MINI Cooper CarPlay/ MINI app unpredictable!

P

Pete MINI ES

New Member
Anyone else having difficulties with CarPlay? or the MINI app? The annoyance is that it's so unpredictable. Sometimes the MINI app launches itself when I start the car - sometimes it doesn't. When it does launch, it also launches Spotify and Amazon Music - neither of which I use, which is very annoying. I waste time quitting them on my phone before driving off. I've been using Apple Music when I'm driving, and usually it remembers where I am in an album or playlist, and then other times, again RANDOMLY, it just starts playing anything at all from my iTunes library. When I first set it up, I would see text messages appear on my dashboard screen, then I wouldn't. Then I would again. Totally random and unpredictable. Can anyone tell me how to get CarPlay and the MINI app under control?
 
I also have trouble with CarPlay, not just my MINI but my other car as well. The problem is usually solved by rebooting my iPhone. I've found that often there are strange issues, more prevalent in iOS 14 than in previous versions that are magically fixed by rebooting the phone. I know, it's a total hack, but unfortunately it appears Apple is not investing much time in fixing CarPlay at the moment.

The biggest culprit is the Apple Music. For whatever reason, it gets very sluggish and unresponsive if not rebooted somewhat frequently.
 
Apple Music via CarPlay has been flawless for me (all recent iOSs including14.7.1). If I used my phone to listen to something in the library or closed Apple Music, it will default to the library when fist connected to the mini. I don't use the mini app, well I don't think so anyway.

The mini iOS app is a bit inconsistent for me, often missing a charging sessions unless I lock the Mini via the door push button after finishing the charge.
 
I loose it periodically for no apparent reason it will switch over to Bluetooth for my music, I end up connecting my iPhone by hard wire through the USB port once I do that it reestablishes itself and runs fine for a week or two.
 
For me, performance has been tied to iPhone model, so far. I had an iPhone XS Max, and Carplay was pretty inconsistent on whether it would start or not. I have since purchased an iPhone 12 running IOS 14.6, and since then (a few months now) I've only had a couple of problems with Carplay not waking up. I use Spotify and not Apple Music.

My daughter has a XS Max, and just yesterday, after she took it on a road trip, she said Carplay would not wake up and she had to play music via bluetooth option. I deleted her phone from the Mini settings and re-added it from scratch to fix it.
 
Zero problems with CarPlay or the app with our iPhone 8 and iPhone SE. It always connects and works flawlessly. Our other car is the exact opposite.

Basic troubleshooting should include restarting the phone and removing & repairing the phone. Are there any iOS updates available?
It sounds more like an iPhone problem. You could also try opening a support ticket with Apple.
 
iOS 15 has "broken" CarPlay, at least for the pre-2022 software. I used to be able to listen to my car radio, and when I got a text message I could select it and pop into CarPlay to have it read, and then it would go back to playing the radio.

With iOS 15 everything works the same except the going back step. iOS 15 seems to not release the audio when finished reading the text, so my radio is silent until I select a station. Not having smooth crossover between radio and CarPlay means I have to chose one or the other, or fiddle with controls after every text message.
 
Puppethead said:
iOS 15 has "broken" CarPlay, at least for the pre-2022 software. I used to be able to listen to my car radio, and when I got a text message I could select it and pop into CarPlay to have it read, and then it would go back to playing the radio.

With iOS 15 everything works the same except the going back step. iOS 15 seems to not release the audio when finished reading the text, so my radio is silent until I select a station. Not having smooth crossover between radio and CarPlay means I have to chose one or the other, or fiddle with controls after every text message.
Click to expand...

Uh oh. I'll stick to IOS 14.8 for now. Thanks for the heads up!
 
When using Apple Music as the source, messages are released as before the iOS 15 update. This is a 2022 mini.

You don't want to roll back to 14 as you lose access to the meditation and pilates Fitness+ workouts :)
 
Puppethead said:
iOS 15 has "broken" CarPlay, at least for the pre-2022 software. I used to be able to listen to my car radio, and when I got a text message I could select it and pop into CarPlay to have it read, and then it would go back to playing the radio.

With iOS 15 everything works the same except the going back step. iOS 15 seems to not release the audio when finished reading the text, so my radio is silent until I select a station. Not having smooth crossover between radio and CarPlay means I have to chose one or the other, or fiddle with controls after every text message.
Click to expand...

This is another reason that I wish automakers would create their own infotainment instead of relying on CarPlay. I do like CarPlay, but it seems less than ideal considering connection time and dealing with multiple phones. There is also a lack of physical controls, though iDrive handles this a little better than some other cars.

Thanks for the info!
 
polyphonic said:
This is another reason that I wish automakers would create their own infotainment instead of relying on CarPlay.
Click to expand...
Oh absolutely not, I wholeheartedly disagree. MINI's system isn't too bad, but Toyota is an example of a horrific interface. Car makers know very little about software and user experiences, although that's changing quite a bit for BEV makers. Plus what's neat about CarPlay in the MINI is I can choose to use it, or use MINI's. I switch between the two navigation systems a lot. Unfortunately, my hybrid usage is what lead to my disappointment with iOS 15 CarPlay.
 
polyphonic said:
This is another reason that I wish automakers would create their own infotainment instead of relying on CarPlay.
Click to expand...

For years folks have been complaining about how unintuitive automaker infotainment systems are, the maps databases being years out of date, high fees for updates that are years out of date, lagging features, and slow/problematic firmware updates required to fix a bug. The basic play music or radio functions were fine. Often the question came up: "Why can't they just display the phone screen on the display, so I can let Waze or Maps route me with up to date traffic info, and a weather that app give me relevant info"... and not have to stick my phone on the dash to have access to the better features I need. Why learn another GUI?

No doubt automakers have improved, but its hard to sell a vehicle now days that doesn't have at least CarPlay. Its also hard to sell a daily driver with just a radio.
 
The infotainment in my Tesla was fantastic. Admittedly, that's probably not a fair comparison since most automakers don't have a strong internal software team.

The Tesla system connects to the phone that is used to unlock the driver door. Hop in and the infotainment is ready to go before you are. Great native map software, Spotify, energy prediction graph, and numerous other bits and bobs.

CarPlay seems to arbitrarily choose a phone to connect to, which means more manual switching. I like CarPlay more for Waze. It's easy to keep Waze open in the background to listen for radar traps.
 
This is what I was doing on my drive home today. I was using MINI's navigation and had CarPlay playing music (note the CarPlay icon next to the time). It was seamless. Have to give MINI credit for that, although I can't do full-screen CarPlay with the software version I have.

sesplitnavcarplay.webp
 
polyphonic said:
The infotainment in my Tesla was fantastic. Admittedly, that's probably not a fair comparison since most automakers don't have a strong internal software team.
Click to expand...

There are a few differences in that opinion that I'm aware of. My buddy, who is not a technocrat, hates Tesla infotainment. Loves the car regardless. After much trial an error he was able to simply display and use Carplay and he is much happier. Did I mention that he is not a technocrat, more of a social butterfly :)

I notice that when I'm traveling and renting a car, plugging in the phone and having familiar navigation and social media screens regardless of make or model is a comfort. I don't have to learn the dozen ways auto manufacture's think it should work prior to exiting the airport and trying to find the hotel. Its nice to hop in my pickup for a run to the hardware store and have a familiar interface, instead of scratching my left ear and getting a sirius foreign language station instead of a casual podcast. :)

I think the SE is done well, but the BWM quirks are not yet in muscle memory and I can quickly get lost.... the best case result is riding in silence. My wife is so impressed that the iPhone screen automatically pops ups (wireless Carplay) that she wants one (an SE not an iPhone). Good thing they don't offer a color she likes.

I think most of us in these forums are enthusiasts and love technology, so our POV may be slanted a bit differently than one where a car is a transportation appliance.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top