Answer: These are common challenges with Flutter CarPlay related to app lifecycle and background execution. Here are steps to resolve or mitigate these issues:
Blank Screen When Opening CarPlay Without the App Open Ensure proper initialization in your app's didFinishLaunchingWithOptions (iOS entry point). Confirm that all required plugins for CarPlay and UI rendering are initialized.
Blank Screen After Killing the App Handle app lifecycle transitions using WidgetsBindingObserver to detect and reinitialize CarPlay components when the app is reopened. Add logic to restore CarPlay sessions when the app is relaunched.
Unable to Call APIs When the Device Is Locked Add the following to your Info.plist for background execution:
UIBackgroundModesfetchprocessing
Use secure storage like Keychain for tokens, which remain accessible when the device is locked. Implement background fetch or retry logic for API calls.
Alternatives Check for updates or known issues in the Flutter CarPlay plugin repository. Consider implementing critical CarPlay features in native Swift/Objective-C code and exposing them to Flutter via platform channels.
Resources Apple's CarPlay Documentation Apple's Background Tasks Guide