There is a well-described issue with the new iPhone 17 where CarPlay freezes / crashes during regular use. I am unfortunately experiencing this with my Sync 3 on my F150. Carplay connects normally, but then invetiably crashes. Sometimes after a couple minutes, sometimes after longer, but always does. It’s completely unreliable.
Some folks have posted that this issue was fixed by their car manufacturer posting a firmware update. I have relatively limited hope of that happening on an older Sync device. Anyone have an idea if a patch exists? I used Syn3 to update my 3.4 to the latest 2023 build, but that did not rectify the issue. Grasping at straws here.
Here’s just one of many discussion threads that describes the issue. People have tried all sorts of fixes to no avail.
There are many calibration updates for sure but that will depend on what APIM you have. Since this is a retrofit and we would have no idea what APIM it is that effects what calibrations can be used. Most likely it is an older one.
Usually when you see so many different car brands involved like this it would be an Apple problem. Hence the very last comment on the thread you linked abount making an adjustment to the Apple settings on their phone. Also it appears many people fixed this by replacing the phone cable.
This issue is well documented and there are several threads on the Apple forums. This is clearly an Apple issue, again Apple being Apple. Now everyone else has to fix Apple’s issues. I’m not bashing Apple, I have an iPhone 15, MacBook, watch, etc.
Reading through the threads it seems that Apple changed the Wi-Fi hardware with the iPhone 17, which is not compatible with previous hardware and software versions. They also had a supply issue with the newer chips which were identified as defective, and other software issues. This mostly affected the initial production runs for the iPhone 17 and Apple claims these issues have been resolved. We’ll see…
At this point if you have an early production iPhone 17, the best possible solution is to exchange the unit with Apple. Many people in the threads have had luck with this.
As far as Sync is concerned, run the Interrogator Utility in the Syn3 Updater and post the XML file here. There might be something in the file that indicates an issue.
Yeah I’m not sure what the answer is, but when you dig into the comments, those who thought the cable replacement or the settings changes worked later determine that they actually did not work in the end. The problem is, the problem occurs after variable periods of time, so sometimes the ‘fix’ appears to work but it’s only temporary. I’ve tried different cables, settings changes, etc. and nothing works.
To your point about different car brands… I agree it may be an Apple problem, but it seems like the car / infotainment manufacturers have created patches to allow their units to work with the new iphone. I don’t know much about it beyond that. For example, if you have an aftermarket wireless carplay adapter, those devices received a patch and now work correctly with the iPhone 17. So perhaps Apple can and will fix it eventually on their end, but ~4-5 months into the new phone being out, there so far is barely an acknowledgement of the problem.
Because they had to support the changes Apple made for the customers. If Ford finds this as an issue, then they will issue an update. It seems the car / infotainment manufacturers are constantly chasing Apple and Samsung for things like this.
That is typical for Apple not to acknowledge issues with their products. It will likely be solved in a routine software update with nothing more than a vague footnote.
The log shows the following installed…
NU5T-14G381-AD Sync 3.4.23188 app
5U5T-14G391-CS Sync 3 Voice
This looks to be an older APIM that has been updated with Sync 3.4. The Interrogator Utility did mot pick up the file versions and did not write a proper xml formatted file.
You could try to run the utility again with an earlier version of the utility. However, it does not look like there is anything wrong with the APIM itself other than it is likely an older unit.
OK thanks for your help. Do you think Ford will really write an update for this for older Sync units? Sorta feels like they stopped supporting these given that the last firmware update was 2+ years ago.
Software update 23188 was the last release, but if they need to release a fix for this they will. Sync 3 is still supported but only for security or issues like this. There is no more development. Ford was still producing Sync 3 equipped vehicles about a year ago around the world.
Maybe a dumb question, but here it goes: would using a dongle help?..
I know that’s not the solution, but maybe worth a shot… Ford is not know for rapidly react for these kind of issues… specially when they are limited to a sub-set of devices…
Do you mean a wireless carplay adapter? If so… yeah that seems to be a common ‘solution’ to the problem. I may go that route, however it really irks me having to spend more money to fix Apple’s mistake on a $1400 phone. Also, I don’t really want wireless carplay, wired carplay work(ed) perfectly for me.
Yes, that’s what I meant. I know it’s not a solution, but again Ford is not the fastest company to react to such issues… If CP is that important to you, that may be a viable solution for the time being.
And yes, I know it’s stupid, but honest personal opinion here: Apple is kind of stupid as well… I’ve personally owned only Android phones, but my work’s phone is an iOS device and I cannot tell for the life of me what’s good about that… Maybe because “I was raised” by Android…
Oh for sure, i get it… my frustration here is entirely with Apple, not with Ford. I’d honestly be pretty surprised if Ford does any updates to deal with this. My hope is that Apple will push out a fix SOON.
I didn’t ask this before since this was mainly focused on the wifi, but does it work properly when plugged in thru USB in the vehicle on Sync? I looked back thru some Apple threads and didn’t even see that mentioned.
Oh sorry I wasn’t clear on that, I was talking about wired CarPlay. My unit doesn’t do wireless. Though my understanding is that this issue is present for both. So yes definitely happens when plugged in.
I’ve actually been having solid, reliable performance on wired carplay for a bit now. Weirdly, it only seems to work on one of my USB ports (the one on the right). Performance also seems better after upgrade to 26.3. In the Durango that I drive, upgrading to 26.3 completely resolved the glitches.