Using Maps or GPS, listening to music, and making calls in your car can be done easily and hands free with the Apple CarPlay. This feature was first introduced in 2013 for iPhone 5 or later iOS devices. The Apple CarPlay integrates apps directly into the display built into your car, making them ready for use anytime while driving. However there are times and factors that can prevent the feature from working. Aside from faulty hardware, bad updates can also be the culprit. For instance, after installing the latest iOS version on your iPhone X, you found out that Bluetooth isn’t working because your iPhone won’t pair with or connect to your car.
Apparently in this case, the problem is attributed to the software since it started after installing a new update to iOS. Nevertheless, we can’t rule out the possibility of a hardware issue, particularly on the car’s Bluetooth components. Before heading to a service center though, you still can try some things and attempt to fix the problem on your end. And this post will walk you through in the troubleshooting process.
Before anything else, if you have other issues with your device, try to browse through our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed several issues with this device. Odds are that we’ve already published a post that tackles similar problems. Try finding issues that have similar symptoms with what you currently have and feel free to use the solutions we’ve suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you still need our help, then fill up our questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.
Things to do before troubleshooting software problems on your iPhone X
First, verify and ensure that Bluetooth is turned on or enabled on your iPhone X. To do so, navigate to Settings-> Bluetooth menu. If the Bluetooth switch is green with the slider positioned to the right, it denotes that Bluetooth is turned on enabled.
Also ensure that your iPhone X is paired or connected to your car. To do this, head to Settings-> Bluetooth menu, then under My Devices section you should see the name of your car with a label that says, “Connected” next to it. If you don’t see it this way, then you need to connect your iPhone to your car by going to Settings-> Bluetooth-> Other Devices menu, then tap to select the name of your car from the list of available Bluetooth devices in range. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the pairing process.
Keep your devices in close range. While new Bluetooth technology supports wider proximity range, it’s still safe to keep your devices in close distances to make sure they can communicate clearly.
If the problem persists after confirming the above requisites, then you can proceed and troubleshoot your device.
First solution: Restart your iPhone X and car Bluetooth device.
Minor software glitches and errors are usually rectified by a restart or soft reset. That said, restart your iPhone X and your car to clear any software errors caused by the update that might have prevented them from pairing.
- Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume button until the Slide to Power Off command appears.
- Drag the slider to the right to turn your iPhone X completely off.
- After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Side/Power button again until the Apple logo appears.
Restart your car too and then retry pairing it with your iPhone X.
Second solution: Disable then re-enable Bluetooth on your iPhone X.
To give your iPhone a chance to retry establishing a clean connection with the Bluetooth device, turn Bluetooth off and then back on. A minor software glitch might have occurred the first time you attempted to connect your iPhone X to your car. And in that case, turning Bluetooth off and on can potentially fix the glitch. Bluetooth can be turned on or off via Settings or through the Control Center.
- To turn Bluetooth on or off through the Control Center on your iPhone X, swipe down from the upper-right corner of the screen. Then tap the Bluetooth icon to turn the feature off and then back on.
- To turn Bluetooth on or off through your iPhone settings, go to Settings-> Bluetooth menu, then tap the Bluetooth switch to turn the feature off. After a few seconds, tap the switch again to turn Bluetooth back on.
You will know if Bluetooth is on when the icon is inside a blue circle.
Third solution: Manage CarPlay settings on your car.
Newer car models support CarPlay for safer way to use your iPhone while driving your car. Check and ensure that your car supports this feature. Otherwise, you can’t use it. Once you’ve confirmed that your car supports CarPlay, check and ensure that the feature is properly setup. Here’s what you should do then:
- If your car supports CarPlay over a wired solution, plug in your iPhone X into the USB port of your car. Just look for the USB port labeled with CarPlay icon or a smartphone icon.
- If your car supports wireless CarPlay, press Voice Control buttons and hold the located on the steering wheel to set up CarPlay. Make sure that your car is in Bluetooth pairing or wireless mode.
- On your iPhone X, go to Settings-> General-> CarPlay-> Available Cars then select your car.
- Make sure your car is running, otherwise it won’t be detected by your iPhone.
For further specific instructions on how to use CarPlay on your car, refer to your car’s manual.
Fourth solution: Forget Bluetooth devices on your iPhone X.
Software update may also cause Bluetooth functions or devices to get corrupted and fail to function as you expect. In this case, deleting the Bluetooth device and adding it back would be an option. Doing so allows your iPhone to establish clean connection with your car the next time it attempts to pair. To forget your car as a Bluetooth device on your iPhone X, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Bluetooth.
- Find your car in the list under My Devices.
- Tap the blue “i” or information icon next to it.
- Then tap the option to Forget This Device. Doing so will trigger your iPhone X to forget your car as a Bluetooth device.
- To check if the device has been deleted or forgotten successfully, go to Settings-> Bluetooth-> My Devices menu. The device should no longer show up in this section.
Once you’ve forgotten the Bluetooth device, reboot your iPhone and then re-establish Bluetooth connection by putting the car in pairing mode. After restarting your iPhone X, pair it again with your car with these steps:
- Go to Settings-> Bluetooth-> Other Devices.
- Tap to select the name of your car in the list.
- Then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the setup and pairing process.
If your iPhone X successfully pairs with or connects to your car and Bluetooth car pairing functions work as intended, then the problem is solved. Otherwise, you’ll need to resort to performing resets.
Fifth solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone X.
Some updates override your settings including those associated with your iPhone’s network functions. These overrides can lead to a good or bad output. Apparently in this case, the output is bad since you end up having such trouble with Bluetooth. To fix the problem, try to reset network settings on your iPhone X then configure necessary options individually. Here’s how:
- Open Settings.
- Tap General.
- Scroll to and tap Reset.
- Select Reset Network Settings from the given options.
- Enter your device passcode, if prompted.
- Then tap the option to confirm network settings reset.
Allow your device to finish resetting the network settings to default and restart automatically. All Bluetooth devices and data on your iPhone will be erased, so you will be pairing your devices as if they’re connected for the first time.
After the restart, you will need to enable Bluetooth on your iPhone X to pair or connect it again with your car.
Seek more help
Contact Apple Support or your car manufacturer for further assistance and other options if your iPhone X still cannot pair with or connect to your car through Bluetooth. There might be some options or settings on your car that needs to be enabled for it to establish proper connection with your iPhone X especially after implementing the new iOS version.
Connect with us
If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the new Apple iPhone 7 smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone 7. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.