u/Alone_Tie_6177 — reddlx

Hey everyone,

I’ve got a 2026 Mazda CX-5 and I’m running into a pretty annoying usability issue with the infotainment system.

There are no physical buttons for things like turning off seat heating or steering wheel heating, so I’ve been relying on Google Assistant voice commands to control those features While driving

Here’s where it gets confusing:

When I’m using a mobile hotspot (no CarPlay), the built-in maps and Google Assistant voice commands work fine.
But in that mode, I can’t play music the way I normally would since Apple CarPlay isn’t connected.
As soon as I connect CarPlay, Google Assistant basically stops responding to voice commands.
The system even seems to prompt/force disabling certain connectivity (like hotspot) when CarPlay is active.

So it feels like I have to choose:
👉 Use hotspot → get Google Assistant + built-in maps, but lose CarPlay/music convenience
👉 Use CarPlay → get music/apps, but lose Google Assistant voice control for car functions

I’m trying to figure out if this is just how the system is designed or if something’s not working right.

Is anyone else seeing this behavior on the 2026 CX-5?