iPhone Users Report CarPlay Connectivity Issues With iOS 18.4 Update

[MacRumors]

Multiple iPhone users are reporting problems with CarPlay functionality after updating to iOS 18.4, based on complaints on Reddit and elsewhere.

The most widespread issue appears to affect vehicles equipped with CarPlay instrument cluster integration. Some users said that after installing iOS 18.4, CarPlay no longer displays the currently playing song information on their car's instrument panel.

The instrument cluster bugs have been reported across numerous vehicle models including the 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2025 Mazda CX-30, various 2024 Honda models, multiple Volkswagen vehicles, the 2023 Audi S3, and the 2023 Nissan Frontier.

Meanwhile, several users have complained that CarPlay completely fails to launch after the update, requiring multiple reconnection attempts - sometimes up to five tries - before the system will work. Others report broken Siri audio functionality that persists despite restarting both their iPhones and vehicles.

Users say they have attempted the standard troubleshooting steps like device reboots and system resets, but in many cases these workarounds have not resolved the issues. The problems appear to be directly linked to the iOS 18.4 update, as affected users report that everything worked properly before installing the latest version.

Apple has not yet acknowledged any CarPlay issues with iOS 18.4, so it's unclear whether a fix is in the works. Apple released iOS 18.4 earlier this week, and the only notable intended change to CarPlay is that the interface now shows a third row of icons (up from two rows previously), but only on vehicles with a larger display center. Have you had problems with CarPlay after updating? Let us know in the comments.

(Via autoevolution.com.)

Article Link: iPhone Users Report CarPlay Connectivity Issues With iOS 18.4 Update

 

[NMBob]

Don't try turning it off and on again. Oh...too late.

 

[wanha]

any individual software quality incident by itself is proof of nothing, but taken together they paint a concerning picture of steadily declining software quality at Apple

what we can debate over is what the cause of all this is:

- Is it an increased focus on revenue and profit? ("the Tim Apple" crowd)
- Is it the result Apple's rapid head count growth and the ensuing complexity of communication and coordination?
- Is it the growing complexity of software over time?
- Is it the lack of a singular focus at the top? ("everything would be different if Steve were alive")

My hypothesis is that it's a combination of all four.

It's also why I am pessimistic about Apple's ability to fix this to any significant degree.

 

[@Brett]

I’ve not had an issue with it on iPhone 16 Pro Max and 15 Pro Max and my wife’s 15. Not to discredit other users. Hopefully it gets resolved for them quickly.

 

[DBZmusicboy01]

iOS 18 is the Super Saiyan Abomination of all iOS versions.

 

[xDeadTechx]

The latest update also moved the text to the upper part of the screen when playing audio.. past versions was centered but now there’s a ton of open space that looks.. off.

 

[aliea13]

CarPlay completely stopped launching on my Toyota RAV4 with iPhone 15 Pro after updating to 18.4

Update: solved the problem by removing the car from Carplay settings and reconnecting the phone

 

[zubikov]

Confirming on Rav4. Carplay button on car’s screen didn’t open carplay.

Had to open carplay settings on the phone, go into the car’s profile. Then in the Toyota settings had to disconnect/reconnect bluetooth to my phone. That fixed it.

 

[JokoWidodo]

why do iOS updates always break things ?!!

 

[TechRunner]

I haven't tried it yet with my 16PM as I work a lot from home and my wife takes our '23 Honda Pilot. I'll give it a whirl this weekend.

 

[555gallardo]

All you need to do is to switch over to a Next-Generation CarPlay vehicle. It's that simple, that easy and Apple thinks you're gonna love it. Oh wait.

 

[ghostface147]

No issues on my 21 Accord fortunately.

 

[rotlex]

2020 Jeep Wrangler, no issues so far. Working exactly as it did previously.

 

[TechWhisperer]

why do iOS updates always break things ?!!

Just like Tim Cook, Craig Federighi’s stay at Apple is long overdue.

 

[wanha]

why do iOS updates always break things ?!!

Each new feature and functionality is added into an extremely complex web of interdependencies.

It's natural and often inevitable that things break.

The problem seems to be more on the QA side which should catch these before they are released into the wild.

 

[hagar]

CarPlay had been extremely buggy on my Mercedes MBUX for months now.

MBUX must be the most horrible unintuitive interface on the planet so I’m always glad to escape to CarPlay.

But lots of connectivity issues and an unresponsive iPhone here. That get fixed (temporarily) by rebooting my iPhone. So the quality of iOS does seem to be the culprit too.

 

[johaen8]

I drive a 2023 Audi S3 as quoted in the article. I've been running the iOS 18.4 beta for awhile. I've had no more issues than normal. Carplay has always been slightly fiddly for me, but still well worth it.

 

[TonyC28]

I’ve had this happen on my 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee since the new iOS came out. To be fair to Apple though, this wasn’t the first time. On every vehicle I have owned over the last few years this has been a problem. CarPlay will connect perfectly 50 times in a row, then it just won’t. Unplug and plug back in. Restart the phone. Restart the car. Eventually it works but no particular solution seems to apply every time.

 

[Mr_Ed]

FFS Apple, if anything you should be making sure the CarPlay we’ve all had for years is reliable and safe to use without distraction before you try to convince us CP2 is something I should want at all.

why do iOS updates always break things ?!!

An occasional bug creeping with an update is not unexpected, but unfortunately this is part of a troubling trend.
The priorities in Cupertino are all out of whack. Every piece of hardware they sell relies on software yet it seems software quality and the user experience with that software are pretty low on the totem pole of priorities. Adding features few (if anyone) requested for the sake of saying “we did did something new” and trying to get everyone on the services revenue stream is apparently where it’s at these days.

 

[mxrider88]

They got rid of the best they had (Forstall) for Maps, but Federighi destroyed the whole ecosystem and he is still there as SVP, paid million of dollars.

I wouldn’t even let him initialize an empty usb stick because he might do some damage.

 

[pali2704]

I can confirm sometimes CarPlay won’t launch unless I try reconnecting multiple times on 18.4. Was working fine on other 18 versions.

 

[DrJR]

I’m traveling. Rented car. I am driving a new Mazda CX-30. I had never used CarPlay before and was enjoying it….. but things got glitchy. So no mystery now….. what are the odds…….

 

[AppleFan78]

Yesterday was the first I've driven my '16 Cadillac CTS since updating. I did notice last night it wasn't displaying song info on the instrument cluster, but it has occasionally done that previously. I usually have to cycle through some audio input settings using the steering wheel controls to get it back. I didn't play with it last night, after my 15 hour shift at work. I'll check it today when I leave for work.

 

[jeffg819]

15 Pro Max and Toyota Tundra: Siri does not respond to “Siri”.

 

[Zorn]

I've used CarPlay extensively throughout the 18.4 beta period and never noticed anything out of the ordinary, 2023 BMW X3.