[GTS18BGTS]

In my 2017 Ram Limited, Apple CarPlay only allows for making calls, receiving calls, dictating texts and receiving and reading texts. I also cannot use any apps or the map on my phone. It does not have a graphic interface such as it does in my Boxster. However it does link up to my phone via bluetooth. That doesn't appear to be the case with Porsche. I have to tether the phone with a usb and also unlock the phone or CarPlay will not work. I find this somewhat odd and inconvenient. I could see this would be necessary for mirroring the phone screen, but the PCM obviously has some sort of native CarPlay OS, so a bluetooth connection should work.

Does anyone know a reason for why CarPlay works the way it does in a Porsche?

Oh can someone explain how I can map the steering wheel button to change tracks when using either a USB or my phone as the source? Can't seem to find that in the manual.

 

[JazzCatGab]

I don't have the buttons on the wheel, but I do know (and the car manual points out) that when a phone is connected to the car, bluetooth is unavailable. I think this is a safety issue in the sense that using a single phone is considered dubious by some safety experts, so using two phones would be beyond the pale! I use Google Maps on my CarPlay and Siri for initiating calls. I also have a dedicated (well used) iPhone for the car that just stays hooked up. I turn the iPhone completely off when I exit the car for more than a day, when I get back in, the iPhone automatically starts up (I've checked by opening the arm rest and I see the little white apple on black screen) but you do have to enter your PIN to allow it to connect to CarPlay on the PCM. I think when CarPlay is active, all "phone" functions are limited to the PCM and one would think the buttons on the wheel. BTW, I can use CarPlay and select the Jukebox for music via the Source button. I recommend downloading the Porsche Good to Know app, because the online manual seems to be a little wonky these days, although I just checked and it seems OK.

 

[Barryng]

On your iPhone there is an option under settings that will automatically unlock your iPhone when it senses it is connected to the car. I have an iPhone 7 permanently reside in the cellphone compartment and it Auto Unlock’s most of the time but every once in a while I have to manually unlock it. IOS 13, due to be released in the fall, is supposed to included a major upgrade to Apple carplay. I hope it also fixes the many little bugs it now contains.

I don’t know why Porsche requires a hard wire tether for apple CarPlay when BMW connects the phone for apple Carplay using Bluetooth. For multiple reasons this creates major problems and inconveniences and is one of the very few complaints I have with my Boxdtrr.

 

[JakiChan]

In my 2017 Ram Limited, Apple CarPlay only allows for making calls, receiving calls, dictating texts and receiving and reading texts. I also cannot use any apps or the map on my phone. It does not have a graphic interface such as it does in my Boxster. However it does link up to my phone via bluetooth. That doesn't appear to be the case with Porsche. I have to tether the phone with a usb and also unlock the phone or CarPlay will not work.

Simple - your Ram doesn't have CarPlay. Your Ram just has basic bluetooth connectivity for your phone. Your Boxster has CarPlay. If your Ram is supposed to have CarPlay then visit your dealer so they can show you how to set it up - it should look almost identical to what you see in the Boxster.

 

[jimmuller]

Re CarPlay over Bluetooth, having done some Bluetooth programming I am not surprised by that limitation. The Bluetooth spec identifies exactly what it can and cannot do. Applications have to specify any particular functionality to make a connection to the paired device for that feature. I don't recall noticing a connection type for Video or Driving when I was working on it but I suspect there wasn't any such connection type. I suspect too that there still isn't because video requires an incredible amount of data transfer. USB on the other hand...

 

[GTS18BGTS]

On your iPhone there is an option under settings that will automatically unlock your iPhone when it senses it is connected to the car. I have an iPhone 7 permanently reside in the cellphone compartment and it Auto Unlock’s most of the time but every once in a while I have to manually unlock it. IOS 13, due to be released in the fall, is supposed to included a major upgrade to Apple carplay. I hope it also fixes the many little bugs it now contains.

I don’t know why Porsche requires a hard wire tether for apple CarPlay when BMW connects the phone for apple Carplay using Bluetooth. For multiple reasons this creates major problems and inconveniences and is one of the very few complaints I have with my Boxdtrr.

The phone connects automatically via BT when I enter the car, but as you said, the tether is needed for the CarPlay interface.

Simple - your Ram doesn't have CarPlay. Your Ram just has basic bluetooth connectivity for your phone. Your Boxster has CarPlay. If your Ram is supposed to have CarPlay then visit your dealer so they can show you how to set it up - it should look almost identical to what you see in the Boxster.

Well it does have limited CarPlay capabilities - remote voice texting/reading, speaking texts received and calls all using using Siri commands and not the naive head units voice controls. I have to hold the speak button on the steering wheel a little longer to activate Siri. It also sees my contact data, so I can say Siri call so and so. The head unit in 2018 and newer have the CarPlay screen interface. Kind of pissed me off they don't provide a software update for it, but I guess Dodge/Ram would have to pay Apple for that. I'm pretty sure the head unit has the capability as it has wifi and native apps that they have added over time via updates.