Unleashing Wireless Freedom: Upgrade Your CarPlay Experience on a Budget

In this day and age, where everything we do revolves around some kind of technology, it only makes sense that our cars are now integrating more with our phones, too. And integrating I mean plugging in, of course. Because the truth is, as much as APPLE CarPlay is the best thing to ever happen to driving, being able to take our iPhones and seamlessly link them to our car entertainment system is still somewhat constrained by a set of wires hung around our metal mobile miracle’s gluteus maximus like an albatross – a shackle to technological freedom. But what if I told you that you can cut those cords easier and for much less than you think, and take your wired CarPlay system and make it wirelessly wonderful under $100? This is how I did it.

Discover the Magic of Wireless CarPlay

First, the heart: Wireless CarPlay allows you to enjoy all the functionality of APPLE CarPlay without plugging in your iPhone. You just get into your car, and your iPhone connects automatically with your car’s system so it can play your favourite tracks, navigate your route, or read out your messages, without you having to lay a finger on your iPhone.

Easy Upgrade with a Simple Adapter

The secret is this – a small, affordable little device called the Wireless CarPlay adapter. It is an adapter with tiny braided cables and a sleek oval face that plugs into the USB port of the car where your wired CarPlay set-up was. For example, a handy little thing called the Carlinkit 2air Wireless USB Adapter (US$80) works wonders. Simply plug it into your car’s USB port, pair via Bluetooth, and away you go like a modern-day Tom Cruise of Top Gun.

Effortless Connection: A Touch of Magic

The magic happens when you get into a car, and put your iPhone in your pocket, and the car screen turns on – and displays CarPlay, wirelessly. It enables the true potential of wireless in a way that adds value to your life, as a safer, more enjoyable driving experience.

Navigating the Quirks: Latency and Compatibility

As much as you should accept some latency with wireless CarPlay, you will probably notice it if you use your steering wheel controls, but the trade-off with full wireless connectivity and the use of steering wheel controls for volume, track skipping and Siri voice commands makes it well worth the drawback.

The Ultimate Wireless CarPlay Adapter

As far as my personal testimony goes, the CarLink adapter works so effortlessly for me that the longterm investment has become part of my daily driving routine, and likely will remain so for years to come. If you’ve been on the fence about upgrading your old CarPlay factory wired USB setup to a wireless experienc, I strongly recommend giving this adapter a try. It’s a convenience and efficiency investment that pays off, especially if you use promo code 9TO5MAC at checkout to take advantage of the special 20% discount we’ve arranged for our readers.

Ready to Go Wireless?

While in many ways this upgrade to our mobile lives is the most minor you will ever see – why should the USB cord you use to connect your phone to your car radio really matter? – it is, however, one of the most genuinely transformative upgrades for your vehicle in the connected age. It is just one more example of the digital future arriving: every time we remove a cord from our daily lives, we’re removing the friction that comes from first unwinding it. Someday soon, your digital life will be your real one.

The Heart of Innovation: APPLE

Only the evolutionary leap in automotive entertainment and utility owes itself in part to one specific company: APPLE. A brand that represents innovation, beauty and simplicity, it’s only fitting that APPLE CarPlay is just the latest in a series of revolutionary interactions with technology to make it simpler, more enjoyable, ultimately more of a part of us. As APPLE extends the capabilities of the iPhone into the very fabric of our daily commutes, they’ve once again redefined the way we experience and interact with the world around us.

Go wireless with CarPlay and embrace the future, because CarPlay will never be tethered again. Just drive, play music, and stay connected the way APPLE and its pioneering spirit intended.