Is my Maps problem in my phone or CarPlay?

[Tangible]

@NewGuy Thanks for your persistence. I’ve reviewed the Apple video you linked to, and at minute 13 it makes your point very clearly. My assumptions were wrong, and I now agree that CarPlay makes use of as much location information, including GPS data, as the car is able to provide.

I'm going to go back and delete or edit my earlier comments wherever possible so as not to mislead others perusing this thread.

Sponsored

 

[astrorob]

@Tangible


Almost every comment I can find online about similar issues state that the gps location data comes from the car.
Here’s a thread from the CarPlay subreddit about it. A quick google search will find hundreds more.



But, more officially, here it is from Apple…

“Sensor information is important to CarPlay.

CarPlay needs location information from the vehicle so that the map's app works well. Speed and GNSS information can be provided. Every vehicle needs to know its speed. Speed information is used by iPhone for dead reckoning and is critical if the vehicle does not have a GPS or GLONASS receiver. GNSS information includes latitude and longitude if the vehicle has that capability.

Satellite location information from the vehicle is used in addition to the iPhone's sensors to determine the location of the user. This data from the vehicle may be better since a larger antenna can be integrated into the car. This is the recommended configuration since it will result in the best maps user experience. Sending satellite location information to iPhone is required if the vehicle has the technology on board. GNSS information is also required for any system supporting wireless CarPlay since it's more likely that the phone will be in a pocket, bag, or somewhere where the phone itself has poor reception.”

Source video. You can pull up the transcript and search that for “location”.

https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2016/722?time=774

What’s your source for the location coming from the phone?

good to know i was wrong. it doesn’t explain why when my wife sits on her phone in the car that the carplay fix goes crazy.

it is possible the mme does not provide the gps fix to the phone, but unlikely since the mme seems to have a pretty modern carplay implementation.

regardless the gps data can not be garbled by a bad lightning cable and music, etc. not. it’s all or nothing with usb.

 

[Larry Paul]

@Tangible


Almost every comment I can find online about similar issues state that the gps location data comes from the car.
Here’s a thread from the CarPlay subreddit about it. A quick google search will find hundreds more.



But, more officially, here it is from Apple…

“Sensor information is important to CarPlay.

CarPlay needs location information from the vehicle so that the map's app works well. Speed and GNSS information can be provided. Every vehicle needs to know its speed. Speed information is used by iPhone for dead reckoning and is critical if the vehicle does not have a GPS or GLONASS receiver. GNSS information includes latitude and longitude if the vehicle has that capability.

Satellite location information from the vehicle is used in addition to the iPhone's sensors to determine the location of the user. This data from the vehicle may be better since a larger antenna can be integrated into the car. This is the recommended configuration since it will result in the best maps user experience. Sending satellite location information to iPhone is required if the vehicle has the technology on board. GNSS information is also required for any system supporting wireless CarPlay since it's more likely that the phone will be in a pocket, bag, or somewhere where the phone itself has poor reception.”

Source video. You can pull up the transcript and search that for “location”.

https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2016/722?time=774

What’s your source for the location coming from the phone?

Thank you for clearing up the mystery...and confirming that it is the GPS in the MME that is confusing the phone (as I thought it was).

 

[Logal727]

It's interference in the console under the Sync screen. If you move the phone to behind the screen on the dash, it fixes itself and no similar issues the whole drive. It seems to happen more when you are connected to a 5G tower than when just on LTE.

I've found turning off 5G fixes the issue as well, hope this helps!

 

[Larry Paul]

It's interference in the console under the Sync screen. If you move the phone to behind the screen on the dash, it fixes itself and no similar issues the whole drive. It seems to happen more when you are connected to a 5G tower than when just on LTE.

I've found turning off 5G fixes the issue as well, hope this helps!

That may explain why the GPS has been stable since I stopped using the wireless charge pad. I use a USB cord plugged into the 12V outlet from the center storage rather than the ones that connect to CarPlay under the dash. I tend to put the phone in the cup holder. Since I have done this...CarPlay GPS has been accurate and the phone is charged without over heating. I still have had 3 times where the car GPS was confused on where it was when it was plugged in to charge, but CarPlay has been stable since moving it off the charge pad.

 

[Logal727]

That may explain why the GPS has been stable since I stopped using the wireless charge pad. I use a USB cord plugged into the 12V outlet from the center storage rather than the ones that connect to CarPlay under the dash. I tend to put the phone in the cup holder. Since I have done this...CarPlay GPS has been accurate and the phone is charged without over heating. I still have had 3 times where the car GPS was confused on where it was when it was plugged in to charge, but CarPlay has been stable since moving it off the charge pad.

Yes, it’s the likely culprit, I was able to get it to be consistent in that area after I bought the Twraps MagSafe charger and turned off 5GUW during my trips (on Verizon btw)

 

[peterlhansen]

This has been an informative discussion for me, as I never knew that the iPhone received GPS data from the car. That said, I've had this accuracy problems when my phone was in my pocket right after starting the car. Perhaps it takes a minute or so for the MME GPS to lock on, so the data comes from the phone at first. I usually place the iPhone on a MagSafe charger attached to the topside of the MME display, and that has never presented a problem. I wonder if the iPhone only uses the MME GPS when it is confident that it provides a superior location.

I believe that heat from the MME wireless charger is because of a poor magnetic connection. The MagSafe charging approach solves this problem, so I never use the MME charger.

 

[curtisfinney]

So the logical conclusion is that two things are combining to cause the problem:

1. The MME’s interior is a better Faraday cage than some other vehicles.

2. Something in the phone’s software is causing the phone to be less good at receiving GPS signals than it was.

I agree, I spent over 10 hours through multiple calls with Apple troubleshooting this. Ive had no problems in other cars. I think something in the Mach-E is interfering with the GPS signal.

 

[curtisfinney]

I had this problem several times just after getting my ‘23 MME. I could be wrong but I concluded that the problem was linked to having the phone sitting on the built-in console charging pad while I used Apple Maps via CarPlay. When I experienced the crazy nav display, I noticed the phone was very hot, which I assumed was because of the inductive charging. I have a relatively thin clear case on the phone, and I wondered if it’s just enough extra thickness to make the inductive charging work harder and generate extra heat in the phone. (I use that kind of charger at home [also with the case on] but have no issue with heat in the phone there).

Now I set the phone in one of the cup holders and have had no problems for many months. I also have a charge cable plugged in for times when I need to recharge the phone.

Agree 100%, biggest problem is wireless charger. I keep mine off that

 

[azerik]

I agree, I spent over 10 hours through multiple calls with Apple troubleshooting this. Ive had no problems in other cars. I think something in the Mach-E is interfering with the GPS signal.

For me something in the drivers door does it. I used to keep my phone in my left pocket. If I do that Car play is all sorts of flakey. Maps are lost, play/pause takes forever. Due to the fact my kid uses my phone to change the Spotify music 80% of the time I put it on a magsafe charger that's in a heavy aluminum stand. When it's there, right next to, but not on top of the factory wireless charger, I have no problems at all.

 

[NewGuy]

I think Ford screwed something up here. Per Apple protocol, the GPS data is supposed to come from the vehicle, but I have a feeling Ford broke that in an update, which forces the phone to have to use its own GPS, which is getting interference.

 

[Tangible]

…I have a feeling Ford broke that in an update, which forces the phone to have to use its own GPS, which is getting interference.

That’s a good hypothesis, because it would explain why mine worked so much better until several weeks ago.

Sponsored