Why is my iPhone 11 CarPlay not working and how to fix it?

Is your iPhone 11 CarPlay not working? Modern vehicles equipped with infotainment system not only delivers entertainment but more importantly safety. This new car technology makes it possible for you to use a smartphone to command your vehicle or vice versa while driving.

Get Your iPhone 11 CarPlay Working Perfectly Again

This is where the Apple CarPlay plays a significant role. CarPlay lets you do a lot of things with your iPhone while driving, thereby lets you focus on the road. CarPlay can be used through a USB connection (wired) or via Bluetooth (wireless). For wired connection, you need to use the Apple-supplied USB cable or Lightning cable to connect your iPhone to your car’s USB port. For wireless CarPlay, you’ll need to enable Bluetooth on your iPhone then pair with your car. In most cars, pressing and holding on the voice control button on the steering wheel will instigate the pairing process. For vehicles with a touchscreen, launching the Bluetooth or Aux menu and verifying if Bluetooth is enabled and your iPhone has been connected would be a requisite. When pairing, you can find and select your car from the Available Vehicles section on your iPhone menu. To get directions or do other stuff like playing music, take or make phone calls and send or receive messages through your car’s infotainment system (touch display), you can use Siri. In case you’ll bump into some trouble using CarPlay with your iPhone 11, I’ve laid out a few handy tweaks you can try to eliminate the possible causes and get the problem fixed. Read on for more information.

why and how to fix apple carplay that's not working on iphone 11

Possible causes of iPhone 11 CarPlay not working issue

Below are the common factors that you should consider checking on when dealing with CarPlay issues on your new iPhone.

  • CarPlay incompatibility: You can only use carplay on cars/vehicles that support carplay. Not all vehicles have infotainment systems that are programmed to work with the Apple CarPlay. Vehicles with CarPlay support are usually labelled with a smartphone or CarPlay icon on its USB port. In some cars, a CarPlay indicator is a voice control button on the steering wheel. If you don’t see any of these indicators, check your vehicle’s manual or visit your car manufacturer’s website for more information.
  • Siri app problems: Siri is one of the tools you need to use CarPlay with your vehicle. If Siri is enduring some random glitches, CarPlay issues can also be triggered. CarPlay may likewise not work if Siri isn’t properly configured on your iPhone.
  • Settings configuration errors:Aside from Siri, there are also some other settings that you need to configure on your iPhone in order to use CarPlay. Failure to manage any of these features could also result in some errors or may cause CarPlay issues. Among the features that you need to consider modifying include your iPhone’s content and privacy restrictions.
  • Bluetooth connection or network errors: As mentioned earlier, CarPlay can be used either through wired or wireless connection. If your iPhone is enduring some sort of network connectivity issues that adversely affects wireless features like Bluetooth, there’s a better chance that CarPlay won’t work using Bluetooth connection.

Troubleshooting iPhone 11 CarPlay not working issue

The procedures I’ve mapped below are used to eliminate software-related factors that can hinder your iPhone from pairing with your car and thereby results in CarPlay errors.

Before troubleshooting, check and ensure that Bluetooth and Siri are enabled on your iPhone. If you’re using carplay through a wired connection, try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable from/to the USB port on your car. You can also try using a different USB port or cable. Doing so will help you determine whether or not the problem is due to a faulty USB cable or port. Also make sure that your iPhone is running on the latest iOS version and your car’s infotainment system is up to date.

First solution: Restart your iPhone and car’s infotainment system.

Restart your iPhone and car's infotainment system

Minor system issues affecting iOS features and services are usually dealt with by a reboot or soft reset. The same thing goes for your car’s infotainment system. Thus, if something goes wrong and you’re suddenly unable to use CarPlay on your vehicle with your iPhone 11, restart both your iOS device and your car’s infotainment system. To soft reset or restart your iPhone 11, simply follow these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume buttons for a few seconds.
  2. Release both buttons when the Slide to Power Off label appears.
  3. Drag the slider to the right to power off your device.
  4. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Side/Power button again and then release when the Apple logo appears.

To bring your vehicle’s infotainment system back to a fresh state, simply reboot it. The rebooting steps vary between car models. Refer to your vehicle’s instruction manual for the correct procedure.

Second solution: Refresh Bluetooth connection on your iPhone.

Refresh Bluetooth connection on your iPhone

The system that’s used to pair your iPhone with your car is Bluetooth unless you’re using wired or USB connection. If your using CarPlay via Bluetooth connection and it doesn’t work, try to refresh your iPhone’s Bluetooth system. This should help rectify random system errors that are halting the normal pairing process. Just refer to these steps:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select Bluetooth.
  3. Toggle the switch to turn Bluetooth off.
  4. After a few seconds, toggle the switch again to turn Bluetooth back on.

You can also use the Airplane Mode trick to give all wireless features of your iPhone a swift and simultaneous refresh. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Go to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
  2. Toggle the switch next to Airplane Mode to turn the feature ON. Doing so disables your iPhone’s wireless radios and relevant features.
  3. While Airplane Mode is enabled, restart/soft reset your iPhone to give the operating system a fresh start.
  4. After your iPhone reboots, head back over to Settings-> Airplane Mode menu.
  5. Then toggle the switch to turn Airplane Mode off.

Wait for your iPhone to re-establish wireless signal and once the signal becomes stable, re-enable Bluetooth and pair your iPhone with your car.

Third solution: Check and manage carplay restrictions on your iPhone.

Check and manage carplay restrictions on your iPhone

Another possible reasons as to why CarPlay won’t work as intended is because it’s blocked or restricted on your iPhone. To check and manage this feature, just follow these steps:

  1. Tap Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Select Screen Time.
  3. Tap Privacy & Content Restrictions.
  4. Enter your passcode,if prompted to proceed.
  5. Find CarPlay from the given options and make sure it’s allowed or enabled.

You can also try lifting all restrictions by turning the Privacy & Content Restrictions button off.

Fourth solution: Forget your car on your iPhone.

Forget your car on your iPhone

If you were able to use CarPlay before but suddenly it stopped working, it’s possible that the existing connection has been ruined or corrupted and thus, it’s no longer working. In this case, removing the broken connection would be necessary. Deleting the connection between your iPhone and car can also help fix random Bluetooth connectivity issues that might have hindered the pairing process.

  1. Tap Settings from your iPhone’s Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Select CarPlay.
  4. Find and select your car from the list.
  5. Then tap the option to Forget This Car.

Your car will then be deleted from the list of available cars. It is also recommended to remove old Bluetooth connections from your iPhone as well as any vehicles from your carplay settings that are no longer needed.

Fifth solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone.

Reset network settings on your iPhone

To eliminate network-related errors that might have prevented your iPhone from pairing with a Bluetooth device including your car through CarPlay, try to reset its network settings. Doing so will delete all your current network settings and then restores the default network configurations. Any existing network errors will also be removed. There’s no need to back up your iPhone files because this reset does not affect any saved information on the internal memory. Just follow these steps:

  1. Tap Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down and tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Reset network settings.
  5. Enter your device passcode when asked to proceed.
  6. Tap on Reset network settings again to confirm that you want to reset your iPhone’s network settings to defaults.

Wait for your iPhone to finish resetting the network settings and then restarts when done. By then you can start re-enabling necessary network features, including Bluetooth and restart pairing your iPhone with your vehicle to test if CarPlay is already working.

Last resort: Reset your iPhone and infotainment system.

Reset your iPhone and infotainment system

This is often deemed among the last options if none of the previous methods is able to fix the problem. This reset will help eliminate complex system errors from your iPhone system and/or your car’s infotainment system that caused CarPlay conflicts and pairing errors. But be sure to note that this reset will erase all your iPhone data. That said, creating backups is recommended beforehand. Once you have secured your iOS backup, you can proceed and start erasing your device.

On your iPhone, follow these steps to carry out a factory reset to wipe all data and restore factory default settings:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Select General.
  3. Scroll down and tap Reset.
  4. Choose the option to Erase all content and settings.
  5. Enter your device passcode if prompted to continue.
  6. Tap the option to confirm that you’d like to erase your iPhone and restore its factory default settings.

You can also use iTunes to manually erase your device and restore factory defaults on a computer.

To reset your car’s infotainment system, simply refer to the user guide or vehicle’s instruction manual for the correct steps.

Still having problems using carplay on your iPhone 11?

The problem you’re dealing with may not be rectifiable on your end and thus you need more help resolving it. Should this be a fatal system error on your car’s infotainment system, you can refer to the standard troubleshooting methods provided by your car manufacturer. To deal with major iOS problems that might have stopped or ruined the CarPlay system, contact Apple Support for further assistance.

ALSO READ: How to deal with Bluetooth pairing issues on iPhone 11


Posts you might like

Leave a Comment