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Uconnect® absolute POS!! Stay away from it...

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Onward4x4

Onward4x4

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I think it’s your phone and the cable connection. My old iPhone 7 (with a faulty lightning port connection) was nothing but troubles on my uconnect. It would often freeze, crash, disconnect etc. Been to the dealer countless times to no avail. Ever since I upgraded to IPhone 11 Pro. It had a solid connection since and I’ve had zero problems so far.
I have had iphone 8, X and now 11pro... same issues all throughout!
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OldGuyNewJeep

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Using a different cable fixes all the other issues with the unit as well? ;)
Dunno. I rarely have any issues. Once I a while the backup lines disappear, but they come back after Jeep sits for a while. I have experienced loss of volume a few times. Switching to AM for a second fixes it. That’s about it. It’s way better than my Honda or GMC systems.

Sucks you’re having issues.
 

Kurt0

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Uconnect 8.4 in 3 vehicles so far. Love it. One of the reasons i keep coming back to fca. Best infotainment system on the market bar none. Fast. Smooth. Easy to use. Stable. We love it. 🤷🏼‍♂️
 
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Onward4x4

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Uconnect 8.4 in 3 vehicles so far. Love it. One of the reasons i keep coming back to fca. Best infotainment system on the market bar none. Fast. Smooth. Easy to use. Stable. We love it. 🤷🏼‍♂️
Consumer report says 70% satisfaction... I suppose i am in the 30% dissatisfied group :)
 

Gladius Nova

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I’m not an Apple phone user; UConnect connects quickly and seamlessly to my Samsung phone.

Having said that, I find it works A LOT BETTER via Bluetooth; the moment I connect my phone to the USB port, the system loses about 50 points of chip “IQ.”
I find that Bluetooth in 100% of all the vehicles I had diminishes the sound quality. It's like listening to music through a vacuum tube.
 

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Arterius2

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I have had iphone 8, X and now 11pro... same issues all throughout!
May I suggest you try the USB-C port? With this:
https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MQGJ2A...ords=usb-c+to+lightning&qid=1617390931&sr=8-3

I know it may not be the fix you are looking for, but it’s definitely worth a shot considering the headaches you are going through. I had this cable with my AirPod purchase and have found the connection to be solid.

Do let me know if this worked for you though!
 

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I am using an Apple cable. I don't know how the cable would cause apps on Uconnect to appear and disappear at random or cause the entire unit to freeze while playing music and become non-responsive or other issues. But in any event, I have only used Apple cables for the connection to the center console.
When you say apps disappear, are these car play related apps that require your phone to be connected in order to work? If the connection from the phone to the unit is malfunctioning, then yes, it's quite possible. If the apps are not associated with the phone in anyway, then yea, I agree I don't see there being any association between the cable and the failing apps.

However, if switching out the cable proves to resolve the issue, wouldn't it be worth the try to possibly have a satisfying Uconnect experience.

I would try the following:
  1. New cable to verify the cable is good/bad
  2. Different iphone to verify the port on the phone is good/bad
  3. Different port to verify the port is good/bad
  4. If wireless car play is an option - this eliminates problems 1-3
  5. Try an android phone if you have one accessible to test if the problem is specific to the iPhone
The more troubleshooting you do on your end, the more you can throw back at Jeep/Uconnect and eliminate the, "did you try this, this, this, and this first?" questions you know they're scripted to ask.

Just my .02c
 
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Onward4x4

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When you say apps disappear, are these car play related apps that require your phone to be connected in order to work? If the connection from the phone to the unit is malfunctioning, then yes, it's quite possible. If the apps are not associated with the phone in anyway, then yea, I agree I don't see there being any association between the cable and the failing apps.

However, if switching out the cable proves to resolve the issue, wouldn't it be worth the try to possibly have a satisfying Uconnect experience.

I would try the following:
  1. New cable to verify the cable is good/bad
  2. Different iphone to verify the port on the phone is good/bad
  3. Different port to verify the port is good/bad
  4. If wireless car play is an option - this eliminates problems 1-3
  5. Try an android phone if you have one accessible to test if the problem is specific to the iPhone
The more troubleshooting you do on your end, the more you can throw back at Jeep/Uconnect and eliminate the, "did you try this, this, this, and this first?" questions you know they're scripted to ask.

Just my .02c
You are right--I should have been clearer. The apps that disappear are the ones connect with the unit like the off road pages, the backup camera, and other random ones. I have tried switching out the cables. I have used both apple and non-apple cables. They all work for a while until they don't. I have tried usb-c connection--same thing. I have tried the center console, the usb connection inside the middle storage compartment--same results. Wireless car play isn't an option... I don't have an android phone but, as I indicated, all variants appear to work at the start, but then they don't. The commonality between all the trouble is that they all go away once the vehicle sits overnight (except for the times I had to pull the fuse)... hence the trouble I have been having with the dealer!
I do appreciate your suggestions tho!
 

JeezAJeep

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Sorry to hear....I had almost every single make vehicle, and to be quite honest the U Connect system is the best I have ever used. It is very simple to use and its clear with lots of features. The worst in my opinion is Lexus...terrible. I doo wish you luck and hope they fix it for you
 

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You are right--I should have been clearer. The apps that disappear are the ones connect with the unit like the off road pages, the backup camera, and other random ones. I have tried switching out the cables. I have used both apple and non-apple cables. They all work for a while until they don't. I have tried usb-c connection--same thing. I have tried the center console, the usb connection inside the middle storage compartment--same results. Wireless car play isn't an option... I don't have an android phone but, as I indicated, all variants appear to work at the start, but then they don't. The commonality between all the trouble is that they all go away once the vehicle sits overnight (except for the times I had to pull the fuse)... hence the trouble I have been having with the dealer!
I do appreciate your suggestions tho!
Well it definitely sounds like you've done some investigative work on your end already. Sorry to hear those didn't resolve the issue. One thing that just came to mind is, I believe the Jeep takes about 10 minutes to fully power everything down. Can you get it to work, then power it all off, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes and try again to see if the settings revert back to defaults? I ask this because the issue may be narrowed down to the 10-15 minutes it takes to power it all down, vs a random amount of time. Could be easier to troubleshoot at the dealership, if they know when it's going to fail.

Also, it maybe a long shot, but I wonder if it's a bad ground or failing/loose fuse? I came across a thread here where numerous people had to manually push 90% of their fuses down because they weren't seated all the way down from the factory.
 

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While it sucks you’re having issues, UConnect is widely praised and one of the best interfaces in the industry for stock vehicles. We can’t cite JDPower and CR as gospel when it says bad things about Jeep and in the next breath ignore the overwhelmingly positive reviews which UConnect has.
 

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UConnect is recognized as one of the best systems, if not the best, in the industry for its user-friendly interface and connectivity.
While it sucks you’re having issues, UConnect is widely praised and one of the best interfaces in the industry for stock vehicles. We can’t cite JDPower and CR as gospel when it says bad things about Jeep and in the next breath ignore the overwhelmingly positive reviews which UConnect has.
I've heard the same thing. I've never had any issues, but I do have to admit I did a double-take. I'm not used to Jeep being #1 at anything - except resale value.

I'm a CR fan, but I was flummoxed by their ratings on the JL and JT. The JL got almost the worst possible rating on reliability, and the JT was rated at almost the top of the same category. I can't imagine that CR doesn't know that they are basically the exact same vehicle.
 

aldo98229

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I've heard the same thing. I've never had any issues, but I do have to admit I did a double-take. I'm not used to Jeep being #1 at anything - except resale value.

I'm a CR fan, but I was flummoxed by their ratings on the JL and JT. The JL got almost the worst possible rating on reliability, and the JT was rated at almost the top of the same category. I can't imagine that CR doesn't know that they are basically the exact same vehicle.
Sorry, but Consumer Reports is absolute and utter crap. There’s no other way to say it.

Their methodology has one key flaw: they rely on their “members”, to whom they just recommended what to buy and what not to buy, to evaluate how they like/dislike their car, toaster or brand of underwear. This creates an endless loop of crap —the proper term is systemic bias— that they then sell as “valid data.”

Rule number one of market research is: to use a randomly drawn sample that is representative of the population. Without a random sample it is all downhill from there; it is imposible to obtain accurate results.

Sample is one of the biggest costs in research. By “sampling” members, CR avoids this huge cost. But the the data is crap. It would be like sampling this forum on Subarus and then saying that Subarus suck.

One could argue that CR methods work fine for toasters. But the more emotional the purchase, as with cars, the more problematic their approach becomes.

BTW, I mean no disrespect to CR members; it is not their fault that CR is ignorant of widely accepted, scientific research methods.
 
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Is anyone else a little surprised that Jeep is making the OP contact Uconnect directly? He shouldn't have to, its an issue with an item inside the Jeep. That's nonsense on Jeeps part.

I know this because of Subaru and its terrible head unit issues from 2017-2020. Lots of them dying, acting terrible, etc. In no way did Subaru ever direct customers to the head unit manufacturer in any of the problems I read on the Subaru forums.

If I was the OP I would deal with Jeep directly and have them deal with it. As others have said ,keep logging problems and bringing it to them. They should really just replace the whole unit you would think. Its a PITA for the OP to keep having to go to a dealer, but hopefully once its solved you can enjoy your vehicle more.
 

jessedacri

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Yeah - it's not perfect but compared to the competition it's pretty good. Whatever is a functional way for me to get CarPlay going is good by me. Car manufacturers really have no business designing interfaces in the first place, but I think all things considered the uConnect system is half decent.

I had some issues in the past with the sound output disabling, which required a reboot. I do wish they provided an option to fully reboot the system from inside the vehicle. Right now if something bugs out, you have to go under the hood and pull like 3 fuses. Turning the vehicle on and off doesn't do it either, must pull the fuses. Although after the latest few updates, I haven't had a need to do that, so I'll take that as a solve as well.

I bet uConnect 5 will be a lot better - they're already claiming its much faster and the Jalopnik review of it (I think that's where I saw it) in the Pacifica showed a really nice system. I'm betting it'll be swappable into the existing JL once they start shipping it in them next year.

Disclaimer: I don't use bluetooth. Plugging my iPhone in via USB C to lightning works great, and sounds great.
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