I have the misfortune of being stuck doing DoorDash. It means I’m constantly plugging in and unplugging my phone from my car, at least once at the beginning and and again at the end of each and every delivery. Even with USB-C (it’s an iPhone 15 Pro Max), that makes me nervous. It’s also inefficient, having to fumble with the cord and the plug and the phone each and every time. And of course it’s a problem when it’s pouring down rain and the USB outlet gets wet.
So I’ve been trying bluetooth adapters for my 2021 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium Hybrid. I’ve gone through three of them, now. They each worked great for the first day or so, then died. A message appears on the screen that the device could not be started in “advanced mode” and “normal mode” means the device doesn’t work.
The dealer informs me that the head units which support CarPlay over bluetooth are only available in model years 2023 and newer and cannot be retrofitted to a 2021.
I’m not even seeing the problem acknowledge in a web search. But for me, it’s consistent.
Does anyone know a solution?
It may not be possible with a car that new depending on if the stereo does other things than just audio, but you may want to consider an aftermarket Pioneer, Kenwood, etc. Our car is so old that it’s stereo did nothing but audio so replacing it was easy, but yours might be more difficult. You could always check with a car stereo shop and see if it is possible with your car.
This isn’t about playing music. This is mainly about CarPlay for navigation, dealing with text messages, etc. I am extremely reluctant to replace the head unit: First, it would be expensive–a problem with what these gig companies pay. Second, I would lose some of the interface to the car itself.
Yea new cars (since early 2000’s) integrate the car control system into the head unit. I hate that crap
Do you have an aux input? I had good results with aux input Bluetooth in the past.
This isn’t about playing music. This is mainly about CarPlay for navigation, dealing with text messages, etc. I am extremely reluctant to replace the head unit: First, it would be expensive–a problem with what these gig companies pay. Second, I would lose some of the interface to the car itself.
I found this that supposedly fits your car and does wireless CarPlay, but unfortunately the cost and interface with the car itself is still going to be a problem. I do wish modern cars left the car interface, A/C controls, and stereo separate. This along with privacy concerns and reluctance to spend on a new car is what keeps me driving very old stuff.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_130DMT3800/Pioneer-DMH-WT3800NEX.html
Sorry I misread. I’ve been using an Ottocast one for over two years. I had to do the advanced config portion, you can find out how to do in the manual, to get it to work perfectly. Haven’t had an issue since.
I just got to thinking… by “interface to the car itself” did you mean stuff like Bluetooth phone, steering wheel buttons, and backup cameras or is it more in-depth stuff like car settings and monitoring? I know the phone calls, steering wheel buttons, and backup cameras can be tied to aftermarket stereos. I’m not sure if they have figured out anything more yet or not.
look up carplay, it’s a specific car UI run from your iphone.
If you’re willing to shop on Amazon (I use Amazon only if I have to) they have a wireless CarPlay adapter that work pretty flawlessly I got mine for $100. All the steering wheel control works in my car (2017 Audi A3). There is an audio delay while watching videos but I believe that’s with all wireless CarPlay applications. I’ll link to the exact one I got. However they have one that says “upgrade” for cheaper but I do not have that one so I can’t say if it’s any better.
(TLDR) The adapter linked works just like plugging in regular CarPlay.
(Edit) a few added details
I’m not proud of it by any stretch but I do shop Amazon. There’s a lot to say about that but the bottom line for me is that I simply don’t have time to do anything else.
I’ve tried units from Amazon, Best Buy, and now, a fourth, CPLAY2Air.
I have an older version of this one too, the 3.0. Had it for a couple years now and it’s only happened a couple times that it wouldn’t connect until power cycled or took a long time to connect. Other than that it’s been reliable.
Do you really need CarPlay? I’ve been relying on phone mounts in my car for years. Now with MagSafe, I stick my iPhone on and stream audio over Bluetooth, no plug/unplug. Aside from that, viewing navigation on my iPhone allows me to move around the map so I can see what turns are coming up. The CarPlay decks I’ve seen don’t allow moving around the map on screen and only show text directions on iPhone. For me, stick-and-go is a better and seamless experience.
If you have any interest in this route, I highly recommend the Nite Ize Steelie system for mounting. Their MagSafe system works with Apple’s MagSafe charger (or without if you don’t need constant charging) with a variety of mounting options.
I’ve used the same Bluetooth adapter for 10 years+
Must be something odd going on in your vehicle for them to die.
Perhaps the voltage regulator in your alternator is throwing a big voltage spike on the 12V supply, killing your adapters. There are large capacitors made for car audio that will stop spikes. Try one of those.
The one I have been using successfully for the last 2+ years is made by “Carlinkit”
Every now and then, it will take a long time or outright fail to pair, requiring that I power cycle it. Happens maybe every 2-3 weeks, I average 2-4 pairings per day.
Otherwise, the experience is mostly seamless.
