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Is CarPlay wireless with the new iPhone?

I

iregret

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 23, 2012
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I didn't see it anywhere. I'm considering buying a new head unit that uses CarPlay. Any CarPlay experts here? Reviews? Did CarPlay get updated with the new music app?

Is the Pioneer SPH-DA120 any good? It's the cheapest head unit I've come across so far.

Thanks!
 
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Knowimagination said:
Why would carplay be wireless?
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Because Apple is working on a wireless version of it. Volkswagen was going to demo it recently but Apple pulled the plug right before CES I believe.

https://9to5mac.com/2016/01/08/vw-wireless-carplay/
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iregret said:
I didn't see it anywhere. I'm considering buying a new head unit that uses CarPlay. Any CarPlay experts here? Reviews? Did CarPlay get updated with the new music app?

Is the Pioneer SPH-120A any good? It's the cheapest head unit I've come across so far.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Pretty sure it's not. I think they'd make a bigger deal of it if they were rolling it out.
 
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Wireless Carplay is dependent on the car head unit supporting it. There currently aren't any head units available that support it.
 
blackjackmark said:
Because Apple is working on a wireless version of it. Volkswagen was going to demo it recently but Apple pulled the plug right before CES I believe.

https://9to5mac.com/2016/01/08/vw-wireless-carplay/
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Pretty sure it's not. I think they'd make a bigger deal of it if they were rolling it out.
Click to expand...

The wireless version of CarPlay should be coming out in cars for the 2018 model year.

In the meantime, I wonder if someone could just plug in a 'tune2air' Bluetooth adapter and have CarPlay work through that. One of my cars does not have CarPlay, but you can plug an iPhone into the glovebox and play music, Pandora etc through the factory head unit. I plugged in a tune2air into the glovebox and it works fine that way.
 
BeefSupreme said:
The wireless version of CarPlay should be coming out in cars for the 2018 model year.

In the meantime, I wonder if someone could just plug in a 'tune2air' Bluetooth adapter and have CarPlay work through that. One of my cars does not have CarPlay, but you can plug an iPhone into the glovebox and play music, Pandora etc through the factory head unit. I plugged in a tune2air into the glovebox and it works fine that way.
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Wireless Carplay requires wifi because it uses more bandwidth than Bluetooth provides.
 
JTravers said:
Wireless Carplay is dependent on the car head unit supporting it. There currently aren't any head units available that support it.
Click to expand...
I hope that's not true. I just bought a 2016 Kia Optima, and hope that it would be usable on it.

Aren't they using a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to enable it? Or is that even known?

The Optima has Wi-Fi ability and Bluetooth. Unless Apple is coming up with some proprietary chip to enable wireless CarPlay (maybe they are?), I would hope that the Kia would be upgradable to handle it as well.
 
For what its worth, I got CarPlay when it first came out a few years ago

I have a Pioneer AVH-4000NEX head unit and a iPhone 6 Plus

It will play via Bluetooth, however my stereo installer recommends that I keep the phone in the glove box plugged into the head unit for best sound
 
blackjackmark said:
I hope that's not true. I just bought a 2016 Kia Optima, and hope that it would be usable on it.

Aren't they using a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to enable it? Or is that even known?

The Optima has Wi-Fi ability and Bluetooth. Unless Apple is coming up with some proprietary chip to enable wireless CarPlay (maybe they are?), I would hope that the Kia would be upgradable to handle it as well.
Click to expand...

Not unless Kia gives you a new head unit. Has nothing to do with the phone, and only the head unit.
 
blackjackmark said:
I hope that's not true. I just bought a 2016 Kia Optima, and hope that it would be usable on it.

Aren't they using a combination of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to enable it? Or is that even known?

The Optima has Wi-Fi ability and Bluetooth. Unless Apple is coming up with some proprietary chip to enable wireless CarPlay (maybe they are?), I would hope that the Kia would be upgradable to handle it as well.
Click to expand...
It probably is some combination of Bluetooth and wifi. From what I've read, the car must have wifi that works in base station mode and not just client mode, though. Not sure if the Kia Optima wifi supports that, but history has shown that Hyundai/Kia is pretty good about issuing firmware updates if their hardware is capable.

I wonder if the delay in the release of wireless Carplay is a battery drain issue. Wireless Carplay probably isn't easy on the battery.
 
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Alchematron said:
For what its worth, I got CarPlay when it first came out a few years ago

I have a Pioneer AVH-4000NEX head unit and a iPhone 6 Plus

It will play via Bluetooth, however my stereo installer recommends that I keep the phone in the glove box plugged into the head unit for best sound
Click to expand...
Playing via Bluetooth isn't using Carplay, though.
 
I guess I need to research a little more, I don't really understand what the benefit of wireless Carplay would be.
 
Lobwedgephil said:
Not unless Kia gives you a new head unit. Has nothing to do with the phone, and only the head unit.
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Not trying to argue, as I'm ignorant of the hardware requirements for wireless CarPlay, so just curious to know how you know definitively that the Kia won't support it? I've been meaning to call Kia to see if they know, but if you have a reliable source that'll save me the trouble!
 
Keeping your phone in your pocket vs having to plug in to USB.

It's more of a battery drain than simply streaming audio over Bluetooth, though, so I'd probably use Carplay when plugged in but only stream via Bluetooth if I wanted to stay wireless.
 
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Knowimagination said:
I guess I need to research a little more, I don't really understand what the benefit of wireless Carplay would be.
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Having used it for the past month, it'd be a huge benefit for short in-town trips where you could leave your phone in your pocket. For longer trips out I'd want to be charging, but for short trips it'd be awesome.
 
blackjackmark said:
Not trying to argue, as I'm ignorant of the hardware requirements for wireless CarPlay, so just curious to know how you know definitively that the Kia won't support it? I've been meaning to call Kia to see if they know, but if you have a reliable source that'll save me the trouble!
Click to expand...

You are correct, check with Kia to know for sure. I have just read the most cars hardware doesn't support wireless carplay and that new hardware will be required. Maybe its in their hardware, check with them first. Sorry.
 
According to this presentation (pg 108)
http://devstreaming.apple.com/video...722/722_developing_carplay_systems_part_1.pdf
Wireless Carplay requires a Wifi Alliance certified access point with high throughput (802.11ac recommended). Bluetooth is used for discovery and to setup the wifi connection, but all Carplay communication is done over wifi. GPS data is also required to be provided by the head unit for wireless Carplay support.
 
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12vElectronics said:
I'm in that business.

There is no wireless CarPlay currently.
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What are your thoughts on head units? I really only want a head unit that I can use CarPlay with and have a back up camera. I recently bought a Honda Element. It has an aux in, but with my new iPhone 7 on the way, I'd rather plug in CarPlay in the car for charging and whatnot.

I know that the Pioneer App Radio, SPH-DA120, is an older/cheaper model, but what are the differences CarPlay-wise between the models? They all have to adhere to the CarPlay standard, so it probably doesn't matter which one I purchase correct?

The only difference I can imagine would be physical size, processor speed, display resolution, and then aftermarket car abilities. I don't care much about the aftermarket car stuff, with the exception of the back up camera, and all the head units support that.

Thanks for any insight!
 
In iOS 10 (public beta, latest release) on an iPhone 6S, there is a wireless CarPlay pairing interface (settings -> general -> CarPlay). So it's just a matter of waiting for a head unit/vehicle manufacturer that supports it.
 

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zacheryjensen said:
In iOS 10 (public beta, latest release) on an iPhone 6S, there is a wireless CarPlay pairing interface (settings -> general -> CarPlay). So it's just a matter of waiting for a head unit/vehicle manufacturer that supports it.
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Well, thats badass. LOL
 
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