CarPlay not connecting, available cars will not load. Other iPhones connect successfully.

iPhone 16 Pro running latest iOS - 18.3.

CarPlay was previously working in my car with this phone, but randomly stopped connecting one day a few weeks back. My wife’s older iPhone connects successfully to my car and CarPlay works. I suspect it is my iPhone.

I have tried and noticed the following:

• system reset of my media unit in the car (Alpine Halo IL- fx309)
• wife’s phone continues to successfully connect to CarPlay after the system reset
• checked my phone to enable Bluetooth (connects successfully to media unit but still no CarPlay)
• siri and apple intelligence are enabled
• no VPN is being used
• my phone will not connect to CarPlay in other vehicles where it also worked historically
• in have tried multiple different cables to connect to different cars, still no fix.
• when I open CarPlay app on my phone, no available cars are shown and the wheel just continuously spins (see pic).
• I have conducted a complete factory reset and restore on my phone and still have the same issue.

I think there is an issue with my phone. I’ve searched forums and answers extensively and can’t find anything that will help.

Desperate for a solution!!!

[Edited by Moderator]