Why CarPlay Stops Working at Toll Booths: Uncover the Surprising Reason!

Sudden disconnections of CarPlay while passing through highway tolls are due to a radio frequency conflict, with no permanent fix in sight other than makeshift solutions.

This issue affects both CarPlay and Android Auto users in France as they go through toll booths. It is common for the connection to abruptly fail, resulting in the loss of both GPS navigation and any music that might be playing. Users must reconnect their devices after passing through the toll gates, which is often inconvenient.

According to Frandroid, this problem arises from a clash between Wi-Fi frequency bands. Toll collection systems use the 5.8 GHz band to trigger the opening of the barrier, which is the same frequency used by Apple and Google’s onboard systems when operating wirelessly. Frandroid notes that the National Frequency Agency is well aware of this interference between highway Wi-Fi and public Wi-Fi, but the priority is given to the highway systems.

This issue has been discussed for years in various Apple forum threads. One workaround suggested is to switch to airplane mode before entering the toll booth, and possibly setting up two shortcuts that can be activated with Siri as one approaches and leaves the toll area.

Two other alternatives proposed include using a wired connection for CarPlay/Android Auto or checking if the vehicle’s settings allow switching to a 2.4 GHz connection.

Car manufacturers are not eagerly pursuing CarPlay Ultra