CarPlay audio app cannot access network when phone is locked

Subject says basically all. I have a CarPlay audio app whose network accesses (started answering playableContentManager(_:,initiatePlaybackOfContentItemAt:, completionHandler:)) fails when the application is started from the CarPlay screen with the phone locked.


All calls are https; no data protection active; the app works correctly when cached content is played (ie: it's the network access that fails); the app works correctly if the phone is unlocked.


I'd say this started around iOS12 (I'm not sure, though)... it was working when I started implementing CarPlay (~iOS10).


I cannot find any documentation for the behaviour. Is this expected (and there is some workaround) or should I file a bug against CarPlay?


Thank you in advance!

Accepted Reply

iOS 15 saved this problem completely. ie: the same, identical, app works correctly on iOS15, being able to connect at startup.

Replies

>it's the network access that fails


Seen this SO thread?

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/53190068/carplay-audio-app-cant-start-when-launched-from-locked-device


...still no joy, might want to move this to the Networking forum - see FAQ#4 here: For Best Results - Read the Label


Good luck.

Where is this data located? On the local Wi-Fi network? Or is it on the wider Internet, and thus accessible via WWAN?

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Quinn “The Eskimo!”
Apple Developer Relations, Developer Technical Support, Core OS/Hardware

let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@apple.com"

Data are on the Internet. The app basically download a playlist with metadata, mixing info and the such, then streams from the Internet. The playlist download fails immediately (every network access fails, the app also try to download a channel list (not critical) but the network acccess also fails.

The app also supports an offline mode, in which the playlist and the audio to be streamed are local, and this works correctly.

The app used to work before, for sure before iOS 12, I suspect until iOS 12.2 (but I'm not sure, I'm not a great user of CarPlay, but I didn't have any customer feedback before).

Data are on the Internet.

Hmmm, I can’t think of any reason that’d fail. I suspect that there’s something CarPlay-specific going on here, but my knowledge of that domain is very limited )-: If you get completely stuck then you should open a DTS tech support incident and one of us can help you out officially.

The app used to work before, for sure before iOS 12, I suspect until iOS 12.2 (but I'm not sure, I'm not a great user of CarPlay, but I didn't have any customer feedback before).

Hmmmm, either way that sounds like a regression, and thus definitely worth a bug report as well.

Please post your bug number, just for the record.

Share and Enjoy

Quinn “The Eskimo!”
Apple Developer Relations, Developer Technical Support, Core OS/Hardware

let myEmail = "eskimo" + "1" + "@apple.com"

I was waiting for iOS13, then I was filing a bug report last Friday but I ended just filing a DTS incident, fyi number is 720679837. Sorry for letting so much time pass...

iOS 15 saved this problem completely. ie: the same, identical, app works correctly on iOS15, being able to connect at startup.