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My CarPlay problem did not go away with the installation of the new software last week. Specifically, CarPlay starts off fine, and then disconnects after a few minutes. A few minutes later it spontaneously connects again. The cycle repeats at unpredictable intervals. This is really disappointing after waiting months for the purported fix to this problem.
I’m wondering if there are other users of the iPhone 11 Pro Max who are using CarPlay with the new Acura software. If so, how is it working for you?
I have the same problem with a Iphone 8 plus. It did this before the update, and still does. Sometimes it will work fine, other times it keep disconnecting and reconnecting. It doesn't matter whether I plug the Iphone in before the system boots up or after.
Yes, I have Acuralink on the phone, though I don’t think that should matter.
There’s nothing wrong with the phone’s Lightning port. I use the same phone for CarPlay on another vehicle, and it works fine.
The USB port in the car was checked by the dealer a month ago. They found no problems and advised me to wait for the software update.
It shouldn't, but I recently had the same issues that you had described in your original post but with my iPhone X.
CarPlay starts off fine, and then disconnects after a few minutes. A few minutes later it spontaneously connects again. The cycle repeats at unpredictable intervals. This is really disappointing after waiting months for the purported fix to this problem.
I removed the app from my phone, restarted and then reinstalled the app. So far, so good.
@bluntman72 I don’t understand why you think there would be any relationship at all between the Acuralink app and CarPlay. But if it works for you, fine.
I’m still hoping to hear from anyone using an iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max with CarPlay on the RDX, either successfully or not. Since some people’s CarPlay problems were apparently resolved by the software update, I am trying to understand if my phone model could be the problem.
@bluntman72 I don’t understand why you think there would be any relationship at all between the Acuralink app and CarPlay. But if it works for you, fine.
I’m still hoping to hear from anyone using an iPhone 11 Pro or Pro Max with CarPlay on the RDX, either successfully or not. Since some people’s CarPlay problems were apparently resolved by the software update, I am trying to understand if my phone model could be the problem.
I am using the iPhone 11 Pro with CarPlay on my 19 RDX without issue, only since the most recent update to the RDX info software. I use the lightning cable that came with the phone. Might I suggest removing/un-pairing the phone from the info system and removing the car from the CarPlay setup on the phone, then re-pair them. This might help.
I have an iPhone 11 Pro (not max) and it works pretty much the way my iPhone 8 Plus worked. Works about 95% of the time and will get a random half second or less pause when playing music. I usually just stream via bluetooth but it will still pause when connected via cable and using carplay.
Acura really needs to step up their game for software development. If anyone asks how much I like the car I tell them it's awesome, but to hook their phone up during a test drive due to the issues many are having.
I deleted my car from the phone CarPlay, and deleted my phone from the car system. When I plugged the phone in it recreated the CarPlay relationship as a new phone.
Useless exercise. Same problem as before.
One additional data point: During the times that CarPlay is dead, the phone display indicates that it is charging. That argues against a problem with the physical connection.
I guess I’ll go another round with the dealer, but they really don’t know anything.
One additional data point: During the times that CarPlay is dead, the phone display indicates that it is charging. That argues against a problem with the physical connection.
....
I am not an Apple user, but with Android cables, a cable might be able to charge, while not being able to carry data. And cables vary dramatically with speed of both charging and data transfer.
I deleted my car from the phone CarPlay, and deleted my phone from the car system. When I plugged the phone in it recreated the CarPlay relationship as a new phone.
Useless exercise. Same problem as before.
One additional data point: During the times that CarPlay is dead, the phone display indicates that it is charging. That argues against a problem with the physical connection.
I guess I’ll go another round with the dealer, but they really don’t know anything.
Sorry but only useless because you received a negative result. That attitude is not a good way to continue to receive further assistance going forward. Good luck with your issue, hope it gets resolved.
Sorry but only useless because you received a negative result. That attitude is not a good way to continue to receive further assistance going forward. Good luck with your issue, hope it gets resolved.
I completely agree. That is not a constructive or wise use of the word “useless” to the process of troubleshooting which is by process of elimination.
I had the iPhone 11 Pro Max. CarPlay is much more reliable with the new updates. Previously it crashes all the time.
All the tips /tricks here are valuable and something I would consider.
-ensure lightning cable is legit, some aftermarket cable is crap. This is why Apple has a certification program
-remove and repair device
-update to the latest iOS
-reboot phone
-ensure light port is lint free
-might want to reset your device network settings or all setttings (a bit extreme)
-restore phone as a new device(extreme)
-give up and call it a day
I've had the exact same experience with my iphone 11 pro. Connects, disconnects, then connects. If I unplug after airplay disconnects, then re-plug the iphone into the cable, I"m not sure it charges. If i just leave it for my entire 45min - 1 hr commute, it will finally connect. Also, if I drive for 20 min or so first, then plug the phone in, it will stay connected. Almost like the battery doesnt have enough power to operate airplay until its been recharged/driven for a while.
Please understand that my “useless exercise” comment was not directed at or intended to denigrate the suggestions of @markm929 or anyone else on this forum. I am grateful to everyone who contributes their expertise to this community.
My frustration – which has now reached the boiling point – is with Acura, which has dragged its feet on the CarPlay issue for a year and has now produced a fix that clearly works only for some of us. Deleting and then re-pairing was only the latest of many attempts I’ve made to fix this problem myself, including swapping cables, pulling fuses, trying to correlate the dropping and restoring of CarPlay with geographical location, signal strength, other apps on the phone, etc.
As a student of science I know that every properly conducted and recorded experiment is a success, irrespective of whether the hypothesis is proven or struck down. I therefore should and hereby do withdraw “Useless exercise” and replace it with “Thanks for the helpful suggestion. Though it didn’t yield the hoped-for result, it eliminates one more item from the list of possible causes for the CarPlay failures.”
@alpine909 We seem to be having identical,experiences. Have you contacted your dealer about it since the latest software update? I haven’t yet done so, as I’m dreading the conversation, and the need o demonstrate an intermittent problem like this.
@JB in AZ I understand your point about cables. The fact that the phone is charging does, as I said, argue against a physical problem, but certainly doesn’t rule it out. I’ve tried several Apple-branded new cables without success.
Just spent 3 hours arguing with my service dept about the disconnects in car play! They know about the issue and they are blaming the non Apple cables. I even went out and bought an Apple cable and it happened on my iPhone and my wife’s iPhone. Her phone has never been plugged into my car until today and still it happened 3 times with them watching from the passenger seat! When I bring up the diagnostics screen it shows the customer USB in red with or without the phone plugged in. They were mad I knew how to get to that screen! This is a pic with my iPhone 10s Max plugged in!
Just went down to do some testing in my car. When I start the car and go to the dealer diagnostic screen it shows the customer usb in grey with no iPhone plugged in. After plugging in my phone with no music playing that same box turns green. When I start playing music it turns red but the music continues. The red indicates that it may be a hardware problem. I’m starting to think that who ever makes the usb plug is at fault. Every time the phone disconnects that box is red with or without a phone plugged in, connected playing music, or disconnected. Monday I’m gonna get a price on a new usb plug for the center console and I might just replace it myself. I’m gonna also wait until Monday to chat with the service manager. They had the B Team working this weekend and they were useless. This is my first and last Acura ever! So disappointed in this brand. My next car will be a Hyundai SUV once I run this one into the ground! FUCK IT!!
That’s interesting information, and further proof that the problem isn’t iPhone model related.
I don’t think there’s enough evidence to blame the USB socket, though. Jiggling the cable doesn’t trigger the dropout, which is what would probably happen if there was an intermittent short or open there.
Please post your experience talking to the dealer tomorrow. I will do the same.
Just went down to do some testing in my car. When I start the car and go to the dealer diagnostic screen it shows the customer usb in grey with no iPhone plugged in. After plugging in my phone with no music playing that same box turns green. When I start playing music it turns red but the music continues. The red indicates that it may be a hardware problem. I’m starting to think that who ever makes the usb plug is at fault. Every time the phone disconnects that box is red with or without a phone plugged in, connected playing music, or disconnected. Monday I’m gonna get a price on a new usb plug for the center console and I might just replace it myself. I’m gonna also wait until Monday to chat with the service manager. They had the B Team working this weekend and they were useless. This is my first and last Acura ever! So disappointed in this brand. My next car will be a Hyundai SUV once I run this one into the ground! FUCK IT!!
One other thing to try as I was having issues with my XS Max with Carplay crashing rather soon after connecting it. Back up your phone to ITunes to get a full backup then do a master reset. After master resetting it plug it back into the car to see if it connects properly. My XS Max has been working great ever since doing the master reset even after restoring it from my ITunes backup. Thus I think there was some “corrupt data” somewhere within the phone causing my disconnects. Like you I was starting to think my USB port was at fault until I tried my work issued XR and it would stay connected fine. Then after doing the backup & restore of my XS Max and it works fine now has ruled out the USB port being faulty.
Back up your phone to ITunes to get a full backup then do a master reset...
For Mac users, note that as of ios13 and Mac OS Catalina, iTunes is no longer involved in this process. Backup and restore have been moved to the Finder.
Well I ordered a new USB Plug and Harness for the main plug. If the Car Play problems pop back up I am going to replace both items. Still waiting for the harness to come in from Crappyfornia but the USB plug is here already.
One other thing to try as I was having issues with my XS Max with Carplay crashing rather soon after connecting it. Back up your phone to ITunes to get a full backup then do a master reset. After master resetting it plug it back into the car to see if it connects properly. My XS Max has been working great ever since doing the master reset even after restoring it from my ITunes backup. Thus I think there was some “corrupt data” somewhere within the phone causing my disconnects. Like you I was starting to think my USB port was at fault until I tried my work issued XR and it would stay connected fine. Then after doing the backup & restore of my XS Max and it works fine now has ruled out the USB port being faulty.
This worked for me. Ever since iOS 13 and D1.2.1 were released I experienced constant disconnects on my iPhone X. I tried different cables, connecting the phone at a specific time, uninstalling and signing out of apps, turning off wi-fi, and even rebooting the phone prior to connecting (what a PITA) and nothing helped. The other night, I backed up my phone and then reset the phone to factory fresh. Although I already had the most recent firmware on the phone, iTunes downloaded and installed a fresh copy on the phone. I then restored the phone using the recent backup. I am happy to report that ACP now works flawlessly. After an hour long road trip this afternoon, zero disconnects!
@bluntman72 That’s exciting news. I guess I will take the plunge myself tomorrow on the 11 pro max, though it’s always a little scary doing that to a phone, wondering if it will really come back to life with all of its zillions of settings intact. Reminiscent of that scene in “2001” where HAL can only remember how to sing Daisy, Daisy...
On second thought, maybe I will wait until things calm down at the Apple Store post-Black Friday, in case my phone needs to be rescued by one of their Geniuses.
OK, I took the plunge and did the backup/erase/restore thing. I’ve since taken two 15-minute trips with no disconnects. That’s not long enough to unequivocally declare victory, but it sure looks good!
Why this would work is a mystery, especially since that phone has always used CarPlay with no issues on my other vehicle, a Honda Clarity. But not every mystery needs to be understood. The process was fairly painless, though there are some hassles: Apple Pay made me re-authorize my credit cards; WhatsApp needed to re-register the phone number; Find My needed to delete and then re-add the phone...stuff like that. No show stoppers.
Thanks to whoever first came up with this suggestion. Hopefully this particular Acura nightmare is over, and I can go on to struggling with the map update like those in the other thread.
Thank you bluntman72! I completed the full reset on my iPhone 11 Pro with which I was experiencing the same repeated disconnects (despite D1.2.1) and have had no additional disconnects!! I have used the CP setup about 8 times since the reset and have not had any problems. Quite surprised and pleased with CP now.
This worked for me. Ever since iOS 13 and D1.2.1 were released I experienced constant disconnects on my iPhone X. I tried different cables, connecting the phone at a specific time, uninstalling and signing out of apps, turning off wi-fi, and even rebooting the phone prior to connecting (what a PITA) and nothing helped. The other night, I backed up my phone and then reset the phone to factory fresh. Although I already had the most recent firmware on the phone, iTunes downloaded and installed a fresh copy on the phone. I then restored the phone using the recent backup. I am happy to report that ACP now works flawlessly. After an hour long road trip this afternoon, zero disconnects!
do you have to connect to the Mac to get the firmware update or will this happen OTA?
Well now that Car Play is behaving on the connection side a new issue has popped up. Got this message to coming home from the range today. Maybe Siri was mad because I had her to send my wife a text with the word GUN in it!
do you have to connect to the Mac to get the firmware update or will this happen OTA?
I did mine using an iCloud backup, without connecting to a computer. The backed up and restored material isn’t all that large, because new copies of all the apps are freshly downloaded from the App Store during the restore process. My guess is that this app refresh aspect of the process is what’s actually providing the cure.
Note that if you do connect to a Mac you will need to use iTunes for all Mac OS versions prior to Catalina. For Catalina the backup and restore is done in the Finder.
This worked for me. Ever since iOS 13 and D1.2.1 were released I experienced constant disconnects on my iPhone X. I tried different cables, connecting the phone at a specific time, uninstalling and signing out of apps, turning off wi-fi, and even rebooting the phone prior to connecting (what a PITA) and nothing helped. The other night, I backed up my phone and then reset the phone to factory fresh. Although I already had the most recent firmware on the phone, iTunes downloaded and installed a fresh copy on the phone. I then restored the phone using the recent backup. I am happy to report that ACP now works flawlessly. After an hour long road trip this afternoon, zero disconnects!
I believe that was me who mentioned the erase and restore process. This process although extreme but solve many problems including slow and poor battery issues on iOS. Overtime the os get corrupt with updates pile one on top of one other. A clean install often ails most things. I did not mention doing a DFU (Device Firmware Update) which is different than a restore. DFU is a last resort and the process is recommended once a while if the backup and restore did not work.
You have to sign-in to your Apple Wallet and apps because the backup only saves the data. The apps will be downloaded from AppStore. You do not have to sign-in to apps when using encrypted backup in iTunes, however.
CP occasionally will not work ( non responsive) well with your iPhone connected to the car via Bluetooth. When that happens turn off BT on the iPhone or disconnect from the car. This just happened to me the other day. Problem solved with BT turn off on the iPhone. CP and BT cannot both connected tot he car. It will crashes and behaves erratic.
I am glad to hear your issue is fixed (crossing fingers).
I believe that was me who mentioned the erase and restore process.
And thank you for doing so!
I guess it never dawned on my to do that since outside of ACP, everything seemed to be working well - no app crashes, lockups, etc - and I guess with the number of firmware updates (installed OTA) since the September 2019 (when I picked up my RDX), something was abound to screw up.
Well I took the car in to get the window camera recalibrated and showed the service manager the blue screen, drive mode unavailable, and frozen starburst screen and he wanted to keep the car for the weekend into next week to investigate and make calls to Acura’s tech dept. Now it’s a wait and see. Glad I got them all on video and a service manager who cares! Gave me another RDX to drive at no charge.
Still getting the blue screen. Got it today after work. ???????????
I think your problem is completely separate from the one I started this thread with, which seems to have been resolved for everyone by erasing and restoring the iPhone. My guess it that yours is a hardware problem, and that a replacement infotainment unit may be needed if the dealer can’t pinpoint a specific component.