AAWireless, a wireless Android Auto has released an update to add beta support for Apple CarPlay. Making AAWireless an all-in-one adapter for Android and iPhone households.
In update v3.0.0, the company casually announced three new features, all being related to Apple’s CarPlay. The firmware, which is being rolled out in stages, now supports CarPlay. The post repeats the point that it is a beta so the experience might not be as smooth as expected.
- Add Beta CarPlay functionality.
- Add Beta Android Auto over CarPlay protocol.
- Add configuration web UI for CarPlay.
A number of smaller fixes were also addressed in the update:
- Tweaks in non-dongle mode to make sure the phone cannot reconnect to the dummy handsfree of the device after initial connection.
- Add retrying of connecting to phone, up to 3 times, to make sure AAWireless connects to the correct phone.
Get AAWireless Apple CarPlay support
The only requirement to get CarPlay support is to have a second-generation AAWireless adapter, the model number on the back will include cs317. Firmware v3.0.0 is rolling out in stages, likely to reduce the effect of potential bugs that show up, but eventually all second-generation adapters will have CarPlay support.
The fact that only second-generation adapters support CarPlay suggest the AAWireless team have been thinking about CarPlay support for a while. When updating the adapter to a second version, they made sure to use a design that would be compatible with CarPlay.
How to use CarPlay
Since AAWireless has been an Android only adapter for its lifespan, there is no app for iPhones. The team have gotten around this by creating a web app that interacts with the adapter. This can be found here. For full connection instructions, AAWireless have put a tutorial together.
