I purchased the CarPlay2Air and it works about 80% of the time. Usually I unplug it and plug it back in and it solves the GPS issue. My biggest issues are with dictation. If I ask Siri to play a song, it cuts off before I can say a title. It does the same when dictating a text message. I have a 2021 car with wired CarPlay built in
Do you get the same issue when using wired CarPlay? It sounds like the mic input level on your system is too low so it just can’t hear you clear enough so it times out. Sounds odd but if you shout your command, loudly, does it work then?
I purchased this recently, but don't seem be be able to leave my review on the actual carplay site, unless I select 5 stars..... The carplay device itself is fabulous - I just didn't have a great purchase experience. We were leaving on a trip, so I selected the 'express' shipping option (Express (2-3 business days) which was $39.95 vs $4.95. The item didn't arrive in 2-3 business days as I aniticipated. In fact it was over a week and a half. I contacted customer service multiple times to try to see if there could be a refund of the charge for 'express', and hit a brick wall. The customer service rep said that 'express' means it leaves the distribution center in 2-3 business days. What happens afterwards with the carrier is out of their hands..... I finally gave up asking, and to this day am trying to figure out how I paid a $40 upcharge (an additional 1/3 of the cost of the adapter) to have someone package my purchase up within 2-3 business days.... So I guess I would say 'yes. the carplay2 adapter works great. But don't go with the upcharge for expediated shipping.'
How awful 😞 Thanks for sharing your experience. Maybe leave a five star so it submits, but in block capitals leave your honest review so it can be seen. Don’t write too much, they might not publish it. Maybe just copy what you’re written here.
I don’t understand the point of these dongles if they offer more disadvantages than wired carplay. With these dongles, you still have an ugly black box coming out of your radios’ USB and you get more lag. You also need to buy a wireless charger which is slower and shortens the lifespan of your phone’s battery too. With wired carplay, I get faster charging, faster startup times, faster general speeds, and it is all done through ONE cable that can be tucked away. Thank you for your review, hopefully these manufacturers find ways to solve these issues,
Good points. It’s purely a convenience over function when it comes to wireless. Same can be said between Ethernet vs WiFi in the home. Lots of things need to improve before wireless is anywhere near the performance of a wired connection in the car. We will get there, but knowing the slow pace of the car industry, it’s going to take bloody ages 😂
@@CarPlayLife by the time wireless CarPlay matches wired who knows when, Apple probably will come out with CarPlay v2 that is only compatible with super or mega luxury cars and us peasants will be stuck on v1 for another 3 years😂
Hello I need help because I bought the cplay2air and is not working correctly in my Mercedes’ CLA 200 2017, can some please help me, the issue is that the adapter connect to CarPlay and then lose the connection and try to reconnect and lose the connection again and is repetitive
@@CarPlayLife which settings in my phone ? I have an a iPhone 12 can you please explain to me, I don’t know if this can be the solution because the CarPlay dongle doesn’t appear en my car, looks like doesn’t is available, I have some videos and pictures how can I send to you ?
I don’t think the Wi-Fi 5 will make much of a difference if the dongle’s cpu can’t push the data fast enough especially when set at a lower latency. I think the head unit is a limiting factor with most of them not supporting a usb 3/c controller. Even cars with usb c, the head unit still reads them with the usb 2 interface. How does it handle lossless audio? Even my Honda head unit has problems with it buffering sometimes when plugged in and chugs but no buffer issues when not plugged. I think even the iPhone itself is a problem too with Apple still using usb 2 for its lightning port.
You have a good point there. We may have reached the limit of what can be done here where the bottleneck is at the iPhone as well as the car USB port. 😞
So this is how frequently the dongle and iPhone is talking to each other. The higher the number the more delay between data transmission and the smoother and less work the dongle has to do. This can cause more of a delay in interactions and audio but it will be more stable. Bring that number lower and the dongle had to do more work at sending packets of data to and from the dongle and the result can be less lag but less stable and you will start to get audio stutter because the dongle is tripping over itself. Hope that all makes more sense.
I had stability issues with the first version, and went back and forth through Messenger to test and share videos of the device crashing the system. We ended up having to wipe the device and then reloading the software, and now it doesn't crash like it used to. The only time it crashes now is when the device overheats, and that usually happens with wireless use over 2 hours. It does come right back and start working again. Anyone else have issues with the device and the iPhone overheating? I have an iPhone 12 Pro with iOS 14.7.1.
I received Cplay2air adopter few days ago & it's not working. After connecting the Cplay2air dongle to the car infotainment system Carplay is not being enabled & no pop-up interface window for mobile connection. Please try to help me how to fix this problem ?
Hi. I have the latest firmware and my iphone 14 pro max couldn’t connect with the box. The light of the box is red instead of blue… I have disconnected several times from the car USB but nothing is working…any thoughts?
A Blue light only means it’s connecting and streaming wirelessly CarPlay. Red is on and connecting. If you’re not seeing anything come up on your CarPlay display then there is a fault of compatibility issue with the adapter and your vehicle system.
Only via an update that addresses the specific issue. It’s best you let support know so they can attempt the fix it with a future update. Or if you’re working a return period send it back and try a different adapter.
p1400dvd you know if it supports car play. I plug a usb cable from the stereo to my iPhone and I can get the iPhone and pandora app to work on the stereo but pandora and iPhone are the only apps on my p1400dvd stereo
If you plug in your iPhone via a cable and you see the CarPlay interface come up. You have CarPlay. If you only hear audio and it’s the same menu at the car audio interface. You don’t have CarPlay. CarPlay apps run from the phone. Not on the system it’s plugged into.
Hi. I got this as the mmb unit wouldn’t connect at all for me.. in your review you say it takes about 30 to reconnect. When I turn on my car it boots straight into CarPlay instantly it’s super fast.. from a cold start (first thing in the morning) as I turn on the ignition and start the car CarPlay is already connected
It’s all down to the vehicle. Some systems power up early when unlocking the car, some won’t until you’re inside and turning the key. The early power ones will have hot boot up speeds as the system is already powered and on, waiting for connection.
Yes, this and any other wireless adapter needs CarPlay built into the system for it to work. No dongle can magically bring CarPlay to a non-CarPlay system. These just turn wired CarPlay into to wireless connection.
man we got same problem you need to update the firmware to solve the issue but the main issue are getting it everytime we get a crackling noise from the speaker its like a broken noise. and cannot change from CD to DVD from settings. its very sad so im using wire again.
Speed no. Generation: Kinda. Some people are getting old U2W UI (green) on their CarLinkit 3.0 dongles, that should come with U2W-Autokit UI (red). (I personally think they are old batch dongles being resold as 3.0 which is wrong. These are from aliepxress sellers, so buyer beware with any of these unofficial stores there.) so this blurs the lines a bit. The best way is to plug it in and run WiFi test software like InSSIDer. This will tell you if the newer WiFi chip is in there. Only that is the main difference between generations. Other than the newer faster autokit UI
Sorry I don’t know. If it has wired CarPlay there is a chance it will work. Smoothly is unknown until your try it. Your best to ask their support team before buying to confirm it’s compatible with your system.
If you value your money as much as the next person, please don’t purchase this product. It may work for a short time, but it will eventually lose connection and you will regret it.
Let me know if you have any questions for the newly updated CPLAY2air wireless adapter. If anyone has any tips on flashing this to AUTOKIT let me know.
@@philmartin5249 No joy Phil. I have not been able to flash it at all. It's like these new units don't recognize the files on the stick. It's the same stick I have used successfully on recovering an older dongle. So I have no idea how to go about it. It's a little out of my depth really. :(
No this is just a wireless adapter. Mirroring isn’t that great at the moment. None will support anything other than RU-vid. In time this might improve. I have a few new dongles coming over the coming few months.
So you need to fire up the dongle so it sits on CarPlay. Then go into safari on your iPhone and enter the address 192.168.50.2 then on the page you see tap on the white cog button on the bottom right to enter into the settings screen. Once you make any changes you will need to reboot the dongle to view the changes.
Personally I’ve not had issues with the Ottocast (same rebadged product) using iOS 15 and also using hey Siri. I’ve not had any issues. But with that said maybe make sure you get it from Amazon so you have easier returns should it not work out for you.
It’s purely for compatibility purposes and the data rates audio is transmitted. If it doesn’t work well on one. Kept it set to the other. If it can’t be set I guess it knows it’s not going to be compatible and not allow you to set it, which I didn’t think would be possible.
@@CarPlayLife i just receive this dongle 2 days ago. Its a newer firmware and when i try to roll back there is no sound at all. But i can change it from cd to dvd
These only work with an existing CarPlay system. So you will have to replace the head unit with a CarPlay system, and if you're going to go that fare you might as well get a wireless compatible one at the same time to cut out the need for one of these dongles.
No really as there are so many to cover I’ve stopped covering them all. I know pioneer and Kenwood have wireless models. I like the idea of the pioneer modular system. That might work better on the Golf 7 as that has little room at the back to install double din system. Alpine’s option doesn’t do wireless CarPlay still. The new Sony might but all of these are expensive options. Like around 700-1000+. Wireless CarPlay is seen as a luxury feature that gets bundled in only the more expensive models. With that said I am looking into working with Dasaita and their MAX10-CP-HD model looks great for its price and should work well in the Golf. It’s a n android headunit that should also work with the car system. Hopefully I can review that soon on the channel.
I also have an alpine after market radio for my Jeep Wrangler jk. I’ve now gone through 2 cplay2air dongles within the last two years and they both eventually just stop connecting to my iphone. Not sure why…do you still recommend this dongle for Apple CarPlay or which one do you think is the best?
The ones I keep coming back to are the CarLinKit 3.0 amzn.to/3GrGaqo and Ottocast U2-Now amzn.to/3GuAmfY. Because you can buy them from Amazon and you'll have quickly and easy returns if they don't work on your vehicle's CarPlay system. They are all beginning to update their software to a newer more simpler design. The Ottocast U2-X and U2-Air is now using it and I’m sure more will follow. I’ll have my review of the Air next week and I reviewed the X two weeks ago.
Mine lasted 1 3/4 yrs and the bluetooth portion stopped working. CPlay2air said its beyond the 1 yr warranty, but they’d discount 30% off their website price if I want to purchase another. Alreadygave them over $120 of my money, not going to give them anymore, especially since the new hardware uses the old slow UI interface.
@@dsrokdsa Actually my second one is working again. I found that the dongle does not like cold weather (not that Southern California has severe cold weather) but it’s worked just fine with only a couple connectivity issues since Spring.
Wireless CarPlay worth’s with BT first then it shares a WiFi profile with the iPhone and dongle. It then disconnects from BT and continues over WiFi. BT is still requires should it need to fall back off WiFi and reconnect or reboot, which is why if you turn off BT, CarPlay will also turn off, however you can connect to other BT sources once paired to the dongle over WiFi. Hope all that makes sense.
I just ordered one but I’m not sure I made the right purchase. Which would you recommend between the MMB CarPlay, Ottocast, copilot adapter, Carlinkit 3.0 & the one I purchased Cplay2air. Based on reliability, speed, functionality, overall best functioning and ease of use with least lag and best performance quality?
It is between the CarLinKit 3.0 amzn.to/3f3LzZll and Ottocast U2-Now amzn.to/3mRW9XJ and CPLAY2air v2 bit.ly/CPLAY2air. Swinging more towards the first two because you can buy them from Amazon and you'll have quickly and easy returns if they don't work on your vehicle's CarPlay system. These all perform the same. Reliability is much the same. They all crash at some point after 1-2 hours.
@@CarPlayLife thank you so much, I tried to cancel the CPLAY2air but they wouldn’t let me. I’m just going to return it for one of the other two once it arrives. If you had to pick between the Carlinkit 3.0 & the Ottocast U2-Now which would you use are your daily driver? Which one is smoother and has faster load up speeds and works more seamlessly? & which one do you prefer?
@@CarPlayLife I’m gonna purchase one of the other two options tomorrow so would definitely love your personal opinion on which one you’ve been more satisfied with / less crashes / lag & overall quality / load up times and even functionality like call quality, music & GPS.. I’m definitely returning the Cplay2air as they seem to be slower than the other two based on all the reviews I’ve seen so I’m torn between the other two.
@@CarPlayLife purchased Ottocast and it’s amazing. So fast and easy. Thank you for the recommendation. I spoke with them directly and they have a new one coming out that’ll work for Android auto and Apple CarPlay with the same adapter. Coming later this year.
@@CarPlayLife while I’m driving all of a sudden everything stops and it reboots. Then it comes back on and everything is fine. Then another reboot I’ve been going back and forth with the support team at carplay2air and they give me different things to do but it still happens. On an hour drive it happens 2 or 3 times. Sometimes more then that
@@pelaoseva Unfortunately, this is normal for the majority of dongles I have reviewed. It’s certainly not right, but it happens and it’s common. Why? I have no clue, but I do have some ideas… Today I did a total of 3+ hour return drive. The drive up I used the Ottocast wireless adapter. It crashed on me around 1hr 30mins into the drive. A common period I get on my system (around 2hrs). I was just playing radio for audio, but I was using navigation mix of Google and Waze. Once it crashed I felt the dongle immediately, and it was hot! So I think it could be heat related with these chips. Like most electronics they have a shorting and heat management to protect the device that it’s plugged into. This will turn off or reboot the device. Usually, like you said, the dongle would reboot and you’re back to normal, but today that didn’t happen. CarPlay didn’t return. I removed and plugged it back in. Nothing. I picked up and plugged in this newer CarPlay2air dongle. Nothing. Both dongles showed power lights, but no carplay fired up. So I inserted a lightning cable and attached it to the phone for old school wired carplay. Nothing. Luckily I was only 15mins until I could stop and shut my car down. I tried powering down the receiver and that didn’t work either. I had to get to my return stop. Shut off the car. Then power the car and dongle back up. NOW everything was back to working. For my return trip I used this newer CarPlay2air dongle. No crashes during the entire return journey of the same timeframe. Now why did I just tell you all this. It just proves how this is a total mystery why these dongles fail like this. Unless you create a consistent routine every trip, you can’t really test why the dongles do this. But in all I think it’s heat, or actually how CarPlay works and how your system works along with it. All your CarPlay system needs is for a pause in the WiFi signal to stop and maybe the dongle needs to reboot to reconnect. Maybe it IS heat. I just think if it was something so consistently easy to replicate, these dongle makers would have an answer for you. The fact they are stabbing in the dark with many ‘fixes’ to try, just means there are so many variables at play here with WiFi signal, your iPhone, your vehicle system, the power to your USB port, the heat in your vehicle and the dongle. It’s a total mystery, that even it’s makers even struggle to solve. But for me, I think maybe this circuitry isn’t ready for long term use. They are just not that reliable for long use when CarPlay is heavily used, such as streaming audio or navigation. So that’s why I think it’s heat. But my trip today has made me question my system and WiFi in general also being a reason. These later elements isn’t anything to do with the dongle but they are a point in the functionality line for how these dongles work wirelessly. Sadly.
@@CarPlayLife Thanks for the info. Everything you said makes sense. Thank you for taking the time in getting back to me and writing suck a detailed answer. Thanks again
If you are lucky, yours won’t brick on update. When it does, support will give a run around, insist you host a video proving it’s broken and when they don’t like it, they’ll stall until you are out of warranty. Fail.
Sorry to hear this experience Daniel. 💡Advice for anyone with any dongle brand is to NOT update if it’s working out of the box. Advice for anyone thinking of buying a dongle, consider buying from Amazon for easier returns if it doesn’t work out the box or if you can’t get it working with everything within your return window.
Hi. Many thanks for your reviews. I wonder what’s your general opinion regarding wireless dongles and their connection stability. I’m not concerned with booting times as long they remain connected. I’ve bought MMB Wireless Apple Carplay dongle with android 9.0 and it kept crashing every 15 sec. - very frustrating. My head unit is 2020 porsche PCCM+. Any recommendations? Best regards
It depends what function you are seeking from the dongle. If it’s just wireless CarPlay. Stick with the wireless adapters and not ones that add any extra functionality, because that just introduces more potential problems with them. After reviewing these android dongles, I never use them personally afterwards. So that should tell you what I think of them. I don’t need video functionality, just wireless CarPlay will do me. So having one that does this stable and boots fast is the one that stays connected in my car. So far it’s been the recent ottercast, but ones there’s a dongle with wifi5 and autokit, that might just be the new king of the hill. Sadly that doesn’t exist yet, or from what I’ve tested anyway.
Worked fine for a while and then a firmware update completely blew the unit. They did everything to avoid sending a replacement. I'd stay away from it.
There are a few BMW specific dongles coming out form MMB soon if not available already. It really depends what you want to dongle to do. But fundamentally you need wired CarPlay in your BMW for any of these to work.
@@CarPlayLifeit says no information yet on Land Rover I was wondering if any one has risked buying one to find out . I have just ordered one if it doesn’t work it can go on eBay
Absolute piece of crap and their customer service is appalling. Would not work with my alpine and they kept sending me the same advice again and again, but it still didn’t work. Took ages to reply and eventually the return period elapsed. Do not buy n
o man i idnt use this device few weeks already i got a speaker crackling issue like my speaker is broken i need to stop my car and reboot my head unit to get the speaker fix. this device is a absolute BS.
really this is a product that does not work. i bought one. so...it's not a seamless start. you have to wait and wait for your car to find the phone. slower than hooking up a cable. Oh, and if you want to return their defective product then YOU pay the shipping to China (ya, really) and YOU pay $25 as a restocking fee. There is a reason these 'fine' folks don't sell through Amazon. it would be a dream if this product worked. But it doesn't. You'll just have to wait until the car manufacturers find a way to get lowband bluetooth to work as a connection.
That explain why the old one don’t work and updated mine stop to work no customer service for they I don’t know what a gonna do it but never ever buy one for this people again
