How I Fixed All My CarPlay Problems After Getting an iPhone 15

Enforced by the European Union, the switch to this universal port changed the rule of the CarPlay game, as users can no longer use their Lightning cables to activate the in-car experience.

Many feel lost, as choosing the right cable to run CarPlay seems too difficult. CarPlay has become Android Auto 2.0 in many ways, as the WWW has been plagued with bug reports in the last few weeks, all coming from users who got the new iPhone and installed the latest operating system update.

I recently upgraded to the iPhone 15 Pro, and like everybody else, I ended up struggling with CarPlay problems, too. The head unit did not detect the smartphone, and I had to choose a high-quality cable to run CarPlay.

Here's what I did to make sure CarPlay with an iPhone 15 works properly.

The first thing I did was to install the latest iOS updates. Setting up a new iPhone already involves bringing the device up-to-date, but you must check twice that your device runs the latest OS version when trying to set up CarPlay. For example, the most recent iOS release includes iPhone 15 overheating tweaks, so if you believe the device gets too hot, make sure you're up-to-date.

After updating the device to the latest iOS version, I started the search for a cable to make sure the iPhone would be detected correctly by the head unit, and I wouldn't encounter any connectivity issues.

The iPhone 15 ships with a USB-C to USB-C cable in the box, but my car features a USB-A connector for CarPlay. As a result, I needed a USB-A to USB-C cable, so my first idea was to look around the house because I almost certainly have one sitting around for no reason.

However, if you believe that any cable would do it, you're wrong. CarPlay needs a high-speed cable, and because it's so hard to distinguish them from cheap and low-quality $1 cords, you'd better get a new one. The best option is to get the cable that Apple sells in the Apple Store. I use a USB-A to USB-C cable that came with my Samsung, as the South Korean company manufactures high-speed cords that work correctly with Android Auto and CarPlay.

I've seen plenty of people who decided to stick with their USB-A to Lightning cables and get an adapter that converts the Lightning input into USB-C. While these work correctly most of the time, they can't guarantee 100 percent connection stability and reliability. These adapters can easily produce random disconnects because they're loose, leading to CarPlay shutting down in the middle of the drive.

I encountered similar behavior in prior testing when I wanted to use the same cable with an Android device and iPhone 14. My car supports both Android Auto and CarPlay, and because I test them a lot, I didn’t want to have multiple cables lying around in my car. However, using an adapter turned out to be an awful decision, as every pothole or speed bump produced a disconnect. Picking up the phone when sitting in a parking lot had the same result, as the adapter did not provide a secure fit, encountering occasional disconnecting.

As a result, you should get a direct cable to connect your iPhone to the infotainment unit and avoid adapters. They might seem to provide added convenience, but at the end of the day, they could make the CarPlay experience even more frustrating overall.

Now that the iPhone 15 is up-to-date, and I already have a cable to run CarPlay, I must resolve the connection problem. Because the head unit did not detect the smartphone, I decided to start from scratch.

If you upgraded from another iPhone, iOS might have migrated the existing CarPlay profiles to the iPhone 15. However, you should delete the existing connection profiles from your iPhone and the head unit. If you don't, the head unit might be trying to connect to our old smartphone, ignoring the iPhone 15 and, therefore, making CarPlay impossible to launch.

I removed all the previous connection settings, so when I turned on the engine, voila, everything started correctly. The infotainment unit detected my iPhone 15, and in a few seconds, I was already prepared to run CarPlay.

Everything should work correctly if you follow these simple steps, but the most important are choosing the right cable and deleting the existing CarPlay profile. It might sound easy to choose a USB-C cable, but unless you pick a high-speed cord, CarPlay could easily become a frustrating experience with occasional disconnects.

If nothing works, you should contact Apple. The company will probably attempt a full device reset, telling you to also reset the infotainment system. It's the ultimate solution that should resolve any compatibility issue with the new iPhone.