[LynnP]

On a recent 6 hour trip, my iphone almost went dead while using Googlemap thru Car Play. I've made similar trips (and longer) before but never had this happen. Luckily, I was able to reach my auxiliary charger, disconnect GPS (which I hated to do b/c I had no idea where I was) and charge it up enough to last a little while longer. Then had to charge it up again when traffic slowed down and I could fiddle with it. I called Apple afterwards and they tested my iphone, said it still has 87% battery left and they don't recommend replacing until 80%.

I find it odd that my battery continued to die while plugged into the car yet it charged up with the external charger while still using the GPS. I called the dealer and they never heard of this before and said I could drop the car off for several hours for them to check out the port, etc. Has anyone else experienced this? The dealer also suggested it could be the cord but it is an Apple cord and is less than 2 years old. Do they go bad that quickly? Any ideas/suggestions? I just don't have time right now to sit at the dealers for several hours and wait. Hoping there might be some tests I can try at home first.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

I have never had that issue...my iPhone always has a positive charge rate when running on CarPlay and using Google Maps while traveling. Be sure there is no lint in the connector on the phone and do consider using a different cable just in case. Also don't have anything else plugged into the second USB port in the center stack while using CarPlay and phone charging.

 

[xydadx3]

@LynnP Which iPhone do you own? Have you tried any other phone to see if the same thing happens? Mine is a 13pro max, which has the biggest battery of them all, and still charges while connected. Mine even charges enough on my 20 minute trip to and from work, using GPS and streaming music, to effectively not need to charge it outside those times all week long!
Even if your battery is only at 87% capacity the charging ability shouldn't be affected. The 87% would cause it to discharge quicker when not connected to power. The biggest battery drain I've experienced is when the phone has a low signal strength. Was that the case on your trip and was the phone doing anything else such as hotspot, downloading in the background, etc?

As painful as it may be you might want to have the dealer check it out if it happens on multiple phones.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Mine is also the 13 Pro Max with similar behavior. Even a few minutes driving tops it off quickly. Hunting for a wireless signal (cellular and/or WiFi) definity increases power usage on phones for sure.

 

[rockthebeef]

It might be too late to see the specifics of battery usage during your trip, but check out settings>battery and see how the recent usage breaks down. You can toggle between the last 24 hours or last 10 days. There might have been an app that was tanking your battery for some reason.

Sometimes my phone drains very quickly (but not while plugged into CarPlay) and when I go to look at the last 24 hours of battery usage, it's always from Apple Music updating in the background. There isn't a way to turn that particular update off (I've tried). You could've had something similatr going on in the background.

 

[MrCairo]

If you have the wireless phone charger option, you can use that too. I can fit my iPhone 13 Pro while it's connected to the lightning cable and it will also charge that way. I've not tried with the iPhone Pro Max though - I'm not sure if it would fit. It's worth a try anyhow.

 

[xydadx3]

If you have the wireless phone charger option, you can use that too. I can fit my iPhone 13 Pro while it's connected to the lightning cable and it will also charge that way. I've not tried with the iPhone Pro Max though - I'm not sure if it would fit. It's worth a try anyhow.

I have been told by Apple support that the phone will only charge via one method at a time.

They did provide this link to a discussion on the subject.

 

[LynnP]

@LynnP Which iPhone do you own? Have you tried any other phone to see if the same thing happens? Mine is a 13pro max, which has the biggest battery of them all, and still charges while connected. Mine even charges enough on my 20 minute trip to and from work, using GPS and streaming music, to effectively not need to charge it outside those times all week long!
Even if your battery is only at 87% capacity the charging ability shouldn't be affected. The 87% would cause it to discharge quicker when not connected to power. The biggest battery drain I've experienced is when the phone has a low signal strength. Was that the case on your trip and was the phone doing anything else such as hotspot, downloading in the background, etc?

As painful as it may be you might want to have the dealer check it out if it happens on multiple phones.

I only own one phone so I can't check that idea. And I haven't had any car trips longer than around 10 mins. but I notice that it doesn't charge at all when plugged in. I need to drive a bit more to be sure. I just ordered a new Apple certified cord b/c I know that's the first thing the dealer is going to want to blame.

 

[LynnP]

I have never had that issue...my iPhone always has a positive charge rate when running on CarPlay and using Google Maps while traveling. Be sure there is no lint in the connector on the phone and do consider using a different cable just in case. Also don't have anything else plugged into the second USB port in the center stack while using CarPlay and phone charging.

Just ordered a new Apple certified cord and will see if that makes a difference. Nothing else is plugged in.

 

[LynnP]

It might be too late to see the specifics of battery usage during your trip, but check out settings>battery and see how the recent usage breaks down. You can toggle between the last 24 hours or last 10 days. There might have been an app that was tanking your battery for some reason.

Sometimes my phone drains very quickly (but not while plugged into CarPlay) and when I go to look at the last 24 hours of battery usage, it's always from Apple Music updating in the background. There isn't a way to turn that particular update off (I've tried). You could've had something similatr going on in the background.

On my bigger trip, I took a mid-way trip that was around 5 hrs to Atlanta. It was on that trip that the phone almost died. I called Apple when I got back and they had me check battery usage. It was mostly GoogleMaps and I Heart Radio. Even looking now at the past 10 days (I've been home 5 days now), it shows GoogleMaps as the most used. But the fact that it won't charge up at all with nothing running is concerning me.

 

[LynnP]

I have been told by Apple support that the phone will only charge via one method at a time.
View attachment 16254
They did provide this link to a discussion on the subject.

Mine is an iPhone 11. My 2019 Ascent does not have a wireless charger (that I'm aware). So I don't think that's the issue.

 

[LynnP]

If you have the wireless phone charger option, you can use that too. I can fit my iPhone 13 Pro while it's connected to the lightning cable and it will also charge that way. I've not tried with the iPhone Pro Max though - I'm not sure if it would fit. It's worth a try anyhow.

iPhone 11 in a 2019 Ascent - no wireless charger.

 

[TSiWRX]

It's not just about an Apple-approved cord.

Some cords (actually, the USB plug side) fits more loosely in the plug versus others, even the factory cords - it seems to me that it's just a matter of real-world tolerance-stacking.

Finding one that fits better may (or may not 😅 ) do the trick.

For me, this has been the single - and only - consistent factor.

 

[bluesubie]

Our 2020 Ascent is currently doing this right now. Trying multiple cables and phones, including... Anker, Apple and some etsy cable, iPhone 14 and a iPhone 12 Max Pro all do the same thing. We have tried a firmware update on the system, but it still does it.