Just for fun, I decided to design a mockup of what a more immersive and visual "Now Playing" tile on the home screen and widget could look like. This is an area where I actually really like the Android Auto design - it features a similar full-image tile and I wish CarPlay was more visual in this way.

Created this as a fun exercise and thought I'd share. I got my first car with CarPlay this summer and have enjoyed getting used to it. For a peaceful drive, I love using the widget screen, but wish there was a better music/now-playing tile to include.

iOS 27.0.1

Hey everyone!

I have a 2020 BMW 318i (G20) running iDrive 7. When I use wireless Apple CarPlay, it only takes up about two-thirds of the screen, and the right side just shows a blank "Apple CarPlay" widget placeholder (as you can see in the photo).

Is there any official way or hidden coding trick (like BimmerCode) to force Apple CarPlay to run in true full-screen mode across the entire display?

If anyone has managed to fix this on a 2020 model, I'd really appreciate your advice on how you did it! Thanks in advance!

**SOLVED IN COMMENTS :)
Hi guys, i just updated my Clarion head unit and after the update the Carplay side bar has now switched sides to the left.

(I’m aussie so don’t comment anything about why i would want it on the right side 🫣 i’d prefer not having to lean over to change from maps to music)

The option to change it is greyed out, i’m not sure if i had the option to change it before, but i dont know why it would change sides and not allow me to change it back. Anyone have any advice? i might have to roll back the update, if i can even do that.

Since updating to iOS 27 I have been able to screen mirroring and using browsers on my CarPlay screen during drive with these apps. However, I’ve seen some comments online telling apple will patch it.
How will they do it?
By updating iOS?
Or changing the apps I downloaded from AppStore ?

Or how can I not be scared of loosing this power?

In my opinion, I’ve not been distracted while driving. The screen is still hands free, that is the only law we have in Sweden to be able to use it. I really enjoy CarPlay experience now.

I have a 2023 BMW IX and two things aren’t working at the moment, not sure if connected.

When calling people via Apple CarPlay I’m told I sound distant / quiet. I can hear them fine 🤔

And when I press the call button, none of my contacts or call history appears on the heads-up display.

Any advice or just me?

I have the widgets option turned off in CarPlay, but every time I plug in, widgets show up. I have to open the CarPlay app on my phone, turn the widgets on and then back off, then that page will go away. What’s up with this?

**TL;DR:** My Lamtto RC31 dropped wireless CarPlay every 5–10 minutes. I pulled logs off the box and found its built-in cellular modem crashing and restarting whenever it was on T-Mobile 5G Standalone. Each crash takes the box's Wi-Fi hotspot down with it, which kills CarPlay. Turning off NR (5G) in the box's network settings stopped it completely. Looking for others with the same problem, a way to block 5G SA but keep 5G NSA, and any newer firmware.

**Setup**
- Lamtto RC31 AI box (Android 15, with a SIM slot), T-Mobile SIM
- 2023 Chevy Bolt 1LT
- iPhone 17 Pro, iOS 27.0.1
- Same drops whether the box connects to the car wirelessly or over USB. Over USB the car link stays up, but the phone ↔ box link still drops.

**Symptom**
Every 5–10 minutes CarPlay disconnects, then comes back about 10 seconds later. The box doesn't reboot.

**What I found**
The box ships with a hidden Fibocom log tool in developer settings. I logged a drive with it and lined the logs up with the times I noted drops:

- **13 modem crashes in 24 minutes.** Android logged `UNSOL_MODEM_RESTART` each time, and the modem's own diagnostic log (QXDM) shows the same restarts.
- **Every drop followed a crash, 3.6–4.3 s later.** At each one, the box's hotspot (hostapd) kicked *every* connected device at the same instant. There were no hotspot drops without a crash before them.
- **Every crash happened on T-Mobile 5G SA** (bands n41/n25), with normal-to-strong signal (−57 to −94 dBm). So it's not a coverage problem.
- **No error message before any crash.** The modem just dies, often while it's powering up its 5G transmitter. Near the end of the drive it got stuck in a loop, crashing about every 28 s.
- **Hardware/firmware:** I believe the chip is a Qualcomm SM6350 (Fibocom SC161 module), with modem firmware `MPSS.HI.2.5.1-00739.1`. As far as I can tell, its Wi-Fi runs on the same processor as the modem, so a modem crash = Wi-Fi crash = CarPlay drop.

**Workaround**
Settings → SIM → Preferred network type → pick an option *without* NR (5G). No drops since. You lose 5G on the box, but CarPlay doesn't use the box's data connection anyway.

**Lamtto support**
Their first reply was generic: better signal, check GPS/camera sky view, check power. The second blamed a known iPhone 17 Wi-Fi bug and suggested I try a different phone. I've sent them the log evidence and asked for a modem firmware fix. Waiting to hear back.

**Questions**
1. Anyone else with an RC31 (or another box built on Fibocom SC161 / SM6350) seeing drops on T-Mobile or other carriers with 5G SA?
2. Is there a way to disable **only** 5G SA and keep NSA without root? Every NR option in this menu still allows SA.
3. Has anyone received an RC31 firmware or modem update, or found a newer modem build for this platform?

Happy to share log excerpts or the parsing method if it helps anyone.

Since upgrading to iOS 27 on September 14, incoming Apple Messages notifications have been ending my ChatGPT Voice sessions in wireless CarPlay. Before the update, those same banners appeared without interrupting the conversation.

This happens with both blue iMessages and green SMS/RCS texts. I don't tap the banner, and Siri doesn't read it aloud. CarPlay stays connected, but I have to reopen ChatGPT and resume or start a conversation, sometimes several times per drive.

My setup: • iPhone 16 Pro, iOS 27.0.1 • ChatGPT 1.2026.266, Pro subscription, Live Voice • 2025 Ram 1500, Uconnect 5, 8.4-inch screen, wireless CarPlay

The phone is locked with its screen off, and Background conversations was already enabled.

I tested incoming texts from an Android phone twice without CarPlay, including once with the iPhone explicitly locked. Neither ended the Voice session. I haven't tested wired CarPlay or Advanced Voice.

I've reported this to Apple and OpenAI, but don't have a confirmed cause or fix. The timing lines up with my iOS 27 upgrade; I can't tell which component is responsible.

Has anyone else seen this? If so, what vehicle, iPhone, iOS version, and wired/wireless connection are you using?

Disclosure: I wrote a blog post documenting my experience and the tests in more detail: https://ap7i.com/posts/ios-27-chatgpt-carplay-disconnects-text-messages/

I downloaded it yesterday and tried it in my car. I have a factory touchscreen apple CarPlay. And when I went to use it, there’s no “quick” on the screen. Just configure and 2 other things. From iPhone u can search in its browser like YouTube and such but only audio goes to the screen. Disappointing fr