iOS 26 Carplay Podcast Audio Clipping (Distorted)

Same problem, iphone11 on CarPlay, wired and unwired. Tried PocketCasts and Apple Podcasts

Ok with straight Bluetooth connection to the car.

Same problem, Podcast and Audible are totally distorted as if the sound was amplified too much. Only solution is to turn the camera on, then the sound is back to normal.

26.1 and iPhone 11. CarPlay (2025 Audi) is no longer distorted for me. Glad this was fixed.

Had this issue but on install of 26.1 it seems to be fixed. Use Spotify on iPhone 11

This is happening to me as well on both vehicles using my 11 Pro Max. I have found that for some reason, when you turn on the camera app while playing the podcast, the volume will go back to normal. You just have to ride around with the camera on.

ArchanglMichael wrote: "iPhone SE second generation, I’m experiencing the same issue after downloading ISO 26 updates."

Your iPhone SE 2 could be 5½ years old and the long process of applying a major iOS upgrade to an iPhone with a weak, aging battery can be the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back." (And a degraded battery can cause various issues.) So...

Does your iPhone SE 2 still have its original battery?

And what's the Maximum Capacity % here?...

Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging

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Anilouisa wrote: "...Please fix Apple, it’s just awful!"

Anilouisa ~ Apple is unlikely to see your request in these user-to-user communities. Use this form:

iPhone Feedback

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I'm having the same problem with distorted audio. It's not just the podcast app. I'm also experiencing it with my library audiobook app – Libby. The camera work around works with Libby as well, but you have to leave the camera on the whole time. It needs to be fixed.

Yeah same here. iPhone 11 CarPlay via usb. Podcasts are most noticeable and really over clipped. Music is also noticeable when cranked. Feels like it’s pushing bass really hard and clipping the rest of audio. It’s pushing the amp way harder than before and when I bring my car volume up to where I would listen loud before (with no noticeable distortion) now it’s really compressed and when a bass tone hits (like a bass note or bass drum) the audio ducks really hard.

Same issue here! iPhone 11, updated to the IOS 26.0 and noticing extreme distortion on Spotify podcast content in Apple Car Play (haven’t tried Apple Podcasts as I don’t use). Music in Spotify is fine however which is odd, also playing podcasts at a content via Chrome browser… seems to be an issue with podcast content in Spotify specifically for me

Me too! iPhone 11 Pro Max with wired CarPlay. Sounds like the gain is too high. Oddly enough, I tried turning on the camera like I saw in another comment and it fixed it as long as the camera was open. This with other ios26 bugs everywhere is pretty annoying.

Same for me through Apple CarPlay. Audiobooks through Audible and podcasts through the podcast app sound fuzzy and distorted, as if someone is talking too close to a bad microphone. This literally changed overnight after I updated my iPhone 11. Music sounds fine through the radio and Spotify - this is only a problem for Audible and podcasts so far as I can tell.

Car is brand new - less than 6 months old so it's not that.

Same issue here with IPhone 11. Leaving the Camera app on is a workaround, but the IPhone gets very hot and slow.

Should be fixed quickly!

I can also confirm that the Clipping / distortion goes away with the camera app open.

-Carplay latest OS iPhone SE 2020

-2024 Honda Civic Touring

-Music at 20/40 sounds good, normal as ever

-Podcast at 8/20 is so distorted it's unlistenable (youtube app sounds fine and is normal)

-Went from Music to Podcast, keeping car audio level at 20 and my speakers nearly blew

This must be some bug they overlooked when they were all excited about boosting speaking volumes.