How to upgrade your car stereo to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: 5 of our favorites (2018)
CarPlay is Apple's answer to the car infotainment system. Run by your iPhone, CarPlay replaces the navigation, media, phone and messaging controls of your car with those of iOS — and even includes Siri.
CarPlay also works with the touchscreen, buttons, knobs and dials of your car, making navigation as intuitive as it is on both your iPhone and you car's own system. But while CarPlay is mostly advertised as an option on a new car, there are multiple ways to bring CarPlay to your older vehicle by just using after-market options.
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The head units, or a deck, that are featured here all include Bluetooth. That means you can stream music to them from another device, and make and receive hands-free calls. However, to run CarPlay, all of them require that you connect your iPhone with a USB cable. Wireless CarPlay does exist — but so far only the latest BMW 5-Series offers this feature.
Also, it is worth noting that Google is rolling out Google Assistant to cars with Android Auto. With a bit of luck, this will include third-party head units too, so you'll be able to tell the Assistant to turn the lights and heating on when you drive onto your street.
Here is everything you need to know about adding CarPlay to your car, and some of the best options available to buy right now.
One DIN or two?
DIN stands for the German phrase Dietch Industri Normen, and refers to a standard size of stereo the country's car makers began installing in the 1980s. DIN refers to a stereo — also known as a head unit — measuring two inches by eight inches. This is the size of a single DIN unit, while a double DIN is the same width, but is four inches deep instead of two.
Obviously, such simplicity harks back to a time when car interiors and dashboards were simpler and more slab-sided than they are today. This design may not win many design awards. But it means older vehicles with poor stereos can be upgraded to the latest Silicon Valley has to offer.
Apple CarPlay systems — which in most cases come with Android Auto too — tend to be double-DIM sized. However some single-DIN systems exist where the display slides out of where a CD slot would be and flips upwards.
A quick warning: Car head unit makers are really terrible at naming their products, so you'll have to forgive us for repeating their meaningless, alphabet soup-inspired titles.
There's also an AM/FM radio tuner, a 3.5mm auxiliary input and a USB port for connecting different media devices. Above the display there is a slot for CDs and DVDs.
You will likely need to hire a professional to install the camera, but it'll make your car feel like it just left the dealership. Like a modern car, the camera overlays lines on its video feed to help you park neatly in the bay or against the curb. This unit also come with its own satellite-navigation system, if you don't want to use Apple Maps.
However, there is a Bluetooth connection, plus Spotify and Pandora compatibility, and a slot for CDs and DVDs.
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