Apple CarPlay Issues on Stock Head Unit

So on my 2020 SR5 it has the stock head unit with Nav. when I hook my iPhone up to it lately phone calls are bad. Like I hear static and the head unit display hangs up.

Hang up as in the screen it normally shows a timer of how long the call is, mine gets stuck showing call placing.

Additionally the call quality is bad. Clicky and such.

I’ve tried it on brand new iPhone 16 with latest update, brand new Anker usb cable and the head unit says it doesn’t need a software update.

The only thing I haven’t replaced is the part where it plugs in the truck.

Other functions such as Apple Maps and Audible seem to work fine. With some lag.

is there a fix other than replacing the head unit?

 

Sorry double post, meant to put in 2.5 Gen forum. Thought I did

 

I am having some of the same issues with my 2020, albeit with an iPhone 13. Sometimes the CarPlay visuals will be grainy and crazy looking, like a display driver has partially crashed and didn’t recover all the way.


Unless someone chimes in with a fix that worked for them, we’re probably each going to have to decide how bad it is and how long you’re willing to tolerate it before you replace the HU with an aftermarket something.

imho this problem occurs because more and more stuff thrown into features like CarPlay on the apple side, and as that feature set expands it’s certainly not backdtested against old hardware/firmware by Toyota…I don’t expect them to publish a new entune update at all for us, let alone at the rate I got them when the truck was new. Sure would be nice but I don’t have my hopes up.

I’d be interested to know if anyone that already has an aftermarket HU also has this problem - was CarPlay or android auto really good when you first got the thing and performance has degraded?

 

Funny, I had an iPhone 13 Pro, and assumed it was because the phone was older. But having same problem with new iPhone 16 Pro so almost certainly Toyota problem.
Biggest problem for me is phone calls. I have to unplug phone and use bluetooth for the call. Crazy how bluetooth to the head unit works but CarPlay acts up. I'm debating hard on getting a new HU cause I like CarPlay but don't want to give up my Tundra

 

I haven’t had any issues with CarPlay in my ‘21 SR5, but I have had a lot of bugginess with iOS 18 (iPhone 12)

I just updated to 18.1 and seems to have improved.

 

I was hoping my update to 18.1 would help. But no luck

 

Try using an apple or Samsung cable. Anker is not necessarily a good brand, they're just really popular on Amazon.

I had a tacoma that had android auto issues until I bought a Samsung branded cable. Never had issues again after that.

 

Huh didn’t realize anker wasn’t that good. Unfortunately it looks like apple doesn’t make a usb a to usb c cable. I’ll look for a Samsung cable. Thanks

 

Several of us have moved to a wireless CarPlay dongle/adapter... I think it has a $30 coupon as well, so only $59 right now....

$79 OTTOCAST Wireless CarPlay Adapter for iPhone - 2025 Upgrade Wired to Wireless Apple Carplay Dongle - 5GHz WiFi, Low Latency, Plug & Play, Online Update

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09Q176WHH?ie=UTF8

I have this installed on my '21 Pro and the wife has one in her '22 Forester (both vehicles came only w/wired CarPlay).

When I used the wired method in the past it would drop calls, have trouble re-connecting after turning off the vehicle, music cutting in and out, etc...

After we started using the dongle, its been a much more seamless experience; there is still the occassional connectivity issue (as w/any device), but it's only a fraction of what it used to be.

Might be a good alternative for you to try if you're wanting to avoid swapping out the head unit right now

 

Nice I think I may try that. Thanks

 

Ordered the wireless adapter. I’ll update when I get it in if it fixes my problem. Thanks

 

Following.....having exact same problems with my 20 Sequoia with factory head unit , new iPhone 16 ios18.1 and the phone calls are whacky. Other carplay features and charging seem unaffected just the phone calls...was thinking either software or the USB A to C cable but was leaning towards software as only phone calls are having issues...factory Bluetooth calls work fine

 

Looking forward to this update - I have been eyeballing the idea of wireless carplay for a while and it never occurred to me that it could solve this problem as well.

 

Update 11/4/24
So I’ve used this 2 days now and it has fixed my problems. Calls are clear and it isn’t hanging up on the screen freezing when I place a call.

By the time I can crank up my truck and back out of my driveway it’s ready. The Toyota head unit has a startup sequence anyway and it’s ready to go when the head unit is.

I’ll try and remember to update again in a couple weeks or if it misbehaves before then.

 

Mmk mine shows up tomorrow

 

Hell yeah... glad it fixed your issues so far

 

I ordered the same thing and been using for a couple weeks now.....has worked perfectly so far and solved all my phone issues. It was literally plug and play after I paired with my phone and delays (when they occur) are so minimal its not really noticeable. Best widget I've bought in awhile for the tree....thanks for the test run

 

Echoing this - after having it for 1 day I purchased a second one for my wife's car

 

Only issue i've had is every once in a while on audible there will be a second or two garbled. Not sure what the cause is, but otherwise great

 

I’ve been dealing with this same issue since 2021, about 1 year after purchasing my ‘20 TRD Sport. At first, CarPlay would crash on the head unit if I was using one of the maps apps and I answered an incoming call (iPhone 13 pro). After upgrading to an iPhone 16 pro and using a brand new Apple cable I still had the issues, which involve the head unit completely crashing if anyone calls me regardless if I answer or not. Crashes even if I have it on the Toyota Home Screen…

Just bought the one you posted and will report back if it fixes mine too. Appreciate you all!

 

I also updated the head units software and it fixed everything as well

https://www.tundras.com/threads/carplay-issues.152538/

 

Hey y'all, want to thank everyone here and on the other threads for posting. It sure does help when we share.

About 6-9 months ago my CarPlay started acting weird during calls. Everything else working fine.Music, texting, Siri, all good. But calls were choppy, slow, screen would stall and freeze. I ordered a replacement OEM USB port from ToyotaPartsDeal for about $100. But before the swap, I thought about reading up. Found you all and reports of the same crappy performance.

So, here's my experience:

2020 Tundra SR5 CM TRD 4x4 OR + SR5 upgrade package - factory premium audio w/NAV.

My unit pre-update specs:
Model ID DCU 17TDT2NA-DA30 - software version: 1021
Model ID MEU 17TMT2NA-DA50 - software version: 1006

Tried to follow Toyota's instructions which as we all know are vague, inconsistent, and lacking detail. I first formatted a USB thumb drive on my Mac and load it up software;
17TDT2NA-DA30_0066.kwi
17TMT2NA-DA50_0066.kwi
Did not work.

Took advice from folks here and formatted my Sandisk 4GB on my PC as FAT32
Loaded both .kwi files above unto USB thumb
Started truck
Went to the software update in the menu
Plugged in the USB
The system saw the USB and said "checking"
Then nothing for a while
I went back and forth through the menus, check update, etc until ...
The bottom right button finally said "update available"
15 minutes later, done.
Update took about 10 min total.

My unit post-update specs:
Model ID DCU 17TDT2NA-DA30 - software version: 1162
Model ID MEU 17TMT2NA-DA50 - software version: 1150