(Part 2) Top products from r/CarPlay

I've done the same thing, more or less, and mostly agree it works well - but there are significant drawbacks too. Since at least one person seems possibly interested...

My setup is in a 2004 Acura RSX. That predates car radios commonly having aux inputs, and I was not into changing it out due to theft risk, so I run audio through an RCA input cd-changer adapter I grabbed off eBay. It doesn't require any power, it just plugs into the back of the head unit.

My current tablet is "The New iPad" - aka the third generation, first Retina screen - with Verizon 4G. Long ago I switched to a T-Mobile "200MB/month freebie" SIM that meets most of my needs. Just for instance, it worked for Waze the full way on a ~600 mile road trip. Obviously that's not enough to run Pandora for 100 hours. YMMV!

I also have (heheh, for now anyway but that's another story) a Karma hotspot, which - if they can keep my service intact, and there's a Sprint tower nearby - gives pretty decent performance. Unfortunately on my road trip that didn't happen, and I ended up without internet for a long leg of my night drive back home. My Virgin Mobile (3G) iPhone 4s had no problems though, and luckily I'd downloaded the maps I needed via hotel WiFi. But Maps.me isn't my first choice nav app.

The glare on the screen is sometimes problematic, but it's easy to move it to a different angle, because I mounted it using this arm - my review is the top one for verified purchase and includes a couple pics. My opinion hasn't changed much. It's nifty, but probably not worth that asking price and maybe not even the price I paid which I think was $19. The vibration on rough roads is significant. In the small interior space it interferes some with passengers. The foam padding comes unstuck in the 180°F+ car interior. Etc.

My rear-seat 12v accessory port supplies power via a right-angle 30-pin dock cable. (didn't have it yet in the picture) This prevents interference with the shifter. The car's an auto, but I don't want to yank the cable out shifting into reverse when I parallel park. Audio also has a right-angle plug, for the same reason.

It takes me about 5 seconds to un-cable everything, close the cover, and slide it between my center console and the passenger seat. That makes it practically invisible from outside the car, though I'm sure the gooseneck gives some indication.

Overall, I think it gives a lot of the advantages of CarPlay and avoids some of the drawbacks. Particularly... I can use ANY app, even if it's not CarPlay enabled, which will behave the same way everywhere ; on my couch, in a hotel room, on the side of the road, and while driving. My sense of self preservation is enough to prevent me from doing anything overly dumb - I don't need "nanny mode" to keep me safe. Of course I lose out on some of the super-fancy features like auto-reading TXT messages. So ... YMMV.

Right now the biggest hinderance to my happiness is not being on iOS 10 - my ancient hardware is stuck with 9. But everything works well enough that I probably won't upgrade until more important apps stop supporting the old APIs.

I don't think there is any other way to get audio into the unit. The best option might be keeping a Bluetooth transmitter in the car. Something like this. There are a ton of Chinese rebrand variants on Amazon, but that one seems to be the most popular. You will need to arrange power to micro-USB port as well. Maybe mount it somewhere and use a 3.5mm extension cable.

Another option is to save your pennies and wait to see how the Alpine iLX-107 turns out.


I haven't recorded a memo or anything to see how the mic quality is, but noone I've called has commented either way. It seems to work well enough--"Hey Siri" works even with music going at a comfortable volume.

I got this from Amazon to connect with my unit. U can try it but honestly idk why ur having such a hard time. Maybe the problem is with the unit itself. It works like it should for me. Not to say that it's great, it could def be better. I have a lot of gripes personally, but it's def worlds better than what I had.

I had 5 different mics, and I tested them all in different locations., (and techincally different mic gains) ... the one I ended up picking was mono Olympus mic (it "sounded the best to me"). I also had the stereo one but didn't think it sounded better. Best location for me was on the steering wheel center stock facing my head.

https://www.amazon.com/OLYMPUS-unidirectional-mono-microphone-ME52W/dp/B000LXH43M

Spigen magnet vent dock. Super convenient. Cheap. Love it.

Car Phone Holder, Spigen Kuel [Air Vent] [Magnetic] [Universal 360º] Car Mount for iPhone X / 8 / 8 Plus, Goolgle Pixel 2 / Pixel 2 XL, Galaxy Note 8 / S8 / S8 Plus and All smartphones - Q11 Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0109JIQ0W/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TGaHAbY2Q55VH

I just have an iphone AV cable there, so that if I occasionally want to use a 3rd party app, I can. I recommend either the official AV adapter (you might need some cables to go with it), or the cable that I'm using.

I've toyed with google maps and some TV shows (while parked)

I’m pretty sure there’s no setting that will do what you want. As an alternative, you could use a USB “condom” to let your phone charge without triggering CarPlay.

Here is the Reversing Camera that I use. its a really great little reversing camera. The whole reason I Purchased this was because you can turn off the guide lines for a cleaner look on your head unit.

As for the Mic, I have had any trouble with the mic's that have come with the last two head units I've owned.

eBoTrade Dirct Mini Security Metal DVR Micro Sd Card Recording with Charger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A0JMY8C/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_kyftzb2SX2HFB

I bought one of these for my 2013 Toyota 4Runner and Pioneer AVH-4100NEX. All the buttons work perfectly (including voice/Siri), and there was no config required.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B4PJC9K

I know this isn't your combination, but for what it's worth...

get a brake bypass circuit and ask them to install it when the fix the job: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006FKAHFM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

this is the one I bought and my car never complains about being in park to make changes to the settings

Non referral link

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-XAV-AX5000-CarPlay-Receiver-BLUETOOTH/dp/B07CB3CB1V/

Since yesterday I have a new car and it’s my first time being able to use CarPlay.
Now I’m finding myself with the same issue and did some looking around and gonna buy and try out this https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00KHVY3TQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_-UwRAbQQXAQPF soon.

https://www.amazon.com/TUSITA-Adaptor-Charging-Adapter-Raspberry/dp/B00LTHBCNM/ref=mp_s_a_1_9?keywords=usb+otg+and+charge&qid=1573542787&sr=8-9

Not too sure if the fire tab supports otg and charging simultaneously. U can try and root it. I tried to do the same thing but on a galaxy tablet. but gave up on rooting and just soldered in two wires from the battery terminal to a male end usb. So that i can charge via the usb male, and connect the otg cable into the micro usb port for Carplay.

That chime may not be coming from the stereo itself, there are adapters for the stereo that add this functionality. I recently installed an ilx-107 in my car and left out the chime module from the adapter as it was obnoxiously loud.

Adapter like this.

Thanks for the info! I figured that was the case, just didn’t want to go through removing the radio if I could avoid it.

I’ll probably go ahead an add a USB extension cable to prevent these headaches in the future. Would one of these extensions cause any problems?

Have you tried pressing and holding the phone button? Like for a couple seconds? That's normally how the steering wheel controls work for Siri. When the stereo was installed, no doubt the installers used one of these. They are programmable in that you can make any of your steering wheel buttons perform any function. It's also possible that they didn't program the phone button. This can be remedied, but you have to push a button on the box that is most likely behind your head unit to put it into programming mode.

I used the Pioneer AVH-4100NEX In-Dash Multimedia DVD Receiver with 7" WVGA Touchscreen Display https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SKJPKGW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ADrFAbA878317 from Amazon and BLACK ABS PLASTIC SHEET CAR INTERIOR to cut to fill the gaps. It’s doesn’t look bad in my opinion.

Other parts used MicroBypass Parking Brake Switch, Metra Electronics 40-NI12 Antenna Cable to Aftermarket Radio Adapter for Select 2007-Up Infiniti/Nissan Vehicles, Metra Axxess ASWC-1 Universal Steering Wheel Control Interface, Metra 70-7552 Radio Wiring Harness For Nissan 2007-Up/Select Subaru 2008-Up

Sorry I am on mobile and the link wouldn’t work. I hope this all helps.