Can't use iPhone Internet and ApplePlay at the same time

[isamuels]

My USA, 2025 RWD has Verizon eSim. I don't subscribe to the $20 plan. Using my phone's data is preferred.
In order to use Apple CarPlay, I have to turn on the car's hotspot wifi. This connects my phone to the car's wifi. But once I connect to the car's wifi, I can't get to any website on my phone, since I don't pay the $20/Verizon eSim charge.

If turn off wifi on my phone, I can reach any website (on phone) but car play doesn't work. I checked to make sure that my phone is still connected to the cars's bluetooth. It is connected.

So the only way my car can use Apple CarPlay and my phone's browser, is to pay the Verizon monthly fee.

Any suggestions?

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[tigerbalm]

You can use CarPlay via wired USB and not use the car's wifi. You will also get slightly better audio quality via a lossless codec, though in real world that will not be very noticeable.

https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/t...tter-than-wired-apple-music.22001/post-335012

I use a Porsche branded USB cable because I am a sucker.

https://shop.porsche.com/ie/en-IE/p...3900?queryID=867daf571fd184fe2ba70999e6a92463

 

[obiwan]

Is this actually how it works? I could have sworn I had data connectivity during CarPlay, but now I’m not sure…

 

[isamuels]

Is this actually how it works? I could have sworn I had data connectivity during CarPlay, but now I’m not sure…

Pls check and let me know. Make sure you have CarPlay working, and your phone shows connected to the car's wifi hotspot. Then tell me if you can get a fresh page on your phone"s browser.

 

[Watchesandburgers]

When I connect to the car's wifi and wireless Apple CarPlay, I can still use my phone for Internet, text, social media, etc. Perhaps remove your phone from the car and start the connection process over again?

 

[obiwan]

I just checked and I do have cellular and CarPlay at the same time. But I have noticed two ways this can get confusing:
-I have the noise insulating glass, which reduces my cellular strength. There are places where my phone usually works where I have to open the windows (in front of my kid’s school is one, irritatingly)
-When I first purchased the car I didn’t realize the cars hotspot is only useful if you pay Verizon for a new connection and has nothing to do with CarPlay. I had to forget that connection from my phone’s WiFi’s settings

Good luck!

 

[whitex]

I have to turn on the car's hotspot wifi.

Why do you have to turn on wifi hotspot if you don't pay for the extra data plan? This is most likely what is causing your issue. I use wireless CarPlay on my Taycan, never enabled WiFi hotspot in the car. CarPlay still connects over WiFi to the car, but not via to the car's hotspot, which is intended to provide internet access to WiFi devices in the car.

 

[obiwan]

Maybe this is a J1.1 vs J1.2 difference? I just tested on my car and disabling the car's hotspot immediately disconnected my CarPlay connection. Then when I clicked the CarPlay icon to re-enable it, the car popped up a message "You have to enable Bluetooth and Hotspot to use CarPlay" with a helpful "Activate" button. After reactivating the hotspot, all was well again.

 

[isamuels]

Maybe this is a J1.1 vs J1.2 difference? I just tested on my car and disabling the car's hotspot immediately disconnected my CarPlay connection. Then when I clicked the CarPlay icon to re-enable it, the car popped up a message "You have to enable Bluetooth and Hotspot to use CarPlay" with a helpful "Activate" button. After reactivating the hotspot, all was well again.

This is exactly what I am talking about. Once you reactivate the hotspot, ApplePlay works. But once again your phone browser will not work.

 

[obiwan]

Other than my caveats above, my phone's cellular (data) continues to work, independent of the CarPlay connection.

 

[whitex]

This is exactly what I am talking about. Once you reactivate the hotspot, ApplePlay works. But once again your phone browser will not work.

Whenever my iPhone connect to WiFi which does not give it internet access, a question popped up whether I want to change WiFi networks or do I want to continue to stay connected but use cellular data for internet. So for example, when connected to my BlackVue dashcam WiFi, the phone still has internet from cellular.

 

[Johan Meert]

I have the same problem on a J1.2 but with Android. There you can go into developer options and activate cellular data when wifi is poor. Or even set some specific apps to use only cellular (like I do with Waze so it downloads maps correctly when driving).

On iPhone you should have Wi-Fi Assist slider ON. Check this:
How to find and manage Wi-Fi Assist:

1. Open Settings: Launch the Settings app on your iPhone.
   
   
2. Go to Cellular or Mobile Data: Tap on either Cellular or Mobile Data, depending on your iPhone's settings.
   
   
3. Locate Wi-Fi Assist: Scroll down to find the Wi-Fi Assist toggle.
   
   
4. Turn it On or Off: Tap the slider to enable or disable Wi-Fi Assist.

 

[PEC]

I had that exact same issue with my iPhone and J1.2. The non intuitive fix that is not written anywhere is to **not** manually connect to the WiFi hotspot of the car ever.

It means, in WiFi settings of your iPhone go and “forget” the network (taycan_something), and never manually join the WiFi hotspot ever or try to touch any of the settings.

I ended up in that situation by manually connecting to the hotspot to try to “fix” CarPlay. But it only made it worst (no more internet in my iPhone as you described).

CarPlay works by using Bluetooth first and then the car / iPhone establish direct WiFi connection which the iPhone treat differently than you manually joining the hotspot (it won’t use the connection as a route for internet).

Something to also NOT do is untick “auto-join”, it will break wireless CarPlay because the iPhone won’t be able to create the WiFi direct connection anymore.

So:
1- Don’t manually join the hot spot ever in an attempt to fix a non working wireless CarPlay.
2- If you did, forget the network in your iPhone settings.
3- Never untick auto-join in an attempt to fix 1. or you’ll break CarPlay too.

Yes it’s massive trash and undocumented. I only managed to understand that by founding an obscure Reddit thread I can’t find anymore where someone enabled debug logs on their iPhone as developer and was able to read what CarPlay was trying to do and why it was failing. Could you imagine if these errors were visible to the customer. This is a much on Porsche as it’s on Apple.

Since understanding this, my wireless CarPlay has been reliable enough (still slow sometimes but it eventually works without me messing up with any of the car or iPhone settings).

 

[jamjoh01]

I had that exact same issue with my iPhone and J1.2. The non intuitive fix that is not written anywhere is to **not** manually connect to the WiFi hotspot of the car ever.

It means, in WiFi settings of your iPhone go and “forget” the network (taycan_something), and never manually join the WiFi hotspot ever or try to touch any of the settings.

I ended up in that situation by manually connecting to the hotspot to try to “fix” CarPlay. But it only made it worst (no more internet in my iPhone as you described).

CarPlay works by using Bluetooth first and then the car / iPhone establish direct WiFi connection which the iPhone treat differently than you manually joining the hotspot (it won’t use the connection as a route for internet).

Something to also NOT do is untick “auto-join”, it will break wireless CarPlay because the iPhone won’t be able to create the WiFi direct connection anymore.

So:
1- Don’t manually join the hot spot ever in an attempt to fix a non working wireless CarPlay.
2- If you did, forget the network in your iPhone settings.
3- Never untick auto-join in an attempt to fix 1. or you’ll break CarPlay too.

Yes it’s massive trash and undocumented. I only managed to understand that by founding an obscure Reddit thread I can’t find anymore where someone enabled debug logs on their iPhone as developer and was able to read what CarPlay was trying to do and why it was failing. Could you imagine if these errors were visible to the customer. This is a much on Porsche as it’s on Apple.

Since understanding this, my wireless CarPlay has been reliable enough (still slow sometimes but it eventually works without me messing up with any of the car or iPhone settings).

Had the same problem and was driving me crazy until I figured this out. If your phone shows the wifi is connected to the car, you have this problem and this is how you fix it. Your phone will not show connected to the car for Carplay.

 

[chun]

I fixed the same problem in my j1.1 by redoing the carplay setup
Not sure what messed it up, but after setting it up from 0 again, it was all fixed, carplay + internet data working fine

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