Apple CarPlay allows you to hear text messages and receive calls while driving.
However, you may face issues where Apple CarPlay text notifications don’t work or where CarPlay doesn’t connect with your iPhone.
You can easily turn Apple CarPlay text notifications on and off on your phone or on CarPlay. You can also resolve most CarPlay notification problems by ensuring Bluetooth is connected, updating your iPhone, or changing your car stereo source.
This article will give an overview of how CarPlay notifications work and how to enable or disable voice notifications on CarPlay.
It’ll also discuss common problems with CarPlay notifications and how to resolve them.
How To Turn Apple CarPlay Notifications Off
If your vehicle is connected to your iPhone with CarPlay, you’ll likely receive voice notifications when driving.
This is the default setting in CarPlay and allows you to listen to notifications without taking your hands off the steering wheel.
However, you may not always want to have voice notifications, especially if you have passengers.
Follow these steps to turn off CarPlay text to voice notifications on your iPhone:
- Go onto “Settings” on your phone.
- Click on “Siri & Search” and “Announce Notifications.”
- Turn off sound notifications for CarPlay. To do so, select “CarPlay” and select “Silence New Messages” or turn off the toggle for “Announce Messages.”
- To turn the notifications back on, repeat the above steps and switch on “Announce Messages.”
While the steps may differ depending on the iPhone model you use, the process for turning off CarPlay voice-to-text notifications should be the same.
To disable voice-to-text messages in CarPlay, simply tap on “Announce” when a message is played.
The process may be different for other CarPlay SMS apps such as WhatsApp.
However, you’ll have to wait to receive a message while driving to disable text messages this way, so it’s best to use your iPhone instead.
Troubleshooting Apple CarPlay Text Notification Problems
While Apple CarPlay text notifications are usually enabled when your CarPlay system connects to the iPhone, you may face sound or connection problems with text messages on CarPlay.
Let’s look at the common Apple CarPlay text notification problems and how to solve them:
CarPlay Not Showing Notifications
If the Apple CarPlay isn’t showing notifications, it could be due to Bluetooth problems.
In this case, other features of CarPlay will work, but the notification settings will be turned off. Before you check for Bluetooth problems, make sure the notifications are enabled on CarPlay using the steps described above.
If the notifications settings are active on your iPhone, the problem could be with the Bluetooth notification settings.
This may get disabled after an update or because of a bug.
To enable Bluetooth notifications for CarPlay:
- Go to “Settings” on your iPhone.
- Select “Bluetooth.”
- Tap on the small “i” icon next to CarPlay
- Select “Show Notifications.”
Apple CarPlay Not Reading Text Messages
Sometimes, the text-to-voice notifications settings will be active, but CarPlay won’t read them. If the volume isn’t muted, it could be a problem with the car’s stereo source, Bluetooth connectivity, or CarPlay settings.
Here are some things you can do to troubleshoot Apple CarPlay not reading text messages:
- Before you check the stereo system, try connecting your iPhone to the car’s system with a USB cable. Make sure you connect it to the media port; otherwise, the phone will only charge. If the CarPlay system starts reading notifications, the problem is with your iPhone’s Bluetooth settings.
- If CarPlay still doesn’t play notifications, try changing the stereo source on CarPlay. The stereo source button should be somewhere in the control section of your vehicle’s stereo system. While changing the stereo source may limit some CarPlay features, it does resolve most connectivity problems.
- Check that your CarPlay settings aren’t on “Do Not Disturb” mode. This mode will turn off any voice notifications or calls while you’re driving. You can easily turn off the “Do Not Disturb While Driving” mode in your iPhone’s settings.
Note: CarPlay won’t read Facebook Messenger (Meta) text messages but will work with audio calls.
CarPlay Won’t Connect to iPhone
In some cases, CarPlay won’t connect to your iPhone, which may be why you aren’t getting calls or notifications.
This is usually caused by outdated iOS systems.
Make sure your iPhone & CarPlay is updated and pair your vehicle again to resolve this problem.
Key Takeaways
When using Apple CarPlay, here are the things you need to remember:
- You can easily enable CarPlay text messages on your iPhone.
- If CarPlay messages aren’t playing, it’s usually caused by faulty settings or a Bluetooth problem.
- Connectivity problems can be resolved by updating your iPhone’s system or changing your car’s stereo source.
