Is your Kia CarPlay not working?
Apple CarPlay is one of the best ways to stay connected to your form of entertainment while driving.
However, if Apple CarPlay is not working on your Kia, it could be quite discomforting and affect your driving experience.
A lot of people have been faced with this issue, but there are various troubleshooting methods that I will share in this article to help you get your CarPlay running in no time.
Why is your Kia CarPlay not working
You might be wondering why your Kia CarPlay is not working.
This could be due to several reasons.
Some of the common factors may include;
- Outdated Kia infotainment system
- Issues of compatibility with your iPhone model
- CarPlay isn’t available in your region
- Your KIA model doesn’t support CarPlay
- Bad USB cables/ports
However, Kia CarPlay may not work because you didn’t connect your iOS device to your Kia vehicle correctly.
Sometimes, you can experience issues in your Kia when your phone is charging, but Carplay is not working.
So, before we even go into the solutions for Kia CarPlay problems, I will show you how to do it properly.
How to set up Apple CarPlay with Kia
Step 1: Enable CarPlay
- Go to your Settings > Screen Time
- Click on Content and Privacy Restrictions.
- Click Allow App
- Activate CarPlay by turning on the CarPlay slider
Step 2: Enable Siri
- Go to Settings on your iPhone
- Select Siri and Search
- Toggle on Listen for Hey Siri and Press the Side Button for Siri
- Find the option ‘Allow Siri when the screen is Locked.’ and turn it on
- Enter your passcode, and Siri will be enabled.
Step 3: Connect with cable or wirelessly
- Connect your iOS device to the car’s navigation system using the iPhone’s Lightning USB cable.
- Press the Setup button on the UVO interface
- Press the Connectivity touchscreen button
- A list of options will be displayed. Select CarPlay
- The system will detect your phone and display the CarPlay option
- Press the CarPlay option to access your phone through the UVO display.
To set up Apple CarPlay with Kia wirelessly, follow the instructions below:
- Turn on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your iOS device
- Press the setup key on the audio head unit
- Select Device connection > Phone projection > Add new
- Go to the Bluetooth setting on your iOS device and select your Kia vehicle to pair
- Follow the head unit’s prompt to complete the setup.
How to fix Kia CarPlay not working
Method 1: Ensure that your Kia model supports Apple CarPlay
Before connecting or troubleshooting your device, ensure that your Kia model supports CarPlay.
Many Kia vehicles support CarPlay, but older versions of the Kia model will likely not support CarPlay.
Visit the Apple CarPlay supported models webpage to confirm if CarPlay is available for your Kia.
Method 2: Ensure that CarPlay is available in your region
CarPlay is not available in every part of the world.
It is only available in 35 countries. If CarPlay is unavailable in your region, you can do nothing to make it work.
However, you can use CarPlay alternatives like MirrorLink, CarOS, and iCarMode. Check this Apple webpage to confirm if CarPlay is available in your region.
Method 3: Update iOS and Kia’s UVO software
Most CarPlay features work on the latest iOS versions, so if your iPhone is running on an older iOS or the infotainment system on your vehicle is not up to date, this will lead to compatibility problems and cause your Kia CarPlay not to work correctly.
You will have to update your phone to help clear any glitch that would have been causing this problem and check for any software updates available on your infotainment system.
You will find the step-by-step guide to updating Kia’s navigation software (the UVO software) on the navigation updates webpage.
To update your iPhone, follow these steps;
- Open your phone Settings
- Go to General
- Select Software Update, and follow the on-screen instructions to download updates.
- Once the update is completely installed, restart your phone and reconnect CarPlay to your vehicle.
Method 4: Reset the infotainment system of your car
A software glitch in the infotainment system could prevent it from linking with CarPlay.
In cases like this, one possible solution to help “resolve this issue is to reset the infotainment system of your vehicle to default factory settings.
Resetting the infotainment system will restart and help clear any errors that may have been the cause of the CarPlay issues.
Also, note that resetting the infotainment system will erase some, if not all, of the previous settings and data on the system.
There are two ways to reset your Kia infotainment system.
There’s the Soft reset and the hard rest. I’m going to show you how to do both.
Note: First try the soft reset, and if Kia CarPlay still doesn’t work, you can try the hard reset
How to soft reset the Kia infotainment system
You’ll find a little pinhole if you check the infotainment system on your Kia vehicle.
Get something like a paper clip and press the hole to soft reset the system.
How to hard reset the Kia infotainment system
To hard reset your Kia’s infotainment system, you’ll have to disconnect the vehicle battery for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, connect the battery, turn on the car, and check if CarPlay works.
Method 5: Change the USB Lightning cable
To set up Apple CarPlay with your Kia vehicle seamlessly, you must use an authentic USB Lightning cable.
Apart from ensuring that the cable is authentic, access the cable for any damage and try using a different cable to ensure the one you’re currently using isn’t the problem.
Method 6: Check your USB ports
Some USB ports on your Kia vehicle may not support CarPlay because not all the USB ports can be used for data transmission.
While all of them may charge your phone, it might be the only one that will allow you to connect it to your vehicle infotainment system for other objectives like using CarPlay.
Try using a different USB port to check if it connects to your CarPlay. You can also check your owner’s manual to identify which USB port supports data connection for CarPlay.
Method 7: Try using a different USB cable
The type of USB cable you use while trying to connect to CarPlay plays a major role, especially when you’re using a wired connection.
Corrupt USB cables may cause CarPlay issues.
Use an original Apple cable while trying to connect your CarPlay using a wired connection.
If this problem persists, try connecting CarPlay using Bluetooth.
Method 8: Turn off Airplane mode.
Before connecting CarPlay, ensure that the Airplane mode is turned off on your iPhone.
While airplane mode is on, it disables all other connections, including Bluetooth, so your Kia CarPlay will not work in this case, except the airplane is turned off while you’re trying to get your CarPlay working wirelessly.
If, for any reason, you have to enable airplane mode, try using the wired connection via the USB ports.
Method 9. Disable VPN or Proxy
VPN and Proxy are essential tools for privacy and security, but sometimes they prevent the practical functionality of your phone and can interfere with CarPlay.
If a VPN or Proxy is active on your phone while trying to connect to CarPlay, it should be disabled and your Kia CarPlay should work just fine.
Method 10. Delete the existing connection and Reconnect
You can delete the existing connection of your CarPlay, and this is similar to how you forget the Bluetooth devices that are connected to your phone.
If you can’t seem to connect the same device again after it was previously connected, it might be due to some glitches on your phone or with your Bluetooth feature.
In this case, it is ideal to forget the previous connection and reconnect again.
- Go to Settings on your iPhone
- Navigate to General
- Select CarPlay
- Select your car’s name and click on Forget this car
Reconnect your vehicle after this is done. CarPlay should be working now.
Method 11. Contact support
Suppose all the above suggestions on getting your Kia CarPlay working again fail. In that case, you should contact Apple support and your Kia support service for further assistance.
Final thoughts
Kia CarPlay not working has been a big issue for most Kia drivers.
Compatibility issues, software glitches, or damaged USB cables could cause the problem.
If you’ve followed the solutions provided in this guide correctly, I’m sure you could resolve the problem.