both USB ports are center console.

Since I got my XS Max and the problem started (never had any issues with my prior iPhone X) I settled on using a 1" Anker cable which definitely helped but didn't completely fix the problem - I would get random disconnects for the first 5-15 minutes of driving (depending how charged the phone was) but then mostly stabilize. What apps I ran also made a difference - for maps Waze definitely was less stable, Apple Maps more stable. Also turning the screen off on the phone seemed to help.

However I switched to a standard length Apple original cable last week - and it's now (almost?) completely stable. I may have had one disconnect in the last week but it's been rock solid otherwise. From responses to my earlier post on that topic it doesn't sound like going to the original Apple cable is working for everyone but it seems to have worked for me.

I know of no resolution yet but I did test CarPlay on another vehicle — Peugeot 5000 — and I am not having any disconnects.

As a reminder for those who haven’t read the whole thread, I’m using iPhone XS on iOS 12.1.2. My primary vehicle where I use the iPhone with CarPlay is 2018 Audi A4 allroad. In an earlier post, I identified about two dozen vehicles I’ve used as a rental vehicle where I have NOT experienced the random disconnects. In my Audi, the random disconnects are plentiful.