Carplay icons on sidebar not working on VW Tiguan 2016 since iOS26

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Carplay icons on sidebar not working on VW Tiguan 2016 since iOS26

Since the iOS 26 update, on a 2016 VW Tiguan with an iPhone 13 running iOS 26.0.1, the side menu bar no longer works on CarPlay. It is impossible to return to the main menu. The menu icons are no longer clickable.

When CarPlay connects, we are stuck on the last application that was used when CarPlay was functional. In the meantime, we have to go into the phone while driving to change applications, which is not very safe.

I removed my car from my device and reinstalled it, and nothing worked. :(

iPhone 13

Posted on Oct 7, 2025 7:55 AM

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brbo

Level 8

38,635 points

Oct 8, 2025 2:08 AM in response to Technobabe

Re: Carplay icons on sidebar not working on VW Tiguan 2016 since iOS26

You may want to check whether there is a firmware update available for your car's system, to keep it compatible.

Eg: If you use an app, you can likely check in that for updates. Else you may want check for the update info.via your car manual, or check on the car manufacturer's support website, (Eg: https://softwareupdates.volkswagen.com/softwareupdates.html) or maybe check with the car-dealer.

Else: if you think it is an iOS software bug, you can send feedback to Apple:

You can send feedback to reach those who work on the software behind-the-scenes at Apple. They will likely not reply, yet they do carefully read, and log, all feedback, and if others have a similar issue, we may see an update that addresses it.

The more feedback they receive on which hardware models and software versions are affected, the more likely we will see an update. Web-form for feedback: Feedback - iPhone - Apple

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