Woman Drives New Chevrolet Trailblazer. Then Her iPhone Updates. Then Apple CarPlay Stops Working

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have been gamechangers in the car industry.

Before the debut of this software, trying to get your phone to work in your car involved navigating a complex maze of proprietary menus. Not only that, but the lack of uniformity between vehicles meant that every one worked, and looked, a little bit different—making it difficult to figure out how to set up your phone in a new car.

Now, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have largely become standard. However, that doesn’t mean that they always work as designed, as one user on TikTok recently shared.

What’s Wrong With Her Chevrolet?

In a video with over 49,000 views, TikTok user Kenz (@_kenzzzb) details a recent problem she’s been having with her Chevrolet Trailblazer. According to her, the problem is her Apple CarPlay.

“I get in my car, it automatically connects to my phone, okay? I don't have to plug it in,” she starts. “Except, half the time now, this is what it does.”

She then goes to her settings and turns Apple CarPlay off and on. Then she tries to connect to her phone. The screen plays a loading animation, but does not start Apple CarPlay.

“I've turned my car on and off, tried to reset the Apple Carplay. Turned my Bluetooth on and off on my phone,” she explains. “Then, if I plug it in with the cord, then it connects to the screen here—but the audio plays through my phone.”

After noting that she’s tried updating the car’s software, she says CarPlay still does not work.

“So, the next option is to set the car on fire,” she jokes.

Is This A Known Issue With Trailblazers?

Her CarPlay problem has been reported across several Chevy Trailblazer models. Thankfully, Chevrolet has published a guide on the best ways to resolve the problem.

To start, you should make sure the software of both the car and the phone is up to date. From there, you should fully restart your vehicle and phone. For the phone, this means a simple power cycle. For the car, this involves turning off the car, opening and closing the driver’s side door, waiting for the OnStar LED to go out, then opening and closing the driver’s side door again, then restarting the vehicle. After letting the vehicle run for 15 to 20 seconds, you can attempt to reconnect to CarPlay.

If this does not work, there are other steps you can take. Experts recommend deleting the saved data of the phone from the car, and the saved data of the car from the phone. This can be done by navigating to the Bluetooth section of both devices and hitting “Forget” or “Delete” on the Bluetooth connection.

After that, you should restart both devices following the directions laid out above. From there, you can reconnect your phone, which should hopefully resolve the issue.

If this, too, does not work, and you’ve attempted all other tips laid out on Chevrolet’s website, it may be best to simply take the car back to the dealership.

“It Should Reset”

In the comments section, users claimed to have comparable issues. Many offered their own solutions.

“Hold down the phone button on your steering wheel,” advised a user. “It should reset the infotainment system.”

“It says to check your phone for messages…have you checked your phone?” asked another. “Sometimes after an update or reset you get a prompt to enable CarPlay on your phone and it won’t connect until you select yes/enable.”

That said, some claimed that issues like these were merely an inevitability given modern technology.

“I think this may be an issue with Apple itself. I have these issues in my Hyundai Sonata with the wireless CarPlay. If I turn my phone on and off it’ll connect just fine,” detailed a commenter. “Apple is really going downhill.”

“This is an iPhone problem. I have a 2019 GMC Sierra. And I had to look up Apple CarPlay, and there are multitude of issues with the system on iPhone,” shared a second. “I just hardwired mine in with the cable. It’s better even then it’s not a guaranteed fix.”

Motor1 reached out to Chevrolet via email and Kenz via TikTok direct message and comment. This post will be updated if either responds.