Some Apple iPhone 13/12 iOS 15 devices damage car Bluetooth hands-free system

According to 9to5 Mac, more and more iPhone users running iOS 15.1 have reported connection problems with their car's Bluetooth hands-free system. Posts on Apple's support forums include complaints from some iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 users, as well as some suggested fixes, but none of them fundamentally solve the problem.

The issue, which appears to be primarily affecting drivers of Toyota cars and trucks, began around the time iOS 15 and iOS 15.1 were released, and persists even on newer versions of iOS like iOS 15.1.1. There have been a few reports from drivers of Audi and Volvo cars, but those complaints don't appear to be as widespread as the problem facing Toyota drivers.

One user said,

"Called Toyota and they don't have any type of solution as their app doesn't even work properly. Most people here don't have CarPlay in their Toyotas if I'm reading this correctly. At this point I'm not sure if this is an iPhone 13 issue or a Toyota issue. My iPhone X works just fine."

CarPlay doesn’t seem to be a major player in the issue, unlike previous in-car bugs that affected iPhone users. In fact, the issue seems to mainly affect cars that don’t have CarPlay, forcing users to use the automaker’s in-car system instead.

One user even claimed that the iPhone "can't make calls in my car" due to Bluetooth dropped connections.

“It’s really frustrating that my iPhone doesn’t work in my car. Hopefully someone has seen a situation like this and has a solution/workaround. Or, this will allow the developers to try and fix this issue.”