Fix Your Broken CarPlay Connection When Charging Your iPhone
CarPlay Refusing to Function while iPhone Charges? Try These 11 Problem-Solving Steps
Sick of CarPlay not working while your phone charges in the car? We've got you covered with 11 easy-peasy troubleshooting steps to get you back on the road.
What You Need to Know
- CarPlay might be shutting off when your device gets locked.
- Check your charging port or cable for dirt or damage.
- If none of the tricks below work, give everything a good restart.
Steps
Enable CarPlay When Phone is Locked
- Maybe CarPlay is deactivating when your iPhone is locked. Head to Settings > General > CarPlay, tap your connected car, and toggle on the Allow CarPlay While Locked switch if it's off.
Clean Your Charging Port
- If your charging port is filled with dirt, your cable might not make a connection. Blow into the charging port to remove debris or use rubbing alcohol and compressed air if it's extra dirty.
Check Siri
- Siri is crucial for using your iPhone with CarPlay. Go to Settings > Siri & Search and enable the following options:
- Listen for "Hey Siri"
- Press Side Button for Siri
- Allow Siri When Locked
Check Your USB Cable
- If you're using a wired connection, inspect your USB cable for signs of wear and replace it if it's damaged. Try a new cable designed for data transmission and charging to see if things improve.
Enable Bluetooth
- Bluetooth is an essential component for wireless CarPlay connections. Navigate to your Control Center by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen, then tap the Bluetooth button to turn it on.
Turn Off Screen Time
- Screen Time might be causing CarPlay to act up. Head to Settings > Screen Time and tap Turn Off Screen Time. For this, you'll need your Screen Time passcode.
Restart Your iPhone
- Sometimes all it takes is a quick restart to eliminate some pesky software glitches. press and hold the side button and volume button, then slide the power off slider on the screen when it appears. After a few moments, press and hold the side button again until the apple logo appears.
Update Your iOS
- Find out if an iOS update is available, as it could have some CarPlay bug fixes. Go to General > Software Update and click the Download and Install button to start the update process.
Re-set Up CarPlay Connection
- Delete your CarPlay connection and set it up again. In Settings > General > CarPlay, tap on your connected car, then hit Forget This Car and set up CarPlay anew.
- If you have wired CarPlay, just plug your phone into your car to trigger the setup process. For wireless CarPlay, press and hold the volume control button on your steering wheel to begin setup.
Restart CarPlay
- Restart CarPlay on your car's infotainment system. Each car has a unique way to do this, so check the owner's manual for specific recommendations.
Restart Your Car
- If nothing else works, turn off and restart your car in a safe location like a parking lot and use your hazard lights to signal others.
Expert Tips
- Restarting both your phone and car is often the first step to resolving the issue.
- A damaged or frayed USB cable can be the root cause of the problem, so make sure to use a high-quality Apple-certified cable.
Warnings
- Updating your software may take a while, so try to do it at home with your phone plugged in.
- If none of the suggested solutions work, consider erasing all content and settings on your iPhone as a last resort after backing up your data.
- When dealing with a broken CarPlay connection that occurs while charging your iPhone, consider cleaning your charging port with rubbing alcohol or compressed air to ensure a proper connection.
- If you are experiencing issues with CarPlay while using Siri, go to Settings > Siri & Search to enable essential options like "Listen for 'Hey Siri'," "Press Side Button for Siri," and "Allow Siri When Locked."
