Recently, I looked into dongles that take the existing CarPlay head unit in your car and make it work wirelessly. Unfortunately all of these dongles suffer the same problem: a 1-2 seconds delay when making phone calls.
There’s also no way to use CarPlay for apps while still routing phone calls through regular Bluetooth. At least not with the head unit in my 2018 Mazda CX-5. As soon as CarPlay connects, it drops all Bluetooth connections, even those to other phones.
Although I don’t make a lot of phone calls while driving, it needs to work without annoying delays when I do.
AI boxes
Disappointed with the wireless dongles, I allowed the Amazon and AliExpress algorithms to take me into the world of AI boxes. I don’t know what AI stands for in this context, but there’s no Artificial Intelligence involved.
The AI boxes are essentially Android set-top boxes for your car. Instead of an HDMI output to your TV, these boxes output CarPlay to your car’s head unit. You read that right – even though these are Android boxes, that run Android apps, they output a CarPlay signal to your car’s head unit.
Watching reviews I couldn’t help wondering: why don’t people just use an old phone? These AI boxes aren’t cheap, nor are they very good.
iPhone vs AI Box
Different people have different needs, so let’s do a quick comparison. I’m comparing to an old iPhone here – comparing to an Android phone should yield similar results.
Start-up
AI boxes have no battery. This means they need to boot every time you start the car. This can be annoying if the AI box needs considerably more than than your head unit.
The iPhone does have a battery, but it could run out if not charged regularly. (Continue reading to see how I improve this.)
Platform Features
AI boxes are Android based. There are no iOS boxes. Great if you’re an Android user. Inconvenient if you’re an iPhone user.
AI boxes will show any Android app on your head unit (barring compatibility issues). The iPhone will display only apps designed for CarPlay.
Some AI boxes come with an additional HDMI output, allowing you to stream video to screens in the back seat.
Support
Apple promise a minimum of 4 years of major updates on all iPhones. It’s also known to release security fixes regularly, for several years.
AI box manufacturers make no promises. I have not seen any of them provide a major Android version update or regular security updates.
So far it appears that AI box manufacturers limit themselves to releasing functional bug-fixes for their latest products only.
Performance
The fastest AI boxes available at the time of writing use a low-end chip-set from 2017. The Qualcomm SD660. It’s decent, but not great. Other AI boxes use lesser chip-sets. They are outdated the day you buy them.
Setup
To make the CarPlay iPhone a superior alternative to an AI box, we need to prevent its battery from draining. We can accomplish this by using the Shortcuts app and a proper charger.
Shortcuts
If you haven’t already, install Apple’s Shortcuts app. We’ll use it to automatically enable the low power- and airplane modes on the CarPlay iPhone when we’re not using it.
In Shortcuts:
- Switch to the Automation tab
- Choose Create Personal Automation
- Scroll down to CarPlay and choose Disconnects.
- Tap Next.
Now add the following Actions:
- Set Low Power Mode > Turn Low Power Mode On.
- Set Airplane Mode > Turn Airplane Mode On.
- Tap Next.
Finally:
- Disable the Ask Before Running option.
- Tap Done.
We also have to create the reverse: when CarPlay connects we want the CarPlay iPhone to disable the low power- and airplane modes.
In Shortcuts:
- Switch to the Automation tab
- Choose Create Personal Automation
- Scroll down to CarPlay and choose Connects.
- Tap Next.
Now add the following Actions:
- Set Low Power Mode > Turn Low Power Mode Off.
- Set Airplane Mode > Turn Airplane Mode Off.
- Tap Next.
Finally:
- Disable the Ask Before Running option.
- Tap Done.
Charger
To ensure your CarPlay iPhone charges sufficiently on shorter drives, get a USB-PD charger providing 20W or more. For example, the 40W mophie charger that Apple sells.
Phone Calls (optional)
Connect both iPhones to the same iCloud account and the same Wi-Fi. Then enable Calls on other devices on your regular iPhone. This allows the CarPlay iPhone to answer your calls. Without any noticeable delay or other annoyances.
To setup a Wi-Fi hotspot in the car I used the Huawei E8372 USB adapter. I’ve tried using a Personal Hotspot on the CarPlay iPhone itself, but that is not supported.
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