CarPlay not working with iPhone 16 Pro

I upgraded my iPhone 12 Pro to a 16 Pro, and the new phone will not connect to my 2018 Mazda CX-5 with CarPlay. When I plug it in, it charges but makes no sign of connecting.

iPhone 16 Pro, iOS 18

Posted on Sep 24, 2024 09:34 AM

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304 replies

Sep 24, 2024 10:07 AM in response to brianc407

The Bluetooth in the car may not be multi-link meaning that you cannot have controls designed for dialing and accessing contacts connected to your phone and concurrently allowing a Bluetooth Car Play connection. Review the CX-5 owners manual and check with the Mazda Service department to determine if Mazda has released a CarPlay firmware update for your vehicle, or if the Mazda CarPlay implementation in 2018 is not compatible with CarPlay in iOS 18.

Sep 25, 2024 07:54 AM in response to ailina310

There is no way you could have known in advance… If the CarPlay implementation in the Toyota CHR is sufficiently old, and though it may have worked with your iPhone 12, there is no assurance that it would have worked with an iPhone 15 Pro either.


Verify with the Toyota service department that no outstanding CarPlay update is available for your vehicle, and then review the owner's manual to confirm you are doing everything correctly to pair the iPhone 16 with your vehicle. What I mentioned above about the lack of multi-link BlueTooth may also be an issue where you cannot have the phone paired to two separate Bluetooth connections in the vehicle.

Jul 7, 2025 05:30 PM in response to SandeepSatija

Hi All. I upgraded from iPhone 13 Pro Max to 16 Pro Max and had same issues with Apple CarPlay. I had bought USB-A to USB-C adapters and kept getting ‘Overcurrent Detected’ message in my vehicle. After reading article in 9 to 5 found out the cable we use must be able to transfer data, not just charge the phone. I bought the Belkin charger from this list and CarPlay works perfectly now!


[Edited by Moderator]

Oct 4, 2024 08:13 AM in response to brianc407

OP update (2018 Mazda CX-5). I found that the cable I had borrowed from another device in my home was one of those that provide power but not data.


So CarPlay “works” now. But very oddly. I’ve seen this pattern repeat for the past three days:


  1. Plug it in and nav comes up, but no music. A few seconds later, “mobile device error” pops up on the car and it disconnects.
  2. Unplug/plug it back in. Nav comes up, and music starts playing out of my phone’s speaker instead of the car’s sound system.
  3. Unplug/plug it back in. Nav and music come on, but the music sounds tinny, like I have an old transistor radio sitting on my dash.
  4. Give up and leave it like that. Five minutes into the drive, the music cuts out for 2-3 seconds then resumes using the full sound system. All is fine after that.


It’s so bizarre, and completely repeatable. You would think it would either work or not work.


[Edited by Moderator]

Oct 5, 2024 07:16 PM in response to brianc407

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.

Oct 6, 2024 10:22 AM in response to brianc407

I have a Volkswagen Tiguan (2019) and Jetta (2018) and could not get my iPhone 16 Max Pro to connect. Based on all the suggestions I found online this is what I did to fix it:


I ordered a usb-a to usb-c data transfer cord. Apparently some charging cords only charge and do not transfer data. 🤷🏻‍♀️


I went into settings on my iPhone and then Content & Privacy restrictions and turned off CarPlay and turned off my iPhone and switched it back on.


I went into my car and deleted all existing phone connection. Then on my iPhone went into my bluetooth settings, located my car connection and hit “forgot this device”.


I then went into settings on my iPhone and then Content & Privacy restrictions and turned on CarPlay and turned off my iPhone and switched it back on.


I then added my iPhone to my car via Bluetooth first and then plugged my phone in with the cord I purchased and it worked.

CarPlay not working with iPhone 16 Pro

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