Distorted and overly loud spoken-word audio in CarPlay after iOS 26 update

Question

Distorted and overly loud spoken-word audio in CarPlay after iOS 26 update

Since updating to iOS 26, podcasts and other spoken-word audio in CarPlay sound distorted and overly loud, as if the gain is too high.

Repro steps:

Connect iPhone to CarPlay (wired or wireless).
Play a podcast or audiobook.
Audio sounds harsh and distorted.
Opening the Camera app lowers the gain temporarily, but closing it causes the distortion to return.

This issue started only after updating to iOS 26.

[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: CarPlay Audio Issues

iPhone 11 Pro, iOS 26

Posted on Sep 29, 2025 8:19 PM

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Answer 1

Alancito

Level 7

29,934 points

Nov 19, 2025 8:33 AM in response to Leon_ve_ar

Leon_ve_ar wrote: "Yeah same issue over here with a, iphone 11 on iOS 26 (26.0.1)"

Leon_ve_ar ~ Update to the latest version of iOS:

iOS 26.1

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Answer 2

Kagooga

Level 1

8 points

Oct 3, 2025 2:28 AM in response to SmallTownWizard

I have the same problem. iPhone 11 Pro Max, everything is original. Everything worked fine with CarPlay until I updated to iOS 26. Since then, I’ve had very poor sound (distortion) on podcasts, but it works fine when I play music, listen to the radio, or use Bluetooth. This seems to be an update issue from Apple that they should fix immediately!

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Answer 3

fjm01

Level 1

0 points

Oct 29, 2025 10:12 AM in response to SmallTownWizard

I'm having the same issue with podcasts and audiobooks. iPhone 11 with wired CarPlay. When I connect via bluetooth to the car's audio system, the sound is fine. But with wired CarPlay it's horrible. Issue started only after updating to iOS 26.

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Answer 4

Nov 11, 2025 2:53 AM in response to SmallTownWizard

Yes, the exact same. Even more frustrating that you try and capture the issue by using the camera app, but then it resolves. Then you close the camera app, and the issue returns. There needs to be a fix for this ASAP!

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Answer 5

Alancito

Level 7

29,934 points

Nov 11, 2025 4:34 AM in response to emilly208

emilly ~ What model of iPhone is it?...

Settings > General > About > Model Name

And what point version of iOS 26 is it running?...

Settings > General > About > iOS Version

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Answer 6

Nov 19, 2025 8:20 AM in response to SmallTownWizard

Yeah same issue over here with a, iphone 11 on iOS 26 (26.0.1)

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