How to Turn Off CarPlay on Your iPhone (3 Ways)

We show you how to disable Apple CarPlay in three ways

By Dave Johnson - Senior Staff Writer
2 Min Read
  • You can turn off Apple CarPlay on your iPhone by forgetting a synced vehicle in the Settings app.
  • You can also disable CarPlay through your car’s settings.
  • To disable CarPlay completely, you can turn it off in the Content & Privacy Restrictions settings.
    To use CarPlay again, simply re-connect the vehicle and ensure the feature is enabled.

CarPlay is a smarter, safer way to use your iPhone while you drive. You can get directions, make calls, send and receive messages, and enjoy your favorite music. All on your car’s built-in display. While CarPlay can be convenient, you may no longer wish to use the feature with your iPhone. You may want to just use your car’s infotainment system instead of CarPlay because your car’s infotainment system offers a lot of similar features, and you can connect your iPhone to your car’s system via Bluetooth. The biggest disadvantage of this, I think, is that Siri won’t be available.

To turn off CarPlay, you can either disable the feature in car’s settings, turn off the app in the Restrictions menu in Settings or by forgetting a synced vehicle.

The latter is best for stopping CarPlay from activating as soon as you plug your phone into a friend or relative’s car, while allowing you to still use it in your own vehicle.

How to Disable CarPlay

Here’s how to disable Apple CarPlay in three ways:

How to turn off CarPlay on your iPhone through the Settings app

You can turn off Apple CarPlay on your iPhone by forgetting a synced vehicle in the Settings app.

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap CarPlay.
  4. Tap Your Car.
  5. Tap Forget This Car to disconnect your iPhone from your car.

Please note that this may not be an ideal solution for you because a CarPlay message may keep popping up asking if you would like to use CarPlay. So the annoyance will continue.

How to turn off CarPlay on your iPhone through Your Car’s Settings

The other option is to disable CarPlay through your car’s settings. Your car will probably have a setting to disable CarPlay. Use your car’s infotainment screen to find this setting. You may want to read your car’s manual. The steps will differ dramatically depending on the vehicle model and maker.

How to turn off CarPlay on your iPhone in Restrictions

The most definitive way to disable CarPlay is to restrict it. We will use Screen Time to do this. Here is how:

Note: If you have already set up Screen Time, skip to step # 4.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Go into Screen Time.
  3. Tap Turn On Screen Time. A new screen will appear; again tap Turn On Screen Time. Follow the onscreen instructions.
  4. Tap Content & Privacy Restrictions.
  5. Tap Allowed Apps and then enter your Screen Time passcode.
  6. Tap the CarPlay toggle to switch it from green to gray to turn it off.

Then exit Settings. CarPlay will no longer activate on your iPhone in any vehicle until you lift this restriction. If you want to do this, follow the same steps, but this time turn on CarPlay.

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Dave Johnson is a staff writer for GeeksChalk based in New Jersey. He covers news, how-tos, and user guides for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.
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