Apple recently released its highly anticipated iOS 18.4 update for iPhone users, which includes new emojis, AI goodies, priority notifications, and several changes to CarPlay. Unfortunately, those changes seem to be doing more harm than good, and we’re seeing several complaints that CarPlay is nearly unusable for some.
The iOS 18.4 update was supposed to finally fix some major CarPlay problems, especially for EV owners. The main CarPlay change is three rows of icons on the home screen, along with the ability to set a default navigation app in the EU instead of only Apple Maps. It also added APIs to allow sports apps to show scores on a new Now Playing interface. While it’s great that this release made it so users can now have three rows of icons on the home screen, it also delivered a bunch of connectivity issues and glitches to vehicles.
Multiple CarPlay users on Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), and elsewhere have reported that the iOS 18.4 update made vehicle connectivity unstable. We’re hearing that the dashboard no longer displays “Now Playing” information, notifications are acting wonky, and more. Interestingly enough, iOS 18 notification issues aren’t new, with beta users mentioning complaints last month.
More importantly, it’s easier to safely keep your hands on the wheel when your phone stays connected, allowing CarPlay to display maps, incoming calls, and other information. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for many, and countless users have reported repeated connectivity issues. Phones keep connecting and disconnecting endlessly, and for wired users, some are plugging the phone in over and over again until it finally connects and works as expected.
Related
7 Things That Would Make Apple CarPlay Better
CarPlay is good but there’s always room for improvement.
The complaints are coming in from everywhere, and they’re not limited to a specific brand of vehicle or stereo receiver. Users on Reddit reported CarPlay bugs in cars from Audi, Chevrolet, Mazda, Ford, Honda, VW, and others.
So, what can you do to fix any of these problems? Unfortunately, we don’t know of any fixes at this time. 9to5Mac recommends unpairing the entire system, deleting your car from the CarPlay app, and starting over. Users can fire up an iPhone and go to Settings > General > CarPlay > and swipe to delete a vehicle. Then, re-pair your car to the phone and app, and hopefully, it’ll work a little better. One user said he tried this process twice, and the second time seems to have fixed the problem. Just know that your mileage may vary.
It doesn’t look like users can fix this themselves, and it’ll likely require a software update from Apple. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that Apple is already busy preparing to release its iOS 18.5 update, which is already in the beta testing phase. Once released, it should address some of these complaints. However, considering the iOS 18.5 update won’t be released until next month, many iPhone owners trying to use CarPlay could be out of luck until it arrives.
Along with changes to CarPlay, the update to iOS 18.4 finally added RCS support to Google FI and other T-Mobile carriers, fixed a bunch of random bugs, added more features to the Photos app, user review summaries in the App Store, Ambient Music controls in Control Center, and more. Stay tuned, and we’ll report back once we know more or find a potential fix.
Source: AutoEvolution, 9to5Mac
