The Best Wireless Adapters for CarPlay and Android Auto for 2025

Ottocast says the U2-Air works with 600+ car models from on, except for some Sony aftermarket head units. Its boot time is rated at 18 seconds, and it defaults to 5GHz Wi-Fi. This model only works with iPhones running iOS 10 and up. Unlike some of the other vendors in this roundup, Ottocast has actual offices in the US, but that doesn’t mean the device arrives in the mail any faster.

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The stylish-looking (by dongle standards) U2-Air is easy to set up. It includes a 12-inch USB-A to USB-C cable plus a USB-C to USB-C cable. Once the iPhone connects via Bluetooth, the iPhone takes over the screen. Like many other adapters, it supports multiple iPhones. You can access the U2-Air’s settings via an IP address typed into the browser on your iPhone.

Most of these devices required a firmware upgrade in my tests, but the U2-Air was different. It worked out of the box, and the manual specifically says, “Updating is NOT recommended when every function works well.” I updated it anyway...and the U2-Air immediately stopped talking to the dash. I could still access the dongle's Wi-Fi, but the browser settings page wouldn’t let me hard reset, so I had to use the old paper-clip-stuck-in-the-recessed-button-slot reset—Ottocast is one of the few to have that option.

The Magic Link from The Magic Brand is rated to work with any iPhone from the 5 on up in “any vehicle with wired CarPlay.” It's bigger than some of the others at 3.2 inches long and includes a decent-sized status LED on the front. It also has two ports—one at the top for USB-C and another for USB-A at the bottom—which you can plug the iPhone into via a cable to use wired CarPlay, making The Magic Link just a pass-through.

Like the above devices, using The Magic Link starts out just fine: Plug it in, watch the intermediary interface appear on the screen, look for the Bluetooth connection on the iPhone, connect to it, and CarPlay is up and running. The usual lag applies. It includes a 12-inch USB-A to USB-C cable.

Rather than go against the manual, I did not update the firmware on The Magic Link. Instead, I got annoyed that it created Bluetooth and Wi-Fi network names like HondaXXXX. So, I used the web interface with the device via Safari on the iPhone to change the Wi-Fi SSID. Big mistake. After the reboot, The Magic Link’s LED started blinking red. While the device would talk to the dash and connect to my iPhone via Bluetooth, the Wi-Fi network was no longer available. There’s no recessed reset button to set it back to the factory settings and no info on it online. I emailed the vendor for reset instructions but never heard back.

In short, don’t mess with the settings on these dongles if you don’t have to. Once they are up and running, leave them alone.

The Android Auto dongles induced hairpulling during setup, starting with the Carsifi. Admittedly, I was somewhat hampered by testing with an Android device (a Google Pixel 4) without a cellular data plan—that would have made the firmware updates and accessing the help files via the Carsifi app a lot easier. But even after the updates, I still had to experiment with settings, finally turning off Carsifi’s “Intercept AA protocol” before it would work in my Honda.

The big difference between an Android Auto dongle and a CarPlay dongle is that the Android Auto ones require an app from the Google Play store and a firmware update you must perform from the app. The Carsifi box lid has a QR code inside that makes it easy to get the right app; there’s more info and help on the company's website.

Once I finished setup, the Android Auto interface took over my dash quickly. Restarting the car or replugging the dongle did nothing to break the connection. It seemed the connection was a little faster than with CarPlay. I like that Carsifi ships with cables for those USB-A and USB-C connectors. It includes a short (9-inch) USB-A to USB-C cable, a USB-C to USB-C cable, and double-sided tape.

These Android Auto dongles are not for people who can’t tolerate installation hassles. This might explain why the Android Auto wireless dongles are typically among the lowest priced in this roundup.

Unfortunately, setting up the AA Wireless dongle was about as painful as the Carsifi. It comes with a long, braided cloth and an 18-inch USB-C to USB-A cable, which is nice. You first connect to it via Bluetooth—it comes up with a name like “AndroidAuto-AAWCxxxxxx.” After that, you need to install an app so you can do the required firmware update. A QR code for the app is on the back page of the little manual, and there’s a link on the company website.

Normally, it should then take over the dashboard, but that didn’t happen until I went into the app, clicked Device Settings, and set “Passthrough” to disabled. Thankfully, unlike so many other devices of this ilk, the software for the AA Wireless is at least nice to look at, though the settings remain esoteric.

After that, Android Auto popped right up on the screen and worked fine after a few car restarts and re-plugging the device into the smart port. This is good because there isn't any apparent tech support available from the company. The website allows ordering (it promises to ship within 7 days from their Dallas warehouse for US customers).

Link to Dingpei

For help, there’s a FAQ and troubleshooting guide in the app, but mostly you’re on your own. [AA Wireless wrote PCMag to say, "The companion app has a troubleshooting section which will guide you through most common issues and if none solved the problem, it will create a support ticket linked to our support system which then will be followed up with emails."] Thankfully, if you screw things up during the setup, the AA Wireless has a recessed reset button.

A newer model, the AAWireless Two, is available and features a multifunction button designed for easier pairing. We cannot attest to how well it works as we have not tested the product.

Carlinkit is one of the most advertised wireless adapter dongles out there. The company also sells an older combo CarPlay+Android Auto device (version 4.0), which can't do wired Android Auto, among other devices. The 5.0 is ready for any iPhone version 6 or higher or phones running Android 10 and above. The box contains two cables, one C-to-C, and another C-to-A; to get started, plug the USB-C end into the Carlinkit and the other end into whatever port you have on your dash or head unit. One end has a USB-C port, and the other end has a USB-A port to use as a pass-thru if you want to plug in a to charge.

The Carlinkit takes over the CarPlay screen and displays its own interface, where you pair it to your iPhone via Bluetooth; like others, it creates a unique name to pair to along with the car's make. Mine was something like “Honda-45XX”. Tempted as I was to change this by spelunking into the settings, I learned my lesson when testing other dongles. I didn’t mess with that. But proving that I also learned nothing, when I did use the Safari browser to look at the settings, the pull to update the firmware was too enticing. Even though the manual says you don’t have to update if the device is working. I did it anyway and waited—and it worked. This is good because there’s no reset button.

The latency issue is there, like with all these devices. The Carlinkit also did a great job connecting more than one iPhone, so either my wife or I can take over the wireless CarPlay when alone. To change it when we’re both in the car, the person whose is auto-connected must turn off their Wi-Fi, which is annoying. At $69 this is one of the cheapest dongles, especially one able to support both iOS and Android.

The $169 Carluex Air has a unique look among the dongles here, in that it almost looks like a little Hot Wheels racer, until you realize it doesn’t have wheels. It's also priced a little high, but that’s because it will support both Android and iOS, plus offers a few extras like the Magic Box—namely, wireless streaming from YouTube, Netflix, and Hulu from your devices.

The initial connection via USB in the car to the Carluex’s USB-C port is easy and the interface comes right up. The instructions suggest immediately getting the device on your home Wi-Fi (or whatever Wi-Fi is in range that you have a password for) but that’s not really necessary unless you want to do a firmware update. The connection between and dongle is Bluetooth; you have to push an extra button on the screen in the Carluex interface to activate CarPlay/Android Auto. Like any interface from these no-name companies with hardware they’re essentially licensing, the interface isn’t exactly Apple-quality, with tiny fonts and byzantine menus. It's not for technophobes.

The ads say Carluex Air is lag-free and I might give it the benefit of the doubt that it feels a little faster than most—but it's definitely got more lag than a direct wired connection. That’s par for the course. The website has a quiz you can take to check car compatibility, but essentially should work with non-BMW cars with CarPlay from forward.

Almost all the wireless dongles that support both CarPlay and Android Auto in one are still well under $150. When you see the price of The Magic Box (now priced at $229), you know it's something different from the rest. That’s because it's a standalone Android box you can plug directly into to take over the dashboard screen. While it runs Android, it still supports CarPlay for iPhone users. The Magic Box works in (most) cars and even on your home TV via an HDMI out port.

I say most because the vendor told me upon requesting the device, "Magic Box doesn’t have 100% compatibility with Honda.” That could be a problem since I tested with a Honda CR-V. But “most of the time, it works,” they said. So why not try it?

The installation video says you plug it into your car's smart port, be it USB-C or USB-A, with the other USB-C end going into The Magic Box. It includes an 8-inch premium braided cloth USB-A to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-C cable. The Magic Box takes about 20 seconds to load and displays a fun animation screen. It warns you not to use the dongle while in motion and then deposits you in a configuration screen. The Magic Box runs Android itself and thus has its own settings you must use—like setting it up to use Wi-Fi from your home when parked by the coffee shop or off of your ’s mobile hotspot while you’re on the road.

On the home screen are apps to launch CarPlay or Android Auto, plus others such as Google Maps. Pretty much any app available in the Google Play store or that you can sideload is an option—they even ship with a few of the non-Google-Play apps available on the device. You’ll need to log into individual apps and keep them up-to-date, like on your . If you prefer to mirror your to the dashboard (or your TV), you select the Cast app and activate screen mirroring on your —it should work like a charm with iOS.

The vendor says to unplug The Magic Box whenever you turn off the car. It pulls more electricity than other dongles when in use, so it could drain your car battery faster if you leave it in. It didn't matter, though, because I never got it to work with my Honda. The boot animation tried to launch exactly once (pegging my speakers at full volume) and then it never worked again. After numerous re-plugs, resets, and erasing settings stored in the dash for Bluetooth, I gave up. It's not like I wasn’t warned.

Version 2.0 of The Magic Box is now available for $299. We haven't tested it yet, but it promises the same functions plus streaming with apps like Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu right on your dash (which is a terrible idea, but we can't stop you). The little dongle has 64GB of storage on board and 4GB of RAM. It even has slots for MicroSD cards. From the home screen on your dash, you can access various Android apps (like Google Assistant) or jump right into CarPlay or Android Auto with your .

The company is the world’s best Carplay Usb Dongle supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

My Honda SUV only has wired CarPlay. Which didn't seem like that big of a deal until the wife got a new car that had wireless CarPlay and suddenly I hated life itself. Enter the Carlinkit Mini SE Wireless CarPlay adapter.

Unlike others adapters found, it has a user-accessible configuration page with knobs to turn and buttons to press (including user-upgradable firmware with frequent updates), has a minimum of Engrish in the UI, supports GPS pass-thru (where CarPlay uses the GPS signal from your navigation-enabled car instead of from your , preserving battery life), and was well-reviewed for working with my make and model. And it's tiny, the size of a USB storage stick. It is mostly plug-and-play: Plug it in, start your car, and pair your with it via Bluetooth. It automatically switches your over to a private 5g wifi network. Hit accept on your to add a new CarPlay device, and CarPlay launches. From that point on, the connection process is all automatic. Get in, start car, CarPlay.

I say "mostly" plug and play because as I began testing it, I noticed playing music would skip, like a CD with scratches. Some reviews online suggested settings to change. To do so, you log into a web page on the device where I tweaked the wifi frequencies it defaults to and a music buffering-related setting. The device reboots and... skips gone! Spotify, Podcasts, Maps... all work just like wired CarPlay.

The interface does lag slightly more than wired CarPlay. Pausing music or skipping a track takes about a second to register. Scrolling through the app pages has a slight stutter, but not unreasonable. It feels very similar to the built-in wireless CarPlay in my wife's Subaru.

For $40? Pretty great. It's not without UX quirks and you may need to be comfortable with tweaking poorly-documented settings on a configuration page, but's nothing any technically adept person couldn't handle. I've only had it a couple days so far, we'll see how it holds up long-term.

TL;DR: Got a third party wireless CarPlay adapter. It actually works!

My Honda SUV only has wired CarPlay. Which didn't seem like that big of a deal until the wife got a new car that had wireless CarPlay and suddenly I hated life itself. Enter the Carlinkit Mini SE Wireless CarPlay adapter.

Unlike others adapters found, it has a user-accessible configuration page with knobs to turn and buttons to press (including user-upgradable firmware with frequent updates), has a minimum of Engrish in the UI, supports GPS pass-thru (where CarPlay uses the GPS signal from your navigation-enabled car instead of from your , preserving battery life), and was well-reviewed for working with my make and model. And it's tiny, the size of a USB storage stick. It is mostly plug-and-play: Plug it in, start your car, and pair your with it via Bluetooth. It automatically switches your over to a private 5g wifi network. Hit accept on your to add a new CarPlay device, and CarPlay launches. From that point on, the connection process is all automatic. Get in, start car, CarPlay.

I say "mostly" plug and play because as I began testing it, I noticed playing music would skip, like a CD with scratches. Some reviews online suggested settings to change. To do so, you log into a web page on the device where I tweaked the wifi frequencies it defaults to and a music buffering-related setting. The device reboots and... skips gone! Spotify, Podcasts, Maps... all work just like wired CarPlay.

The interface does lag slightly more than wired CarPlay. Pausing music or skipping a track takes about a second to register. Scrolling through the app pages has a slight stutter, but not unreasonable. It feels very similar to the built-in wireless CarPlay in my wife's Subaru.

For $40? Pretty great. It's not without UX quirks and you may need to be comfortable with tweaking poorly-documented settings on a configuration page, but's nothing any technically adept person couldn't handle. I've only had it a couple days so far, we'll see how it holds up long-term.

TL;DR: Got a third party wireless CarPlay adapter. It actually works!

I've used an older model for years now. Every so often I have to unplug it to reboot the device if it doesn't connect. But 99% of the time it just works and gives me no issues. For that price I might actually cop a new one to see if there is a noticeable performance improvement. CarPlayLife guy is useful for this kinda thing...kinda:

https://www.carplaylife.com/
https://www.youtube.com/c/CarPlayLife

He's pretty dry in his videos, not sure how much is his personality/style...vs most products being roughly the same in functionality*, and reviewing them for however many years at this point. Like this sums up the space well I think:

Consider this more of an endorsement of the concept than of the specific product.

A lot of stuff works fine, there's different specs but the result basically seems to be boot up and connection time differences of however many seconds.

The first in I was using for about a year, TNVTEC, till it disappeared after a car service (found it long after under one of my rear floor mats). In I got an Ottocast one, which was an improvement in both connection speed, maybe a few seconds, and iirc resolution.

A few days ago while looking for one for my niece's new car I decided to change mine up with this ByteWave one, supposedly a bit faster, and being a small dongle type vs the attached box types I had before (and hell, Android support, should the need ever arise). Faster connection again, perhaps by a few seconds, but not a huge difference. It's kind of at the point where it's short enough to not be a huge inconvenience, but still long enough to be a noticeable delay. Might vary by car and how they activate their USB ports, Bluetooth, and CarPlay stuff. The form factor difference is not a huge difference in my case. The small box was tucked away, and I use a right angle cable so the port protrusion and cable mess was pretty minimal, so the little dongle sticking out is arguably bulkier.

tl;dr wireless CarPlay dongles are pretty solved from a basic functional standpoint. Refinement wise I think the big things are connection speed and audio delay, but even in the current state (and how it's been for a while), it's fine. Could be better but it's good enough for the wireless benefits.

*Ok one more thing, there's also the "AI box" types. Not sure why the space settled on that name other than hype, but nothing to do with AI (afaik), they're basically just Android boxes that let you run whatever, and still have CarPlay/Android Auto support through Android apps within. Main use for these is more flexibility, particularly for most people stuff like YouTube or Netflix or whatever video streaming apps (perfectly safe when driving of course!). I assume you could also run OBD dashboard type apps too for car display things. Basically anything Android. I think some support AirPlay mirroring, some even have HDMI input to hook up whatever streaming device or even a console (although presumably with some lag).

Consider this more of an endorsement of the concept than of the specific product.

This is a good point. I presented this as a review (or rather, my experience) with one particular product, but I chose it mostly because it was cheap and came recommended from an enthusiast group for my particular vehicle. If this turns into a broader conversation about these adapters and their pros and cons and which work better than others for certain cars, that's great.

Main use for these is more flexibility, particularly for most people stuff like YouTube or Netflix or whatever video streaming apps (perfectly safe when driving of course!)

Yeah, I saw a lot of these when I first started looking at options. Not only are they sort of ridiculously expensive (being the hot new option, of course) but the idea of purposefully hooking up a box that allowed you to watch Netflix while driving is Darwin Award-level behavior.

Yeah, I saw a lot of these when I first started looking at options. Not only are they sort of ridiculously expensive (being the hot new option, of course) but the idea of purposefully hooking up a box that allowed you to watch Netflix while driving is Darwin Award-level behavior.

The prices are all over the place, looks like they can be under $100 now up to a few hundred, with various specs. I was tempted at one point but ultimately just wanted faster boot speed and worried about the cruft of just CarPlay being behind an extra layer.

I'd like to think I wouldn't watch videos while driving, but would be nice while parked and waiting around for stuff at times...if I had an EV. As it stands there's limited time the screen stays on without the engine running (cause battery drain), and I'm not idling too long cause my engine guzzles gas enough as it is. Oh that Ottocast link also reminds me of when I got mine...there were like a billion listings for what seemed like the same thing. Like same name and product number, but varying years (or "NEW UPDATED"), no clue if they were actually any different or just changing the listing up for the sake of looking newer. And like that one, a lot have coupons, so the actual price is a decent chunk less than the listing.

Given everything seems to be roughly good enough these days, I more or less go for the cheapest one of whatever I'm looking for, that has enough reviews to make me feel reasonably sure it's a real listing.

I've used an older model for years now. Every so often I have to unplug it to reboot the device if it doesn't connect. But 99% of the time it just works and gives me no issues. For that price I might actually cop a new one to see if there is a noticeable performance improvement.

So I pulled the trigger on this. It has noticeably better performance and is far less expensive than the Carlinkit 3.0 I’ve been using since . My only “gripe” is that there is no way to rename the wireless connection. My old device was simply called iPhone. This one is called VehiConn_XXXX and I can’t change it something more meaningful which is definitely a “first world problem” for sure. Overall, the convenience of wireless CarPlay is well worth the price of admission.

Yeah, this bugs me as well. And I wish it didn't but it does.

Same. My first dongle was something like AUTO-XXXX, I think the Ottocast was something like soundLink-XXXX, and my new one is WirelessDongle-XXXX.

Update, after a week in and out of the car: 90% of the time it just works with zero problems. That other 10% of the time when it does something weird, I just pull the dongle out and plug it back in and it rights itself with a reboot. (Shrug) hard to complain for $40.

Mine have been more like 99%, but that 1% is particularly obnoxious cause it seems to be a head unit/car issue for me rather than the dongle. Like replugging it doesn't work, and plugging in my directly doesn't either. Turning the car off and on doesn't even do it sometimes, I'll have to be away from the car a bit to the point where I assume the idle/accessory power shuts off completely and the head unit fully power cycles or something. Oh but on the plus side, I just remembered something from a recent road trip in my friend's car (and watching a car video that just mentioned a similar point). She uses Google Maps and I was annoyed at how panning was implemented compared to Apple Maps...then discovered roughly the same restriction in Apple Maps, unlike my car. I then realized it might be an OEM option, like locking out the keyboard while in motion...which her car also does.

I then remembered my car also locks out the keyboard when connected directly, but it's allowed on the wireless dongle. Maybe cause it doesn't know when the car is in drive, or it's just running a separate CarPlay instance without restrictions or what, either way it's a neat little benefit. Kinda wonder if it'd work to do the same on my friend's car...kinda weird to do it just for that though, considering her's already has wireless CarPlay.

And that leads to a random question, anyone tried an already paired dongle in different cars? Does it just work or does it need some level of setting up again?