I have the misfortune of being stuck doing DoorDash. It means I’m constantly plugging in and unplugging my phone from my car, at least once at the beginning and and again at the end of each and every delivery. Even with USB-C (it’s an iPhone 15 Pro Max), that makes me nervous. It’s also inefficient, having to fumble with the cord and the plug and the phone each and every time. And of course it’s a problem when it’s pouring down rain and the USB outlet gets wet.
So I’ve been trying bluetooth adapters for my 2021 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium Hybrid. I’ve gone through three of them, now. They each worked great for the first day or so, then died. A message appears on the screen that the device could not be started in “advanced mode” and “normal mode” means the device doesn’t work.
The dealer informs me that the head units which support CarPlay over bluetooth are only available in model years 2023 and newer and cannot be retrofitted to a 2021.
I’m not even seeing the problem acknowledge in a web search. But for me, it’s consistent.
Does anyone know a solution?
If you’re willing to shop on Amazon (I use Amazon only if I have to) they have a wireless CarPlay adapter that work pretty flawlessly I got mine for $100. All the steering wheel control works in my car (2017 Audi A3). There is an audio delay while watching videos but I believe that’s with all wireless CarPlay applications. I’ll link to the exact one I got. However they have one that says “upgrade” for cheaper but I do not have that one so I can’t say if it’s any better.
(TLDR) The adapter linked works just like plugging in regular CarPlay.
(Edit) a few added details
Do you really need CarPlay? I’ve been relying on phone mounts in my car for years. Now with MagSafe, I stick my iPhone on and stream audio over Bluetooth, no plug/unplug. Aside from that, viewing navigation on my iPhone allows me to move around the map so I can see what turns are coming up. The CarPlay decks I’ve seen don’t allow moving around the map on screen and only show text directions on iPhone. For me, stick-and-go is a better and seamless experience.
If you have any interest in this route, I highly recommend the Nite Ize Steelie system for mounting. Their MagSafe system works with Apple’s MagSafe charger (or without if you don’t need constant charging) with a variety of mounting options.
Built-in car infotainment, generally speaking, sucks ass (and not in the fun way) compared to carplay and android auto. Bluetooth audio in my case will randomly drop connection and default to AM radio.
Disclaimer: I haven’t had an iPhone since the 6s so I don’t know how the carplay experience compares to Android auto.
In my 2017 model vehicle, Bluetooth audio streaming is awful because the quality is noticeably worse and there’s a mysterious fade-out / fade-in when one song transitions to the next making it hard to listen to continuous albums (such as Random Album Title by Deadmau5, as an example). Seriously it’s the only Bluetooth playback connection I have ever experienced where that happens and there’s no way to fix it (common complaint among owners of this vehicle). What’s more, the screen is larger and has a nice dashboard for navigation, now-playing, and turn by turn directions on one big screen making it significantly easier to control the phone while driving. Add to that the lack of distracting apps available and no chance of accidentally tapping other apps makes it feel more focused and safe. My only gripe is that despite being WiFi enabled, my vehicle does not have wireless CarPlay so I have to plug in a cable after I mount my phone. Small price to pay though, after all these years of a significantly better experience.
I’ve used the same Bluetooth adapter for 10 years+
Must be something odd going on in your vehicle for them to die.
The one I have been using successfully for the last 2+ years is made by “Carlinkit”
Every now and then, it will take a long time or outright fail to pair, requiring that I power cycle it. Happens maybe every 2-3 weeks, I average 2-4 pairings per day.
Otherwise, the experience is mostly seamless.
