CarPlay and rear entertainment

I just bought a 2021 expedition with rear entertainment. Is there a way to still have the audio from the rear entertainment play through the car and have CarPlay plugged in? It’s super frustrating!!!

I don't have an iPhone, but pair the RSE to the Ford Sync as you would any Bluetooth accessory before connecting the iPhone via Bluetooth. When done, connect your iPhone cable and launch Car Play. You'll may be able to hear both or they may be segregated as separate audio sources, which is probably what will happen. Regardless, it's worth a shot. Let us know what happens.

techdude99 said:

I don't have an iPhone, but pair the RSE to the Ford Sync as you would any Bluetooth accessory before connecting the iPhone via Bluetooth. When done, connect your iPhone cable and launch Car Play. You'll may be able to hear both or they may be segregated as separate audio sources, which is probably what will happen. Regardless, it's worth a shot. Let us know what happens.

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I tried that, and it grays out the bluetooth option as soon as CarPlay starts. Thank you for trying though!

While I don't have a 2021, I do have a 2018 which is the same generation and I can confirm that what you're trying to do doesn't work. When CarPlay is connected, you lose the ability to play anything over Bluetooth. I believe this was programmed so that the system doesn't try to connect to the phone over Bluetooth and CarPlay simultaneously, and I've seen other vehicles that do similar lockouts, but it is an oversight in a vehicle where the mechanism they used to connect the RES to the speaker system is a manual Bluetooth connection.

To be honest with you however, I'm really not a fan of the RES' bluetooth connection in general. I've never been able to use it without there being interference in the audio connection. Maybe mine has just never functioned well, but it has never been a good experience. Instead, I have my kids use wireless and wired headphones from the various seats when I use the RES.

Ford made a good call with the 2022 Navigator, (and I would expect future Expeditions). They've replaced these terrible RES systems with 2 much larger displays running Amazon's new Fire TV Auto system. Which means each screen can function as its own Fire TV independently of each other or in sync if desired, and they have access to all major streaming apps directly. It's the 3rd instance I've heard of with the system, behind Jeep's new Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer and the 2022 Chrysler Pacifica. That will be a major improvement over what we currently have.

Did they keep the option for dvds in the Navigator? I have little ones and dvds are much easier lol. In my Odyssey we could play the rear entertainment through the car’s audio and have CarPlay on for maps. I guess we’re just going to have to use the car’s navigation when the kids are watching ‍

Something I haven't tried yet, but is worth a look.

What happens if you pair the RES to your phone bluetooth, then connect the phone to CarPlay. Does it still play the BT audio through CarPlay via your phone instead?