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CarPlay CarPlay adapter to convert to wireless CarPlay?

What's the consensus for those that have VW's? Is it time to make the jump and purchase? I'm driving a 2015 Golf GTi. Am I reading correctly that there's firmware being used on non 'carplay2air' devices from said manufacturer? Or are we just 30 pages deep and it's multiple units in discussion here.

I'm located in Australia, so not sure what site would be the best to purchase from. Any specific site/link?

I did find another option which is from Sweden (https://www.eftermontering.se/blog/audi/wireless-carplay-audi-vw-porsche-volvo), but problem is they don't make it easy to get it. Have to order it via their site, then email them to let them know you need international shipping (could end up being incredibly costly).
 
Hey, does anyone know how these adapters work or what the technical basis is? Would be really interesting, as they don't be certified by Apple (or are they?).

Thanks.
 
Hi @trisnadi - do you have a link to the specific one? Most of them seem to be units that require installation of an APK for android auto (VW doesn't have that ability from what I know, it's OEM unit?!)
 
GJW111 said:
Since I updated to the Dec 30 software (and then the Dec 31 software), my iPhone appears to be losing charge much faster than usual when CarPlay2Air is running. Has anyone else seen this?
Click to expand...
Yes. I strongly believe that I experience the same.
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Ford (Sync3) seems stable with no issues after latest release. Though battery looks like draining very fast...
 
Does anyone want to buy my dongle???? The credit card company are being complete arse's with my complaint and I have had enough. To top it off my father-in-law passed away on New Years Eve so we need to fly out to the USA on Wednesday and will be gone for around a month so dealing with this dongle is something that I have had enough of. If anyone wants it for £80 plus postage then please let me know asap and I will post it to them.
 
@jerryjal Check your PMs on MacRumors....
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bogchop said:
Hi @trisnadi - do you have a link to the specific one? Most of them seem to be units that require installation of an APK for android auto (VW doesn't have that ability from what I know, it's OEM unit?!)
Click to expand...
carplay2air.com

CPLAY2air wireless adapter for CarPlay

Convert your wired CarPlay to wireless one and skip plugging in your phone when you get in! Supported vehicles Abarth 2017-2022 Acura 2017-2022 Alfa Romeo 2018-2022 Audi 2017-2022 Aston Martin 2017-2022 Bentley 2017-2022 Borgward 2017-2022 Buick 2017-2022 Cadillac 2016-2022 Chevrolet...
carplay2air.com carplay2air.com
 
I got my adapter from aliexpress today. Installation went oob on my Golf 7 fl with Discover Media Mib2. Made update OTA 31/12/19 and I am happy. I will look for battery consumption. Now I can use wireless charging.
 
bogchop said:
What's the consensus for those that have VW's? Is it time to make the jump and purchase? I'm driving a 2015 Golf GTi. Am I reading correctly that there's firmware being used on non 'carplay2air' devices from said manufacturer? Or are we just 30 pages deep and it's multiple units in discussion here.

I'm located in Australia, so not sure what site would be the best to purchase from. Any specific site/link?

I did find another option which is from Sweden (https://www.eftermontering.se/blog/audi/wireless-carplay-audi-vw-porsche-volvo), but problem is they don't make it easy to get it. Have to order it via their site, then email them to let them know you need international shipping (could end up being incredibly costly).
Click to expand...
I would just buy direct from www.carplay2air.com and pay the extra $8 for expedited shipping. It saves i believe weeks so for the extra $ it's worth it if you want it fast
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bogchop said:
Hi @trisnadi - do you have a link to the specific one? Most of them seem to be units that require installation of an APK for android auto (VW doesn't have that ability from what I know, it's OEM unit?!)
Click to expand...
www.carplay2air.com doesnt require any apk installs
 
I received mine this week, I updated it directly to the 2.0 firmware and then it automatically installed the latest one (2019.12.31.1830).

I have a Volkswagen Golf VII (2016/Discover Media mib2) and overall it works great: it connects fine, music sounds ok (I didn't get to try phone calls yet), steering wheel controls work. I've only got two problems for now:

- car "dial" only goes down so you can only control Carplay using touchscreen (not a big problem)

- maps voice instructions sound really bad, it's imposible to decipher them (tried apple and google maps).


Does anybody had this problem with Maps? How are you contacting with support in order to report issues?
 
bogchop said:
Hi @trisnadi - do you have a link to the specific one? Most of them seem to be units that require installation of an APK for android auto (VW doesn't have that ability from what I know, it's OEM unit?!)
Click to expand...
I bought mine here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000333382779.html
Mainy because it was around Cyber Monday and there were extra discounts and coupons that can be stacked so I got mine way cheaper than Carplay2Air. If no coupon, I'd probably go with this one: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000205787274.html.
Carplay2Air has an express shipping option (2-3 days) whereas the fastest option I can see from AliExpress stores is about a week.
 
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I think I would probably get it from Amazon even though it would be like $20 more, but the return may be easier to make since Amazon policy requires the seller to have an US address for returns. If not, Amazon would take care of it.
 
belafarinrod91 said:
Hey, does anyone know how these adapters work or what the technical basis is? Would be really interesting, as they don't be certified by Apple (or are they?).
Click to expand...
with Carplay all the work is done on the phone, car manufacturers only need to provide a display, meet connectivity requirements (5Ghz, bluetooth for pairing, mic, speaker, etc) and pass on the users’ input (touch input, knobs, voice) to the phone. My guess is that the dongle is an android SoC that pretends to be a head unit via wireless to iPhones and pretends to be an iPhone via USB to the head unit.
 
trisnadi said:
with Carplay all the work is done on the phone, car manufacturers only need to provide a display, meet connectivity requirements (5Ghz, bluetooth for pairing, mic, speaker, etc) and pass on the users’ input (touch input, knobs, voice) to the phone. My guess is that the dongle is an android SoC that pretends to be a head unit via wireless to iPhones and pretends to be an iPhone via USB to the head unit.
Click to expand...
I think there are a few more interfaces going on such as current location information, motion, ambient light sensor, etc fed from the car, and also output of media info and other details to the cars own infotainment system.
 
trisnadi said:
My guess is that the dongle is an android SoC that pretends to be a head unit via wireless to iPhones and pretends to be an iPhone via USB to the head unit.
Click to expand...

That is quite interesting. So what prevents someone to build such a dongle with an raspberry (zero), afaik Android runs on that device as well ...

My guess was that they are using some kind of an exploit, so I couldn't imagine that these dongles will survive the upcoming iOS updates. That's why I haven't bought one so far 😄
 
From their website.....

We designed and built our proprietary chip in house, sourcing the main module directly from Apple, for a stable and uninterrupted CarPlay experience
 
belafarinrod91 said:
That is quite interesting. So what prevents someone to build such a dongle with an raspberry (zero), afaik Android runs on that device as well ...

My guess was that they are using some kind of an exploit, so I couldn't imagine that these dongles will survive the upcoming iOS updates. That's why I haven't bought one so far 😄
Click to expand...

these things have actually been around since iOS 12. I think someone did try to explain this above but it’s not an exploit on the phone definitely.
alanplum said:
From their website.....

We designed and built our proprietary chip in house, sourcing the main module directly from Apple, for a stable and uninterrupted CarPlay experience
Click to expand...
wonder what the “main module” is. And I still doubt Apple is working with these folks.
 
trisnadi said:
I've been using the Christmas day firmware (12/25) for a few days now on my Audi Q5 with iPhone XS + iOS 13.3. Some extra notes:
  • Performance has been reliable overall. Haven't unplugged the dongle since updating.
  • Reversed the car before dongle connects a few times, a bit of delay but it re-connects to the phone eventually.
  • Had one occasion where audio quality drops while driving. Switched to radio and back to carplay and it sounded good again. Weird.
  • Had one occasion where the phone wouldn't connect (screen stuck at "Connecting…"). Went to my iOS bluetooth settings and tap on the "Audi-xxxx" device and CarPlay re-connects. Didn't need to unplug or re-enter pin.
  • Song information on the Virtual Cockpit (VC) stop updating 1-2 mins after starting up. Not a dealbreaker for me since I usually have track info on main screen anyway but would be nice to see this fixed in future firmware.
  • No noticeable performance issue with Siri. There's a bit of delay, but acceptable.
  • Still a slight delay when skipping tracks
  • No surprises that Wireless CarPlay drains more battery but I think I'd only recommend this solution to friends if the car has a charging pad or other charging set up that doesn't involve plugging in a cable to the car manually. As soon as you need to plug in, might as well just do CarPlay direct via cable.
Click to expand...
Regarding track information freezing. I tried with my iPhone 7 again and it is not freezing. It’s freezes on my 11 pro max..
 
New update today. Seems to be geared towards Mercedes and Audi fixes only. has anyone tried? Any negative effects to other cars?
 
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