Apple’s iOS 18.4 causing havoc with some CarPlay users

By Bryan M. Wolfe Published April 4, 2025

Ford Digital Experience infotainment system with Apple CarPlay. — Ford

With the release of iOS 18.4, CarPlay users were set to experience new features to improve the in-car experience. Unfortunately, according to AutoEvolution, many users face a series of frustrating bugs following the software release.

A recent Reddit thread highlights several issues. Many iPhone users report various CarPlay connectivity problems following the update to iOS 18.4. One of the most common issues involves the integration with the instrument cluster, where CarPlay no longer displays “Now Playing” information on the car’s gear cluster.

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Connectivity problems are significant, with some users stating that their iPhones are “connecting and disconnecting repeatedly” when using wireless CarPlay. Others have mentioned that it often requires multiple attempts—plugs and unplugs or even car restarting—before CarPlay successfully connects.

Numerous vehicle models have reported these issues, including those from Honda, Mazda, Volkswagen, Audi, and Nissan. Some users noted that Volkswagen customer service has acknowledged the problems associated with iOS 18.4 but pointed out that Apple needs to fix them.

Standard troubleshooting steps such as device reboots and system resets have not resolved the problems for many users. These issues appear to be directly linked to the iOS 18.4 update, as affected users have indicated that everything functioned properly prior to installing this version.

Ironically, iOS 18.4 was meant to introduce several improvements to CarPlay, including support for a third row of app icons on vehicles with larger displays, integration of sports apps, and the ability to select a default navigation app other than Apple Maps for EU users.

Apple has not officially acknowledged these problems or announced when a fix might be available.

Apple released iOS 18.4 earlier this week. In addition to the new CarPlay features mentioned above, this update allows users in the European Union to change their default navigation app. Because of this, Siri voice commands can work seamlessly with third-party apps like Google Maps. This change was made to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

The iOS update also includes new emojis and various other improvements.

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Mobile and A/V Freelancer

Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.

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