You want to connect your iPhone to your car, but you don’t know how to do it. Perhaps you’ve heard of a CarPlay before, but you don’t know if your car supports it. In this article, I’ll explain how to connect an iPhone to car Bluetooth, how to check if your iPhone supports CarPlay, and how to troubleshoot the problem if your iPhone isn’t connecting to your car.
Note: This guide applied to all car models, including Honda, Toyota, and Nissan.
How Do I Connect An iPhone To Car Bluetooth?
To connect an iPhone to car Bluetooth, open Settings and tap Bluetooth. Then, tap the switch next to Bluetooth to turn it on. You’ll know the switch is on when it is green.
Next, tap the name of your car when it appears onscreen, below Other Devices section.
When you successfully pair your iPhone with your car, it will appear under My Device’s section.
What Is Apple CarPlay? How Do I Know If My Car Has CarPlay?
CarPlay is a smarter, safer way to use your iPhone while you drive. You can get directions, make calls, send and receive messages, and enjoy your favorite music. All on your car’s built-in display. CarPlay is compatible with iPhone 5 and newer.
There are more than 800 car models that work with CarPlay. Check this list to see all models that work with CarPlay
You can add CarPlay to your current car with an aftermarket system.
- Alpine
- Blaupunkt
- Clarion
- JVC
- Kenwood
- Pioneer
- Sony
Use CarPlay to connect your iPhone
Once you’ve ensured that your car supports CarPlay, follow these steps to connect your iPhone:
- If your car supports CarPlay using the USB port, plug your iPhone into the USB port of your car or stereo. The USB port might be labeled with a CarPlay icon or a smartphone icon.
- If your car supports wireless CarPlay, press and hold the voice command button on your steering wheel to set up CarPlay. Or make sure that your car is in wireless or Bluetooth pairing mode. Then on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > CarPlay > Available Cars and choose your car. Check the manual that came with your car for more information.
My iPhone Is Not Connecting to Car Bluetooth! What Should I Do?
If you’re having trouble connecting your iPhone to car Bluetooth, we need to find out whether the problem is being caused by your iPhone’s software or hardware.
Let’s address the hardware first: Your iPhone has an antenna that gives it Bluetooth functionality, but that same antenna also helps your iPhone to connect to Wi-Fi. If you’re experiencing Bluetooth and Wi-Fi problems together, that’s a hint that your iPhone may have a hardware problem. But don’t give up — we can’t be sure of that yet.
How To Fix An iPhone That Isn’t Connecting To Car Bluetooth
If your iPhone isn’t connecting to car Bluetooth, we’ll need to go a bit deeper to diagnose your problem.
Follow our step-by-step walkthrough to figure out why youriPhone won’t connect to car Bluetooth so you can fix the problem for good!
Turn Your iPhone Off And Back On Again
Turning your iPhone off and back on is a simple troubleshooting step that can fix minor software glitches which could be the reason why your iPhone won’t connect to car Bluetooth.
To turn off an iPhone 8 or earlier, press and hold the power button until slide to power offappears on the display. Swipe the red and white power icon from left to right to turn off your iPhone. Press and hold the power button again to turn your iPhone back on.
To turn off an iPhone X or newer, simultaneously press and hold either volume button and the side button until slide to power off appears on the display. Slide the red and white power icon from left to right to shut down your iPhone. To turn your iPhone on again, press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
You should also try to restart your car. Remember, the issue might be with your car rather than your iPhone.
Turn Bluetooth Off And Back On Again
Turning Bluetooth off and back on again can sometimes fix minor software glitches that may be preventing your iPhone and car from pairing.
Go to Settings > Bluetooth, and turn off Bluetooth. Wait for about 5 seconds, then turn Bluetooth back on.
Forget Your CarAs A Bluetooth Device
If you’re still unable to pair your car with your iPhone, forget and connect it again.
When you forget your car, it’s as if the car was never connected to your iPhone. Next time you pair your iPhone with your car, it will be like they are connecting for the very first time.To forget your car, go to Settings > Bluetooth, find your car, and tap the More Info button, then Forget this Device. This removes the car from the list of available Bluetooth devices.
To pair and connect your car again, open the Settings app on your iPhone and go to Bluetooth. Tap the name of your car.
Update Your iPhone
As iOS updates come with bug fixes, updating your iPhone to the latest version may help solve the problem when your iPhone won’t connect to car Bluetooth.
Open Settings and tap General > Software Update to check if a new iOS update is available. Tap Update Now if an iOS update is available.
Connect Your iPhone To Your Car Using Cable
Bluetooth is not the only way you can connect your iPhone to your car. When your iPhone won’t connect to car Bluetooth, you can use a trusty USB cable to connect instead. Check the manual that came with your car to learn how to connect an iPhone.
Contact Apple support
If none of our software troubleshooting steps have fixed the problem, it’s time to reach out to Apple. You can contact Apple support online, over the phone, or by setting up an appointment at an Apple store near you. It’s possible that an antenna inside your iPhone has become damaged, preventing you from using Bluetooth.
