I had not tried my iPhone 15 Pro Max as a CarPlay device until I read your post. Mine connected and was actually quite fast. I was using a cable that came with an iPad Pro. I disconnected/re-connected a few times to be sure the first time wasn't a fluke. The Polestar 2 is a 2022 MY. This may be stating the obvious, but just to cover all points: be sure to unlock the phone prior to attempting to connect to CarPlay. That was an issue for me in the past.

 

No problems here.

Many USB-C cables are charge only (or simply badly made) - so I'd disregard the random ones you've found at home for now. It's surprising the Apple one isn't working reliably though.

As @Milton D. says, it's important the phone is unlocked unless you've enabled CarPlay whilst locked.

(Settings > General > Polestar PS2 > Allow CarPlay While Locked)

That could explain the apparently random behaviour you're seeing.

Incidentally, my recommendation for a cable is the DJI Drone Controller cable. It's fantastic - just the right length and it has little finger grips that allow you to easily plug and unplug single handed.

Link:-

Amazon.co.uk

 

I think it was having a VPN connected that was the issue

Turned off my VPN and now it works every time

Weirdly wasnt an issue with my iPhone 14

 

This is a known issue, been around for years - not sure why it didn't affect you before.

 

Somehow never ever an issue before

 

If you really want to use a consumer VPN on your device (not sure what point it actually serves to be honest - everything is encrypted these days and your NATted, randomly changing mobile IP is of no use to anyone), then the only real choice is to use the Apple Private Relay service - that works fine with CarPlay.

 

that’s not really true, at the very best the network allocates an IP address which is on your home provider. Here in Germany on my iPad with 4g I’m showing as a Swiss IP address because that’s my home provider. These addresses can change rarely depending on your provider and will always be with your provider. This design choice is made in part so regional access restrictions work, like the TV show I just watched on my Swiss TV account.

If I wanted to logout and login again to vehemently disagree with myself using a different username the admin can see right away it’s still me. The fact this is a HTTP/2 for HTTPS site doesn’t hide that. A VPN hides that and hides the fact I’m using this site from the hotel wifi here if I choose, and stops them blocking it for that matter. This WiFi being slow I’m using 4G though

So, in summary, if someone apparently doesn’t agree with that, it could be me using a VPN so take this as the definitive answer. I am Spartacus and not the next guy