We're experiencing an issue where the CarPlay Simulator (from Apple Developer Additional Tools) stopped connecting to our iPhones as of March 4th, 2025. The simulator gets stuck indefinitely on "Connecting to phone" and never completes the pairing.
Environment
App: Oracle Field Service iOS app (with CarPlay support)
Tool: CarPlay Simulator from Apple Developer Additional Tools (developer.apple.com/download/all/)
Issue start date: Wednesday, March 4th, 2025
Tested on: Multiple Mac machines, multiple iPhones
Multiple CarPlay Simulator versions tested
What's happening The CarPlay Simulator launches but displays "Connecting to phone" indefinitely. It was working correctly prior to March 4th with no changes on our end.
What still works CarPlay functions correctly when the same iPhone is connected to a real car, confirming the issue is specific to the simulator.
Troubleshooting steps already attempted
Reset permissions and re-added the simulator
Forgot the simulator and re-paired it
Changed the USB cable
Tested on multiple Mac machines
Tested on multiple iPhones
Tried multiple versions of the CarPlay Simulator
Confirmed no VPN is in use
Confirmed with IT, no OS updates or enterprise restrictions were applied
Questions
Has anyone else experienced this since March 4th?
Was there a change in CarPlay Simulator behavior or a requirement on the Apple side (certificate, entitlement, protocol) around that date?
Is there a known workaround or fix?