CarPlay not working with iPhone 16 Pro

I have same problem it intermittently connects some time stay connected than drops out again. I have to restart the car to get connect.

sadly this is one of the many issues I have with this new iPhone 16PRO

I for one would be happier if Apple Pay’s attention to product quality than bringing more emojis

I had the same issue with my 2019 Toyota Avalon. I tried some cable adapters (both lighting and USB A) to convert one of the ends of the old cables I had. That failed miserably and didn’t work.

I bought an Anker USB-A A to USB-C cable for about $10 from Walmart. It comes with a cable wrap which is nice in the center console to keep things organized.

The new cable worked right away. CarPlay booted faster than ever before. No issues at all.

Hi Dan

I have a 2018 Mercedes Benz E-Class and I’m experiencing the same problem going from an iPhone 13 to a new iPhone 16 Pro. CarPlay worked with the iPhone 13 with a USB A to Lightning cable but won’t work with the USB A to USB C cable I just purchased for the iPhone 16 Pro. It charges but doesn’t connect to CarPlay - I’m sure it is a data transfer cable so should work. How did the USB C to Lightening adaptor that you purchased help you, I only have USB A inputs in my car? Probably need to do full system reset and try again with the new cable… 😬

Anthvar-- I had my phone completely disconnected and then re-connected it as a new phone by re-pairing it through bluetooth on the Mercedes phone menu where one connects a new phone device. Once I connected it through bluetooth and had successfully paired it, it then immediately asked me on the infotainment screen if I wanted to use the phone for CarPlay as well. I don't think it should make any big difference what order you do it in but generally speaking setting up the phone first through bluetooth to me makes the most sense. Hope this helps.

I had the same and have managed to resolve it by trying a different cable. It seems some USB to USB-C are charge-capable only. If you have only just switched from a lightning type iPhone to the 16 which is obviously now USB-C, you may not have experienced this issue before now, but CarPlay requires a data-capable cable. The likelihood is it is not your phone or your car that is the problem! Also check your content and privacy settings to ensure CarPlay is enabled. Good luck 🤞

I think I figured out where my issue is with CarPlay not working. I use WiFi for my CarPlay connection and the iPhone seems to disconnect from the WiFi since there isn’t data. If I keep my phone open to settings, and then once the CarPlay disconnects, I can manually select that WiFi network again and the CarPlay immediately reconnects and works for another 5 minutes.

The same issue is true for another device I own that uses a WiFi network to function but doesn’t have data. It’s like the iPhone senses that there isn’t data and then tries to change to another WiFi network or decides to use cellular, which is weird since I am actively having input from this network (it’s a medical device camera that is giving a video to my phone). I have to forget the regular WiFi networks that are also there so my phone doesn’t try to change over to them.

For me, it seems like some type of WiFi system setting on the iPhone 16 that is causing the CarPlay problems.

After spending close to 4 hours over 2 days updating software, resetting networks and alll the other hoops customer care has you do on day 3 I call and the tech asked if I tried a different cable and I replied 3 different cables he then asked were any of the ones I was using an OEM cable I said not. Let’s try a OEM cable so I go grab a OEM cable and Shazam it works. The new question is do I need OEM cables for everything😡

Same here! 2024 Toyota Corolla, just “upgraded”from my iPhone 13 Pro to the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The screen on this one is barely responsive as well. I’m extremely close to returning this phone. It has been an absolute nightmare!! :(

Update: I just returned my first 16 Pro Max & swapped it for another… IOS 18.1 & running CarPlay, Bluetooth & AirPlay perfectly now! T-Mobile said this is unfortunately becoming a very common issue and they’ve had many returned iPhones lately.

I had a similar issue. I found that I had to use native USB connections. I tried an adapter that was rated for data and was supposed to work. It failed. I ended up purchasing a cable that had usb A and usb C connections rated for all connections. I got some from Anker and Belkin and all have worked flawlessly since.

Yes my Mercedes too only has USB-A inputs thus I had to buy the USB-A to USB-C Adapter from the Apple Store.

USB-C to USB Adapter - Apple. Separately -- I went to my internal Mercedes Infotainment center, and to "Systems" and completely reset the infotainment center to its default settings. Using the same cable (data plus charging) that I knew worked earlier for Apple CarPlay, but now with the new USB-A to USB-C adapter attached, and after having rebooted the infotainment system to default setting then attached my new iPhone 16 Pro to the system and it then did recognize the new phone and I was able to proceed to set up the new phone. The only real downside is that one will need to completely set up all the other in-vehicle settings that one wants inside the vehicle but that only took me just a few minutes to re-establish. I hope this works for you.

If you already have a solid data/charge cable that you are certain was working before in your car with a previous iteration of iPhone, it is likely NOT a USB-C type cable, hence the need to attach an adapter to it so that it will be usable with your new iPhone 16 -- which as you properly note ONLY works with USB-C. Many users are buying the Apple USB-C to Lightening Adapter (USB-C to Lightning Adapter - Apple) because their prior phone used a lightening plug that inserted into their phone, with the other end being a USB-B plug that went into the car via (again) a data/charge cable. Using your old cable, you just need to attach this adapter to the old cable and it should work well with your new iPhone. Many users in this thread report doing that and it works totally okay. I'm one of those users. The only other thing I had to do in my vehicle was I did have to reset my car's internal "infotainment" (i.e. entertainment/audio/visual/etc) system again to default settings and set up the phone again as a new device, and then add back all the other car settings that you want. Hope this helps.

thanks for sharing ZecaHouston, that solved my problem.

1. Go to Settings >> Focus >> turn off all (i.e sleep)
2. go to settings >> car play >> forget this device
3. go to “reset all networking settings”. Your iphone will restart after typing the password.
4. go to your car settings and delete your device
5. set up the car play again with your car.

I had tried all above steps except '1)'.

Possibly, there must be something to do with "focus" or how you transferred previous iphone content to your new iphone. I did back previous iphone and restore the back up to new iphone - which broke some apps, which I had to delete and re-install.

It sounds frustrating! Since your iPhone charges but doesn't connect to CarPlay, try these steps:

1. Check for Updates: Ensure both your iPhone and your Mazda's infotainment system have the latest software updates.
2. Try a Different Cable: Sometimes, a different USB cable solves connectivity issues, especially if the original cable shows wear.
3. Enable CarPlay: Go to Settings > General > CarPlay on your iPhone to see if your Mazda appears on the list. If not, reset CarPlay settings.
4. Restart Both Devices: Reboot your iPhone and turn your car's system off and on.

If none of these work, Mazda support might have specific troubleshooting steps.

ITS THE CABLE! Needs to be a USB to USB-C cable that does DATA as well as recharges.