Best wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto adapters 2024
Make wired Apple CarPlay or Android Auto a thing of the past
Have you got a wireless in your car? For a new generation this doesn’t mean an old-fashioned radio, but instead a cable-free connection to your smartphone. This goes beyond Bluetooth and allows Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to be used on compatible infotainment systems – all without a wired connection.
This is much more convenient, because it means you won’t have to get the phone out of your pocket or bag when you get in the car, and makes the interior look neater too, with no cables to get in the way.
While some newer cars will have wireless connections as standard, there are many that will need an adaptor. These plug into the car’s USB port and should give you the same functionality as the factory-fit devices.
We tried six across the price spectrum to see which will best enable you to ditch the cable.
How we tested them
We plugged all the adaptors into the USB ports of two vehicles without wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto as standard – a 2016 Nissan Navara and a 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5. We then followed the instructions to connect an iPhone 14 and a Samsung Galaxy S24 to the devices.
They were rated on the ease of connection both initially and then when getting back into the car. We also expected links to be stable while driving, and a speedy response to commands. Finally, we took the price, value and aesthetics into account.
Reviews:
Ottocast A2airPro
- Rating: 5 stars
- Price: Around £62
- Compatibility: Android Auto
- Website: ottocast.com
Used - available now
2023 Land Rover
Discovery Sport
54,832 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L
Cash £22,500
2023 Mercedes
A-Class
9,563 milesAutomaticPetrol1.3L
Cash £18,700
2023 Ford
Fiesta
29,948 milesManualPetrol1.0L
Cash £13,200
2023 Ford
Kuga
16,643 milesAutomaticPetrol2.5L
Cash £19,900It’s not the smallest or cheapest adaptor in the test, but the Android Auto version of the Ottocast gave a solid performance, with a fast connection time after time and no drop-outs. Once it was up and running, the responses to commands on the screen or voice activation seemed to be as quick as the wired connection, too.
The Ottocast’s unique feature is a Smart Button that allows you to disconnect a phone or reset the adaptor quickly. One word of warning, though: the Ottocast won’t work with a BMW.
AAWireless
- Rating: 4.5 stars
- Price: Around £70
- Compatibility: Android Auto
- Website: aawireless.io
The Android Auto-only AAWireless adaptor is smaller and neater than the Ottocast, with a smart finish which will instantly blend in with most interiors. The braided fabric cable feels classier than rivals’ rubber wires, too.
The adaptor connected easily once we’d identified a clash issue with a smart watch – helped by a dedicated app, which detects compatibility problems – and customised Android Auto’s split-screen mode.
However, it took longer to start up than the Ottocast when the ignition was switched on, and it’s a few quid more expensive, too.
XIXIXIAXIA Wireless CarPlay Adapter
- Rating: 4 stars
- Price: Around £32
- Compatibility: Apple CarPlay
- Website: amazon.co.uk
It look like a typo, but XIXIXIAXIA really is the name of this adaptor, which is one of the cheapest on Amazon. The device resembles a USB stick and is just 40mm long including the plug – so there’s no need for a cable. Allow another 10mm or so if you need the Type-C adapter, which is included.
It took a few seconds longer than the test average to start after turning the engine on, and there was a fractional lag in responses to inputs on the screen. But these are no cause for complaint at this price.
Carlinkit
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Price: Around £80
- Compatibility: Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
- Website: amazon.co.uk
The Carlinkit is one of the few devices that offers both Android and Apple connectivity in the same device, which might be useful if more than one person drives your car. It’s reasonably compact, too, being about the same size as a TicTac container, but it doesn’t feel as substantial as its rivals in this test. Connection speeds were slow and we had a couple of drop-outs.
Ottocast U2airPro
- Rating: 3.5 stars
- Price: Around £62
- Compatibility: Apple CarPlay
- Website: ottocast.com
While the U2airPro has most of the same qualities as our winning A2, we just couldn’t get it to connect reliably to our iPhone and experienced a few missed connections and dropped links. It also got unusually hot and the phone battery ran down quickly. When it was working, it responded quickly, so we’re giving it some benefit of the doubt.
Carluex Air
- Rating: 3 stars
- Price: Around £156
- Compatibility: Android Auto and Apple CarPlay
- Website: carluex.store
The car-shaped Carluex Air isn’t just an adaptor – it contains an Android processor to let it run apps such as Netflix, Spotify and YouTube without needing Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. We were more interested in how it stacked up against its rivals here, though. It performed well, but it wasn’t good enough to justify the high cost.
Verdict
Our Best Buy goes to the Ottocast A2airPro, which offers a solid performance at a great price. It only works with Android Auto however, and we hesitate to recommend the Apple CarPlay version. Rosettes also go to the AAWireless for Android, and the bargain XIXIXIAXIA for Apple users.
- Ottocast A2airPro
- AAWireless
- XIXIXIAXIA Wireless CarPlay Adapter
Looking for a new phone holder that can charge at the same time? Click here to discover the best wireless charger phone holders...
