Apple CarPlay Not Working On My Honda – What To Do?

Are you having trouble getting Apple CarPlay to work on your Honda, and do you want to know how to resolve the issue? You’ve come to the right place, for we have researched this question, and we have the answer for you.

Follow the steps below to fix the connection problem between your Honda and Apple CarPlay:

  1. Restart your iPhone.
  2. Turn off your car and then turn it back on.
  3. “Forget” your car from the list of available cars if it is already there.
  4. Repeat the CarPlay setup.
  5. If you’re using a USB connection, use a different cable to eliminate the possibility of a bad cable. Try to connect using a different USB port.

Read about the detailed steps in the succeeding sections. We also included the prerequisites to make Apply CarPlay work on your Honda. Read on!

A 2020 Honda Civic sedan at a dealership. - Apple CarPlay Not Working On My Honda - What To Do

What are the prerequisites for Apple CarPlay to work with Honda?

Apple CarPlay has prerequisites before it can work with your Honda. Without even one of these prerequisites, Apply CarPlay will likely fail to work with your Honda.

Here are the prerequisites to make your Apple CarPlay work with your Honda:

Siri Must Be Active On Your Phone

Everyone knows what Siri is, Apple’s voice-controlled personal assistant. She or he has been around for several years and has developed significantly to keep up with Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.

Siri works seamlessly with CarPlay—giving you directions to a local shop, reminding you of your next meeting, or managing the songs to play while you drive.

So, you need Siri to be active before you connect to your Honda.

How to activate Siri on my iPhone?

To activate Siri, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to iPhone settings. You should have an icon for “Settings” on your home screen.
  2. Look for “Siri & Search” and tap it.
  3. There is a toggle switch on top. Tap it to enable Siri. It will turn green and enable “Listen for 'Hey, Siri'” on your iPhone.
  4. You will get a prompt to set up “Hey, Siri.” Tap “Continue” to proceed.
  5. A prompt will ask you to calibrate Siri by speaking a series of phrases. Your iPhone will register how you say these phrases. This calibration helps Siri understand your voice and how you pronounce words. This allows Siri to react appropriately to your voice command.
  6. Complete the configuration by tapping “Done.”

CarPlay Must Be Supported On Your Phone And By Your Honda

CarPlay is Apple’s way of giving you access to the useful features of your phone while driving. It makes it safe to access these features even while driving by providing a simplified interface on the infotainment system.

CarPlay can only run on iOS 7.1 or later from an iPhone 5 or newer. Moreover, CarPlay is only available in certain regions.

You need to activate Siri before activating CarPlay. Another requirement for CarPlay is a head unit on your Honda that supports CarPlay. So, if the head unit on your Honda doesn’t support CarPlay, then it wouldn’t work on your Honda.

Update Head Unit Or Stereo To Latest Firmware

Firmware is software that makes the hardware in most devices work the way they’re supposed to work. Updates to the Firmware make these devices work better. It also gives them better compatibility with other devices.

Consult the user manual of your head unit on how to update its Firmware. This will ensure that it will be compatible with the updated version of CarPlay on your iPhone.

How to set up Apple CarPlay?

Once Siri and CarPlay are running on your iPhone, follow the steps below to setup Apply CarPlay on your Honda:

  1. Use a genuine lightning cable to connect your iPhone to a USB port on your Honda. Some USB ports have a special CarPlay icon. If one of the USB ports on your Honda has a CarPlay label, connect your iPhone to that USB port. You can connect to the head unit through Bluetooth if both your iPhone and the head unit support wireless connectivity for CarPlay.
  2. Look for the voice command button on your steering wheel. Press and hold this button. This will initiate the CarPlay configuration.
  3. On your iPhone, go to “Settings.”
  4. Tap on “General.”
  5. Look for “CarPlay” and tap it.
  6. Select “Available Cars” and look for your car. Select your car.

Common Reasons Why Apple CarPlay Doesn’t Work On Your Honda

pple CarPlay main screen in modern car dashboard. CarPlay is an Apple standard that enables a car radio or head unit to be a display and controller for an iPhone.

Missing updates on your iOS can cause your CarPlay to not work with your Honda head unit. This can also cause a previously working CarPlay to suddenly stop working. To resolve this issue, connect your iPhone to a stable internet connection and power source and then run all available updates.

Reconfigure the CarPlay connection by following the steps we provided above, and it should solve your connectivity issues.

Bluetooth Connectivity Problems

Another common issue that prevents your CarPlay from connecting to your head unit is a third-party device that is connected to the head unit via Bluetooth.

Some third-party devices—and even other mobile phones—can interrupt the connectivity of CarPlay and your head unit. CarPlay sometimes sees these devices as using the same resources on your head unit that CarPlay needs and thus prevents CarPlay from connecting.

To resolve this issue, simply ensure that there is no device connected to your head unit through Bluetooth. This is even more important if you’re connecting your iPhone to your head unit via Bluetooth.

Device Compatibility

If there is even the slightest incompatibility between the software on your Honda’s head unit and your iPhone, then they will have issues with connectivity. In most cases, a Firmware update for the head unit and an iOS update for your iPhone will resolve this issue.

CarPlay Is Disabled

The head units in some Honda models can disable CarPlay connectivity. This will prevent CarPlay from working with your Honda.

Refer to the user guide of your Honda and look for steps to enable CarPlay connectivity. Once connectivity is active, follow the steps above to set up CarPlay on your Honda.

Is there a monthly charge for Apple CarPlay?

Details of App and icons on the the Apple CarPlay main screen in modern car dashboard during driving Mapos, music and Podcasts

Using CarPlay on your Honda doesn’t cost anything.

However, you might need to be connected to the internet to access messaging, podcasts, or music. Internet connectivity will consume your data allocation, and this will cost you the normal cost of maintaining your data subscription unless you go over your data limit.

What is the difference between Bluetooth and CarPlay?

Many reviewers consider Apple CarPlay to be better than Bluetooth. CarPlay allows you to access Siri to make phone calls, access calendar entries, send SMS, listen to playlists, or get directions to any location without taking your hands off the steering wheel.

Bluetooth, on the other hand, only allows you to play music and make phone calls.

Does Apple CarPlay only work when plugged in?

Many head units only work when your iPhone is plugged in via the lightning cable. However, newer Honda models have head units that support iPhone connectivity via a wireless connection.

Setup your CarPlay using the lightning cable first. Once your CarPlay is working via a cable connection, try to connect wirelessly to the head unit. If you’re able to connect wirelessly, then you do not need to connect the lightning cable to access CarPlay.

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Why is my iPhone not connecting to my car via USB?

Apple CarPlay app on iPhone X, smart mobile application connected to Honda car for travel map, hand free phone call, online music on transportation vehicle safety

Check the prerequisite list above and make sure your Honda and iPhone have them. Follow the steps we provided above to repeat the setup of Apple CarPlay.

Does Honda support wireless CarPlay?

There’s been an increase in the number of car models that use wireless CarPlay in recent years. Thus, to keep up, Honda first released its wireless CarPlay support with the 2021 Accord. It is now available too in the 2022 Civic.

How do I use CarPlay without Wi-Fi?

Using CarPlay without Wi-Fi is only possible with iOS 13 or newer.

Shortcuts is an app that works only in iOS 13 or newer iOS versions. It allows users to create automation within their iPhones. Check out how you can use Shortcuts to personalize Apple CarPlay.

Disabling Wi-Fi when you launch CarPlay can be done with simple automation. Follow the steps below to achieve this:

  1. Launch “Shortcuts.”
  2. Look for the “Automation” button and tap on it.
  3. Select the option “Create Personal Automation” from the list of different events on the screen.
  4. Next, select CarPlay under the “Travel” section.
  5. Choose “Connects” from the next screen by tapping on it.
  6. Tap on “Next” and then “Add Action.”
  7. Select the Scripting button.
  8. Look for the Network section, then look for the “Set Wi-Fi” option.
  9. Toggle the On/Off selector and be sure that it is set to “Off.”
  10. Click “Next,” and your automation is complete. Your automation will cause your iPhone to disable Wi-Fi whenever your CarPlay is active.
  11. Follow the same steps above. This time, create automation to re-enable the Wi-Fi automatically whenever CarPlay is disconnected.

Conclusion

 A 2020 Honda Civic sedan at a dealership.

Apple CarPlay has several prerequisites that affect its ability to connect to your Honda. Make sure these prerequisites are completed before connecting CarPlay and your car.

If you enjoyed reading this article, you might find the articles below equally enjoyable to read:

My Honda Accord Key Is Stuck In The Ignition—What To Do?

How Do I Know What Engine Is In My Honda Civic?

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