Retrofit Android Auto & Apple Carplay Wireless: Connect smartphone wirelessly

Android Auto or Apple Carplay bring smart functions from the smartphone into the car. The interfaces allow communication between the vehicle’s entertainment system and Android devices as well as iPhones. The smartphone apps are, so to speak, mirrored onto the screen in the car. This means that Google Maps for navigating or Spotify for music are available. Voice control via Google Assistant is also possible, and the system then reads out messages if desired.

However, owners of older vehicles usually have to connect the car and mobile device using a USB cable. Although Android 11 already supports Android Auto Wireless, many cars do not. The situation is similar with Apple’s Carplay. If you want to protect the USB-C connection and the battery, you still don’t have to do without a wireless connection.

Especially on regular short trips, it’s just annoying to have to constantly take your cell phone out of your pocket and plug it in. It is not uncommon for Android Auto to go on strike. In addition, the additional charging cycles unnecessarily shorten the life of the battery. Adapters promise a remedy here. We tried two variants for Android Auto and show what other solutions there are for Carplay and Android Auto.

Mobile phones from Android version 11 support Android Auto Wireless in principle, smartphones from Samsung also support Android 10. However, the infotainment system often does not play along in older vehicles. Bluetooth adapters are a simple and affordable option.

The basic requirement is that the vehicle’s infotainment system supports Android Auto and that the smartphone is also recognized when it is plugged in by cable. If this is the case, the adapter takes over the slot on the USB port as a kind of “placeholder” and communicates with the smartphone via Bluetooth connection.

We have tried it Wireless Android Auto Adapter von TNVTEC. The device currently costs at Amazon 75 Euro – with coupon there is another discount of 10 percent. Visually, it is reminiscent of a tiny mouse. It is available in black or white. The scope of delivery includes both a cable with USB-A to USB-C and USB-C to USB-C.

Setup is surprisingly easy. You plug in the adapter and connect the Android smartphone to the device via Bluetooth smartBOX-F57A. The setup then appears on the screen, as if you were plugging in your cell phone for the first time.

We tested this with an Opel Astra K (year of construction 2017) and with a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (test report). In addition, we also tried it with a Samsung Galaxy S23 (test report), which had previously served as the “root device” for Android Auto. Here, the smartphone even automatically connected via Bluetooth and asked the user to agree to the setup. The enclosed manual initially intimidated us and referred to developer settings in the Android Auto app. But it wasn’t that complicated after all.

So far we have been able to use the adapter without any problems. It’s a relief on short trips not having to plug in your mobile device every time to use Google Maps or Spotify while driving. This saves time and also protects the battery and USB socket. If problems arise later on, we will update this post.

The second device we tested is the Motorola MA1 Wireless Android Car Adapter. At Amazon you can get the device for 90 Euro. The rounded dongle with USB-A plug is visually reminiscent of a Google Chromecast. The setup is also very simple. The Android device must first be connected to the car by cable and set up. The Motorola MA1 then automatically connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth and pretends to the vehicle that it is a mobile phone. This works reliably – provided the car had already recognized the cell phone. In our case, an Opel Insignia was unfortunately unable to connect to a Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra (test report). However, it works with mobile devices from Motorola and a current Xiaomi 12 Pro (test report) is also recognized. however, these are not problems with the wireless adapter, but with Opel’s outdated infotainment system, which simply no longer receives updates.

Amazon also offers other adapters that we haven’t tried yet. To mention would be about the Ottocast for 80 Euro (with coupon there is a discount of 20 euros). Currently the cheapest AA-Wireless Adapter von Andrew for scarce 63 Euro.

We have not yet tested suitable devices for connecting the vehicle wirelessly to Carplay from Apple. But we’ll catch up on that soon. The functionality is similar to the Android car wireless adapters: The device connects to the car via cable and communicates with the iPhone via Bluetooth. The vehicle itself should not notice the difference.

However, the offer here is manageable. Among the most popular models are the Wireless Carplay Adapter Carlinkit 4.0 for 89 Euro (Choose coupon for 32 euros) as well as the predecessor Carlinkit 3.0 for 60 Euro. There are also a few no-name models.

Adapters are a convenient solution. However, these require that the vehicle also offers the appropriate interface for Android Auto or Apple Carplay. If the older car does not offer this, retrofitting would be an option. Directly from the manufacturer, however, it is sinfully more expensive. Moniceivers are cheaper alternatives. It works even easier with a smart display like Carpuride (test report). We explain more about this in the Android Auto, Apple Carplay & DAB+ guide: Displays, Moniceiver & Receiver.

Thanks to suitable adapters, the hassle of plugging your smartphone into the vehicle for Android Auto or Apple Carplay is a thing of the past. This increases comfort enormously, especially over short distances. Corresponding products are available from as little as 60 euros. We have had good experiences with the Android car adapter from TNVTEC and the Motorola MA1.