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CarPlay not working with iPhone 16 Pro

I upgraded my iPhone 12 Pro to a 16 Pro, and the new phone will not connect to my 2018 Mazda CX-5 with CarPlay. When I plug it in, it charges but makes no sign of connecting.

iPhone 16 Pro, iOS 18

Posted on Sep 24, 2024 9:34 AM

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Posted on Sep 25, 2024 7:04 AM

I am so disappointed! My new iPhone 16 Pro does not work connect to my Carplay in my Toyota CHR. Had I known this, I would have upgraded to an iPhone 15 Pro instead. :(

153 replies

Nov 14, 2024 7:57 AM in response to brianc407

I had the same frustration after upgrading to iPhone 16. I tried all the suggestions below and checked all the settings to no avail. I was using the original Apple Lightning to USB Cable with Apple USB-C to Lightning Adapter, but that would not even maintain charging. Came across a thread that said the issue was the cable. I purchased an "Anker Car Carplay Cable for iPhone 15/16/16 Pro Max/Plus, USB A to USB C Flow Cable" and the problem was solved. Phone now connects quickly and maintains the connection.




Oct 20, 2024 8:44 AM in response to anthvar

Yes my Mercedes too only has USB-A inputs thus I had to buy the USB-A to USB-C Adapter from the Apple Store.

USB-C to USB Adapter - Apple. Separately -- I went to my internal Mercedes Infotainment center, and to "Systems" and completely reset the infotainment center to its default settings. Using the same cable (data plus charging) that I knew worked earlier for Apple CarPlay, but now with the new USB-A to USB-C adapter attached, and after having rebooted the infotainment system to default setting then attached my new iPhone 16 Pro to the system and it then did recognize the new phone and I was able to proceed to set up the new phone. The only real downside is that one will need to completely set up all the other in-vehicle settings that one wants inside the vehicle but that only took me just a few minutes to re-establish. I hope this works for you.

Nov 4, 2024 8:47 AM in response to Doodlebyphen

If you already have a solid data/charge cable that you are certain was working before in your car with a previous iteration of iPhone, it is likely NOT a USB-C type cable, hence the need to attach an adapter to it so that it will be usable with your new iPhone 16 -- which as you properly note ONLY works with USB-C. Many users are buying the Apple USB-C to Lightening Adapter (USB-C to Lightning Adapter - Apple) because their prior phone used a lightening plug that inserted into their phone, with the other end being a USB-B plug that went into the car via (again) a data/charge cable. Using your old cable, you just need to attach this adapter to the old cable and it should work well with your new iPhone. Many users in this thread report doing that and it works totally okay. I'm one of those users. The only other thing I had to do in my vehicle was I did have to reset my car's internal "infotainment" (i.e. entertainment/audio/visual/etc) system again to default settings and set up the phone again as a new device, and then add back all the other car settings that you want. Hope this helps.


Oct 27, 2024 9:29 AM in response to ZecaHouston

thanks for sharing ZecaHouston, that solved my problem.


  1. Go to Settings >> Focus >> turn off all (i.e sleep)
  2. go to settings >> car play >> forget this device
  3. go to “reset all networking settings”. Your iphone will restart after typing the password.
  4. go to your car settings and delete your device
  5. set up the car play again with your car.



I had tried all above steps except '1)'.


Possibly, there must be something to do with "focus" or how you transferred previous iphone content to your new iphone. I did back previous iphone and restore the back up to new iphone - which broke some apps, which I had to delete and re-install.

Nov 5, 2024 3:21 PM in response to brianc407

It sounds frustrating! Since your iPhone charges but doesn't connect to CarPlay, try these steps:

  1. Check for Updates: Ensure both your iPhone and your Mazda's infotainment system have the latest software updates.
  2. Try a Different Cable: Sometimes, a different USB cable solves connectivity issues, especially if the original cable shows wear.
  3. Enable CarPlay: Go to Settings > General > CarPlay on your iPhone to see if your Mazda appears on the list. If not, reset CarPlay settings.
  4. Restart Both Devices: Reboot your iPhone and turn your car's system off and on.

If none of these work, Mazda support might have specific troubleshooting steps.

Oct 22, 2024 4:03 PM in response to brianc407

So here was my fix for my Ford. I did not have to reset anything or jump thru hoops. What I found is, when I got my iPhone 16 I tried to connect with a USB type 2 cable with a USB c to my phone. Couldn’t communicate. My simple fix was going back to the original usb type 2(my 2020 truck connection ) and bought a $5 e75( old iPhone plug) to USBc off Amazon. Plugged the usbc into my 16 pro max and the e75 into that. Worked and CarPlay started in my truck. Seems the communication channel works thru the e75 pin out but not thru direct UsBc. Plug this into you usbc on your phone and your old e75 from your cable you were using into the slotted end

CarPlay not working with iPhone 16 Pro

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