With Apple CarPlay, iPhone users may use many of their device’s best functions without ever having to take their eyes off the road.
And yet, every once in a while, something happens to throw a wrench into this miraculous tool.
The “greyed out” Apple CarPlay is the topic of today’s discussion.
If you haven’t enabled Apple CarPlay on your phone or if your phone is locked, certain features (or the entire screen) may be inaccessible. Sometimes the issue is a faulty USB port, and other times it’s the lightning wire.
The aforementioned are the most typical causes of Apple CarPlay being disabled, but we’ll also discuss the following.
To get CarPlay working in your vehicle, you may need to do a few extra steps with certain makes and models.
Let’s try to figure out what’s wrong.
Contents
Why Is Apple CarPlay So Grey?
It has nothing to do with the app being in a bad mood or your taste in ’90s grunge music.
Fortunately, after you’ve activated CarPlay and Siri on your iPhone, the underlying issue is usually not too difficult to resolve.
1. Be Sure to Use an MFI Approved USB Lightning Cable
It’s a common issue among Apple customers to experience this. Apple’s iPhone can be picky about the cable you use to charge it or transfer data.
Verify that your replacement lightning cable is MFI-certified before using it.
If you want to know which cables are the best for CarPlay, I recommend checking out my article on the subject.
Apple is a cool company that has a lot of followers, but it doesn’t always get along with its peers. Always have an Apple-certified lightning cable on hand.
Check that the cable is plugged into the vehicle’s designated USB port for data transmission (see Mazda below).
2. Enable CarPlay While Locked
My wife’s iPhone is fully compatible with CarPlay, but mine isn’t.”
Please hold off on the divorce paperwork. Instead, make sure CarPlay is on in the settings of your locked phone.
How? Read on!
Locate the “Settings” option on your mobile device and select it.
Toggle the “General” option.
Select “CarPlay” from the menu.
Locate your car in the database of linked automobiles.
To enable CarPlay while locked, swipe the toggle to the right.
You should re-enter CarPlay at this point. As for the fourth step: Do you have many vehicles on the list that you don’t plan to use with the app? Put simply, erase them. This may fix the greying out you’re experiencing as well.
For additional information, read my piece on activating CarPlay even when the car is locked.
Vehicles That Have Issues With Apple CarPlay being Greyed Out
Some vehicle models have special concerns with Apple CarPlay.
Let’s start with the Apple CarPlay greyed-out Mazda.
Mazda
The Mazda CX-5, for example, is equipped with USB charging connections. Apple CarPlay is not supported by these ports. Instead, the data USB port must be used.
The vehicle’s manual will tell you where this port is situated (in the CX-5, it’s the one closest to the gear shift).
If you’re still experiencing difficulties utilizing CarPlay for your Mazda, and you’ve done the preceding methods as well, go into your phone’s Settings > General > CarPlay > pick “forget this car” and set up CarPlay for the Mazda again.
Subaru
For Subarus, the 2017 model year is the cutoff for compatibility with Apple CarPlay. As of 2017, no models of the Outback had it available, and 2019 was too late for some.
Subaru Apple CarPlay is prone to malfunctions on occasion due to software bugs.
Again, if none of the preceding solutions work, you may try resetting the car’s infotainment system to factory defaults.
A special USB port was designed for use with data transfers in Subarus; plug your CarPlay device into that.
Hyundai
Now let’s talk about the greyed-out Hyundai with Apple CarPlay, where things can get a little hairy if your iPhone isn’t correctly connected to the infotainment screen.
Checking it out is as easy as:
To access this feature, select “Device Connections” from the menu options displayed by the infotainment system.
You should get rid of your iPhone now if it appears here.
Select “Phone Projection” once more and reconnect the iPhone.
And I think that covers everything. In case that doesn’t work, you can always toggle the WiFi and Bluetooth settings.
If that still doesn’t solve the problem, try turning it off and then back on your phone.
Conclusion
Like every piece of software, Apple CarPlay has its quirks.
Between 80% and 90% of problems have immediate solutions.
Verify that the CarPlay firmware is up-to-date, the lightning cable is in a data USB port, and the cable is not damaged or outdated.
Many problems, such as faulty audio, dead displays, and frozen carplay screens, have their roots in the Cable or the program. You can check TheActiveNews.Com for the latest information.