We're experiencing an issue where the CarPlay Simulator (from Apple Developer Additional Tools) stopped connecting to our iPhones as of March 4th, 2025. The simulator gets stuck indefinitely on "Connecting to phone" and never completes the pairing. Environment App: Oracle Field Service iOS app (with CarPlay support) Tool: CarPlay Simulator from Apple Developer Additional Tools (developer.apple.com/download/all/) Issue start date: Wednesday, March 4th, 2025 Tested on: Multiple Mac machines, multiple iPhones Multiple CarPlay Simulator versions tested What's happening The CarPlay Simulator launches but displays "Connecting to phone" indefinitely. It was working correctly prior to March 4th with no changes on our end. What still works CarPlay functions correctly when the same iPhone is connected to a real car, confirming the issue is specific to the simulator. Troubleshooting steps already attempted Reset permissions and re-added the simulator Forgot the simulator and re-paired it Changed the USB cable Tested on multiple Mac machines Tested on multiple iPhones Tried multiple versions of the CarPlay Simulator Confirmed no VPN is in use Confirmed with IT, no OS updates or enterprise restrictions were applied Questions Has anyone else experienced this since March 4th? Was there a change in CarPlay Simulator behavior or a requirement on the Apple side (certificate, entitlement, protocol) around that date? Is there a known workaround or fix?

Have a 2019 Ford Edge w/ Sync 3.4, wired carplay. Worked fine w/ iPhone 16 Pro on iOS 18. Upgraded to iPhone 17 Pro, came w/ iOS 26, carplay hasn't worked since. I've kept trying throughout new iOS 26 releases, lately with iOS 26.3 Public Beta 1, still not working. Have a long running issue with updates and system diagnostics as I've tried over the last few months: FB20739050 There is also a Apple support community thread with issues like this (and a ton of others) - my first post there was https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256138283?answerId=261613103022&sortBy=oldest_first#261613103022 I'm hoping here in the developer forums someone can maybe take a look at the feedback item and various system diagnostics to pin-point the issue. I'm a little concerned it's still not fixed this far into the follow-up point releases of iOS 26. Appreciate any help, thanks! --Chuck

In my CarPlaySceneDelegate.swift, I have two tabs: The first tab uses a CPListImageRowItem with a CPListImageRowItemRowElement. The scroll direction is inverted, and the side button does not function correctly. The second tab uses multiple CPListItem objects. There are no issues: scrolling works in the correct direction, and the side button behaves as expected. Steps To Reproduce Launch the app. Connect to CarPlay. In the first tab, scroll up and down, then use the side button to navigate. In the second tab, scroll up and down, then use the side button to navigate. As observed, the scrolling behavior is different between the two tabs. Code Example: import CarPlay import UIKit class CarPlaySceneDelegate: UIResponder, CPTemplateApplicationSceneDelegate { var interfaceController: CPInterfaceController? func templateApplicationScene( _ templateApplicationScene: CPTemplateApplicationScene, didConnect interfaceController: CPInterfaceController ) { self.interfaceController = interfaceController downloadImageAndSetupTemplates() } func templateApplicationScene( _ templateApplicationScene: CPTemplateApplicationScene, didDisconnectInterfaceController interfaceController: CPInterfaceController ) { self.interfaceController = nil } private func downloadImageAndSetupTemplates() { let urlString = "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRcYUjd1FYkF04-8Vb7PKI1mGoF2quLPHKjvnR7V4ReZR8UjW-0NJ_kC7q13eISZGoTCLHaDPVbOthhH9QNq-YA0uuSUjfAoB3PPs1aXQ&s=10" guard let url = URL(string: urlString) else { setupTemplates(with: UIImage(systemName: "photo")!) return } URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: url) { [weak self] data, _, _ in let image: UIImage if let data = data, let downloaded = UIImage(data: data) { image = downloaded } else { image = UIImage(systemName: "photo")! } DispatchQueue.main.async { self?.setupTemplates(with: image) } }.resume() } private func setupTemplates(with image: UIImage) { // Tab 1 : un seul CPListImageRowItem avec 12 CPListImageRowItemRowElement let elements: [CPListImageRowItemRowElement] = (1...12).map { index in CPListImageRowItemRowElement(image: image, title: "test \(index)", subtitle: nil) } let rowItem = CPListImageRowItem(text: "Images", elements: elements, allowsMultipleLines: true) rowItem.listImageRowHandler = { item, elementIndex, completion in print("tapped element \(elementIndex)") completion() } let tab1Section = CPListSection(items: [rowItem]) let tab1Template = CPListTemplate(title: "CPListImageRowItemRowElement", sections: [tab1Section]) // Tab 2 : 12 CPListItem simples let tab2Items: [CPListItem] = (1...12).map { index in let item = CPListItem(text: "Item \(index)", detailText: "Detail \(index)") item.handler = { _, completion in print("handler Tab 2") completion() } return item } let tab2Section = CPListSection(items: tab2Items) let tab2Template = CPListTemplate(title: "CPListItem", sections: [tab2Section]) // CPTabBarTemplate avec les deux tabs let tabBar = CPTabBarTemplate(templates: [tab1Template, tab2Template]) interfaceController?.setRootTemplate(tabBar, animated: true) } } Here is a quick video:

I'm currently trying to develope ipod control function on IVI for vehicle. From previous experience I remember we need to implement iTunetagging, but since I can't find it in Accessory Firmware Specification R46, I'm wondering whether iTunesTagging is no longer support. Thanks in advance for you support!

Hi, After updating to iOS 26.4, we noticed a change in the behavior of CPInformationTemplate in CarPlay. Previously, when creating a CPInformationTemplate with an empty array of CPTextButton (no actions), the bottom action bar was not displayed. However, on iOS 26.4, an empty horizontal bar is now always shown at the bottom, even when no buttons are provided. Example: let item = CPInformationItem(title: "Some item...", detail: "") let template = CPInformationTemplate( title: "Bug demo", layout: .twoColumn, items: [item], actions: [] ) Expected behavior: No bottom bar when there are no actions. Actual behavior on iOS 26.4: An empty bottom bar is always visible. Questions: Is this an intentional change in CarPlay UI behavior? Is there any way to hide the action bar when there are no buttons? Are developers now expected to always provide at least one action? This change negatively affects layouts where the template is used for loading or informational states without actions. Thanks.

Is there a way to trigger the start of my app (just for a short time) when the iPhone is connected to CarPlay (and/or to a car via bluetooth). I could not find anything. I don´t want to apply for CarPlay as I have no intention to show something on the cars screen. Any even small tipp is welcome

Description: I’m using CPListTemplate and creating rows with CPListImageRowItem using the following initializer: if #available(iOS 17.4, *) { self.init(text: titleList, images: imagesRow, imageTitles: titlesRow) } Problem: When displaying 3 items instead of 4, on iOS versions below 26, the items are automatically stretched to fill the available width. This leads to a serious issue: The UI becomes laggy when interacting with the control buttons on the right The interface “jumps” and behaves inconsistently After investigating, I found that: If imageTitles is set to nil, the issue disappears and everything works smoothly Behavior difference: On iOS 26, this issue does not occur Items are no longer stretched when there are only 3 — instead, empty space remains on the right Questions: Is this a known issue or expected behavior on older iOS versions? Is there a recommended workaround besides setting imageTitles = nil?

Device: iPhone 17 Pro Max iOS version: iOS 26.3 CarPlay type: Wired We are encountering two intermittent UI issues in CarPlay when running our music application. The problems occur occasionally and cannot be recovered without restarting the device. Issue 1: CPListImageRowItem image not displaying On the CarPlay home page, some images occasionally fail to appear. Implementation details: The list is updated using CPListTemplate.updateSections. Each item is a CPListImageRowItem. On iOS versions below 26, images are updated using updateImages. On iOS 26, images are provided through CPListImageRowItem.elements, where each element is a CPListImageRowItemRowElement. Observed behavior: Logs confirm that the data is correctly provided. However, in failing cases the CPListImageRowItemRowElement appears with both title and subtitle equal to nil. The image is not rendered in the UI even though the item exists. Issue 2: Now Playing bottom buttons occasionally missing On the Now Playing screen, the bottom control buttons sometimes fail to appear. Implementation details: Buttons are updated using CPNowPlayingTemplate.updateNowPlayingButtons. The buttons are instances of CPNowPlayingImageButton. Observed behavior: Occasionally the buttons are not displayed. Once this occurs, the UI does not recover. Restarting the phone immediately resolves the issue. Additional observations The issue appears to occur intermittently. Once triggered, it persists until the device is rebooted. Similar behavior has been observed in other music apps (for example, QQ Music). Questions Are there known CarPlay UI rendering issues related to CPListImageRowItem or CPNowPlayingTemplate in recent iOS versions? Is there any recommended workaround or lifecycle handling that might prevent these UI elements from failing to render? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Since purchasing my 17 Pro, CarPlay has been an abysmal failure. I’m happy to say since installing 26.4 developer beta, it seems to be working much better.

Running iOS 26.4 and now the smart display zoom feature is no longer showing on my 2024 RAM Uconnect 5 12” radio. Is there anyway to fix this issue?

Hi, In Apple Music on CarPlay, there is a Search button shown next to the Now Playing (NPS) button in the top navigation bar. Tapping this Search button activates Siri voice search. I want to understand: Does CarPlay allow third-party audio apps to add a similar Search button in the top bar (next to the Now Playing button)? Which can be used to trigger Siri from the screen UI (not steering-wheel button or “Hey Siri”)? Is there any supported approach for screen-based Siri activation other than the guidance here: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/carplay/cplisttemplate#Integrating-Siri-Into-Your-Template-App Basically, is the Apple Music search/Siri button a publicly available CarPlay capability, or is it system-reserved?

I just installed IOS 26.4 Beta 1 and on my 2023 Ram i get the Edit Pages option on the bottom. This happened when I first installed IOS 26 and the solution was to go to Display settings in CarPlay and turn off the Smart Zoom. After this latest install the Edit Pages is back and I no longer have the Smart Zoom option to turn off

Hi, I’m working on a proof of concept for a CarPlay application where I need to display multiple Points of Interest, such as EV charging stations and fuel stations. The app will also allow users to book a selected Point of Interest (for example, an EV charging slot). I understand that the app can be registered under the Navigation (turn‑by‑turn) category, but I wanted to check whether it is also possible to register it under the Driving Task category. I also want to know if i can Register for multiple Categories for my car play application.

After recent upgrade to 17Pro, CarPlay no longer lists any audio streaming services-Sirrius XM, Pandora, etc. Did Apple recently drop them from CarPlay approval? They all showed prior to upgrade to 17 and iOS26. If not any recs to get them to show again? Thx Jim

Memory leak in CarPlay when using CPListImageRowItem. The following behavior was observed in the CPListTemplate class when using CPListImageRowItem: If a CPListImageRowItem cell is inserted into the screen, the screen starts to leak, even if it contains no elements (CPListImageRowItem(titleList: nil, imagesRow: [], titlesRow: []). Replacing CPListImageRowItem with CPListItem stops the leak. Using the new initializer for iOS 26 does not correct the issue; the screen still leaks. Class reference: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/carplay/cplistimagerowitem

I'm trying to display CPButtons (CPContactCallButton, CPContactMessageButton) in CPContactTemplate. They are displayed using device with iOS16, but with iOS26 device CPContactTemplate only displays contact image and contact name. No buttons. Is it a bug? I don't have iOS17/18 devices to try.

Is anyone else experiencing issues with CarPlay with this beta update?

Memory leak in CarPlay when using CPTabBarTemplate Reproduced using the code example "Integrating CarPlay with Your Music App" from the official Apple documentation - https://developer.apple.com/documentation/carplay/integrating-carplay-with-your-music-app Steps to reproduce the leak: Download and run the example on CarPlay. Select the Settings tab. Click the first item in the list "Use Apple Music". Click Back button. Repeat steps 3 and 4 several times. Open Debug Memory Graph in xCode and search for "CPGridTemplate" - the count will be greater than 0. Conditions under which the memory leak disappears: If you open and switch to all tabs one by one, the leak disappears.

My app developed with the new Xcode 26 doesn't appear on CarPlay when running on iOS 14–15 devices. My developer has obtained the com.apple.developer.carplay-driving-task permission, but iOS 16+ devices allow my app to display on CarPlay. Can anyone help resolve this issue? Is it because the carplay-driving-task permission is only available for iOS 16+ devices? If I want compatibility with iOS 14–15 devices, do I need to apply to Apple for the carplay-audio permission to use it? Has anyone encountered a similar issue? Thanks!

Hello, Can someone let me know why my car play screen keeps changing and how do I stop the change?