Some iPhone 15 users are reporting issues with CarPlay in their vehicles since upgrading to Apple’s latest and greatest handset. The issue seems to be related to the iPhone 15’s transition to USB-C.
MacRumors reports it has seen multiple complaints from its MacRumors readers and Reddit users who report they’ve had issues getting CarPlay to work with their new devices.
The publication says cable type and available port options are a common theme among the complaints. Many of the issues seem to be linked to the use of some USB-A to USB-C cables. Most vehicles have USB-A ports, not USB-C ports. This means iPhone 15 owners cannot use the USB-C cable supplied in the handset’s box, requiring users to obtain a USB-A to USB-C cable. Unfortunately, not all available cables work properly in every vehicle.
I got in my car this morning and plugged my phone in with a USB-A to USB-C cord in order to use Carplay, and found it does not connect. It charges, but no Carplay. In my Carplay settings on my phone, it says the name of my car as if it were connected, but nothing shows up on the screen.
I work at a dealership so I tried it in a bunch of different cars and nothing worked. My car doesn’t have any USB-C ports, so I tried the Apple-supplied C to C cable in a 2023 model and it worked no problem. So it seems that either USB-A to USB-C does not allow Carplay, or it simply does not work anymore with non-Apple chargers.
Other CarPlay users were able to get CarPlay to work with USB-A to USB-C cables like those from Belkin.
Having tried 2 good quality cables I called Apple Support about this. They proceeded through various potential remedies which didn’t work. The call ended with me agreeing to try the cable supplied with the phone, after getting a suitable adaptor. When I got home I tried 4 more cables. 3 of them worked, these being ones from Sony, Samsung and Nintendo (I think). Today I tried the Apple cable + adaptor and that works as well. The good quality cables (3 of) all previously gave me no problems, mainly charging but also a high speed PC to VR headset connection. iPhone to Windows PC connection worked fine with one of them (I could connect to my phone in iTunes). I suspect that there is a specification point that the 3 “good quality” cables have missed. If so, I don’t know if it is the car or the iPhone that is particular about this spec. point!
While most reports involve the USB-A to USB-C connection path, some users report issues with vehicles that have USB-C ports. There have even been a few reports of issues with wireless CarPlay.
One thread on the MacRumors forum indicated that VPNs could be causing connection issues, as one user said turning off the VPN on his iPhone resolved the issue.
Hopefully, if there is an internal issue with the iPhone 15 it can be resolved by a software update, but that remains to be seen.