My Apple CarPlay isn’t working – what do I do?

Apple CarPlay is a great way to safely make the most of your iPhone while you're behind the wheel.

By connecting to your car's entertainment system wirelessly or via USB cable, CarPlay allows you to control your iPhone's functions from the big screen in your car's dash.

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CarPlay makes it easy to make calls, play music, talk to Siri and use sat-nav to find your way around town, so it's obviously frustrating when your iPhone and your car won't play nicely together.

Whatever the issue, the first step is to restart your iPhone, a trick that can cure all kinds of ailments. Also restart your car, in order to restart the car's head unit.

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If that doesn't fix the problem, make sure your iPhone is updated to the latest version of iOS. You could also see if a new firmware update is available for your CarPlay stereo from the manufacturer.

If you're still stuck, try the following fixes.

If CarPlay isn't activating automatically, try tapping the CarPlay logo on your car's display. If this doesn't help, you'll need to try some troubleshooting.

If you're relying on a wired connection, try connecting again with a different USB cable, in case your cable is faulty. Also, try connecting to a different USB port, if the car has more than one.

If you're relying on a wireless connection, make sure that Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are enabled on your iPhone under Settings > Wi-Fi and Settings > Bluetooth.

If your iPhone isn't detected by CarPlay, ensure Airplane Mode is not enabled and that you have a working internet connection. Disable any VPN apps.

Also, make sure CarPlay isn't restricted. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions on your iPhone, tap Allowed Apps and make sure CarPlay is enabled.

Also, go to Settings > General > CarPlay and tap your car from the list of available connections. Then toggle on Allow CarPlay While Locked.

Also, check the Siri settings on your iPhone. Go to Settings > Siri & Search and make sure the following options are enabled: Listen for Hey Siri, Press Side Button for Siri and Allow Siri When Locked.

If you're still stuck, try repeating the CarPlay set-up process. Go to Settings > General > CarPlay on your iPhone, tap your car and then tap Forget This Car. Now set up CarPlay again.

For wired connections, it could be an intermittent fault from a faulty USB cable or USB port so, once again, try connecting with a different cable and/or port.

For wireless connections, it's possible that there could be interference if your iPhone is sitting next to another electrical device. The Bluetooth signal might also struggle if your phone is in your pocket or at the bottom of your bag.

If the wireless connection is unstable try wired, and vice versa. Also, check whether the iPhone's connector or car's USB port needs cleaning.

Again, it's possible there's an intermittent fault when your iPhone connects to your car. Try the above troubleshooting for if Apple CarPlay won't connect or keeps disconnecting/dropping out.

Also, try force-closing the app on your iPhone and then launch it again. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to call up the app chooser, scroll across to find the frozen app and swipe it up to kill the app.

On an old iPhone with a home button, double-click the home button to call up the app chooser.

Once again, try force-closing the app on your iPhone and opening it again.

Sometimes a black screen is because an app like Google Maps was left running in the background. iOS eventually suspends background processes, meaning the app won't work correctly with CarPlay until it has been closed and relaunched.

First, check the volume isn't down or muted on your iPhone or the car stereo.

If you're relying on streaming music, check that Airplane Mode is not enabled on the iPhone and that you have a working internet connection. Also ensure that Allow Cellular Data is enabled for your music app, such as Apple Music or Spotify, and that your music subscription is paid up for the month.