Cables? Who needs them? Little by little they have been disappearing, both to charge the phone and to integrate these services from our smartphones into the infotainment screens of our cars.. CEvery year new vehicle models go on sale that offer this type of connectivity. He Wireless CarPlay It offers us comfortable and very efficient connectivity.
Users who have a iPhone and who, therefore, are already part of the Apple ecosystem, probably know and use the intuitive CarPlay system. This allows us mirror a select group of Apple applications on our car's multimedia screen and use them while driving our vehicle.
Some of those Apple CarPlay apps are Apple Maps, Google Maps and the alternative map service Wave. There are also music streaming service Spotify to listen to music, WhatsApp to convert voice messages to text, etc.
Until recently, connecting Apple CarPlay to the vehicle required a wired connection through a USB port. At that time the product was known by the name «iOS in the car».
How it works
When we link CarPlay with the vehicle (either wired or wireless), a menu with application icons will be displayed on the car screen. From there, there is two ways to interact with the system: Using voice commands through the assistant Crab or using the touch screen of our car.
These are some of the functions that we can control through wireless (or wired) CarPlay:
- Make and answer phone calls.
- Messages via iMessage.
- Modo Eyes Free from Siri.
- Satellite navigation.
- Music (iTunes).
- Opening and closing the car without keys.
- Co-pilot mode for our companion to manage all functions.
- Access to the official vehicle app.
Over time, Apple CarPlay has incorporated new functions. All of them are managed from the iPhone, by tapping or through voice commands. The result of our actions is reflected on the vehicle's screen.
CarPlay wireless mode is currently very limited. In this sense, it is clearly inferior to that of its number one rival, Android Auto.
Which car models allow you to have CarPlay wirelessly?
The first brand that began to offer the possibility of integrating Apple CarPlay in its models was BMW, back in 2014. At that time, it was only possible to enjoy this service through a paid subscription.
Later, other brands joined the idea, such as Mercedes-Benz. However, It has never become a standard, just as Apple would have liked. Today it is impossible to find an official list of vehicles in which it is possible to have wireless CarPlay as standard. For now, we have to settle for the list of car models compatible with Apple CarPlay through the traditional method. That is, with cables.
The other good news is that you can have it in any car using the appropriate adapters.
Wireless CarPlay via adapters
The adapters used to be able to use CarPlay in any car without annoying cables are very diverse. In general, these are medium-sized devices that They connect to the vehicle via a USB cable. Once turned on, They can be easily paired with the iPhone via Bluetooth.
The pairing process is simple. All we have to do is go to the menu Settings, access the tab "General" and there click on CarPlay. Once this is done, in the section Cars available We can find and select our car to proceed with the linking.
As for the most recommended adapters to have wireless CarPlay, here are some interesting suggestions. They are not exactly cheap, but it pays a lot to get one of them to be able to get the most out of this functionality:
MSXTTLY Wireless CarPlay Adapter
It is one of the most economical options. He MSXTTLY adapter It connects in three easy steps, in a matter of a few seconds. It can work with any car on the above-mentioned list of wired CarPlay compatible models. Of course, to use them we need to have an iPhone iOS 10 or higher.
OTTOCAST
The adapter OTTOCAST It can work with any of the most popular brands of cars. It turns on only when we start the engine and automatically connects to the iPhone. Other of its best virtues are that it is a light, small and easy to handle device. A good solution to have wireless CarPlay.
Carlin Kit 3.0
The third proposal (which is also the most expensive) is the one offered to us Carlin Kit 3.0. The manufacturer ensures that it works with practically all cars equipped with Apple CarPlay and through an iPhone with iOS 10 or higher. It's easy to install and can be seamlessly updated to stay up to date with new features and bug fixes.
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