Apple Carplay Android Auto unavailable/disconnect errors problems and issues
 

I want to create a thread to consolidate this issue specifically to see how wide-spread it is.



What the issue is:

• Apple Carplay or Android Auto randomly disconnect for a few seconds, then come back up
• When plugging it, you get an error that says "Apple CarPlay Unavailable" / "Android Auto is Unavailable"
• When plugging in, an error that says "Unable to connect to Apple CarPlay" or "Unable to connect to Android Auto

Please comment on this thread if this has happened to you




I have been trying to figure out the root cause for this, because mine randomly disconnects, and then reconnects after a good 10 seconds. A formal apple cable does nothing to help, and as a SRE, this bugs the crap out of me. One should not have to re-seat the cable, reset the unit, or anything else to that effect, because we are starting to delve into "it's not a bug, its a feature" territory with these slap-stick fixes.

I did notice that each time this happens, subaru starlink reboots as well. Though I cannot verify if it is causation or correlation without taking a look at error reports.

For anyone having this issue where it simply disconnects for a few seconds, can you all confirm and see if starlink also crashes at the same time?

Potential Slapstick Fixes:

• Ensure you have a legit Apple cable, and not one that is aftermarket
• reset your head unit by pressing and holding your volume and tune knobs for 10 seconds until the screen goes black
• clean out your charging port on your phone

If anyone has any more, please let me know and I will add as we go.

when it happens to me (once or twice a month) my headunit doesn't restart, just goes back to the main menu.

definitely happens to me, especially when it's hotter in the afternoons.

This frequently happens to me with a brand new phone (Pixel 5A) and brand new USB cable, I think the USB port on the car isn't very good..

GR86 so no Starlink though.

iPhone SE2 / BRZ - Turned off Bluetooth on the phone, only connect with USB/Carplay seemed to cut the disconnect rate in half.


Then disabled rise to wake screen on the phone. Think the G-sensor in the phone keeps trying to unlock the screen while driving.


Now have only very seldom disconnects/reboots.


.

I've noticed Carplay frequently drops, but Android Auto is pretty stable.

I have a Pixel 6 and my wife an iPhone, so my car sees both devices and both applications. One thing I've noticed is CarPlay periodically drops without any indications why (the phone is motionless with a good cable fit) yet I can't recall ever having Andriod Auto drop.

When CarPlay drops its a mixed bag as to what gets it going again. Sometimes I simply go back to the home screen and start from the menu. Other times it takes disconnecting/reconnecting the phone. On one occasion, it totally locked up the head unit and left me with a black screen that required the car being turned off and restarted to fix it.

For me, both the car (23) and phone are brand new and it doesn't always happen, but when it does it's over and over. It will say "Device disconnected" then flash to "Device not supported" and the only way I can get it to reconnect is to unplug and then replug the cable. I know it's not the cable itself because I tried to use other cables, both OE and aftermarket. One thing that seems (though not confirmed) to help is leaving the car off for about 10 minutes or so then restarting it.



Really starting to piss me off, and of course at the dealer it behaves like it should so they tell me they can't find anything (nor will they check my oil pickup for silicone because "Subaru hasn't released any bullitins about it" even though it's all over forums and YouTube and the techs have heard about it) :mad0259:

I had this issue with AA and an S21. I was getting clock not set, but it didn't start until a few months into ownership.

New quality cable and resetting the HU seems to have solved it for me.
I was not getting a restart and have not hooked up an apple product into the car so no idea on that front.