CarPlay GPS Issues

[RedTiv]

Has anyone figured out how to fix the GPS issues within CarPlay. If my phone is not in certain places, it will constantly lose my location. I’ve seen other posts where people had this issue.

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[hybrid2bev]

No fix, but if I lay my phone here on this flat place on the center console then there's no GPS issue with Google Maps. I have a 12v to USB A adaptor in the storage area under the armrest, so I could use a cord to plug in if needed.

 

[Malacandra]

In my experience, the car in is pretty much a Faraday cage with some distinct areas that allow RF reception, such as the places on the window designated for mounting electronic toll collection hardware.

The iPhone 14 Pros have dual-frequency GPS for added precision, but if my phone is kept in my pocket (and with wireless CarPlay it was my hope that it could stay there) the CarPlay map apps put me all over the place.

However, my experience is that the Qi charging tray is one of the areas that has good GPS reception - and I can't imagine that's a coincidence.

 

[glenthompson]

I got the Asok tray for the top of the main display and usually keep my phone there. My worst reception is in my left pocket. Charging tray seems to do well.

 

[TheVirtualTim]

I _sometimes_ have problems with GPS if the phone is on the Qi charging mat. I tend to put it either in a cup-holder or just to the right of the transmission selector knob -- and have had pretty reliable accuracy in both of those spots (also I sometimes just toss it on the passenger seat if I'm the only one in the car.)

 

[steveg95]

Has anyone figured out how to fix the GPS issues within CarPlay. If my phone is not in certain places, it will constantly lose my location. I’ve seen other posts where people had this issue.

I have a WeatherTech cup holder for my iPhone 14. If I forget to take the phone out of my pocket when I jump in the car, the GPS works very poorly or not at all. As soon as I put it in the cupholder mount, all is good.

 

[eire1976]

My GPS flips out of my iPhone 14 is on or near the charging tray. My phone overheats and stops charging anyway if it's on the charging tray. Spoken to the dealer about this and they, of course, found no issue. Like hybrid2bev's post, I keep my phone on the center console with a charging cord.

 

[Vulnox]

Yeah the MME definitely seems unique on the signal blocking front at times. Our F-150 I can put the phone almost anywhere (within reason) and it's good for GPS. The MME is usually fine, but as others noted it doesn't like the charging mat.

I installed one of these when we first got the car:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JV6W1TC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

It was originally designed for Tesla, but fits the MME perfectly. Looks like they have an updated version now too. Not only does it hold the phone solid, it places it almost right under the little mesh area of the windshield where signal is less blocked. Phone also gets plenty of ventilation overcoming the wireless charging heat issues. I also like it being right there so when we get to our destination I can easily grab it and go. 10/10 product for the MME in my book.

 

[SprManKalEl]

I was having a serious issue. It would put me in the backyards of the homes I was driving by, say I was going in the opposite direction, not reroute, and generally just freeze. I reported it to Apple through chat a few times and finally decided it was time to visit the Genius Bar where they replaced everything inside my phone so my iphone 13 Pro is brand new except for the outer shell. Then, initially, I was having some trouble but I keep my phone in the area underneath the display. I do not use wireless charging, only a wired connection. I lay the phone on the extra cable. I have also noticed that if I wait until I exit a parking structure before attempting use Apple Maps, it works better. If it acts up, i hold the phone to the black dotted spot to the left of the rearview mirror and it usually gets back to normal fairly quickly.

 

[Chuck]

Has anyone figured out how to fix the GPS issues within CarPlay. If my phone is not in certain places, it will constantly lose my location. I’ve seen other posts where people had this issue.

I don't use Carplay but, instead have Android Auto. I know that AA uses the car's GPS and not the phone. Is it different' for Carplay?

 

[Ford Motor Company]

I was having a serious issue. It would put me in the backyards of the homes I was driving by, say I was going in the opposite direction, not reroute, and generally just freeze. I reported it to Apple through chat a few times and finally decided it was time to visit the Genius Bar where they replaced everything inside my phone so my iphone 13 Pro is brand new except for the outer shell. Then, initially, I was having some trouble but I keep my phone in the area underneath the display. I do not use wireless charging, only a wired connection. I lay the phone on the extra cable. I have also noticed that if I wait until I exit a parking structure before attempting use Apple Maps, it works better. If it acts up, i hold the phone to the black dotted spot to the left of the rearview mirror and it usually gets back to normal fairly quickly.

Hey, Gerry! I can take a closer look into your Carplay concerns if you'd like. Can you send us a direct message with your VIN and the dealership name/location? To send a DM, just click on our username and select "Start Conversation".

 

[RedTiv]

Hey, Gerry! I can take a closer look into your Carplay concerns if you'd like. Can you send us a direct message with your VIN and the dealership name/location? To send a DM, just click on our username and select "Start Conversation".

Wait, I was the one with the first issue

 

[txaggies07]

I don't use Carplay but, instead have Android Auto. I know that AA uses the car's GPS and not the phone. Is it different' for Carplay?

I thought it was supposed to but it really doesn't look like it is.

 

[Vulnox]

I don't use Carplay but, instead have Android Auto. I know that AA uses the car's GPS and not the phone. Is it different' for Carplay?

Yeah that's an odd part, and I think it may depend more on application than device. I know in the F-150 at one point Waze had a bug where in CarPlay it would show your speed as being 10 MPH faster than you were actually going. This was a problem with a Sync 3 update (this was with my 2019 F-150) where it wasn't passing the correct value to CarPlay from the vehicle. But not every app had the problem.

So I suspect some apps use the car GPS when connected and some use the phone's. Seems that Apple Maps at least uses the phone GPS.

 

[Tangible]

I have this problem too, but as I explained in another thread, it only started for me recently. For nearly two years I kept the phone in my pocket, and the GPS was flawless. Then one day in the last couple of months it stopped working unless I haul the phone out and put it on the dashboard.

I believe that though CarPlay is designed to use the car GPS when there is one, it has stopped doing so. My guess is that something broke that functionality in either a Ford software update or an iPhone software update.

Getting a fix for something this subtle, in a two-vendor environment, is beyond my patience level. Current plan is to start thinking about it again if it doesn’t magically get fixed in iOS 17 (next week), or in my iPhone 15 Pro Max (next month???).

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