[Joxster]

Hi Everyone,

Are you looking for a device that can change your Apple CarPlay from wired to wireless? Well, there is now a device that can do exactly that!

Thanks to BHPian vickyP for starting a thread about this device. I wasn't even aware that something like this existed, and was very happy to discover it. The CARPLAY2air adapter supports a wide range of cars, and you can easily find out whether it would work in your car by checking the list of manufacturers & manufacturing years here. If the manufacturer of your car is not listed, you can also contact them through the email address listed on their website to check.

After doing some research on people's feedback, I almost immediately ordered the adapter. It took 7 days to reach me, and came from China. It was extremely easy to setup and use, which you will see in the following pictures.

The box:

The back of the box has the instructions for setting it up:

How it's packaged inside:

Holding the adapter in my hand for size:

Plugged into the USB port:

Once plugged into my infotainment system:

Searching for my phone:

Found my phone:

After successfully pairing:

Checked for updates:


Feedback:
It works like a charm! Sound quality is just as good as it was wired, there is absolutely no delay while using CarPlay, although it does take a couple of seconds to connect to your phone when you first start your car. If you move the adapter while connected, there is a small interruption in the sound transmission/music between the adapter and your head-unit, therefore it's best to leave it alone when plugged in. Also, since I have wireless charging in my car, this device is perfect for me, as I don't need to consider a separate cable for charging my phone.

One minor irritant for me is that due to the placement of the primary USB slot in my Octavia RS 245 and the short cable of this adapter, I cannot place the adapter in a good resting spot - this can be seen in 5th picture posted. I might consider getting a USB extension cable so that I can place the adapter in a more ideal spot in the car.

P.S: I have no commercial interest or association with CARPLAY2air. Just thought that it might help others.
P.P.S: Sorry about the wipe marks on the infotainment screen. That was done by the service center, and I didn't clean it after they did.

Hope this mini-review was informative and helpful.

Cheers

EDIT: 22nd June Update

Originally Posted by Joxster

I'm writing this message with disappointment, and to ensure that nobody buys the adapter on my recommendation without knowing about the issue I'm facing.

The issue which I briefly described as being due to the adapter being moved seems to be an issue while driving the car as well. There are small interruptions in the music playing through Apple CarPlay, and sometimes the sound is getting badly distorted for a couple of seconds, like it would sound if a video stopped to buffer, and then suddenly sped up the playback for a second.
I'm not sure if this an issue with the adapter or my phone, but needless to say, I am very annoyed with it, and sent their support team an email about it. I might even consider returning the adapter to them.

Due to working from home full time at the moment, I am not using the car as much as I normally do, and the issue didn't become apparent till after I wrote this review.

Cheers

[ajmat]

Note from Moderator

Moving to ICE section

Thanks for sharing

[momsonlydriver]

Is there anything similar for Android Auto?

[GTO]

Sharing a video from Vicky's thread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6YjBjySpxc

[narayans80]

Lot of Google ads for this. Anyone brought this out of India? Price is about 10500 INR. Not sure in corona days, how long it takes for shipping.

[ranjithrnair]

I got this installed in my Jetta around 6 months back , Apparently there is a new version of same unit which seems to have ironed out few of the delayed connection issues.

[SuhairZain]

Originally Posted by momsonlydriver

Is there anything similar for Android Auto?

https://www.amazon.com/Carlinkit-Wir.../dp/B081D4D2PR

Have seen this, but will work only with 3rd party consoles, not OEM ones. Seems to be undeliverable now, like many other products. I'm looking for something that works with OEM consoles.

[RMN]

Thanks for this info! Never knew such a thing existed. Need to see if something similar is available for Android too!

[Ice]

I'm a little worried about data privacy. Do we know for sure that the device doesn't access iphone data to transmit?

[Aviationshark]

On a slightly off topic note, turns out on my X5, Apple carplay only works in wireless mode. When I plug it into the USB slot, it only charges the phone. Would have liked a wired solution so my phone keeps charging along with the journey.

[sharan1988]

Originally Posted by ranjithrnair

I got this installed in my Jetta around 6 months back , Apparently there is a new version of same unit which seems to have ironed out few of the delayed connection issues.

Did you hardwire the usb within rcd340 and wire it to your glove box ?

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Joxster

Hope this mini-review was informative and helpful.
Cheers

Fantastic thread. Surely will be very useful. This is something I also wondered about trying for Android Auto in my car. There are workarounds (crude) also available on XDA forums for Android Auto hacks to make it wireless, that aren't too different than this device.

However - With time I thought Android Auto / Apple Car play working in a wireless manner don't exactly bring in enough value for regular usage. At least not as much as I was imagining. Afterall, the phone's battery gets leeched quite a bit while bluetooth & data connections are being used by AndroidAuto or CarPlay. While on the go - it makes no sense at all not to charge the phone and have it fully juiced up when getting off the car at the destination.

So - the wireless mode is useful only if the car & phone support wireless charging of the phone. If not - the wired mode helps in charging the phone while its battery is being used significantly by CarPlay/AndroidAuto.

Originally Posted by Ice

I'm a little worried about data privacy. Do we know for sure that the device doesn't access iphone data to transmit?

Ah - for a Mika Hakkinen fan, you are thinking too much! Relax like a Finn mate. All our data is already out there with Google and it's API users pretty much. This device is just a drop in the ocean even if it does leech data. Also - for the data to be transmitted elsewhere - the app for it would need to exploit sufficient data access and security gaps.

[TheMufi]

I wonder if this will work with my VW OEM RCD 330 plus from Ali-Express installed on a 2012 Vento TDI? I know the website says VW models 2015 onwards, but if it worked on an RCD 340 on the Jetta, shouldn't it work on mine as well?

[vDragon3]

Thanks for sharing very useful for people who find it annoying to connect with wire every time you get in and out of car. Some concern as mentioned in the YouTube video above is what will happen if apple releases a update to block such kind of devices?

[ranjithrnair]

It is using the wireless car play option on Apple , there is no reason to block this.