Apple’s Latest Update Makes CarPlay as Buggy as the Old Android Auto

And from a reliability perspective, CarPlay has always been the better choice when compared to Android Auto, especially because, just like an iPhone, “it just worked.”

Users had nothing more to do than to pair their iPhones with the head units in the car, and given CarPlay was offered at the operating system level, everything was as straightforward as possible.

But it looks like the release of iOS 15, Apple’s latest major operating system update for the iPhone, has completely ruined the experience with CarPlay and turned it into what Android Auto was nearly a year ago.

Long-time Android Auto users certainly know just how much of a struggle it was to run the app in any car a few months ago. Workarounds like clearing the cache and the data of the Android Auto app, replacing cables, and even resetting the mobile devices have all become common things for Google users, especially as the new updates the search giant was releasing brought little in terms of fixes and improvements.

But things have completely changed for Android Auto. The latest announcements made by Google have allowed the platform to evolve to address the user feedback more efficiently and make it a solid long-term choice for drivers out there.

And as we told you already, while Android Auto keeps getting updates after updates, CarPlay is barely receiving any improvement, with iOS 15, the last major iPhone operating system, bringing almost nothing new to those who pair their Apple smartphones to the head units in their cars.

So right now, it looks like Apple and Google have switched places, and CarPlay has become what Android Auto was nearly a year ago.

iOS 15 has completely ruined the experience with CarPlay, and users are now complaining of all kinds of problems, starting with connectivity problems and app crashes and ending with occasional freezes and iPhones not even detecting the head unit anymore.

If all these reports sound familiar, it’s because you’ve seen them in the Android Auto world, but somehow, they are now plaguing CarPlay as well.

Just earlier today, I came across no less than three different new discussions on reddit (here, here, and here) where users are complaining that CarPlay no longer works in their cars, in some cases with the iPhone failing to pair with the head unit. And it’s all because of the iOS 15 update, which has apparently wreaked havoc for CarPlay users in just a second.

Just like it happened in the case of Android Auto, there’s not a single word from the parent company, so Apple has remained completely tight-lipped not only on all the problems reported by CarPlay lately but also on a potential fix that could bring everything back to normal.

Users themselves have come across a couple of workarounds, but of course, they don’t seem to do the trick for everybody, and without a doubt, the more people update their iPhones to iOS 15, the bigger the chances for these problems to become more widespread.

Is there something all these iPhone users can do to avoid the nightmare CarPlay has turned into on iOS 15? There is, though you’re not going to like it.

With Apple remaining tight-lipped on everything and no workaround proving 100% efficient, the only way to make sure CarPlay is running smoothly for you is to delay the update to iOS 15. At least until Apple comes up with a fix, that is, though this obviously means you’re missing out on all the other improvements the company has included in this major update.