CarPlay stopped working after iOS 26 update.

The CarPlay widgets are what’s causing the issue. Your CarPlay head unit isn’t powerful enough to have them running even in the background. To fix it, go to Settings > General > CarPlay, select your CarPlay stereo, and then go to Widgets. Now, slide the Show Widgets toggle off to disable them.

I think I got my car play to work. After I started having problems with the iPhone 17 I installed the 26.0.1 update and the problems got worse. CarPlay would shut off, then come back on, using Siri locked it up completely, and it would shut down during phone calls. I reset the phone, my jeep’s audio system, paired and re-paired the audio system and the iPhone. Nothing worked until I went to the Apple Store and bought a Morphie brand USB A to USB C cable. It solved the problem. I used CarPlay for an hour and a half without a single drop or lock up. Strange but true.

UPDATE: My issue appears to be resolved by updating the firmware on my Pioneer AVIC-6000NEX headunit to v1.21. iPhone 14pro on ios26.0.1

It didn't work...

I ended up disabling wifi on the iphone to see if wired carplay worked, but i think it turned it back on... i dont remember, but it didnt work correctly...

To force wired carplay i ended up disabling wifi and bt on the iphone and that allowed to used wired carplay with no issues...

at the end... i can have BT connection disabling Carplay on the bluetooth settings of my headunit on the iphone... or disable wifi and BT so i can use wired carplay...

iphone 17 with iOS 26.0.1

Apple Watch Ultra 2 with watchOS 26.0.2

Atoto F7 XE head unit

I think two things can be true at the same time. There was an issue with BT connections before iOS 26. When my dealer did a software update on my vehicle it was post-iOS 26 release. So thinking the update had fixed my issue, which was occurring on both of my iPhones I still had connection issues. I had already updated my phone(s) iOS 26 when the vehicle was updated. That's when I came across the latest issue with widgets on iOS 26.

I've tested turning off the widgets and that resolved it for me. So far...

Thanks @Brandon2021 for the solution.

I'd been having this too. Cleaned USB port, new Anker USB-A to USB-C cable, used port closest to screen, up-dated to 26.0.1, disconnected other devices in car. iPhone 17 Pro been dropping every 5 minutes or so using Waze. Drove five hours today -- knock on wood -- without a single drop. Not sure why.

While CarPlay widgets may be causing issues, it isn't anything to do with the Head Unit; CarPlay simply uses the head unit as a screen and input device; All of the code, including Widgets, is actually running on your phone.

Turning CarPlay widgets off and the back on seemed to resolve the problem I was having with the screen not being responsive to "swipes".

Hopefully Apple will address this bug in an update

Happy to report the bug has been fixed for me after the latest update. Wired car play worked the moment I plugged it into the same vehicle model (not same as it was a rental) using the same wire and no special settings.

iphone 17 pro max

ios 26.0.1

polestar

I have the same issue with iPhone 17 Pro and IOS 26. I have an after market XTrons head unit, but I never had an issue with it before. Apple support is basically useless, they don't know what to do or how to debug this. They want to blame the head unit which clearly isn't the issue, my wife's old iPhone 13 with IOS 18 works fine with it. Apple clearly broke wireless CarPlay in IOS 26 but won't accept any repsonsibility unfortunately.

I have news... I jumped into iOS 26.1 Release Candidate... it seems to have fixed my Wireless Carplay Issues... Usually it couldn't complete a 5 minute drive without disconnecting, I left home, went for a coffee at a drive-thru, and drove to the office (around ten minutes connected without issues)...

I had widgets enabled (if you are curious)

I'll give updates if the conection starts failing in longer drives or when I get to the final iOS 26.1.

iPhone 17 with iOS 26.1 RC

Apple Watch Ultra 2 with watchOS 26.0.2

Atoto F7 XE head unit

I have the same head unit.

First, I’ve always had an issue with maintaining a CarPlay connection while I have my earbuds with me. They don’t need to be in my ear to cause a connection issue, just being with me will cause it.

Second, that head unit cannot handle widgets. On your phone you need to go into CarPlay settings and disable widgets.

Third, Waze will definitely cause your CarPlay to disconnect while Google Maps will cause CarPlay to freeze up upon startup if you have it open when you shut your car off.

i would recommend removing any app that you don’t use and try to remember to go to a screen other than Google Maps when you shut off your car.

I have iPhone 16 Pro Max, the CarPlay stopped working during an iOS18 update and did not resolve with iOS26. My head unit is 2017 Kenwood and is wired only. The new os is wireless connection and I was not able to change the setting in the phone. I spent $80 at BigW and fixed the issue with a wireless dongle for CarPlay.

so I’m all set, hope this info helps someone else. The colourful screen display i get from Siri is mimicked on the head unit, I like it a lot. But what a distraction !

I’ll up-date my experience with 2018 F150 SYNC3. After one day of success with a new Ankor USB A to USB-C cable it went back to dropping regularly. I purchased a Beats cable and it’s worked fine since. Switching back to the new Anker cable causes regular drops.

iOS 26.0.1

iPhone 17 Pro

Pioneer DMH-1770NEX

CarPlay does not work with iPhone 17 Pro on iOS 26. My friends android device works fine with android auto but CarPlay does not work. I even updated the firmware of the unit to no avail. Then I found this discussion post and it’s clear there’s something wrong with the OS In regard to CarPlay.

I removed the widgets and that seems to have resolved the issue.