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Ride Command / Apple Car Play issues after update

8K views 59 replies 21 participants last post by  josedelaluz 
#1 ·
(hope this is in the right thread)

Anyone else having issues with the latest update?

I decided to update my ride command to the latest version (Feb 2023) from my Oct 2022. Did the maps at the same time. I had ZERO issues with Ride Command on the old load but figured the update may have things I want.

This Feb 2023 update has not worked well.
  • loud pop comes from stereo during ride command startup
  • Car play takes longer to load when the phone is plugged in (used to be 3 or 4 seconds, now it seems like 30
  • Apple Car play seems to lock up and the stereo sound goes away after about 20 min. It shows music playing, will pause and skip forward with the thumb control. Even shows the bike moving on the map.
  • Unplug the phone and the car play screen stays there.
  • Only fix is to shut bike down and restart everything.
  • Volume resets to "5" after bike shut down

Music works fine over USB, does not cutout after 20 min (haven't tried bluetooth).

I have reloaded Feb firmware with no change. I have the old firmware and may go back to that but wanted to see if others are having similar issues.

I am going to contact dealer so they can work this through Indian but is there a contact with Indian specific to ride command issues?

Thanks
 
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#2 ·
(hope this is in the right thread)

Anyone else having issues with the latest update?

I decided to update my ride command to the latest version (Feb 2023) from my Oct 2022. Did the maps at the same time. I had ZERO issues with Ride Command on the old load but figured the update may have things I want.

This Feb 2023 update has not worked well.
  • loud pop comes from stereo during ride command startup
  • Car play takes longer to load when the phone is plugged in (used to be 3 or 4 seconds, now it seems like 30
  • Apple Car play seems to lock up and the stereo sound goes away after about 20 min. It shows music playing, will pause and skip forward with the thumb control. Even shows the bike moving on the map.
  • Unplug the phone and the car play screen stays there.
  • Only fix is to shut bike down and restart everything.
  • Volume resets to "5" after bike shut down

Music works fine over USB, does not cutout after 20 min (haven't tried bluetooth).

I have reloaded Feb firmware with no change. I have the old firmware and may go back to that but wanted to see if others are having similar issues.

I am going to contact dealer so they can work this through Indian but is there a contact with Indian specific to ride command issues?

Thanks

anytime you update the Ride Command software do this.

Have ride command forget your phone and any other Bluetooth devices. Go into your phone and forget ride command.

Then do not connect your phone via Bluetooth to ride command, just the headset Keep also in mind that 90% of all car play issues are with the lightning connector making intermittent contact. Clean out your phone socket with a toothpick. You be surprised how much lint will be in there.
 
#3 ·
(hope this is in the right thread)

Anyone else having issues with the latest update?

I decided to update my ride command to the latest version (Feb 2023) from my Oct 2022. Did the maps at the same time. I had ZERO issues with Ride Command on the old load but figured the update may have things I want.

This Feb 2023 update has not worked well.
  • loud pop comes from stereo during ride command startup
  • Car play takes longer to load when the phone is plugged in (used to be 3 or 4 seconds, now it seems like 30
  • Apple Car play seems to lock up and the stereo sound goes away after about 20 min. It shows music playing, will pause and skip forward with the thumb control. Even shows the bike moving on the map.
  • Unplug the phone and the car play screen stays there.
  • Only fix is to shut bike down and restart everything.
  • Volume resets to "5" after bike shut down

Music works fine over USB, does not cutout after 20 min (haven't tried bluetooth).

I have reloaded Feb firmware with no change. I have the old firmware and may go back to that but wanted to see if others are having similar issues.

I am going to contact dealer so they can work this through Indian but is there a contact with Indian specific to ride command issues?

Thanks
Alright, so a few things. The volume is SUPPOSED to reset, actually should be 4. I haven't seen a single indian yet that pumped the volume up automatically on start. 4 is normal. Second, seems like you have powerband audio, is this correct? If so, the popping you hear is normal, and i can assure you it happens EVERY time. It's the capacitors loading up for the speakers... you probably just never paid enough attention. If you don't have powerband, then that's weird.
 
#4 ·
I have Davidson Audio amps not power band. There is a delay unit installed that prevented the ‘pop’ before the update. The pop was there with my power band (before the Davidson setup was installed). With the firmware update it is back. Has to be from the head unite (ride command). I am more concerned about the sound stopping but looking like it is playing when in carplay mode.
 
#6 ·
Well, here it is. The Car Play issues are not software as many think they are. It's the USB connector.

USB-A is not a good connector for any type of use where vibration occurs. I had the same issues with Car Play cutting out. Locking up the screen, you name it. But then it donned on me.

On the older bikes, a big issue people had and still do, was for the USB music to cut in and out. It was because vibration on the motorcycle causes the connection to be intermittent on the USB drive. Well, we are connecting to ride command via the USB drive.

This is not at the phone connection (lightening) but at the bike USB A connection.

What happens is bumps in the road, and vibrations cause the Car Play connection to drop, this also can lock up the head unit when it disconnects and or reconnects intermittently.

So, I tried something. I lined the cubby area where the phone and USB connector with 1/4 " foam, so the connection and phone would not touch anything but the foam.

Problem solved.

I never got through a ride without the CarPlay cutting off or all the other BS that happend. Until now.

I rode over 500 miles this weekend over several days, long trips over varying road conditions. Car Play was 100 % flawless.

I have the latest software.
 
#8 ·
I just loaded the old firmware this morning. Drove to work and back with no issues (it was cutting out in that ride before). Will be making a longer ride tomorrow and report back. If there are no issues I am going to retry the newest and see what happens.
 
#11 ·
So I tried re-installed the update, got a new lightning cord, in-paired and re-paired phone and still plays on CarPlay for about 2 songs and stops playing. Bluetooth works okay but cuts out intermittently. Need it to work for a month or two until my Pursuit comes in. 😁
 
#15 ·
The latest update is crap. The fall of 2021 update was definitely better on the Carplay front but had other issues (horrible latency on volume changes, and didn't remember the shock setting for the electronic rear shock). With the newest update its a crap shoot on audio reliability. The geeks writing the code clearly don't real world test anything.
 
#17 ·
I've gotten to spend a little more time with it. One thing of note, I got a new phone as well as my old one died. Since those 2 changes, I don't get text messages displayed on the screen anymore. They're mostly the box coming up blank or sometimes just the wrong message displayed.
 
#19 ·
I’m having the same issue on my 23’ Darkhorse with the April 23 software. I’m using a Cardo pack flak headset and IPhone 13+ with latest software. CarPlay connects no problem but I lose all audio within a few minutes and only way to get audio back is to reboot the ridecommand unit. Audio then works for anywhere from 1 min to 10 mins. Very frustrating on a brand new bike, if I download an older version will this work as a bandaid for now? I rely on “Waze” for navigation so I like to keep CarPlay on at all times
 
#24 ·
Anytime you update the ride command software, you need to unpair your phone from Ride Command. Also the phone should not be Bluetooth connected to ride command. Thats what CarPlay is for.

As I have posted earlier, Carplay is a USB connection issue, and not a software one. I have used all the last 3 RideCommand software versions with ZERO CarPlay issues, once I fixed the USB issue
 
#25 ·
Anytime you update the ride command software, you need to unpair your phone from Ride Command. Also the phone should not be Bluetooth connected to ride command. Thats what CarPlay is for.

As I have posted earlier, Carplay is a USB connection issue, and not a software one. I have used all the last 3 RideCommand software versions with ZERO CarPlay issues, once I fixed the USB issue
I am not paired via Bluetooth on the phone and I have tried multiple apple branded cables. CarPlay does not drop only audio. I’m glad yours is working but there’s plenty of others who’s aren’t and it’s not a USB issue. Also I’m always running the waze app when in CarPlay which might have something to do with it
 
#33 ·
Ok guys, this is what you need do when you update your head unit software.

When CarPlay connects to the head unit for the first time, it establishes the communication protocol with that version of software and firmware, very similar to how a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection establish communication protocol.

So, when you update to the latest Ride Command software, you need to delete the bike from your phone. This can be found under Settings/General/Carplay/Indian Challenger. Then select forget this car.

Then when you re-connect your phone a new CarPlay connection and protocol will be established, and things should work fine.

I have done this on 4 different Challengers (friends) who were convinced I was wrong, and now their CarPlay works just fine. And they are running the latest April Software.

BTW you should also hard re-boot your phone every week for best performance.
 
#34 ·
Ok guys, this is what you need do when you update your head unit software.

When CarPlay connects to the head unit for the first time, it establishes the communication protocol with that version of software and firmware, very similar to how a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connection establish communication protocol.

So, when you update to the latest Ride Command software, you need to delete the bike from your phone. This can be found under Settings/General/Carplay/Indian Challenger. Then select forget this car.

Then when you re-connect your phone a new CarPlay connection and protocol will be established, and things should work fine.

I have done this on 4 different Challengers (friends) who were convinced I was wrong, and now their CarPlay works just fine. And they are running the latest April Software.

BTW you should also hard re-boot your phone every week for best performance.
I did that and it didn’t help.
 
#35 ·
I think Baron58 has a good grasp on the Ride Command/CarPlay issue.
For those still having difficulty, another thing to consider is your communication head set. Indian clearly states that SENA headsets are the only ones tested and approved for Ride Command. Others may work but have not been tested with Ride Command.

Font Number Screenshot
 
#37 ·
Electrical tape does nothing. Indian uses a fairly loose USB- A female connector. This has been an issue ever since before CarPlay was available. So, vibrations from engine, road cause intermittent connections.


Some things that need to be considered. How old is the iPhone, has it been hard rebooted recently. Also, many forget to enable CarPlay when the phone is in sleep mode.

It has been proven and established that all versions of the Ride Command software work with CarPlay. The common denominator is that there are various versions of iPhones and software versions. Also corrupted downloads are also the issue. I would and don't ever do over the air updates on ride command.
 
#41 ·
Generally speaking my Car Play works well enough the majority of the time. It does glitch out on occasion, usually just randomly disconnecting. When that happens I either reboot the RC screen or reach into the cubby and unplug/plug in my phone.

There are times when I first start up the bike that between the RC, phone, and Sena something doesn't want to sync up correctly. That does get frustrating. The other annoyance is the Siri talk/text feature seems the most glitchy. Either Siri won't read me the text or won't pick up my response. It'll work for like 2 messages and then stop. Other times it'll work fine.

I have to admit, that there are times when all of these little glitches make me want a simpler bike again. Something like my XC or even a Road Glide. Just go back to a phone mount on the handlebars and not have to worry about CarPlay or computer screen boot up times or etc. In the end though I like the Challenger so much that I just deal with it. The maps/music generally work consistently and if I see a text come through from someone that I want to respond to immediately I can just pull the phone out of the cubby and text them the old-fashioned way. The cord is long enough and I have a magnetic case that lets me stick the phone to the fuel tank as needed. It is what it is. The bike is comfortable, fast, and handles well.
 
#43 ·
You say it is a USB connection issue. Yet my Harley which has a USB connection has never once disconneted or failed in 8 years. I love the new Roadmaster but this issue has been going on since Oct of 22 when I bought the bike. Seriously thinking about getting rid of it and going back to a Harley. These are recreational vehicles. Nothing more frustrating than be pissed off on a day when you are supposed to be relaxing.
 
#47 ·
Not sure who your comment was for. But, this problem is more than just a SW issue. Many of us who have been using CP for a while have all experienced random disconnects and quite few of the disconnects occur when the bikes suspension gets a little jared from a pot hole, bad expansion joint, etc., and some disconnects occur in areas that have a lot of RF interference. The biggest complaint of the most recent SW release this year is that it impacted the initial connection, at least that was the case for me and several other forum members.

Now if Polaris and their SW team can buffer some of these signals then maybe this can help with connection stability. However, as things are buffered your response times are impacted, so there is a trade off.
 
#49 · (Edited)
Unfortunately no motorcycle has bulletproof electronics. You can go on the BMW, Honda, HD, etc. sites and find MANY complaints. I went to the HD forum site and did a search for Carplay and there are LOTS of threads with complaints. Here are just a couple.
F#@king harley davidson! - Harley Davidson Forums (hdforums.com)
Boom GTS Navigation issue - Distance to Turn - Page 2 - Harley Davidson Forums (hdforums.com)

If a few random issues get you that bothered, then maybe a Springfield or a Road King would be the bike for you. Some of the biggest issues that these manufacturers have to deal with is the diversity in the electronics that they have to try to interface with such as Android, or Apple, Cardo, Sena, etc. Then ontop of that there are the weather / waterproof issues, vibration issues, etc., RF interence, etc. Lots of things to deal with. But, hopefully things will continue to improve with time.
 
#50 ·
I have ridden almost 20,000 on a 21’ Roadmaster with the old software and zero issues. I did the upgrade and now it’s constantly disconnecting or sometimes no volume control. It will get stuck on high or low. I can lower the volume down to zero and it still will remain at louder levels. What a pain in the butt. I will check usb connections and cable, then unpair phone from bike, do a hard reboot on the phone. If this doesn’t work I will download software update. I will let you know how it works out.
 
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