I have been utilizing CarPlay wireless for over a year, and I cannot fathom going back to using a cable and plugging in my iPhone every time I get in the car. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to have cables scattered around the interior. So, if you have the opportunity to upgrade to CarPlay wireless, it is undoubtedly a must-do.
CarPlay wireless enables you to keep your iPhone in your pocket or backpack. Many individuals believe that a cable is still necessary for charging the phone. However, considering that many cars now come equipped with built-in wireless chargers, this limitation is no longer valid.
If your car does not have wireless charging capabilities, you can also obtain a third-party charger. This will provide faster charging speeds compared to the USB port used for CarPlay, and it can be installed anywhere in the interior, making it less obtrusive than a cable that is always in the way.
A friend of mine recently purchased a new car and asked me shortly after how to set up CarPlay wireless. He specifically chose a car that supports CarPlay wireless because he likes to keep things organized inside the car. To everyone’s surprise, the salesperson was unsure of how to configure CarPlay wireless and advised my friend to search for Bluetooth devices in the iPhone’s settings.
While I will not comment on the salesperson’s lack of knowledge, I realized that Apple did not make the setup process for CarPlay wireless as straightforward as users expected. The salesperson’s suggestion to search for Bluetooth devices to pair with the iPhone is not surprising, as it is typically the first step that most people take when configuring CarPlay in their cars.
Setting up CarPlay wireless in a car depends on the infotainment system in your vehicle. Fortunately, my car came with a simpler setup experience that only required a wired connection to pair the two devices, generate the necessary profiles, and establish the wireless connection.
However, it is not always that simple.
The first method I mentioned earlier is only available in cars that support both wired and wireless connections for CarPlay. The wireless mode utilizes a wireless connection to set up the experience, allowing the iPhone and the head unit to exchange data and create the pairing profiles to function without a cable.
In this case, all you need to do is plug in your iPhone. Ensure that you connect the smartphone to the CarPlay USB port – my car has two USB ports, one for charging and the other for connecting a USB cable for Android Auto or CarPlay wired. Both options support charging, but the Android Auto/CarPlay connection provides slower charging speeds. Thus, plugging it into the second USB port is the faster method when I need a quick charge.
The second method is a more cumbersome setup experience designed for drivers whose cars only support wireless CarPlay.
The process of setting up CarPlay in a new car starts with the driver activating the wireless or Bluetooth pairing mode on the infotainment system. Once the receiver is ready to accept new connections, you need to press and hold the voice command button on the steering wheel to allow your devices to pair. To begin the setup on your iPhone, enable Wi-Fi and navigate to Settings > General > CarPlay. Look for your vehicle’s profile in the list, which should display the brand or model of your car. Tap on the profile to establish the connection.
There is one crucial requirement that many CarPlay users tend to overlook when setting up their iPhones in a new car. CarPlay relies on Siri, so it is essential to enable the digital assistant in order to pair your iPhone with the infotainment system. Unfortunately, the iPhone does not provide an error message to indicate that Siri must be enabled for CarPlay setup. Therefore, if you are unable to connect your smartphone to the infotainment system, make sure that the digital assistant is already activated.
Once all the steps are followed, the experience of using CarPlay wirelessly should be straightforward. If you wish to disconnect your iPhone from CarPlay wireless, you can either use the disconnect button on the head unit (if available in your car) or disable Wi-Fi on your smartphone. CarPlay utilizes Wi-Fi for data transfers between the iPhone and the media receiver, so disabling the wireless mode on your smartphone will automatically disconnect the connection.
Apple does not provide a more direct disconnect button, and similarly, Android Auto does not currently offer this feature. However, Google is working on addressing this limitation, and Android Auto will soon introduce a disconnect button in the notification center to terminate an active wireless connection.
According to the Source autoevolution.com