Wired CarPlay Temporary/Intermittent glitch

[TimothyN]

I realise that I may be getting into geek world, but if anyone clever can advise:

Wired CarPlay stopped working. Wireless was fine, but, for reasons I won't go into unless you're really curious, I need it to work wired.

I went through the diagnostic steps as follows:

1. Moved the cable to the other USB port. I knew this was not going to work, but seemed a simple first step. Didn't work.
2. Reversed cable polarity both ends. Didn't work
3. Cleaned the cable. Didn't work
4. Swapped cable. Didn't work
5. Found old iPhone in a drawer. Swapped SIM into it. Plugged in original cable. A little bit of configuration (like enabling Siri ) Worked like a dream
6. Plugged in original iPhone. Worked like a dream
7. Put SIM back in original iPhone. Still works.

So it does now work, but with the original equipment and configuration.

This is obviously a result, but I don't like things which work, then don't work, but then after a random walk, work again. I'd like an explanation, so it doesn't just fall over again.

Any ideas?

 

[TimothyN]

This is driving me mad.

I have tried multiple cables, and it makes no difference.

It would appear that if I plug in my old iPhone 8, it works about 50% of the time and if I plug in the iPhone 12, it very rarely, if ever, works, though it does appear to work for about half a second, but if I plug in the 8, get it to work, then plug in the 12 immediately after, there is at least 50% chance that it will work.

Does no one have any ideas?

 

[SonosOne]

Not sure if any of this will help, but try all the points at the link.

Apple CarPlay keeps disconnecting - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

Have you also tried, restarting the phone?

Vol up, Vol down, then press and hold the power button until the apple logo appears the let go?

 

[Black estate]

There was an apple 26 iOS update this week have you done that ?

 

[mazzie]

Had the issue of wired Carplay not starting or disconnecting midway. It has been more stable ever since I started connecting the cable only when the phone is unlocked.

Still have the issue of losing audio if an MG announcement comes on when wired Carplay is just started. I usually have to close and/or switch between apps before the audio returns.

 

[TimothyN]

Right, I think I've tried everything, and the iPhone 12 is not going to work usefully on USB CarPlay.

I should explain that the use-case results from that the phone signal is appalling around here (NW Kent).

For example in just about the whole of this area:

(including, ridiculously, the M25) there is no usable signal...to the point that rather than use the expression "I'm sorry, I'm losing signal", my partner and I say "I'm in Westerham" (regardless of where we actually are.)

But I own a Starlink Mini, which I mainly have for the aircraft, so it makes sense to use it in the car to get continuity of connectivity, mainly for calls, but also for Google Maps traffic and radio (to substitute for the awful car radio).

I have determined that my iPhone 8 works fine on USB CarPlay (whether because it's too old for iOS 26, or because there is a hardware fault in the 12 I don't know.)

So I can happily have the iPhone 8 on CarPlay and Starlink, but I can't also use Bluetooth.

So the plan was to use the 12 for calls, radio and Bluetooth, with the whole schemata looking like this:

...but I am further stymied by the act of connecting to Starlink disconnects Bluetooth and vice versa.

So, can anyone think of a way to connect Bluetooth to the car and WiFi to a third party device simultaneously. It really shouldn't be impossible, should it?

 

[deviousrich]

fairly sure its the same between iphone and android.... on android although the initial connection to the car is over bluetooth to make android auto work it is actually setting up a direct wifi connection between the phone and the car.
this wifi connection allows the bandwidth to run the android auto graphics etc. Therefore as the wifi antenna is in direct mode it cant be used for tranditiaal WAN wifi modes like starlink.

its tricky to see because wifi direct connections are usually hidden in the phone and the phone wont say its "connected to wifi"

Bluetooth is used to create the initial handshake (and just to confuse things bluetooth also hangs on as its used for calls because of older standards even once direct wifi is established, dont ask!)

 

[TimothyN]

So the short answer is that using the Starlink will forever preclude Bluetooth and vice versa?

Airpods here we come

 

[deviousrich]

So the short answer is that using the Starlink will forever preclude Bluetooth and vice versa?

Airpods here we come

what you might be able to do is just have bluetooth to the car - but NOT android auto/carplay. That way you should be able to make calls (but not have phone maps etc in the car) and have wifi connected to the starlink

what i dont know/havent tried is if the MGs5 allows you to just have bluetooth and not carplay, but in theory that should work

if your trying then make sure you clear/forget carplay from the car and the device, then go to the phone menu in the car and see if you can connect bluetooth only

to be clear starlink will preclude carplay/android auto.

 

[TimothyN]

It seems that (forgetting about CarPlay altogether) I am not permitted to have BT and WiFi simultaneously.

See the above diagram (solely with reference to the iPhone 12) and it seems that that is not possible, which seems nonsense, as I am permitted, for example, AirPods and WiFi, so why not S5 and WiFi?

 

[TimothyN]

I'm sorry, I'm sitting out in the car, and it's not quite as I painted.

It seems that I can have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi simultaneously, but I can't then have CarPlay

 

[OriginalBigAl]

I have the same wired problem with Android . If it connects, it works fine until you get out of the car and lock it. The next time you get in and plug in the wire its hit and miss whether it will fire up. Re plugging in , at either the car end or phone end sometimes works as does a 10 second reset of the info unit. Sometimes not! After a software update it worked fine for around two months then slowly reverted to being intermittent. Mines the MG4 so its not solely a MG5S issue. Putting a slight bend in the USB A end of the plug on the lead gave it a better fit and purchase at the car end which seemed to help as did cleaning the phones port.