While driving and using Spotify, my Apple Carplay display turns to black

[AntonHooijmans]

Plan

Premium

Country

The Netherlands

Device

iPhone 11 Pro

Operating System

iOS 14.5.1 (but have had the same issue also with previous versions)

Spotify version

8.6.30.968 (but have had the same issue also with previous versions)

My Question or Issue

Running Spotify via Apple Carplay in my 2020 (October) Skoda Octavia (so just over 6 months old) is causing issues (from the very first moment). It doesn't happen immediately but usually in the middle of my drive I will notice that the music will suddenly stop. And then for about 20~30 seconds you can still see the music playing on the screen but no sound output and then after that it just crashes my entire infotainment system. The entire display goes black and there's nothing I can do to get it back until I turn off the car and turn it back on (which is of course not something you'll easily do while driving). This mainly happens when I change between playlists in Spotify through Apple Carplay.

I don't think it's an issue with Apple Carplay because it only happens when I am running Spotify, not when I am using any other application. I thought maybe it might be the fact I make use of a wireless connection, so I connected the phone via a cable (tried multiple, including official Apple cable) but same thing happened.

Also, I've done a complete reset of (first) the Spotify app as described in previous replies from Spotify, as well as (secondly) a complete reset of my phone (iPhone 11 Pro with firmware currently at version 14.5.1 (but have experienced the same problem also with previous versions).

Since the problem persisted, the garage/dealer has already replaced the hardware (5S system; board computer) to see if this fixes the problem; however, I'm still experiencing the same issue.

I've officially run out of ideas of things I can try, so does anyone know what's the problem to this?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[CarlosE]

Hey there @AntonHooijmans,

Thanks for reaching out to the Community and welcome!

Just to be sure, did you follow the steps in this guide when running a clean reinstall of the app?

We'd also like to know if this only happens when using CarPlay, or if it also happens when using your phone connected to your car via Bluetooth.

Keep us posted. We'll be on the lookout.

[AntonHooijmans]

Hi CarlosE,

Thank you very much for your reply.

And indeed, I followed all steps in the guide which you refer to.

The issue only seems to happen when connected through Apple Carplay, so not when I connect through Bluetooth. The crash occurs both when the car is in motion as well as when the car is parked. I notice it happens most often when I've been listening to a song/playlist and change to a different playlist. When I do so, I tend to see the image of the new playlist and 'see' the music is playing, but there is no audio. After about 30 seconds, the screen goes black. 

Hope this helps. Thanks again,

Anton

[Eni]

Hey @AntonHooijmans, 

Thanks for your reply. 

Would you mind asking a friend or a relative to log in to their account in your phone and check if they can replicate this issue?

Also, could you check if this issue persists with a different phone?

We'll be on the lookout.

[AntonHooijmans]

Hi Eni,

Thanks, I will give this a try and will let you know of the outcome.

Best regards,

Anton

[AntonHooijmans]

Hi,

Today I've tried using another phone (my old iPhone 7). Also with this phone, I have the exact same issue using Spotify with Apple Carplay.

Do you maybe have any other advice?

Thanks,

Anton

[Jeremy]

Hi there @AntonHooijmans,

Thank you for your reply and confirmation.

Can you try the following:

• Make sure your app and devices’ software are up-to-date
• Make sure your device is connected to the internet
• Restart the app
• Restart your car (by turning the ignition off then on again)
• If possible, delete the Spotify app then reinstall it

Let us know how it goes 🙂

Cheers!

[AntonHooijmans]

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for your advice.

I've tried the the steps which you mention multiple times. Sadly, this does not make a difference. When I restart the car (by turning the ignition off then on again (after a couple of minutes)) the black screen is no longer there. However, the same issue happens again when changing playlist. So this is no proper solution for the long run.

[Jeremy]

Hi again @AntonHooijmans,

Thank you for getting back in touch with us.

The app is just sending data to CarPlay and since we haven't received any other reports on this, it does sound like the issue might be either how CarPlay is interpreting the connection, the connection itself or something with the car firmware.

We're really sorry but in this case there's not much we can do, even though we'd love everyone to have a great Spotify experience while driving.

We suggest that you reach out to your car service or Skoda support directly to check if any updates or fixes are available or if they can take a closer look. 

Let us know how everything goes. 

Take care!

[AntonHooijmans]

Thanks for your reply and help Jeremy.

I'll look further for another solution.

Best regards,

Anton

[Jeremy]

Hi again @AntonHooijmans,

Thank you for your reply.

We really want this to get solved for you.

Let us know what your car service or Skoda support says. Hopefully they'll be able to help you.

Take care!

[AntonHooijmans]

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks, I will make sure to inform you once a problem has been found.

Thank you again for your support!

Best regards, Anton

[Bishonen]

Did you have any luck fixing this? In my skoda octavia IV, I get 100% the same issue. Playing a playlist in spotify via apple car play hangs the whole infotainment system until I turn off the car ... This is beyond bad.

[chees]

Any solution? Same thing happens to me when using Spotify on CarPlay in my Skoda Scala. Other apps are working fine.

[AntonHooijmans]

Sadly no, I am still experiencing the same issues. Since my last post I've been to the dealer multiple times, but thus far to no avail.

[MozefKiprich]

The same issue occurs to me in a Seat Leon ST (2020).

Very annoying and even a possible reason to replace Spotify by some other streaming service..

[AntonHooijmans]

Somehow, updating my car software a few months ago fixed the problem.
Still is very strange (and annoying) this happened.

[AndresM]

Hi @MozefKiprich,

Thanks for posting on the Community. 

Could you tell us if there's any firmware/software pending for your car software/Carplay? 

Changing tunes, let us if this happens with other streaming services. 

Lastly, could you send us a short video in order to check this further, along with the make/model, OS version and Spotify version installed on your phone?

We'll be standing by.