Among the finest equipment for including wi-fi assist for Android Auto customers is now welcoming iPhone and CarPlay people into the fold.
The AAWireless dongle, which I reviewed earlier this yr for Android units, has simply quietly introduced a model 3.0 firmware replace that introduces beta assist for Apple’s CarPlay.
Whereas the AAWireless adapter is significantly extra useful within the Android world, the place wi-fi Android Auto assist is considerably much less widespread, there are nonetheless a terrific many autos available on the market that don’t supply wi-fi CarPlay — and doubtless by no means will.
Though wi-fi CarPlay has rolled out farther and wider than its Android counterpart — regardless of having the potential to assist each, my 2021 Nissan Rogue solely does CarPlay wirelessly — the expertise remains to be restricted to vehicles with built-in Wi-Fi. That’s one thing not generally discovered on lower-end trims.
Whereas Bluetooth is satisfactory for streaming audio, it doesn’t have the bandwidth to deal with the quantity of knowledge that should journey between your iPhone and your dashboard to current a graphically wealthy consumer interface or handle real-time navigation in Apple Maps. The latency and lag of attempting this over Bluetooth would make for an insupportable consumer expertise.
As I noticed two years in the past, wi-fi CarPlay is a game-changer. Relatively than having to plug your iPhone in each time you leap within the automotive, which can depart you opting to forego CarPlay on shorter journeys, you get a seamless expertise that makes your iPhone really feel like an built-in a part of your dashboard.
So, it’s secure to say that the marketplace for dongles to transform wired CarPlay to wi-fi shall be lively for at the very least a couple of extra years. There have already been a couple of completely different adapters kicking round for this function, however what makes AAWireless stand out is that it’s already confirmed itself to be one of the crucial secure and versatile choices on the Android Auto facet — and we’re hoping that the identical shall be true as soon as the brand new CarPlay assist matures.
To be clear, the entire thing could be very a lot in beta proper now, so I wouldn’t recommend operating out and grabbing an AAWireless adapter simply but except you want dwelling on the sting. In contrast to Android, there’s no AAWireless iPhone app but, so customers might want to depend on an online app for now.
The configuration seems fairly easy; the AAWireless dongle ought to seem as a wi-fi CarPlay vacation spot as soon as the firmware replace has been utilized. After all, your automotive has to assist wired CarPlay for this to work; the AAWireless accent doesn’t add CarPlay to your car; it simply wirelessly bridges the hole between your iPhone and your automotive’s USB port.
The preliminary implementation additionally seems to have a couple of glitches, with the potential of uneven audio on older CarPlay variations and potential compatibility issues with steering wheel buttons, album artwork, and name data not coming by correctly. Thankfully, that is an space the place AAWireless proved itself extremely versatile on the Android Auto facet, with a wealth of settings that may be tweaked to workaround varied compatibility issues. The net app already has “audio repair” and “IAP forwarding” choices that may be adjusted to assist handle these issues for those who run into them.
The AAWireless 3.0.0 firmware replace is rolling out progressively — I’ve but to obtain it on both of my evaluate models — and it’s additionally price noting that you simply’ll require a era 2 system with a cs317 mannequin quantity on the again. That ought to apply to all AAWireless dongles bought by regular retail channels like Amazon, because the first-gen units have been solely shipped out from the corporate’s authentic 2020 Indiegogo marketing campaign.