Is CarPlay not working on your iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 16 Pro Max? You can use CarPlay easily. Once connected, your iOS apps will show up on your car display. Then, for example, you can send or receive messages, get directions or make or receive phone calls; hands-free so that you can focus on the road. That’s why it can be pretty frustrating if CarPlay is not working on your iPhone 16 or iPhone 16 Pro.
Sometimes you may not be able to connect your iPhone 16 to CarPlay. Another common issue is that CarPlay suddenly stops working or keeps disconnecting after it is connected, and this may start after an iOS update. Sometimes, your iPhone 16 might not be detected by CarPlay. Sometimes CarPlay may freeze and it may show a black screen. And lastly, you may have a CarPlay sound problem.
Please see the fixes below. After each step, try using CarPlay again.
Warning: Don’t try fixing CarPlay while driving. Pull over so that you can resolve your iPhone CarPlay problems without being distracted while driving.
Make Sure CarPlay Is Enabled on your iPhone 16
A variety of settings could be interfering with the CarPlay connection. For example, if you’ve turned CarPlay off, you’ll need to re-enable it.
To turn on CarPlay on your iPhone 16, go to Settings > General > CarPlay and reconnect your vehicle to the app.
If your iPhone 16 isn’t detected by CarPlay, make sure that CarPlay isn’t restricted. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions. If Content & Privacy Restrictions is on, tap Allowed Apps, and make sure that CarPlay is enabled.
Make sure CarPlay is enabled when locked
If CarPlay isn’t enabled when locked, it can’t activate if your phone screen is turned off. To remedy this, head to Settings > General > CarPlay and tap your car from the list of available cars. Then toggle on Allow CarPlay While Locked.
Check to make sure Siri is enabled
Siri needs to be enabled for CarPlay to work on your iPhone 16. If it’s not, go to Settings > Siri and make sure the following options are enabled:
- Talk to Siri, "Siri" or "Hey Siri"
- Press Side Button for Siri
- Allow Siri When Locked
Wired CarPlay not working on iPhone 16?
Check your USB-C cable. If you’re using the USB-C cable that came with your iPhone 16, check it to ensure none of the wires are frayed or broken. If you’re using an aftermarket cable, try a different one. Sometimes, just switching out the cable may solve whatever CarPlay problem you are experiencing on your iPhone 16.
Apple recommends using an Apple-branded cable, but I’ve had success with a very short Beats-branded cable that I got with a pair of old headphones with no issues. That said, the type of cable can make a difference, so avoid the cheapest flimsy cables.
If your iPhone 16 is charging but not connecting to CarPlay, make sure that you’re plugged into the correct port. There are multiple USB connections in many modern vehicles, but they won’t necessarily all work to connect CarPlay to your vehicle. Look for the CarPlay or iOS icon. If you don’t see one of those, try each available USB port on your infotainment system to see if one of them is specific to your CarPlay connection.
Sometimes, CarPlay disappears for no reason. Other times, it simply doesn’t initialize in the first place. One way to solve this is to force your car to start CarPlay again by disconnecting the USB-C cable from your device and reconnecting it.
Wireless CarPlay not working on iPhone 16?
Wireless CarPlay is slightly different in that it should “just work” when it detects your phone is nearby. If CarPlay doesn’t activate automatically, look for the CarPlay logo on your car’s display and select it.
If your iPhone 16 won’t connect to CarPlay wirelessly, check your phone to make sure you’re not in Airplane Mode. Airplane Mode prevents your phone from making any wireless connections, so this could be preventing your iPhone 16 from connecting to CarPlay. To check, swipe down from the top-right corner of your iPhone screen and look at the airplane icon that appears in Control Center. If it’s orange, tap it to disable Airplane Mode.
You should also go to Settings > Bluetooth and make sure that Bluetooth is on, and the iPhone is connected to the car. If your Bluetooth is off, you won’t be able to connect your iPhone 16 to CarPlay.
Also go to Settings > Wi-Fi to make sure that Wi-Fi is enabled, then tap on the CarPlay network and make sure that “Auto-Join” is enabled.
A VPN connection can interfere with CarPlay, so consider disabling your VPN using your VPN provider’s app if you’re having trouble (a VPN can even interfere with wired connections).
Lastly, you can try resetting your connection between your car and iPhone by toggling Airplane Mode on and off.
Restart Your iPhone
CarPlay is an extension of your iPhone’s operating system, presented in a car-friendly skin. If there’s a problem with iOS, there might be a problem with CarPlay. You can rule out crashes and bugs by restarting your iPhone as you normally would.
The easiest way to do this is to just ask Siri to restart your iPhone.
CarPlay Audio Problems? Switch Source and Back Again
One problem I have on a semi-regular basis with my CarPlay-enabled Volkswagen Golf is a lack of audio after connecting to CarPlay. I’m not sure what causes the issue since it seems to happen randomly, but it appears that the car becomes confused between “Voice Control” and “CarPlay”, effectively muting any audio coming out of the iPhone.
The fix is a simple one: switch to a different audio source using your entertainment unit (like the radio) and then head back to the CarPlay interface and tap “Play” to start playing music or a podcast again. This seems to signal to the car to switch to CarPlay as a source, fixing the issue until the next time it appears.
Another reason you might not be able to hear music or podcasts is because your car audio is muted, so make sure you crank the volume just to make sure.
Kill Any Problem Apps
Since CarPlay is an extension of your iPhone, the apps that appear on your display when using CarPlay also happen to be extensions of the apps installed on your iPhone. So if you’re using Google Maps to navigate, the Google Maps app on your iPhone is putting in the work.
This can result in issues if that app in question crashes or bugs out. The easiest way to solve this issue is to kill the app as you normally would. On an iPhone 16 that means flicking up from the bottom of the screen and holding until you see a list of apps appear, swiping through the list until you find the app in question, and then flicking up again to “throw it away” and terminate to process.
You can now launch the app and try again. Crashed apps can cause all sorts of issues, from wonky behavior to black unresponsive screens.
Update iOS and your CarPlay stereo
Updating your iPhone 16 software can help in a myriad of ways, from adding new features to fixing pesky bugs. If you’re experiencing regular problems with CarPlay, make sure that your iPhone 16 has been updated to the latest version of iOS for the best results. You can do this under Settings > General > Software Update.
Also make sure that your CarPlay stereo is using the latest firmware from the car manufacturer. Check your car’s manual for more information.
"Forget" Your Car in CarPlay Settings
If you’re still facing problems, you can effectively forget your car within your iPhone 16 CarPlay settings so that the next time you connect to CarPlay, it will appear as a brand-new car. To do this, go to Settings > General > CarPlay, tap your car, then tap Forget This Car. Then set up CarPlay again.
If you still have issues connecting iPhone 16 to CarPlay
- Make sure that your country or region supports CarPlay.
- Make sure your car supports CarPlay. If you’re unsure if your car supports CarPlay, contact the vehicle manufacturer.
- If you still have issues connecting iPhone 16 to CarPlay, contact Apple Support for further help.