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2018 S450 4Matic, 2021 Toyota Tundra, 2010 GL350 (sold)
iPhone GPS goes INSANE in S-Class cabin
Has anyone else noticed that iPhones have a VERY HARD TIME figuring out where they are inside the S-Class cabin? My car’s internal navigation works great, but my iPhone’s navigation thinks we are traveling up hills, sauntering over bodies of water, etc. The iPhone GPS becomes brain dead in the cabin of my S-Class.
I do have the MagicSky option. Could that be playing a role? I have been assuming it’s something with the glass but I’m spitballing (as usual).
I’ve seen others report this same issue, but my car/iPhone was unaffected. We drove Charlotte to Venice, FL and back with the phone in the center console with the lid closed. Waze had no problems from start to finish.
I have seen similar reports in the past. The thing with CarPlay is that it can get the GPS signal either from the phone or the car. However, with wired CarPlay, the implementation of the latter is optional, whereas with wireless CarPlay it's mandatory. Based on my observations in my '19 C63 which has the same COMAND system as the W222, MB didn't implement the augmented GPS feature with wired CarPlay initially, but it appears they added it later. My COMAND system received an update at one point and since then, the location tracking in CarPlay is more robust. For example it used to get lost in tunnels, but now keeps tracking my location based on the vehicle sensors until it can get a GPS lock again at the end of the tunnel. Wireless CarPlay always uses the GPS signal from the car, but with wired CarPlay you don't know whether the manufacturer has implemented it or not, but your experience is a good sign that the version of software your system is running does not supply the GPS location to CarPlay and instead your phone has to rely on its own GPS receiver and if the signal is blocked somehow it'll be off. The car interior is a Faraday cage, so GPS and other signals get dampened. It's further made worse by the metallic film on the windshield in the S Class blocking signals. For example toll transponders only work in two specific locations where the windshield coating has cutouts to let the signal through.
Last edited by superswiss; Jan 8, 2025 at 06:17 PM.
2018 S450 4Matic, 2021 Toyota Tundra, 2010 GL350 (sold)
Originally Posted by superswiss
I have seen similar reports in the past. The thing with CarPlay is that it can get the GPS signal either from the phone or the car. However, with wired CarPlay, the implementation of the latter is optional, whereas with wireless CarPlay it's mandatory. Based on my observations in my '19 C63 which has the same COMAND system as the W222, MB didn't implement the augmented GPS feature with wired CarPlay initially, but it appears they added it later. My COMAND system received an update at one point and since then, the location tracking in CarPlay is more robust. For example it used to get lost in tunnels, but now keeps tracking my location based on the vehicle sensors until it can get a GPS lock again at the end of the tunnel. Wireless CarPlay always uses the GPS signal from the car, but with wired CarPlay you don't know whether the manufacturer has implemented it or not, but your experience is a good sign that the version of software your system is running does not supply the GPS location to CarPlay and instead your phone has to rely on its own GPS receiver and if the signal is blocked somehow it'll be off. The car interior is a Faraday cage, so GPS and other signals get dampened. It's further made worse by the metallic film on the windshield in the S Class blocking signals. For example toll transponders only work in two specific locations where the windshield coating has cutouts to let the signal through.
Very interesting and thank you for sharing that.
I may have just realized that GPS was working fine with WIRED CarPlay but it’s gone crazy with WIRELESS CarPlay so now I have something to investigate. 🔬
I may have just realized that GPS was working fine with WIRED CarPlay but it’s gone crazy with WIRELESS CarPlay so now I have something to investigate. 🔬
How are you doing wireless CarPlay in a W222? It doesn't support it out of the box. If you are using a third-party adapter, then that's likely your culprit. It may not correctly pass the GPS data through to your phone.
2018 S450 4Matic, 2021 Toyota Tundra, 2010 GL350 (sold)
Originally Posted by superswiss
How are you doing wireless CarPlay in a W222? It doesn't support it out of the box. If you are using a third-party adapter, then that's likely your culprit. It may not correctly pass the GPS data through to your phone.
My car has this:
OPTION R83 WIRELESS CARPLAY / AA
Okay … maybe not. Heh. I’m using a third party device. I have a few so I will do some checking using different ones.
2018 S450 4Matic, 2021 Toyota Tundra, 2010 GL350 (sold)
Okay - so I did some checking…
The IR and heated glass is an issue for sure. Plus I have the MagicSky so I don’t know if that’s also playing a role. It’s snowing in Texas (!!!) this morning so I didn’t try to open the sunroof to test the MagicSky piece of the puzzle. That car is close to a faraday cage. But that’s clearly not my real issue.
I tried two different wireless CarPlay units that I know are working fine. They both have the same issue. Everything is perfect and fast except for the GPS.
Next I tried plugging the iPhone into the CarPlay port using a cable. BOOM! Perfect GPS. You guys seem to have all the answers on this very complex car… very impressive.
So does anyone have any ideas on this one? I’ve gotten used to putting my phone on a MagSafe charger when I get in my truck and it just working without messing with cables. I will see if @BenzNinja has any ideas as well.
I do have updated MB maps and I do like seeing that on the speedometer area and the heads up display. This isn’t a big problem by no means. I’m still getting used to entering the address into the MB system but I will get used to that. I would just prefer to solve the issue with wireless CarPlay if that’s possible. My wife will also be driving this car and she’s not going to mess with the MB Nav like I will.
The IR and heated glass is an issue for sure. Plus I have the MagicSky so I don’t know if that’s also playing a role. It’s snowing in Texas (!!!) this morning so I didn’t try to open the sunroof to test the MagicSky piece of the puzzle. That car is close to a faraday cage. But that’s clearly not my real issue.
I tried two different wireless CarPlay units that I know are working fine. They both have the same issue. Everything is perfect and fast except for the GPS.
Next I tried plugging the iPhone into the CarPlay port using a cable. BOOM! Perfect GPS. You guys seem to have all the answers on this very complex car… very impressive.
So does anyone have any ideas on this one? I’ve gotten used to putting my phone on a MagSafe charger when I get in my truck and it just working without messing with cables. I will see if @BenzNinja has any ideas as well.
I do have updated MB maps and I do like seeing that on the speedometer area and the heads up display. This isn’t a big problem by no means. I’m still getting used to entering the address into the MB system but I will get used to that. I would just prefer to solve the issue with wireless CarPlay if that’s possible. My wife will also be driving this car and she’s not going to mess with the MB Nav like I will.
Thank you guys!
I don't believe any of these third-party wireless CarPlay adapters are Apple certified, so there is no guarantee that they implement the full spec. Your experience seems to confirm that they don't and take shortcuts. I've personally stayed away from them. I don't use CarPlay that often in my car, but when I do I just plug in the phone to avoid any possible issues. In general I've had much better experiences with wired CarPlay. I use CarPlay when I drive rental cars and I often have issues with wireless CarPlay in them. Wired is generally more reliable and more stable. The issues with wireless CarPlay are compounded by the challenges of wireless charging in a car. Most built-in wireless chargers in cars don't work very well. It's not all their faults, because the phone moves around, so getting a good alignment with the charging coil is challenging short of using an aftermarket MagSafe wireless charger. There's hope now that Apple made the MagSafe standard available and the new Qi2 standard incorporates it that future cars will have better wireless Qi2 chargers with magnetic alignment to alleviate all these issues. I recently upgraded my iPhone XS to an iPhone 16 Pro and I did not realize just how much of an improvement MagSafe is. Just so easy to attach it to holders with built-in chargers and get perfect alignment with fast charging every time.
Last edited by superswiss; Jan 9, 2025 at 12:24 PM.
2018 S450 4Matic, 2021 Toyota Tundra, 2010 GL350 (sold)
Originally Posted by superswiss
I don't believe any of these third-party wireless CarPlay adapters are Apple certified, so there is no guarantee that they implement the full spec. Your experience seems to confirm that they don't and take shortcuts. I've personally stayed away from them. I don't use CarPlay that often in my car, but when I do I just plug in the phone to avoid any possible issues. In general I've had much better experiences with wired CarPlay. I use CarPlay when I drive rental cars and I often have issues with wireless CarPlay in them. Wired is generally more reliable and more stable. The issues with wireless CarPlay are compounded by the challenges of wireless charging in a car. Most built-in wireless chargers in cars don't work very well. It's not all their faults, because the phone moves around, so getting a good alignment with the charging coil is challenging short of using an aftermarket MagSafe wireless charger. There's hope now that Apple made the MagSafe standard available and the new Qi2 standard incorporates it that future cars will have better wireless Qi2 chargers with magnetic alignment to alleviate all these issues.
In the past I would agree completely. However these units today are much better. Carlinkit 5 is what I’m using and it’s flawless, mostly because it can be adjusted quite a lot. That’s a bit hard to explain but once it’s setup correctly it’s nearly perfect and equivalent to the wired CarPlay. But not in the S450… YET!
As far as MagSafe, have you looked at ProClip? Fantastic products. Check out what they have especially the MagicMount Charge Elite. Combine that with the W222 mount and you have a very nice solution.
In the past I would agree completely. However these units today are much better. Carlinkit 5 is what I’m using and it’s flawless, mostly because it can be adjusted quite a lot. That’s a bit hard to explain but once it’s setup correctly it’s nearly perfect and equivalent to the wired CarPlay. But not in the S450… YET!
As far as MagSafe, have you looked at ProClip? Fantastic products. Check out what they have especially the MagicMount Charge Elite. Combine that with the W222 mount and you have a very nice solution.
Well, they clearly are not flawless otherwise it would work properly in your car . Yes, I know ProClip. Have used their mounts years ago and am using their latest MagSafe mount in the wife's car which doesn't have CarPlay. I don't have one in my car as I don't see the point of mounting a phone with CarPlay. The point of CarPlay is that the phone can stay out of sight.
2018 S450 4Matic, 2021 Toyota Tundra, 2010 GL350 (sold)
Originally Posted by superswiss
Well, they clearly are not flawless otherwise it would work properly in your car .
The point of CarPlay is that the phone can stay out of sight.
Well you got me there. 🎯
What I like to do sometimes is have Waze running which will show me the map on the head unit and also show me upcoming alerts on the iPhone right below the head unit. I do 99% of all of my work on my iPhone these days so it’s always going to be nearby for me.
We wouldn’t watch documentaries or anything like that… that’d be insane! 😁 For me it’s mostly listen while my wife watches.
I’m still getting used to entering the address into the MB system but I will get used to that.
I meant to respond to this. Are you not aware that you can conveniently send destinations directly from your phone to the car? Just look up a place in Google Maps for example, tap share, then tap the Mercedes-Benz app and send the address directly to the navigation where it'll pop up on the screen and with one press of a button you can start the navigation. No need to enter anything.
2018 S450 4Matic, 2021 Toyota Tundra, 2010 GL350 (sold)
Originally Posted by superswiss
I meant to respond to this. Are you not aware that you can conveniently send destinations directly from your phone to the car? Just look up a place in Google Maps for example, tap share, then tap the Mercedes-Benz app and send the address directly to the navigation where it'll pop up on the screen and with one press of a button you can start the navigation. No need to enter anything.
Yes. I used to do that with my 2010 GL quite a bit. We’ve activated MBrace services on the car and my 2018 has the Hermes whatever, but the car still has no connectivity well after 48 hours. I also can’t lock/unlock/remote start the car from the app which thinks the car is ready and waiting. I need to call them about this to see what’s up but I’ve been sick and mostly lost my voice now so I mostly just cough. On my list for next week after the TEXAS SNOWMAGEDDON is over. My poor vizsla wants out of this white holy hell he found himself this morning. Sticking to us like glue until it’s gone. 😂
Yes. I used to do that with my 2010 GL quite a bit. We’ve activated MBrace services on the car and my 2018 has the Hermes whatever, but the car still has no connectivity well after 48 hours. I also can’t lock/unlock/remote start the car from the app which thinks the car is ready and waiting. I need to call them about this to see what’s up but I’ve been sick and mostly lost my voice now so I mostly just cough. On my list for next week after the TEXAS SNOWMAGEDDON is over. My poor vizsla wants out of this white holy hell he found himself this morning. Sticking to us like glue until it’s gone. 😂
Mbrace is unfortunately on the way out and some services have been terminated. I believe remote start is one of the terminated services. MY19+ use the new Mercedes me connect platform, which is much improved and is fully functional. Uses a new app and everything.
2018 S450 4Matic, 2021 Toyota Tundra, 2010 GL350 (sold)
Originally Posted by superswiss
Mbrace is unfortunately on the way out and some services have been terminated. I believe remote start is one of the terminated services. MY19+ use the new Mercedes me connect platform, which is much improved and is fully functional. Uses a new app and everything.
Yeah, the pre-2019 model years of the W222, W213, GT 4-door and CLS are in this sort of twilight zone. They got a modern update for the Infotainment system complete with LTE connectivity, so technically they got spared from the 3G network shutdowns, but then I guess the new Mercedes me connect platform wasn't ready in time, so they shipped with support for the end of life mBrace platform and there's no sign MB is interested in migrating them to the new platform.
2025 E450 All Terrain Wagon, Nautical Blue Metallic, Macchiato Beige/Black Interior
Originally Posted by superswiss
Just look up a place in Google Maps for example, tap share, then tap the Mercedes-Benz app and send the address directly to the navigation where it'll pop up on the screen and with one press of a button you can start the navigation. No need to enter anything.
It seems like some people are talking about different things here. Of course if your device is using the car’s GPS, the location will be accurate.
Unfortunately, if you’re just using your gps from your phone, i.e RoadTop CarPlay or other, even just using the phone without hooking up to the car, the GPS signal is inaccurate. The car’s windshield is part of the reason (this is why there are two cutouts in the windshield that allow signals to pass through.
In my car, and it may be because of my window tints as well, my GPS is inaccurate from my phone when the phone is in the driver seat area (while I’m holding it or in my pocket). I discovered if I hold the phone up to my sunroof (which doesn’t have anything special on the glass), GPS is accurate. I have a Cupholder type phone mount and when it’s mounted near the cup holder, GPS is accurate.
Well, they clearly are not flawless otherwise it would work properly in your car . Yes, I know ProClip. Have used their mounts years ago and am using their latest MagSafe mount in the wife's car which doesn't have CarPlay. I don't have one in my car as I don't see the point of mounting a phone with CarPlay. The point of CarPlay is that the phone can stay out of sight.
I find the wireless GPS depends on where the iPhone is inside the car. Ideally, I could keep my iPhone in my back pocket (its usual place), but there, I have the same problems as the OP. In my shirt pocket or when mounted on the dash (I have a dash mount on the center of the dash), it works great. I suspect it has to do with blind or dead spots inside the car.
For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem to depend on where the wireless fob is (its proximity to the phone). I moved the fob to different locations (inside the center console, outside, etc.) to no avail. Even having the fob next to the iPhone won’t guarantee a GPS connection. In the blind spots, it goes wonky.
2018 S450 4Matic, 2021 Toyota Tundra, 2010 GL350 (sold)
Originally Posted by Bubenikt
I find the wireless GPS depends on where the iPhone is inside the car. Ideally, I could keep my iPhone in my back pocket (its usual place), but there, I have the same problems as the OP. In my shirt pocket or when mounted on the dash (I have a dash mount on the center of the dash), it works great. I suspect it has to do with blind or dead spots inside the car.
For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem to depend on where the wireless fob is (its proximity to the phone). I moved the fob to different locations (inside the center console, outside, etc.) to no avail. Even having the fob next to the iPhone won’t guarantee a GPS connection. In the blind spots, it goes wonky.
This is a stock photo, but this is where our phone in mounted on:
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. Yes, I know ProClip. Have used their mounts years ago and am using their latest MagSafe mount in the wife's car which doesn't have CarPlay. I don't have one in my car as I don't see the point of mounting a phone with CarPlay. The point of CarPlay is that the phone can stay out of sight.
