Hey,

I’m trying to find a head unit that has Apple Wireless CarPlay abilities. Has anyone had any luck for under $600? Thanks!

Well it depends on if you are ok having a USB cable version as opposed to being wireless. For wireless, you are going to be in the higher end, but if you are ok with wired, I bought a Sony XAV-AX1000 for my daughter’s Camry, and it is awesome for around $300. She had factory JBL, so I bought the harness to integrate the factory amps. I’ll probably get one for my 4Runner as well at some point, but it’s not a huge priority since I have a nice Pioneer single DIN with Bluetooth that came with it when I bought it. The only reason I’d want a DD is to have backup cam, so I would also want CarPlay functionality too. The only downside to the AX1000, is there is only a front USB, no rear. I like the rear input so that a remote port can be put in the console, just for a cleaner install, but that’s just nit picky OCD stuff. Not enough to keep me from buying it though. Got everything from Crutchfield btw.

Here’s my 2 cents on it. If you are going on a road trip your phone is probably already going to need to be plugged in so why not go wired? For me granted the unit is a few years old but I’m running the kenwood 9903s. I have really loved it in the year and a half I’ve had it. Capacitive touch screen and a lot of features. Apple CarPlay, Android auto, USB, CD, DVD, AUX, Bluetooth, HDMI, steering wheel controls compatibility, along with some other stuff. All of which I have used. It boots up in 3 seconds or less and does not lag at all. When I bought it, it was nearly 750 but I believe now that it’s the last years model it can be bought for 300-400.

I agree about the wired part for charging. I meant to add that in, but didn’t finish typing. I still prefer the rear USB for a cleaner install, but if using a dash phone holder, it really doesn’t matter if you have a short cord plugged into the stereo front. The only downside to wired CarPlay is that you shorten the life cycle of your battery by constantly plugging it in, especially for short trips. Supposedly newer batteries don’t have a memory, but they are still limited to a finite amount of charge cycles, which you can burn through pretty quickly if constantly plugging in and out.

True, but how many people keep their phones more than 2 years? Plugging in a phone constantly will get you 2 years of battery easy.


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I love my pioneer mvh-1400meh and it will play my Apple Music and vocals for Apple maps but no car play. When connected, car play rocks. Love the stereo but no video available.
Just in case, I can turn the display off and turn off dash lights. Drives wife crazy but i like no dash lights other than headlight, gear, ac and radio volume. Get speed from my radar.

Haha, obviously you haven’t met a power user like my wife, lol! I took over her 128g. iPhone 7 recently which was only about a year old, but was in perfect physical condition. Long story short, I had just bought her a Xr, and my daughter had just got one also a month or two before, so the new phone budget was blown for me. I didn’t care because the 7 was the cool red version and had plenty of memory so it was still an upgrade from my 64g. iPhone 6. The problem was that the battery was pretty much shot by the time I got it, and wouldn’t even make it through my work day, with almost no calls, and only a few random texts! This was all because my wife was constantly plugging it in every time she was in the car, which is constantly because of her job. I ended up biting the bullet for the $50 battery, rather than another $800 phone, but I’m very conscious of charging cycles because of that. For those that have plans that allow included upgrades, that’s probably a non issue. We have unlimited calls and texts, but buy our phones outright, so it’s a big hit for replacements, and I tend to keep them 3-4 years because of that.

I am planning to add wireless carplay sometime this year to my 4runner.

The phone will be plugged in on long trips, BUT i daily drive mine and have small trips throughout the day (15 mins to work and back, lunch break, errands etc). I don't care for plugging my phone in every single time I get in my truck.

Currently have my eye on the Alpine iLX-107. I recommend utilizing crutchfield.com to do your research as the site will display units that fit your truck and various filter options to pick exactly what your looking for (have used it for numerous vehicles without fault).

I am also debating whether to spend a tad more and get one that is wirelessly compatible with android auto and apple carplay (just in case i switch between apple and android phones).

All Car Stereos at Crutchfield.com

Yeah, I also do a lot of 15-20 commutes, which is why I’m concerned about constantly plugging/unplugging the phone as I said earlier. That is why I’ve been reluctant to upgrade so far. I also don’t want to spend on average twice the price of the wired versions just to have the wireless version. I guess I’ll probably just wait until the wireless ones come down a bit in price since I already have a nice stereo with Bluetooth, I just wanted to get a DD mainly for backup camera and thought having CarPlay made sense if I was upgrading anyway. Too many other priorities though to drop $600+ on a stereo right now, unless mine craps out or something.

I currently have a double din Kenwood DDX373BT DVD Receiver.
- It allowed me to add a backup camera to it (purchased separately).
- It connects to my phone via bluetooth so I am able to stream from spotify, ytmusic, etc.
- It came with microphone for wireless calling.
- Also purchased the wiring interface to retain steering wheel controls for music and volume.
- I also purchased a phone mount from ProClip so the phone slides right into the mount and is faced towards the driver, allowing for easy access.

My current set up is pretty decent and overall happy with it, I was just wanting carplay because I recently used it in a rental car that had it and quite enjoyed not having to unlock my phone for certain things.

I had the alpine Ilx-107 in my 4th gen. It was completely wireless CarPlay, it had an option for hardwire as well, via lighting cable to the back of the unit. Everything worked exactly like a wired CarPlay but I could keep the iphone in my pocket if I wanted to. I’ll probably add this to my 5th gen unless a better wireless CarPlay option comes out

[QUOTE=daytonaviolet;3285810]I had the alpine Ilx-107 in my 4th gen. It was completely wireless CarPlay, it it had an option for hardwire as well. Everything worked exactly like a wired CarPlay but I could keep the iphone in my pocket if I wanted to. I’ll probably add this to my 5th gen unless a better wireless CarPlay option comes out

[/QUOTE

How are you liking the unit so far?

Any downsides or dislikes?

i loved it. it was perfect. just like any other alpine, it had this app which i could tune with preset eq settings based on the music. unfortunately, i sold the 4th gen a few months ago. but i've already started my search for a 5th gen runner. unless there's another wireless carplay out there better then the ilx-107, i'll probably get the same unit.

[QUOTE=hgill;3285819]

I installed the pioneer w4400-nex last September, and I have enjoyed it so far. It has wireless car play for both Apple and Android. As an added bonus, it also has a detachable face plate for extra security. Was a big selling point for me.

Are you able to use google maps instead of apple maps? Also, did you have any trouble with steering controls?