[Update: Jan. 15] Waze issue with CarPlay volume suddenly decreasing lives on after iOS 15 update

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on November 02, 2021) follows:

With Apple bringing iOS 15 to iPhones, users were looking forward to discovering and making use of all the features. But like all software updates, iOS 15 introduced some new bugs and issues and carried on some from iOS 14.

A few years ago, the Cupertino-based company decided to take on the car infotainment ecosystem and introduced Apple CarPlay.

But it looks like the iOS 15 update caused some connectivity issues with CarPlay with the iPhone 13 instantly disconnecting the moment users tried to play any audio.

Apple CarPlay supports Siri and a bunch of third-party apps including WhatsApp and Waze. Having said that, the Waze issue with CarPlay that resulted in the volume suddenly decreasing hasn’t been fixed on iOS 15.

Some bug reports date back to May of 2020, indicating that the issue was prevalent even on iOS 13.4.1.

I’ll second this (iOS 13.4.1, Waze 4.62.1.2), but from my Honda Accord. When phone is not connected, my volume can be set from 0 to 40. When phone is connected, this holds true–until I turn on waze. When Waze is turned on, the max volume is 11 (too quiet for highway). This cannot be deactivated unless I disconnect my phone from the vehicle and ensure that Waze is closed. I have only had this problem for the past week.
(Source)

But it looks like the Waze CarPlay volume bug is making a comeback, with recent user reports suggesting that it was never fixed. Some say that Waze sometimes takes over and prevents them from changing the music volume.

I noticed that when I am listening to music on Spotify right when I first start up my car, that when I open Waze the music volume decreases like it is waiting for a voice command. If I go back to Spotify and then back to Waze the music comes back to full volume.
(Source)

@waze Hiya, gang. I’m not sure if this has been reported yet, but Waze is currently “stealing” the audio from CarPlay, sometimes after a prompt, sometimes just randomly out of nowhere. Audio turns way down as if Waze is giving direction, and stays that way til I force close Waze
(Source)

This is really serious for those who use CarPlay every day since it might potentially distract them from driving and result in some mishaps. Nonetheless, it looks like Waze is asking those affected to send in reports.

Hey Ken, so sorry to hear about your issue. Let’s get this solved. Send a report to our support team here: https://tinyurl.com/yzmber57 Thanks! – Adele
(Source)

However, neither Waze nor Apple has acknowledged the CarPlay volume bug to date. If and when they do, we will update this space with more information.

05:56 pm (IST): While this issue has been resolved for many users after the latest update, some are still having it.

And based on the user’s suggestions (1, 2, 3) those still having the issue can try rebooting the device multiple times and see if that helps.

Note: We have more such stories in our dedicated iOS Section so be sure to follow them as well.

Featured image source: Waze

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