If you own an iPhone and frequently drive to work or often go on a road trip with your friends, you know the benefit of Apple CarPlay.
While CarPlay works flawlessly on most occasions, there could be times when it might act weirdly and give you a hard time. Since you’re reading this, we assume you’re quite frustrated because your iPhone is charging but CarPlay is not working.
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. This is one of the common CarPlay issues faced by iPhone users, but the good news is that it can be fixed easily. In this guide, we will discuss several methods to fix the issue when your iPhone is charging in the car, but CarPlay isn’t working.
Before we dive into the troubleshooting methods, let’s first understand why this problem usually occurs.
Possible reasons why your iPhone is charging but Apple CarPlay isn’t working
1. The first and foremost reason behind the above issue is an incompatible car or an iPhone.
Also read: List of Apple CarPlay Compatible Cars and Motorcycles
2. The cable you use to charge your iPhone may not support data transmission, which could prevent CarPlay from working.
3. iPhone and car infotainment systems running on outdated software.
Also read: iPhone Won’t Connect to Apple CarPlay? Here’s How to Fix
4. Disabled CarPlay option in the Parental controls settings.
5. Use of VPNs.
Note: We’ve listed the simplest solutions first and a few complex ones later down the list, so make sure to start with the easiest one.
iPhone Charging But CarPlay Not Working – Here’s How to Fix
1. Check your USB cable
Logically speaking, if you have a faulty charging cable, you won’t be able to charge your iPhone. Since your iPhone is charging in the car but CarPlay isn’t working, that means the cable doesn’t support data transmission. To rule out the possibility of incompatible cable, you need to do three things we have listed below.
- First, disconnect the charging cable from both the iPhone and the car’s USB port. Then, reconnect it again to see if CarPlay works.
- If the above method doesn’t work, insert the cable into another USB port of your car.
- If nothing works, look for a CarPlay-compatible cable that can also charge your beloved iPhone.
If changing the USB cable does the trick, you should know that the previous cable wasn’t supporting data transmission. If changing cables also didn’t help establish a CarPlay connection, you need to move on to the next step.
2. Update iOS and car infotainment system’s firmware
If your iPhone is running on an older version of iOS, you might run into an issue where your device could be charging but CarPlay won’t connect properly.
To rule this out, make sure to update your iPhone to the latest iOS version available. To do so, head to iPhone’s Settings > General > Software Update, then tap “Download and Install” or “Install Now” if an update is available.
Once you’ve ensured that your iPhone is updated, now update the software of your car’s infotainment system.
Usually, once a new update is available, you should see the “Update” pop-up on the update screen of the infotainment system. However, if you want to manually update it, you need to look for it on your car manufacturer’s website.
3. Enable CarPlay on your iPhone
Remember, if you forget to enable CarPlay from your iPhone’s settings, there is no way you can get it to work. That’s why enabling the feature is important. Here’s how to do it:
- First, head to Settings on your iPhone.
- Next, tap General.
- Then, tap on CarPlay and select your car.
That’s all you have to do and you’re done. Now, check if CarPlay is working properly on your vehicle or not. If it doesn’t work as intended, you should follow the next method.
4. Forget your car from the CarPlay settings of your iPhone
If the above method didn’t help you fix the underlying issue, make sure to forget your car from the CarPlay settings on your iPhone. Not only will it fix CarPlay not working but iPhone charging issues, but also resolves other issues between your iPhone and your car’s infotainment system. Here’s how you can do it.
- Head to Settings on your iPhone.
- Next, tap General and tap CarPlay.
- Now, open CarPlay to select your car, and tap Forget this car option.
Once you’re done, reconnect your car to your iPhone to flawlessly using CarPlay.
5. Check Privacy & Content Restriction settings on your iPhone
If nothing seems to be working for you, make sure to check if you have disabled CarPlay from within the Content & Privacy Restrictions settings. Many users accidentally disable the feature and get frustrated when they find out that their iPhone is charging but CarPlay isn’t working.
To fix this issue, you can simply, enable the switch for the CarPlay option from the above setting. To do so, head to your iPhone’s Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > Allow Apps & Features > toggle the switch beside the CarPlay option to enable it.
Summing up
That’s all for now in this guide where we talked about how to fix the issue related to wired CarPlay connection issues. Do note that some of the above solutions are equally effective for fixing wireless CarPlay issues.
So, make sure to give it a try and let us know if it works for you. Moreover, don’t forget to share this piece with someone who is struggling to establish a secure CarPlay connection on their vehicle.
Related Articles:
- iPhone Won’t Connect to Apple CarPlay? Here’s How to Fix
- Why Is My Apple CarPlay Screen Black – Explained with Fixes
- How to set up Apple CarPlay on Toyota Vehicles
- How to Install Apple CarPlay in Older Cars – Tested Methods
- Here’s the List of Apple CarPlay Compatible Cars and Motorcycles (Continuously Updating)
- Latest iOS 18 beta adds new CarPlay Wallpapers: Download Now
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