CarPlay is a convenient and safe way to extend the power of your iPhone to your vehicle. But can you wirelessly connect your iPhone to a CarPlay receiver? Here's everything you need to know.

 

Why doesn't my car have wireless CarPlay?

First of all, if you don't have CarPlay, it's probably because your infotainment system doesn't offer the service provided by Apple. If that's the case, it could be a big selling point when it comes to sales.

But if you do have CarPlay in your car and you're wondering why you can't connect your iPhone to it wirelessly (even if you have Bluetooth), then the answer is actually a bit complicated. As we mentioned, Apple CarPlay does support wireless connectivity, but only for vehicles with very specific hardware. A simple Bluetooth connection simply won't cut it.

Even if you could connect to a standard receiver via Bluetooth, the wireless standard isn't robust enough to handle the data transfer required for CarPlay to work.

Wireless CarPlay requires Bluetooth and in-car Wi-Fi to work. But that's not all. Your car actually needs a built-in dual-band router to support CarPlay.

That's why many vehicles with in-car Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity don't support Apple infotainment systems.

 

How to add wireless CarPlay to your car

There are many ways to get a wireless CarPlay connection or add it to your vehicle, but none of them are free, and some of them aren't particularly easy. Here are your options.

Buy a car with wireless CarPlay

Some cars have wireless CarPlay built in. first, you can simply buy a vehicle that supports wireless CarPlay. Obviously, this isn't a realistic option for most users. However, if you're in the market for a new car and wireless CarPlay is a priority for you, you can find a list of vehicles that support it.

But rest assured, a simpler solution is coming soon. And, over time, the number of cars with built-in wireless CarPlay is likely to grow.

Installing an aftermarket CarPlay receiver

CarPlay receivers are a great option, but they're not cheap. Buying an aftermarket receiver that supports wireless CarPlay is much cheaper than buying a new car and allows you to add the technology to your current vehicle.

But just like the list of cars that support wireless CarPlay, the list of CarPlay-compatible receivers is short. You will need to actually install the receiver. You can pay someone to do it, or you can do it yourself, but it can be a fairly complicated endeavor. There are also built-in features to consider that you might lose, such as a backup camera.

Using a wireless CarPlay adapter

A wireless adapter may work, but your mileage will vary.

There are a number of Android-based wireless adapters that claim to allow users to add wireless connectivity to their existing infotainment systems, be it CarPlay or Android Auto.

Our advice is to avoid these devices if possible. We understand that these devices come from the Chinese CarPlay crack, so there may be some compatibility and security risks.

Wait for firmware updates

Even if your vehicle has a nice built-in infotainment system, it's unlikely that the manufacturer of that system will add wireless CarPlay to the lineup. In some cases, OEMs could theoretically add wireless CarPlay to existing vehicles via a firmware update. But we haven't seen any signs of manufacturers rushing to do so.

Then there's the question of the necessary hardware. Vehicles equipped with an infotainment system but without an on-board dual-band Wi-Fi router will not be able to support wireless CarPlay.

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