GPS applications bug in Carplay mode

A new bug that seems to be affecting Carplay owners is making navigation apps like Waze and Apple Maps (and in some cases Google Maps) extremely inaccurate and ultimately giving drivers the wrong directions. Let's take a look at what the solutions are.

ENCOUNTERED PROBLEM

It's not clear what's causing the problem, but the reports are coming from CarPlay users, regardless of the make of the vehicle, so ultimately the problem may be related to how the iPhone receives data from the car's GPS (if available) for navigation purposes.

The problem only occurs when connected wirelessly, in which case CarPlay should prefer the car's GPS to the built-in iPhone. As a result, the communication between the vehicle and the smartphone does not necessarily appear to be synchronized, which can lead to GPS accuracy issues.

It's not hard to see where such a situation could lead. Apple Carplay owners and users have reported that they ended up being pointed in the wrong direction and, in some cases, told to turn right or left on one-way streets.

This likely happens because Waze, Apple Maps and other navigation apps can't determine the car's location, so use approximate locations for navigation guidance.

Unfortunately, this makes it impossible to use Google Maps, Waze and Apple Maps with CarPlay in use, and the only fix that seems to produce an improvement is to restart everything. In other words, all you have to do is restart the iPhone and the console itself, though it seems like a matter of luck to fix the problem for now.

SOLUTION

"Since information on this problem is rather limited, it is still impossible to say exactly who should provide a solution." Our team has heard this many times indeed. The "trick", we have actually figured out and it's not a real bug actually. It can affect anyone, any brand of vehicle. We noticed that keeping the Iphone in the pocket or in the box of the central armrest can create this bug. It is indeed a question of reception and nothing else. If you take your Iphone out of your pocket for example and put it in the slot at the level of the gearshift, you will simply notice that the GPS will update itself because yes, the antenna used for Carplay is the one of your Iphone. So if no GPS reception, bad display of GPS data expected.

Needless to say, neither the car manufacturers nor Apple have acknowledged the problem so far, so it's best not to hold your breath waiting for a solution. A new iOS update is expected to be released in early 2023, but it's too early to tell if a fix for this problem should be included in that version.