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Apple Carplay not working on Mazda: how to fix

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Carplay is a great navigation app for modern cars. However, Mazda drivers keep complaining to us in 2023. They describe various technical errors related to the operation of Carplay. Basically, Mazda cars are experiencing the same symptoms as Audi or Toyota.

Today, we're going to tell you how to fix the most common Carplay errors on Mazda cars manufactured after 2015.

Table of Contents

Error 1. CarPlay is not compatible with the current region

Not all CarPlay bugs are due to technical errors. It's possible that the Mazda car's firmware works without problems, just like the iPhone and you don't need to upgrade the infotainment system. At the same time, due to the incompatibility of CarPlay with the current country where you are, the application may not start.

Such symptoms are typical for the following car models:

  • Mazda CX-5 (2017-2023)
  • Mazda3 (2017-2023)
  • Mazda6 (2017-2023)

Solution.

Check if the country you are in is supported by the Carplay app. You can check by going to the official Apple website and finding the required country in the list of countries.

If you have not found the country or region, the problem of incompatibility of Carplay is not so simple to solve: you will need to change the location, i.e. to use Carplay in another country.

In any case, we advise you to contact a service center or a Mazda dealer to find out the details.

Error 2. Outdated iOS version

Carplay is software installed on iOS. Accordingly, technical problems faced by Mazda owners may be due to incorrect operation of the iOS device.

  • Mazda CX-3 (2017-2023)
  • Mazda MX-5 Miata (2017-2023)
  • Mazda CX-9 (2017-2023)

Solution.

Update both Carplay and iOS on your iPhone. This will avoid errors common to previous versions of Carplay. For example, one of the previous versions of Carplay had a GPS satellite search error after installing updates. The current version of iOS does not have such a problem.

How to update iOS is described in the manual.

Error 3. CarPlay is in the list of banned apps on iOS

If CarPlay is built into the Mazda Infotainment system, the app may be blocked due to iOS restrictions. The fact is that the operating system may block the Carplay app's requests to the system if the user has set appropriate restrictions using the security policies on the iPhone. An example of cars that are characterized by this error:

  • Mazda CX-30 (2020-2023)
  • Mazda CX-8 (2018-2023)
  • Mazda CX-4 (2018-2023)

Solution.

Checking your safety settings on iOS is easy:

  1. Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions
  2. In the Allowed Apps list, find CarPlay and enable the app to allow access to it.

Generally, this error happens very rarely in Mazda cars due to iOS restrictions, but it's still worth checking - maybe the iPhone user has set too many restrictions, taking care of his security.

Error 4. Carplay connection problem with the car

The connection between Carplay and Mazda may be malfunctioning. In particular, this error is seen in Mazda vehicles that use a wireless connection between Carplay and the head unit.

Often, you can fix this bug by reestablishing a wireless WiFi or wired USB connection.

This bug is most commonly seen in Mazda CX-7 vehicles (2017-2021).

Solution

To do this, follow the steps on your iPhone:

  1. Go to Settings > General.
  2. Under CarPlay, find the Forget This Car option next to the name of your car brand.
  3. Re-establish the connection between CarPlay and your vehicle.

Error 5. Your Mazda is not equipped with Apple CarPlay

If your Mazda's entertainment system does not include CarPlay, you will not be able to use this navigation software in your car. Mostly, the problem is observed in Mazda made before 2019:

Examples of car brands with CarPlay compatibility issues:

  • Mazda3 (2003-2018)
  • Mazda6 (2003-2018)
  • Mazda CX-3 (2015-2018)
  • Mazda CX-5 (2013-2018)
  • Mazda CX-9 (2007-2018)

Solution.

Make sure your vehicle make is listed:

  • Mazda3 (2019 - 2021)
  • Mazda6 (2019 - 2021)
  • Mazda MX-5 Miata (2019 - 2021)
  • Mazda CX-3 (2019 - 2021)
  • Mazda CX-30 (2020 - 2021)
  • Mazda CX-5 (2019 - 2021)
  • Mazda CX-9 (2019 - 2021)

Theoretically, Apple CarPlay may work on other Mazda models as well, we advise you to contact your car dealer for more details.

Error 6. Your iPhone is not compatible with Apple CarPlay

If you're using a very old version of your iPhone, you most likely won't be able to run CarPlay on your head unit. However, the first version of Carplay was released in 2014, so if your iPhone is about 10 years old, you shouldn't have this kind of problem.

Solution.

Use a modern version of the iPhone to navigate via CarPlay in your Mazda vehicle.

The following Apple CarPlay compatible models are available: iPhone 5 or later (iPhone 12 and 12 mini, iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max, XS, XS Max, XR, X, 8 Plus, 8, 7 Plus, 7, 6s Plus, 6s, 6 Plus, 6, SE, and 5s)

Other reasons why Carplay does not work on your Mazda

  1. You have not updated your Mazda’s software to the latest version
  2. iPhone software is not up to date
  3. iOS device is not connected to the USB port
  4. USB port is not working
  5. Сar’s Bluetooth connection is not working
  6. You have not enabled Apple CarPlay on your iPhone
  7. Your Mazda’s display has not been set up for CarPlay
  8. Your car needs a firmware update to enable Apple CarPlay

Ilia is a professional writer. He has expert knowledge in GPS and cartography with 15 years of experience. Additionally, Ilia has extensive experience in data recovery on PC and mobile. He started his career as a journalist by reviewing PC and mobile apps. His current responsibilities are to keep track of users' questions on MGT and answer them.