Drivers warned of "dangerous and unusable" Apple CarPlay navigation bug
Wrong-turn-by-wrong-turn.
![CarPlay dashboard](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eXZ2gVmUxhGKzYpELTAgvh-320-80.jpg)
Drivers using Apple CarPlay have been warned of a bug that makes navigation apps including Apple Maps “unusable and dangerous” while driving, and it turns out the bug could be more widespread than first thought.
The issue is related to GPS, which “continually bugs out and completely breaks navigation via Apple Maps, Google Maps, or any other navigation app,” rendering users unable to navigate while using CarPlay and a connected iPhone.
9to5Mac’s Chance Miller first reported the issues a few days ago, and says it's a problem “I’ve been experiencing on and off for nearly a year.” Turns out “a lot of CarPlay users” are also facing the same problem, so what’s going on?
Wrong turn for CarPlay?
Miller says his issues are affecting his Ford Mustang Mach-E, but that the problem isn’t exclusive to either that model or Ford in general. “The bug is simple,” Miller writes “When connected via CarPlay, the GPS functionality is unreliable. This manifests itself in a handful of different ways.”
Issues listed include the GPS connection totally freezing and ceasing to update while driving, or that it ”freaks out” and shows the car driving through a field or river rather than the highway. The GPS indicator also sometimes switches to a larger circle. All three render turn-by-turn navigation unusable.
This is an issue that has reportedly been going on for almost a year, other affected vehicles listed include Volkswagens, Toyotas, BMWs, other Fords, and more.
Miller says the only existing workaround he’s found is to begin navigation on your iPhone before connecting it to your vehicle, which “significantly reduces” the chances of it bugging out. Unlocking your iPhone and opening the navigation app can also sometimes alleviate the issue, although picking up your iPhone while driving is of course dangerous (and usually illegal).
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The report warns that the problem is not only inconvenient (missed directions etc), but also dangerous, with CarPlay navigation failing “in chaotic traffic”. The combination of being stuck without navigation guidance and the distraction of an issue on the dashboard is one motorists should try to avoid at all costs. So if you’re having similar issues, the aforementioned workaround (starting navigation before connecting, not using your iPhone while driving) should be useful.
Ultimately, a more permanent fix from Apple seems needed to alleviate the problem, and we've reached out to the company regarding this issue.
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Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design. Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9
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Annie_M I drive a Subaru and have never experienced any of these issues, but it's good to be aware that they exist.Reply -
gian posatiere I have a friend that has this issue for a couple years thru multiple different iPhones on multiple different cars. That tells us it's most likely another app on your phone causing the problem.Reply -
valkraider Not the best article.Reply
“Drivers warned of”
What does that mean? It all seems anecdotal at best.
What is the warning? We have never experienced anything like this with our family, multiple phones, multiple vehicles, multiple manufacturers, wireless and wired. So your warning is just as anecdotal as my rebuttal.
“The bug is simple”
Is it? Did you find the details, or the root cause? Did you send the “simple” details to Apple?
Is iMore just quoting other sites now?
Usually when connected to CarPlay the phone and the car share GPS information - so it’s likely the bug is with the infotainment system since disconnecting the phone corrects it.
I am wondering if all of the listed vehicles on the 9to5mac article share similar underlying code for that part of the infotainment…
I don’t think they all use the same OS, but it’s possible that there is a common infotainment or GPS code base or library in use there. -
EdwinG It happened on my car, and I found that it comes from the car’s GPS antenna.Reply
How?
I switched to the built in satnav, and it showed me driving east-west instead of north-south. -
Just_Me_D I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary with CarPlay, but I’ll be sure to try to replicate the issue, if possible.Reply -
Lee_Bo No issues with our Honda’s since we’ve had them (several years).Reply
And I just returned from a trip out went in a ‘22 Nissan Armada with no issues using Google Maps.
Is there any info on what device/iOS version is being used in these vehicles? I don’t think this is a CarPlay issue as much as an individual car/device/OS combination. -
EdwinG
In my case, it’s iOS 14-16 on iPhone 11 Pro in a Volkswagen Jetta.Lee_Bo said:No issues with our Honda’s since we’ve had them (several years).
And I just returned from a trip out went in a ‘22 Nissan Armada with no issues using Google Maps.
Is there any info on what device/iOS version is being used in these vehicles? I don’t think this is a CarPlay issue as much as an individual car/device/OS combination.
I have not seen it occur on iOS 17 yet. -
Lee_Bo EdwinG said:In my case, it’s iOS 14-16 on iPhone 11 Pro in a Volkswagen Jetta.
I have not seen it occur on iOS 17 yet.
Ah, ok.
I didn’t have any issues on iOS 16 on 11PM or 14PM, 2018 and 2019 Honda CRV’s. However, both cars have CarPlay WiFi adapters. -
EdwinG
Yeah… I have native CarPlay in my car.Lee_Bo said:Ah, ok.
I didn’t have any issues on iOS 16 on 11PM or 14PM, 2018 and 2019 Honda CRV’s. However, both cars have CarPlay WiFi adapters.
For it to behave like mine did, it needs to use the car’s GPS receiver. I don’t think that a wireless adapter would do so.
Also, one thing that needs to be correlated is the schedule of the USA testing the GPS system. That can degrade the signal to the point of making it faulty.