CarlinKit CarPlay Dongle only for Car with Android Head Unit System 4.4.2+,New Upgrade Version,Built-in APK App,Support Wired/Wireless CarPlay,Wired/Wireless Android Auto,Online Upgrade etc.

This USB adapter allows you to use both wired and wireless Carplay and wired and wireless Android Auto on Android devices. It requires the Autokit app installed. I'm using this with a UGODE PX3 Android 7.1 head unit in a 2011 BMW X5. I plugged it into a USB port on the Android head unit and downloaded and installed the Autokit app off the CarlinKit site. Initially I couldn't get wireless Android Auto working. The Bluetooth connection would keep disconnecting. It would keep trying over and over. It ended up being the firmware on the USB adapter wasn't up to date and the latest app didn't give me the option to update it. I downloaded a version of the app from a CarlinKit store site which I think was a slightly older version. This version let me update the firmware on the adapter and update the app itself to the latest version. After this, wireless Android Auto started working. The adapter and the app are working well now. Wired Carplay and wired Android Auto worked well from the beginning. It's pretty solid and stays connected to my phone. No skips or disconnects and navigating in Carplay and Android Auto is pretty responsive. When I start up the car in the mornings, the Autokit app automatically starts with the Android head unit and automatically connects to my phone and starts playing music. Sometimes the resolution is off with a black bar above the Autokit screen and I have to close and restart the Autokit app. I think this is a quirk of the Android head unit. I'll try to set a Tasker task to kill and restart the Autokit app when I get the chance. My actual Android head unit is set up with minimal data and email syncing and its main purpose is to display Carplay or Android Auto. I use my phone through Android Auto for all my needs while driving. There's an option to output audio through the headunit aux output or through Bluetooth. I think the Bluetooth option actually has little to no delay compared to the aux output. My phone connects to the CarlinKit adapter Bluetooth and the BMW OEM headunit Bluetooth and routes or bridges them. This works very well to bring wireless Carplay and Android Auto to my 2011 BMW.

Does not work for latest versions of android auto. The APK that you have to download and installed does not have a newer version past March 2025 (AutoKit_2025.03.19.1126). The concept seems solid, but buyer beware that newer AAOS may not allow you to install their required APK. Update: Using a Github version of this app, I was able to get it working successfully. Check out carlink_native by lvalen91. Using his app, and this Carlinkit dongle, my iphone is able to show full screen on my GMC 2025 Sierra. I'm updating my review to 4 stars, as it required more work than expected to perform necessary.

I had a wired-only version for many years and finally got time to upgrade to this new version that allows wireless CarPlay. The installation process was a breeze after I connected the Android head unit to WiFi for a bit and synced time. Without that step, I could not really install anything at all. I also could not install the Box Helper directly from the USB dongle. I had to copy the APK file to the SD card of the head unit and install it from there, which took just seconds. Connecting my iPhone was a breeze, and the difference was night and day. I do not know if it is the new HW or a new version of the AutoKit app (or both), but the result is a much faster and sharper image. Yay, no more USB cable hassle! Job well done!

In the year that I have owned this I think I have spent 10+ hours fussing with getting it to work, trying to figure out why it stopped working, and cursing the day I purchased this thing. Yes it does occasionally work. For me it's been more reliable wireless than wired. When it works It's everything I wanted, Android Auto on my screen. Then 40 minutes later it stops and it doesn't come back to working until a few days down the road when I feel like being punished again and try it. It often takes a while to connect, which fools you into sitting there watching the screen, only for it never to connect. I unplug the device and replug and it sometimes comes back, sometimes no. I cannot determine why or when it will work. Same S23Ultra, same radio, same procedure, varying results. I'd love some support to get this thing to be more reliable, but at this point it's just not worth the aggravation each time I attempt to use it

This device offers decent functionality for its price point, making it a good choice if you're new to this type of product and want to test core features. Pros: ✔ Affordable way to learn key capabilities ✔ Performs basic tasks adequately Considerations: ⚠ Build quality is mostly plastic—feels less premium but keeps costs low ⚠ Occasional restarts may occur (though not frequent enough to disrupt core use) Best For: First-time buyers who prioritize learning over premium materials. If you need flawless reliability or high-end materials, consider upgrading to a more robust model."