CarPlay or Android Auto not activating after a patch, FEC or coding change

How to recognise the problem

The symptoms vary but follow a recognisable pattern after a patch, FEC addition, activator, unit swap or retrofit.

• App-Connect, SmartLink or Full Link shows only MirrorLink; the CarPlay and Android Auto logos are missing.
• The App-Connect menu entry is missing entirely, or MAN SmartLink appears instead of App-Connect.
• Android Auto works but an iPhone is reported as an iPod, an unsupported USB device or 'device not supported'.
• The phone only charges; the unit shows a USB error or does nothing when a phone is connected.
• The screen stops on the App Connect start screen, or the CarPlay screen flashes up briefly and returns to the main menu.
• Added FECs are reported as invalid, or the CarPlay/Android Auto codes do not appear in the FEC list.
• On Audi, the smartphone interface icon is missing from the main menu or from the Virtual Cockpit.

Units that cannot do it, or need more than a patch

Before spending time on coding, confirm the unit can support App-Connect at all. Several owners discovered that no amount of coding would help because of the hardware or software variant. Some of these statements are disputed between owners, so treat them as a starting point.

• Delphi MIB2 STD: reports say 3Q0035819A cannot be upgraded, while 3Q0035819B and 3Q0035820B can. An 819C unit was confirmed not to support App-Connect. Some owners state that 819/820 units as a group cannot handle App-Connect; this is disputed.
• Delphi STD2 units may need converting to the STD2 Plus variant before App-Connect appears; enabling adaptations alone left the display unchanged in one report.
• Technisat units on the 01xx software train lack the required support, and an update from 01xx to 02xx or later is reported as not possible.
• MIB2 Entry units are reported as not patchable. Units without navigation reportedly need the eMMC or OTG method rather than the SD-card toolbox route.
• On a 2015 Passat B8 unit (3Q0035864) owners advised against updating to 0478, warning it could brick the unit, and recommended a different head unit instead.
• The Audi A4 Delphi unit 8W0035824D was reported as unsuitable for the metainfo/Telnet route; 824A, B or C variants were suggested instead.
• MST2_XX_AU firmware builds reportedly lack the CarPlay/Android Auto binaries, so an activator cannot make them work; a different firmware build is needed.
• JP-region MHI2 firmware has no patch available; owners converted to EU firmware first.

Before you start: safety

Several fixes involve firmware updates, patches, EEPROM changes or coding. Mistakes here have caused lost cameras, lost SD slots, boot loops and missing audio.

• Record the current software train and part number from the version/service screen before changing anything.
• Back up the long coding and adaptation values of module 5F, and any FecContainer.fec or toolbox backup the tool offers.
• Keep a stable power supply or battery charger connected during any flash or patch.
• Use a patch that matches the exact firmware version installed; do not flash files intended for another train.
• When editing long coding, change only the bits described. One owner lost the rear-view camera after accidentally unchecking bit 4 in 5F.

Step 1: Confirm the FECs are installed and valid

The CarPlay and Android Auto feature codes most often cited are 00060800 (Apple CarPlay) and 00060900 (Android Auto). Check that they are listed as installed and valid, not merely supported. FECs can be viewed from the service/red menu or with a diagnostic tool; on older software the FEC menu may only be visible after installing the M.I.B toolbox or enabling developer mode.

• If codes are missing after an AIO update (reported on K3663_1), reboot first since FECs can appear with a delay, then use the toolbox addfec function.
• An outdated toolbox (v3.4.4) left CarPlay and Bluetooth broken in one case; updating to v3.6 and running addfec fixed it. Running add_feccontainer fixed a case where an iPhone was detected only as an iPod.
• If all FECs show invalid after copying a patched FEC file: edit the file with the car's VIN and VCRN, delete all existing FEC files to remove duplicates, copy the edited file back, and make these edits by hand rather than with scripts.
• For the SD-card EL method, one confirmed fix was replacing the FAZIT value in the EL file with the unit's own value, then re-patching, rehashing and rewriting the card.
• Swap codes that come back invalid usually mean the unit was not patched first or the VIN/VCRN does not match.
• On some AIO patches the activation must be run separately from the patch menu, then confirmed with a check-codes function; the flash alone did not activate Android Auto in one report.

Step 2: Enable the smartphone adaptations in module 5F

This is the single most frequently reported fix. Patches and SD-card EL changes often enable the feature without switching on the related adaptation channels, so the unit shows only MirrorLink. In module 5F, open Adaptation and the vehicle (car) configuration group.

• Set Google_GAL to ON (Android Auto).
• Set Apple_DIO to ON (CarPlay). Owners note Apple_DIO is off by default on Seat 02xx software.
• Set Smartphone_interface_for_rhmi to ON.
• Set Mirror_link to ON if MirrorLink is wanted. One report noted MirrorLink can take priority over the projection options; removing it or changing priority was suggested.
• Some owners also set 'Interface for external media' connection 1 (and 2 where present) to activated.
• Several owners only succeeded with the bonnet open and the ignition on. Reboot the unit afterwards.
• One owner could not change the values in OBDeleven but succeeded with VCDS. A clone VCDS interface was suspected when a change was rejected.
• After an SVM run or a unit swap, these adaptations may be reset and need re-enabling.

Step 3: Set the USB mode in 5F long coding (byte 19)

If Android Auto works but CarPlay does not, or the phone only charges, the USB port mode is the usual cause. In 5F long coding, byte 19 (bits 6 and 7) sets the port mode. Owners describe usb_ipod (often given as C0) as enabling both CarPlay and Android Auto, and usb_full as Android Auto only. Some owners report that cars from 2017 onward need this change after patching.

Reports disagree in places. One MHS2 owner warned that changing byte 19 bit 7 broke Apple connectivity; another fixed a USB fault by setting usb_full; an owner on AIO 3342 found the update had set usb_ipod, which stopped an Android-only port from being recognised. One Delphi report (3Q0035824A) refers to the setting as byte 09 and suggests testing both modes. Match the setting to the actual port hardware and test after each change.

• Green (Apple-capable) port: set usb_ipod, reboot, retest CarPlay.
• Purple (Android-only) port: leave byte 19 at usb_full; usb_ipod will not make CarPlay work on this hardware.
• Reading byte 19 is also a quick way to tell whether the existing port is already configured for CarPlay.

Step 4: Check the USB port, cable and phone

Coding cannot compensate for a charge-only or Android-only port. Several owners only got CarPlay after a hardware change.

• Check the port colour and confirm the USB connector part number matches the VIN. 5Q0035726E is cited as a twin-port Apple-capable part on Golf/Leon, but one report says it is not compatible with MHI2Q, where a USB hub such as 8W0035736 is needed.
• On an Audi A3 8V without CarPlay, owners replaced the charge-only port with 8V0035708; AUX may need disabling in 5F afterwards.
• Test the port with a USB flash drive or an Android phone to separate a port fault from a coding fault.
• Use an original Apple cable and make sure Siri is enabled on the iPhone. Cheap clone USB modules were suspected in some cases.
• Check the connector is not discoloured, and try the other USB port where fitted.

Step 5: Check firmware level and finish the patch properly

Some failures came from patching too old a firmware or from changes that never took effect.

• Update firmware to a version that supports CarPlay before patching, then apply the patch that matches that exact version. A unit stuck on the App Connect start screen was attributed to old 06xx firmware.
• Changes made with the toolbox can stay pending until a full reboot; holding the power button for about 15 seconds applied them in a confirmed case.
• After a firmware update or OTA, re-check FECs and adaptations; MirrorLink lost after an update to 0475 was restored by recoding in VCDS.
• If the toolbox altered configuration and removed CarPlay, restoring from the toolbox backup was suggested.

Platform-specific notes

Beyond the common steps, a few platforms have their own requirements.

• MH2P: after enabling all FECs, check the FoD adaptation in 5F is set to SWaP. 5F coding is reported as not changeable through telnet alone; ODIS or PIWIS (Porsche) were used. OBD11 only partly supports Porsche.
• MHI3: after adding FECs, owners changed the fod adaptation to swap.
• MOI3: if adaptation changes return an error on a unit with a modified EEPROM, one suggestion is to restore the original EEPROM, adapt, then reinstall the modified EEPROM.
• Wireless CarPlay (MH2P and others): enable Apple_DIO_Wireless, WiFi_Client_HMI, Apple_DIO and wlan_5ghz_switch, then reboot and pair via Bluetooth. One confirmed case also needed the region set to EU. A PCM factory reset after coding was suggested on a Macan.
• Audi cluster: if CarPlay works but the smartphone icon is missing from the instrument cluster or Virtual Cockpit, owners pointed to outdated cluster software. A 'gateway version too low' message was resolved by a gateway update.

Side effects and what did not help

Some problems appeared only after activation, and some attempts failed outright.

• No radio sound after connecting a phone by USB: restoring FecContainer.fec from backup and re-adding only 00060800 and 00060900 was suggested. One case was linked to adding the Bluetooth FEC 00050000 on a car without factory Bluetooth.
• Removing and re-adding all swap codes produced MAN SmartLink instead of App-Connect; recoding 5F adaptations was suggested.
• Swapping cables alone did not fix an A6 C7 that showed the smartphone icon but never connected.
• A CarPlay entry created by an EEPROM patch script disappeared again after a few days; no fix was reported.
• An MH2P unit that froze on a static CarPlay image while Android Auto worked was not resolved by cable changes.
• A unit that kept restarting after activation on EU-converted MHI2Q firmware had no reported fix.