Apple Car Play in Tacoma

Has anyone installed an aftermarket radio with CarPlay compatibility? I would love to have a receiver with CarPlay but I can't find many to my liking. If anyone has, what brand did you choose and do you like it?

Thanks!

 

What specific things about CarPlay do you wish to have?

As much as I like CarPlay, and as annoying as I find Entune to be sometimes, I'm actually reasonably pleased with it -- particularly since it is wireless and doesn't require plugging into a cable as is the requirement for current CarPlay implementations that I've seen/used.

Part of this is probably because I have a Qi charging pad on my phone and modded some stuff to have a magnetic mount holder with Qi charger so I don't have to plug in my phone to maintain charge.

 

I would really, really appreciate seeing this mod. got pics? details?

 

sub'd

 

With entune can you send a txt message with an iPhone hands free??? I have a sr and cannot do this. Was wondering if it was because the cheaper radio in the sr. With CarPlay im sure I could do this...

 

Haven't tried this, and not sure if just on JBL, but if you hold down the phone button on the steering wheel and have an IPhone, you will get Siri. Using Siri you should be able to send a text using voice commands.

I know the SR has a different unit, so probably won't work on yours.

 

Entune w/ jbl in in 17 is better than my audi w/ mmi was in 2013.

 

I wish they did carplay in the Toyota deck. maps and ease of use would be really nice

 

I've not had a chance to do a write up or organize any pics as its still a work in progress, but here's the description.

Magnetic Qi charging vent mount: https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Nillkin-Charging-Universal-Qi-Enabled/dp/B01LS6U3H4
Scosche Magic Mount:

$13 Scosche MAGDMB MagicMount Magnetic Car Phone Mount - Secure and Convenient Dashboard Phone Holder with 360° Adjustable Magnet Head - Universal and Compatible with IPhone, Samsung, and All Devices

https://www.amazon.com/Scosche-MAGDMB-MagicMount-Magnetic-Devices/dp/B00I608BJ8/

Open up the Nillkin via the four screws under rubber plugs on the back and unscrew the vent clip from the inside. Remove the rubber pad, magnets, and metal plate from the Scosche; underneath is a post the Nillkin can screw onto. It's not as stable as I'd like, my next to-do is eliminate that part and JBweld the two together.

I have a thin Elago plastic case on my iphone7 with a Qi patch and the two metal strips from the Nillkin under it. I'd also used JBweld to glue the four magnets from the Scosche next to the four magnets in the Nillken to enhance it, you'll see where is best once you see the orientation of the metal strips. Just be sure to orient the magnets the same way as what's in place. Scosche is attached just left of the four-way flasher button. USB charge cable routes behind the dash center stack and plugs into a USB charger in the 12V port. Get a cable with right-angle plugs for a more low profile setup.

When I get in the car I just stick the phone on the magnetic mount. When I get out I grab it and go. Placement is important, but I quickly figured out where to put it to ensure a charge.

Downsides:The car mount isn't as sturdy as I'd like it. If you're not paying attention you can knock the phone off it easily. Ceased to be an issue once I got used to where the phone was. Don't expect it to hold while offroading. The phone in its case is a little wobbly on its back on a table top. Also a pain to access the lightning port, but since I've had no need for it in weeks it's not been an issue. I put a Qi charging pad at my desk at work where I'd usually set my phone down anyway, and did the same thing again at home. Works for me. Might not work for everyone.

Future:
I have this case on order:

Nillkin iPhone 7 Case, [Magic Case Series] QI Wireless Charging Receiver Case Back Cover [Compatible Car Magnetic Wireless Charger] for iPhone 7 - Black

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M346Q8T/
I'm hoping it will make lighting port more easily accessible, stop wobbling on the desk, and hold better to the mount.

Half the fun is the experimentation. The other half is the convenience of the phone simply starting to charge every time I put it on the mount. No cables to futz with.

I also received some 6mmx1mm magnet from eBay and intend to try this guys idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdA9ucWf9uk

 

Let me know how this works please. I bought a stick on qi charger and it barely picked up the charging spot.

 

It works pretty well, just remember it's not going to be a super fast charge due to inherent inefficiencies. It seems (as in I've not paid close attention to charge %'s) about what I'd get from a 1 amp charger. Don't expect to take an empty phone battery to full during a 20 minute drive. Also be sure to plug the charging mount into a 2.4A source to get the best result.

The few times I've used the truck's Qi pad I've noticed you have to pay attention to placement. This seems fairly common to Qi chargers. The inductive coil is about the width of a non-plus iphone and your best efficiency comes from aligning things. I imagine there are also a number of crappy Qi receiving patches. Here's the one I've been using for two months: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Z2M3H7Y

 

That's the same one I bought. I returned it.

I think I'll stick to plugging my phone in.

 

*shrug* Each to their own. It works well for me.

 

QQ on aftermarket head unit. With the tech package the OEM head unit is used to adjust some vehicle settings (headlights...locks..). If you put in an aftermarket unit how does one go about and adjust these settings?

And I like the CarPlay feature. There are mirroring options out there but only mirroring..the head unit doesn't respond to any inputs on the screen.

 

@gpb

thanks for the write up... will appreciate if you find a new way that is more secure. cheers

 

@gpb also, a picture of your setup would really help.

 

I'll try to do a write up with pics over the holiday week.

 

The Apline ILX-107 was recently released and is the first aftermarket head unit to offer wireless CarPlay. How cool would it be to have that if you have a new iPhone capable of wireless charging. Plop the phone of the Qi pad and then it wirelessly connects to CarPlay. The dream has just become a reality!

 

On your iPhone, go into Settings > Maps > Navigation & Guidance and check the volume there.

I had the same issue you did in my 2019 and found my navigation was on "Loud Volume" in the phone settings. Changing it to normal (or low) and then just using my radio volume knob (radio powered on and music paused) seemed to do the trick.

Hope this helps/works for you as well!

 

For me, I just have it plugged in via USB or via Bluetooth. Either way I connect, I have to turn my radio on as if I were listening to the radio/music and pause the music via the vehicle head unit and then my navigation audio will come through the vehicle and is controllable via the volume knob

Have you paired your phone to the radio officially/allowed it to sync between devices? Beyond that I'm not really sure unfortunately.