Apple CarPlay bug causing misery for iOS users

The rollout of the relatively new iOS 15 hasn't been plain sailing thanks to a bad run of bugs and glitches. Though teething problems are to be expected in the months that follow the launch of a new OS, several of these issues have begun to affect CarPlay. 

Various users are reporting that the Apple service is automatically taking over the audio inside of vehicles' cabins. Naturally, this is far from ideal when you're trying to travel. Aside from users having to grapple with a misbehaving Apple CarPlay, which disrupts navigation, it appears that no one yet knows what to do to fix it. 

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The new CarPlay issue doesn't just stem from a single complainant, either: reports of the unusual bug that crashes the app just as a user selects a song to play is rife on the official Apple forums, spreading like wildfire across the many troubleshooting threads, as users seek answers in and amongst the gallery of similarly baffled users. 

For instance, in response to a suggestion to switch devices, one forum user reports that they've been experiencing the same problem with CarPlay, albeit with three different phones and three different cars – all three of which have suffered the same recurring issue. Manually changing the audio source has no impact on the setup because CarPlay automatically takes over the audio without letting you change it.

CarPlay in control

Android Auto has been experiencing its own share of grievances over the last few months as it gears up to retire the Android Auto phone app and launch the brand new driving mode bundled in with Google Maps. However, we can't yet recall one instance in which users have reported that the audio is hijacked by the in-car setup. Right now, this appears to be what's happening to a range of CarPlay users who're simply looking to mirror their best iPhone devices on their in-car head unit. 

Apple hasn't issued any guidance on how to resolve the issue, nor is there any word on a potential fix or timeline for a possible patch, which is bad news for people who rely on audio during their travels. Unfortunately, a simple switch to Android Auto isn't the easiest solution for most users, either, as most CarPlay users are likely locked into the Apple ecosystem. 

But if you do happen to have access to an Android-powered device, then a setup that uses one of the models from our best Android Auto head unit list, in addition to one of the best Android phones could be a suitable workaround in the meantime for what seems to be a very Apple-centric issue before a proper fix has been issued.