Apple CarPlay not working – common troubleshooting and fixes
If your Apple CarPlay is not working, it could be a quick fix. Learn why Apple CarPlay is not working in your car and how to sort it.
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Why is my Apple CarPlay not working?
Apple CarPlay is a hands-free system in modern cars that essentially turns your car’s infotainment system into an iPhone.
You can use maps, stream music and even make calls and text from your car (only when parked safely, please).
Although it’s a very useful bit of kit, there might sometimes be an occasion when you’re wondering ‘why is Apple CarPlay not working?’.
It’s a reliable set-up but, like all technology, you may sometimes need to troubleshoot.
We’ve put together a guide with simple and quick fixes that could save you time when Apple CarPlay is not working.
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How to fix Apple CarPlay
Fixing Apple CarPlay in your vehicle doesn’t have to be a tricky process – sometimes it’s the small things that cause issues but can be easily sorted.
Restart your iPhone
If you jump in your car and find your Apple CarPlay not working, first port of call should probably be the trusty ‘turn it off and on again’.
Restarting your iPhone can be a simple way to sort a connection issue with Apple CarPlay, and it’s always worth trying before the fiddly stuff.
If you have an iPhone X or a later generation, you’ll just need to hold down either volume button and lock button at the same time until the power-off switch appears on screen. Give that a swipe and your phone will turn off.
You shouldn’t need to wait more than 30 seconds to turn it back on, and hopefully that’s sorted your issue.
Make sure Apple CarPlay is enabled
Have you checked that Apple CarPlay is enabled on your phone? This could be a reason that Apple CarPlay is not working.
If you head to your iPhone settings, then look in the ‘Content Privacy and Restrictions' section, there’s an area for ‘Allowed Apps’. Here you can make sure you’ve allowed CarPlay to be enabled.
You can also check if your CarPlay is enabled when your iPhone is locked in the ‘CarPlay’ settings section under ‘General’.
Forget your device and try again
If you’re having issues with Apple CarPlay connecting to your iPhone, sometimes it can help to forget the device and reconnect.
Head into your iPhone settings and look for the ‘CarPlay’ section under ‘General’. Once you see your CarPlay unit listed, tap ‘Forget This Car’.
At this point, you can reconnect to your Apple CarPlay system using your USB cable or by looking at the ‘Available Cars’ in your iPhone settings.
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Check your wireless connection
There are a few issues that could be impacting your wireless connection, making it impossible to link to Apple CarPlay.
You’ll need to make sure your iPhone isn’t in Airplane mode, as this stops your phone from connecting wirelessly. You can easily turn Airplane mode off using the switch in the Bluetooth section at the top of your Settings.
If your Bluetooth is turned off, your car won’t be able to connect wirelessly to Apple CarPlay. You’ll need to turn this on in the same area of your settings for it to connect.
Test your USB wires
If you’re connecting to your Apple CarPlay system using a USB wire, connection issues could be a result of problems with plugging in.
It’s handy to test a different cable to see if that makes a difference, and plug your iPhone into another charger or CarPlay in a different vehicle to see if it’s an issue with the charging port of the phone.
Does your iPhone need updating?
If your phone is behind with its updates, you might not have the necessary software to connect to the CarPlay system. This could mean Apple CarPlay won’t work in your car.
You can check if your iPhone is up to date by going to the ‘General’ section in your settings and tapping on ‘Software Update’.
These updates can take a while, so if you know you must set off on a drive and need your CarPlay, check for updates in advance.
Issues with Apple CarPlay units are quite often an easy fix, and there’s the Apple Support website if you need any further help with connecting your phone.
Our cars are always thoroughly inspected before they’re sold, so you shouldn’t encounter issues with Apple CarPlay in your new vehicle.
If your cinch car is under warranty and has issues with its Apple CarPlay unit, you can reach out to our team via our support page.