A Possible Solution to CarPlay GPS Bugs

Many drivers have experienced a frustrating issue with CarPlay: a frozen GPS signal that renders car navigation useless and even dangerous. Chance Miller, the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, has offered a possible solution to this problem, which has plagued him for nearly a year.

According to Miller, the CarPlay GPS bug is not limited to a specific brand or type of vehicle, affecting both electric and petrol cars. It also occurs with wired and wireless CarPlay and is evident across a wide range of iPhone models, from XS to 15. Even the newly released iOS 17 does not solve the issue.

The bug manifests itself in several ways. First, the GPS connection may freeze and stop updating, causing turn-by-turn directions to halt. Second, the GPS location might inaccurately place the driver in a field or river, despite being on the highway. Third, the GPS location indicator may switch to a large circle radius, rendering turn-by-turn directions useless.

Miller offers two temporary workarounds. One solution is to initiate navigation in Apple Maps, Google Maps, or any other navigation app on the iPhone before connecting to CarPlay. This method appears to reduce the likelihood of CarPlay malfunctioning. Another workaround involves temporarily “waking up” the CarPlay GPS connection by unlocking the iPhone and opening the navigation app.

However, Miller acknowledges that these workarounds are only temporary fixes. The CarPlay GPS bug poses a significant problem, as accurate and reliable turn-by-turn navigation is one of CarPlay’s main features. Miller personally experienced the issue in Dallas and Austin, where the broken GPS left him without directions in chaotic traffic.

If you have encountered CarPlay GPS problems or have your own methods to resolve them, please share your experiences in the comment section below.