CarPlay stutter... Eugh!

[varaderoguy]

Folks - there are some rules that need to be adhered to with either Apple Carplay or Android Auto.  Firstly, make sure that any power saving features on your phone are switched OFF.  If you have power saving services enabled, it will cause slowness and random connectivity issues with your MIB system.  Secondly, firmware of the system....the firmware of the MIB systems can sometimes be very flaky.  I found this on my 2016 Octavia Scout and on my 2018 Octavia VRS.  In both cases, a firmware update fixed the wierdnesses of carplay/auto connectivity.  I ended up doing a firmware update myself on my 2019 Scout on my Amundsen system. Yes, phones need to be the latest firmware too.

 

Please assume that most Skoda dealers will not understand or be interested in the MIB firmware issues on your car....it takes time/money to fix them and generally unless you directly show the technician what the fault is, they won't fix it. 

[Benz3ne]

Just now, varaderoguy said:

Folks - there are some rules that need to be adhered to with either Apple Carplay or Android Auto.  Firstly, make sure that any power saving features on your phone are switched OFF.  If you have power saving services enabled, it will cause slowness and random connectivity issues with your MIB system.  Secondly, firmware of the system....the firmware of the MIB systems can sometimes be very flaky.  I found this on my 2016 Octavia Scout and on my 2018 Octavia VRS.  In both cases, a firmware update fixed the wierdnesses of carplay/auto connectivity.  I ended up doing a firmware update myself on my 2019 Scout on my Amundsen system. Yes, phones need to be the latest firmware too.

 

Please assume that most Skoda dealers will not understand or be interested in the MIB firmware issues on your car....it takes time/money to fix them and generally unless you directly show the technician what the fault is, they won't fix it. 

Power saving off - tick.

Latest firmware of HU - tick.

Latest firmware on phone - tick.

 

Unfortunately issue has been ever-prevalent for me, regardless of model of iPhone, firmware of iPhone, cable used... etc...

The dealer allowed me to show them what the fault was and agreed that there was an issue, kept the car a further 24 hours but no fixes or suggested fixes whatsoever.

[skomaz]

Daft point to make I know but cars are moving environments subject to lots of vibrations.  I've experienced a variety of good and bad USB cables that can lose connection due to vibration - probably because of the manufacturing tolerances o the cables and sockets.  Have any of you experiencing stutter checked the plug at the end of the cable to ensure it makes a decent connection and is vibration-proof?  I only ask as I've had to 'nip up' the metal outer of the plugs on some of my cables (regardless of cost or quality) to ensure they make a decent, vibration-proof connection to whatever they are connected to...

[Benz3ne]

1 minute ago, skomaz said:

Daft point to make I know but cars are moving environments subject to lots of vibrations.  I've experienced a variety of good and bad USB cables that can lose connection due to vibration - probably because of the manufacturing tolerances o the cables and sockets.  Have any of you experiencing stutter checked the plug at the end of the cable to ensure it makes a decent connection and is vibration-proof?  I only ask as I've had to 'nip up' the metal outer of the plugs on some of my cables (regardless of cost or quality) to ensure they make a decent, vibration-proof connection to whatever they are connected to...

It's a valid point and one I admittedly hadn't thought of but it has happened when the phone/cable/car are static and only the radio is on. Unless there's some sporadic vibrations I'm not aware of it doesn't quite address it fully - definitely worth having a quick peak at though!

[skomaz]

1 hour ago, Benz3ne said:

It's a valid point and one I admittedly hadn't thought of but it has happened when the phone/cable/car are static and only the radio is on. Unless there's some sporadic vibrations I'm not aware of it doesn't quite address it fully - definitely worth having a quick peak at though!

 

Sometimes even the vibrations / sound from the speakers themselves and the music being played can be enough to cause vibrations in equipment that can disturb a 'loose' connection (eg I have an external SSD drive that I found was affected in this way simply by me typing on a keyboard on the same desk) - and then there are other external influences such as heat expansion etc. (witness failing dry solder joints that fail as a unit warms up as an example).

 

I'm not saying it's a cure but, in my experience, has to be worth checking 

[WaveyDavey]

6 hours ago, varaderoguy said:

Folks - there are some rules that need to be adhered to with either Apple Carplay or Android Auto.  Firstly, make sure that any power saving features on your phone are switched OFF.  If you have power saving services enabled, it will cause slowness and random connectivity issues with your MIB system.  Secondly, firmware of the system....the firmware of the MIB systems can sometimes be very flaky.  I found this on my 2016 Octavia Scout and on my 2018 Octavia VRS.  In both cases, a firmware update fixed the wierdnesses of carplay/auto connectivity.  I ended up doing a firmware update myself on my 2019 Scout on my Amundsen system. Yes, phones need to be the latest firmware too.

 

Please assume that most Skoda dealers will not understand or be interested in the MIB firmware issues on your car....it takes time/money to fix them and generally unless you directly show the technician what the fault is, they won't fix it. 

just out of interest what do you mean by power saving features? Do you mean the Low Power Mode that kicks in when the battery is less than 20% charged?

[varaderoguy]

Well, it depends on the phone. Some phones have a Power Saving feature that switches out WiFi and/or Bluetooth when the phone not in use or alternatively restricts power to the CPU...or just reduces power when the phone gets to 15%. You cannot do much about the last case but the former cases you can.

[WaveyDavey]

1 hour ago, varaderoguy said:

Well, it depends on the phone. Some phones have a Power Saving feature that switches out WiFi and/or Bluetooth when the phone not in use or alternatively restricts power to the CPU...or just reduces power when the phone gets to 15%. You cannot do much about the last case but the former cases you can.

That's what i was asking about as the only thing i was aware of on the iPhone was the Low Power mode that can kick in at 20% battery..... Obviously what Android phones do doesn't matter as the issue is an iPhone only issue.

[varaderoguy]

I did do a little research on this issue before responding. You are right that things on Android are different, but the principles are the same. The Low Power can be switched on at anywhere between 20 and 80%. The phone will be locked into low power mode below 20% and switched out above 80%. In between those ranges, you can manually switch in/out Low Power Mode. What I was (probably badly) trying to say is....just make sure that low power mode is not engaged otherwise performance issues may occur.

[Rizzoed]

On 06/07/2020 at 11:19, FabiaGonzales said:

Personally i suspect its an electrical noise/interference issue

This is what I thought as well. While my unit does stutter while connected to CarPlay even in “normal” conditions, it also seems to “trigger” on particularly bumpy/high crosswind roads and when the engine varies it’s load in a small amount of time. Unfortunately properly testing and documenting this has been quite the issue, so for now take this with a grain on salt.

 

Now for something more interesting... with my head unit (Swing+ as it has 3 buttons on either side), I also have stuttering issues with Android Auto and not JUST CarPlay. I must have a really poor QC unit then.
 

I went on about a 20 minute drive and decided to use my friend’s Samsung S10 (made sure power saving was off etc). I used a new USB-A to USB-C and it took 2 attempts to properly connect to the phone, this has never happened to me with CarPlay. It stuttered in the same ways I previously mentioned in the first paragraph, but not as much as it does with CarPlay but it’s still pretty bad. I don’t believe this is an Apple “issue”, I don’t believe a software fix on their side would fix anything. The only thing I can’t explain is why it started working properly about 3 weeks into quarantine (when I did about 7km a week just for groceries on Saturday) and then kept working even when I started using the car more often only to come back during my road trip.
 

The only thing to do imo is to go to a dealership and insist them in replacing the USB socket/cabling with something more resistant or something. Unfortunately I don’t have a Škoda dealer nearby but I went to a local VW dealer and they seemed pretty happy to check out this issue out this week and see what they can do

 

On 10/07/2020 at 13:31, Benz3ne said:

Octy Estate on Tuesday/Wednesday so hopefully that'll be the end of my contributions on this thread

Let us know what it’s like having a functional HU 🥺

Edited 13 July, 2020 by Rizzoed

[Benz3ne]

4 hours ago, Rizzoed said:

Let us know what it’s like having a functional HU 🥺

 

I'll be sure to post a video of me belting along to something, stutter free (the HU, no guarantees for me). 🤣

[Rizzoed]

Update:

 

On Friday 18/09 i went to my local Škoda dealer to complain that I've had this issue since they first delivered my car back in August 2019. I was livid as my previous attempts to fix this issue went ignored for over a year now. I arrived with no intention of leaving until they fixed my issue whether that was changing the USB port or the entire head unit. They told me there was a software update available for my HU (released 31/08/20, why did i have to show up to know this instead of being notified via email or something IDK) and they said it should fix my issues with the echo whenever someone talks to me via CarPlay and the stuttering except Spotify, that may still have stutters... which is what i mainly use.  

 

I've done about 100km since the update and so far no issues with stuttering... but i tried calling my mum and said that sometimes she can hear her echo still...

 

I'm getting real tired of your **** Škoda, i might just sell the thing and buy a 2008 S3...

[spork]

Is the update still working for you Rizzoed? Was it a quick fix for the garage itself?

[MappyMatty]

I’ve recently bought a 19 plate Fabia Monte Carlo and can also report this frustrating issue. I’ve experimented with 2 different iPhones, and 3 different lightning cables (1 original Apple cable and 2 aftermarket MFI cables). The problem is actually worse on an iPhone 11 with iOS 14.1 than on my iPhone 5S with iOS 12.4.8. I’ve deleted the car from CarPlay on the phone, reset the Smartlink settings to factory on the car head unit, and reestablished the CarPlay connection, all to no avail.

 

I’ve entered my VIN at https://updateportal.skoda-auto.com and it says there’s no software update available for the Swing head unit in my car so I’m really interested to learn more about the software version referred to by @Rizzoed. I’ve contacted the dealer that sold me the car in October to see if they can offer any help. Fingers crossed as they’ve been very good so far resolving another minor issue rather than fobbing me off as is far too common.

 

My software versions match those photographed earlier in the thread so it’d be interesting to know if there’s a later version otherwise CarPlay is practically unusable for audio playback.

[Rizzoed]

On 04/11/2020 at 10:37, spork said:

Is the update still working for you Rizzoed? Was it a quick fix for the garage itself?

I was at the dealer for about 1h30m. Haven't used it much, about 500km in these past 2 months but yes the playback seems to have been fixed, can't say much about the call quality. In the end i decided to sell and now i'm searching for an S3. 

 

21 hours ago, MappyMatty said:

Iv'e entered my VIN at https://updateportal.skoda-auto.com and it says there’s no software update available for the Swing head unit in my car so I’m really interested to learn more about the software version referred to by @Rizzoed. I’ve contacted the dealer that sold me the car in October to see if they can offer any help. Fingers crossed as they’ve been very good so far resolving another minor issue rather than fobbing me off as is far too common.

My VIN never showed up on those websites, and the dealer never contacted me even though i was on their back for over a year trying to fix the issue. I had to physically go there and demand a fix. Overall a pretty poor experience. I can attach my current software.

[MappyMatty]

Thanks for the information. That’ll really help me know exactly what I’m asking my dealership to update.

[Alibayor88]

Update:

 

About a month Skoda called me to have a software update on my Skoda Fabia Monte Carlo 19 Reg after previously reporting the issue. After dropping my car off for the day at the dealership for the day i can confirm that all issues with my Car Play have been resolved.

[MappyMatty]

That sounds like good service @Alibayor88 . Which dealership sorted your car out for you please?

[turboskodaria]

I'm sorry to dig out such an old topic but I've literally only joined because I have the exact same issue. CarPlay music playback stutters after 2-3 minutes. It works totally fine via Bluetooth so it is not the phone. Tried different cables etc, etc...

 

Then I found this: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/251814524?answerId=251814524021#251814524021

 

Apparently there was an update in October 2020 for the head unit, which has resolved the problem for the user (see link above). That link has tons of other users with exactly the same problem as I have.

 

I will go and visit my dealer to check if there is an update but I wanted to ask first – how comes there isn't the option to install these updates at home via USB/SD card? It seems ridiculous in this day and age!

[kjs]

I’m hoping to find the same info. My Fabia’s in for its first service. I think the update is not showing as available as the hardware is later than the one the update states as needing it but I still get the microskips and, recently, the “static”

 

please let us know what happens 

[turboskodaria]

Just now, kjs said:

I’m hoping to find the same info. My Fabia’s in for its first service. I think the update is not showing as available as the hardware is later than the one the update states as needing it but I still get the microskips and, recently, the “static”

 

please let us know what happens 

 

Will update here once I've had the chance to go to the dealer. I'm hesitant going during Covid for a fairly trivial matter and my first service isn't for a while... There has got to be a link to a firmware server to download directly...

[MappyMatty]

Skoda dealer had my car for an hour in November and updated the software to the version shown in Rizzoed’s latest photo. 3 months down the line and I can confirm the issue is  resolved. Why this needs a visit to a dealer and not a download and home install is another question... 

[turboskodaria]

That's very interesting to hear. Did they charge you for the update? I've still got warranty on the car but I'd imagine this isn't down to warranty?

[MappyMatty]

Work performed under warranty. No charge. Car was new to me last October and still in Skoda warranty as a 19 plate.

[turboskodaria]

Great, thanks. Pretty much same as me then! London by any chance?