Intro
Most late-year cars are beginning to come with Apple CarPlay as a standard feature. Since its debut, in most cars you would connect to Apple CarPlay through a hardwire. Well lately, you can can have wireless CarPlay.
Chevy’s begun having CarPlay in some of their cars starting in 2016. Meanwhile, Apple CarPlay started appearing in Toyota’s beginning in 2018.
This article explains what Apple CarPlay is, how to connect to it, and most importantly, how to get Apple CarPlay wirelessly in your car.
What is Apple CarPlay?
Apple CarPlay is an in-car infotainment system that allows drivers to connect their iPhone to the vehicle’s built-in display.
Apple CarPlay has been designed in such a way so it mirrors the user interface found on an iPhone. This includes the home screen and its applications. Apps that are compatible for CarPlay appear on the CarPlay home screen. Users access many apps found on their phone by swiping left or right on their car’s built-in display, similar to how you would on an iPhone.
The apps that appear on CarPlay are not designed to be fully functional like your phone. Instead, only those features and functionalities appear that would helpful and are safe while you’re driving.
Here’s a list of Apple CarPlay supported vehicles.
How to connect to Apple CarPlay
Assuming your car supports Apple CarPlay, the most common way of connecting to Apple CarPlay is through your car’s USB port. You simply use your standard iPhone charging wire. You connect the USB wire to your phone and into the USB port of your car.
Once connected, your car display should show some prompts asking you to allow CarPlay – you want to press “yes.” Your iPhone should also similarly prompt you on whether you would like to allow CarPlay.
You should next be able to see CarPlay available as an option on your car display for you to tap on.
Here’s a YouTube video showing you how it all works.
How to get Wireless CarPlay
Using a Wireless CarPlay Adapter
Beginning as early as 2017, some car manufacturers begun offering wireless CarPlay. Each year, additional car manufacturers begun to follow suit. It hasn’t been until at least 2021, that it is starting to become more mainstream on most car models.
Your phone model is not what determines whether wireless CarPlay is possible. It all depends on your car.
Wireless CarPlay is made possible through your car’s Bluetooth technology. In other words, your car wirelessly connects to your phone’s CarPlay app through Bluetooth.
Assuming your car’s infotainment system supports CarPlay and your car does not support wireless CarPlay, you’re in luck! There are adapters that allow you to get wireless CarPlay.
Carlinkit has developed an adapter that connects to your car through the USB port. You then connect to the adapter through Bluetooth. Once connected, you should then be able to use Apple CarPlay all wirelessly.
Here’s a link to the Carlinkit adapter.
Tutorial Video on How to Setup Carlinkit 2.0
To help you understand how this works, here’s video to help explain.
The 411
Given all of the technology we have, one would think that wireless CarPlay should have been adopted by car manufacturers many years ago – story for another time!
For now, there is definitely a way to reduce the clutter in your car and use Apple CarPlay wirelessly.
David is an avid car enthusiast. Whether it is classic muscle cars or electric vehicles, David loves everything about cars. Over the years David has bought and sold many cars, as a consumer, and take an active interest in car repair. Outside of cars, David loves to regularly bike to stay active!
