A few years ago I broke down after living car-free in the city and bought a 2019 Volkswagen Jetta. I’ve had no issues with this vehicle. It was affordable, it’s comfortable and gets amazing gas mileage on the highway! It also has some pretty great convenience features for an affordable compact, including a console display compatible with Android and iPhone devices.
Well, in theory it’s compatible with Android devices. However, I had major issues even getting it set up to begin with, and then constant issues with the Android Auto and Samsung Connect apps crashing during use. This is super annoying when you’re driving and listening to Spotify and displaying Google Maps on the console, especially during long road trips to unfamiliar areas!
At the end of 2020, I converted over to an iPhone. I’d been a loyal Android user since I first got a smart phone back in 2009 with a Motorola Droid X. My Samsung Galaxy device was still working fine (except for Samsung Connect in the car!), but T-Mobile had an irresistible family deal, and since the rest of my family was already on the iPhone train, I hopped on as well.
Apple CarPlay and the Volkswagen Jetta
I will say this – the iPhone and CarPlay worked with my Volkswagen Jetta immediately, and then never had any issues for the next seven months. It was a pretty basic plug and play setup. I was cruising with convenience, with Spotify and Google Maps displaying with ease on the console.
Until one day, it just stopped working.
Volkswagen Jetta iPhone Error: No Playable Files Available
Suddenly, when I plugged in my iPhone to the car’s USB port, I would see a quick message indicating “reading USB device” and then an error: “No playable files available.” Then the screen would switch back to “insert a USB device,” even though there was clearly one plugged in.
Here are the basic troubleshooting steps for this error:
Restart iPhone
Hello IT, have you tried turning off and on again? This is the number one thing to try first on pretty much any system issue with a mobile device or computer. Just turn it off and back on again. If this does not work, move on.
Try a different cable
Your cable could just be worn out. Try another one – but be sure to use an Apple or Apple compatible USB data cable. If another cable gets the same error, you can eliminate this as your issue. If your device works with another cable and not the original, the original is your issue.
Connect your iPhone to a MacBook or Computer with the USB cable
If you can connect your iPhone to a MacBook or computer with the USB cable and your MacBook or computer reads the device and can transfer data, you can eliminate the cable and the iPhone’s lightning port as an issue. If your MacBook or computer cannot read the device and/or transfer data, your iPhone’s lightning port could be the issue.
Ensure the car can play iTunes files via USB
This is just a failsafe way to completely eliminate the cable, lightning port, car’s USB port and the iPhone’s OS. On your Jetta’s console, go to Phone > Source > USB; if your car can see and play your downloaded iTunes files, your cable, lightning port, car’s USB port and the iPhone are working fine.
Ensure your car shows up under iPhone CarPlay
On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > CarPlay. If your car is still listed here, and you still can’t connect, select the car, and then select Forget This Car. From here, start the connection process over by unplugging and plugging the USB cable back into the car.
If your car was not listed here, or if it is listed and you are still having issues, congrats! You are where I was before I discovered the issue!
RESOLVED: No Playable Files Available Error on Volkswagen Jetta with iPhone CarPlay
Suddenly, I noticed one key issue:
The CarPlay icon no longer shows on the Volkswagen Jetta’s App-Connect screen
When I hit the App button on the Jetta’s console, I noticed that the CarPlay icon was no longer there. Here’s how I fixed that, which resolved the issue:
1). Unplug the iPhone from the car’s USB port
2). On the iPhone, go to Settings > General > CarPlay
3). Select the car
4). Select Forget This Car
5). On the Volkswagen Jetta’s console screen, go to Settings > Factory Settings > App-Connect
6). When prompted, select Reset. This will restore the App-Connect component ONLY to the vehicle’s original factory setting.
7). Once the reset has completed, press the App button on your car’s console. You should now see Apple CarPlay as one of the compatible options again!
8). Plug your iPhone back into the USB port of the car and go through the first time setup of Apple CarPlay.
Hopefully these troubleshooting steps can help you resolve the issue of the iPhone no longer working in a Volkswagen Jetta with Apple CarPlay!
How to Troubleshoot Google Nest Hello Doorbell Error NC033
This weekend after successfully installing a Google Nest WiFi network after overcoming a few issues, I moved on to my Google Nest Hello Doorbell. While I was able to finish this installation in the same day, it did encounter a major issue near the end.
After locating my doorbell’s transistor to verify that the doorbell was compatible, I followed the instructions on the Nest app to install the sensor in my doorbell’s chime mechanism and then replace the doorbell itself. However, I got stuck near the end of the process, when the Nest app tries to connect to the doorbell and configure it on my WiFi network.
The setup came up with an error “Your camera couldn’t connect to another Nest product in your home to finish the setup process” with an error code of NC033. Unfortunately, this error code does not show up in Nest’s official Nestcam error code troubleshooting guide. However, it’s pretty much the same as NC030.
The troubleshooting for this error advises you to ensure that your mobile device with the Nest app is on the same WiFi network to which you want to connect your doorbell. That wasn’t much help for me, because my iPhone was definitely on that network. Turns out, this is a somewhat common bug with one of two workarounds.
How to Fix Google Nest Hello Doorbell Setup Error NC033
Workaround 1: Remove any spaces or dashes from your WiFi’s SSID
Apparently, the Nest app on the iPhone or iPad has a bug where it does not play nice with a WiFi SSID that has spaces or dashes. Mine had a dash in it. However, with so many other devices already set up on that SSID, I did not feel it was worth changing it. So, workaround 2:
Workaround 2: Restart Setup Using an Android Device
Luckily, I still had my older Android phone. I connected it to the WiFi network and installed the Nest App. This time, setup completed without any issue. For some reason, the Android version of the Nest App has no issues with the SSID name.
Now you know how to work around this mysterious new error that shows up on some iOS devices when trying to set up the Google Nest Hello Doorbell!
How to Set Up Google Nest WiFi With an Xfinity WiFi Modem
This past weekend I set up a Google Nest WiFi network.
The size of our new house called for a more powerful, extended network, so I took the opportunity to try out these Google Nest WiFi devices. I started with a router and one point, to be followed by a Google Nest Hello doorbell camera.
However, the setup was not as easy as the instructions would indicate. I actually started trying to set these things up over a week ago, and due to multiple failures, had to roll back to our previous Xfinity network.
I knew that the Xfinity modem would need to be in bridge mode in order to disable its WiFi functionality. However, each time I connected the Google Nest WiFi router to the Xfinity modem in bridge mode, the router failed to find an internet connection during setup. After countless full network reboots as suggested by the Google Home app did not fix the issue, I finally called Google support.
The main issue: I still had an ethernet cable connected to my laptop and the cable modem, while the modem was in bridge mode. Therefore, the cable modem could only accept one LAN connection, which was going to my laptop.
Here are some setup instructions for anyone who would like to set up a Google Nest WiFi router with an existing Xfinity cable modem and router and hopefully avoid my issues.
Yes, you can use your existing Xfinity WiFi modem with your new Google Nest WiFi.
Besides the Google Nest WiFi kit (router, power supply, ethernet cable), here’s what you also need:
- Access to your Xfinity modem’s setup page via a computer
- A mobile device (iPhone, iPad, Android, etc.) with the Google Home app installed
- An ethernet cable and any necessary adapters to connect your computer to the Xfinity modem in case anything goes wrong
How to Configure Bridge Mode on your Xfinity WiFi Modem
Bridge mode disables routing functionality on the Xfinity modem. This clears the way for your Google Nest WiFi device to become your WiFi router. It is important to remember that bridge mode disables both WiFi and hardwire routing. When in bridge mode, only one ethernet port on the modem can be used, which is typically reserved for connecting a router.
How to configure bridge mode on your Xfinity modem:
- Disconnect any ethernet cables connected to the Xfinity cable modem’s LAN ports.
- Access the Xfinity modem’s admin panel by browsing to 10.0.0.1 and logging in (default login is username: admin and password: password, unless you have changed it).
- Browse to Gateway > At a Glance.
- Change the Bridge Mode setting from Disable to Enable; confirm when asked. The router will now go through a 90 second refresh cycle, at which point all routing will be disabled and only one ethernet port will be able to be used.
- Once the modem has completely finished its refresh cycle (indicated by a solid light on the ‘online’ indicator on the front of the modem), connect the ethernet cable that came with the Google Nest WiFi device to port 1 on the back of the cable modem (figure 1).
- Connect the other end of the provided ethernet cable to the network port (indicated by the globe icon) on the Google Nest WiFi device (figure 2).
- Connect the power to the Google Nest WiFi device, and allow about 30 seconds for it to power on. The device is ready for setup when the white light on its front is a slow pulsing white.
- Open the Google Home app, and begin the setup.
Figure 1: back of an Xfinity cable modem with Google ethernet cable connected to port 1
Figure 2: underside of the Google Nest WiFi router with Google ethernet cable connected to internet port
How to Roll Back Setup and Return to Xfinity WiFi
Already in bridge mode, having issues with setup and need to return to your Xfinity WiFi? This is where it pays to have the ability to have a hardwire ethernet connection from your computer to your Xfinity modem. Otherwise, with WiFi disabled, you will have no way to access the admin page, and your only option is a factory reset of the modem. This will clear all of your settings, including your previous WiFi’s SSID and password.
- Connect an ethernet cable to port 1 on the Xfinity modem.
- Connect the other end of the ethernet cable to your computer.
- Open a browser window and browse to 10.0.0.1; login using the default or your previously configured login information.
- Go to Gateway > At a Glance and change Bridge Mode from Enable to Disable; confirm when asked. The router will now go through a 90 second refresh cycle, at which point routing will be turned back on. You should then be able to connect to your old WiFi network.
Hopefully this explanation of bridge mode will help you quickly setup your Xfinity cable modem and your new Google Nest WiFi. Always remember to disconnect any external devices from your cable modem’s ethernet ports before connecting your Google Nest WiFi router!