Carplay connectivity issue CX-5 (2021)

Hi everyone,

I'm having trouble connecting CarPlay to my Mazda CX-5 (2021) and could really use some help.

Initially, I thought the issue was due to an outdated firmware version (I was on 11026). Thanks to @Candurin , I successfully updated to 11048 — but unfortunately, that didn’t solve the problem.

Here’s what’s happening:
  • I can connect my phone via Bluetooth and play music just fine.
  • However, CarPlay doesn't activate — my phone doesn’t detect the car, and the car doesn’t prompt me to add a CarPlay device.
  • I know there were previously connected devices (from the previous owner), but I’ve removed all of them.
  • I've tried deleting and re-adding my phone as a device — still no luck.
  • Bluetooth is definitely on and working, but no CarPlay screen appears, like I’ve seen in some tutorial videos.
My phone is an iPhone 16 running iOS 18.6.

Any advice or suggestions would be super appreciated! 😢
 
Back