CarPlay not working with iPhone 16 Pro

After more than two hours online with Apple Support and a senior manager of their tech support, we were unable to get my 2019 Mercedes to get CarPlay to start up with my new iPhone 16 Pro. Today I finally solved the issue by purchasing a USB-C to Lightening adapter as many here have done, as well as completely rebooting the Mercedes Benz infotainmant system inside the vehicle by going to "System", then going to "Reset". I hope this is helpful to other Apple users. For many vehicles your Apple CarPlay may not work properly unless you reboot your internal car entertainment system software. Unfortunately this also means having to re-setup all the internal settings of the car to your liking.

It turns out that according to this list of car models, CarPlay is currently only compatible with 2019 - 2024 CX-5 vehicles.

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.

Review the if you need help with CarPlay link that I posted earlier.

I bought the cord and it worked for a couple days and now it won't work plugged in or not. I have a 2023 Honda Pilot Trial sport. Never had a problem with my iphone 14 pro. So frustrating.

Had same issue with my brand new iPhone 16 pro in my carplay enabled 2016 Skoda Octavia. Worked perfectly with my iPhone 11. But couldn’t connect with my new phone. Solved it today by buying the Apple USB-C to Lightning adapter (€35). Connected immediately!

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 am having the same problem with my 2019 Acura TLX. Got the iPhone 16 pro and got the usb to usb-c Cable but only my audio works. My navigation doesn’t work with my CarPlay and it did with my last phone which was a 14 Pro.

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.

Mine the same. But I found this and tried, worked!

‘Try settings, general, CarPlay, and delete all vehicles. You may also need to go settings, general, scroll down to reset phone, and click on reset network settings.’

Worth to have a go.

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… 😬

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.

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

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.