3 Best CarPlay-Compatible Wireless Adapters

Apple’s CarPlay is a nifty feature that brings your phone’s app and other functions to your car’s infotainment screen. You can carry on everything with ease, from apps like Waze and Google Maps to YouTube Music or Apple Music. But, if your car doesn’t have wireless CarPlay, it can be a hassle to fiddle with all the cables. CarPlay-compatible wireless adapters solve this issue in a jiffy.

They plug into your car’s USB outlet and let you reap the full advantages of your Apple CarPlay, minus the hassles of connecting your iPhone. These devices are small and compact and occupy very little space.

Note: Check your car’s compatibility with the adapters below before hitting the Buy button.

Here are our top recommendations for the best CarPlay-compatible wireless adapters. But before that,

• Here are the best car chargers with multiple ports
• Take a look at these wire­less car charg­ers for iPhone 13 Pro

1. CarlinKit 3.0 Wireless CarPlay Adapter

CarlinKit 3.0 Wireless CarPlay Adapter

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The CarlinKit 3.0 Wireless CarPlay Adapter is one of the popular adapters. It’s small and compact and plugs directly into the car. At the same time, it’s a well-built device and establishes the connection via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The setup process is simple. It pairs with your phone via Bluetooth first. Once done, it will stay connected to your phone via Wi-Fi. The only catch is that you will have to ensure that the device has the latest firmware.

Again, the speed depends on the speed between the device and your phone. Wireless CarPlay adapters are generally a tad slow compared to their wired counterparts, and this one is no different. It has a delay of around 10 seconds.

It bundles an LED light on top, and it glows green when working. But at times, the green glow can be distracting, especially when driving at night.

The CarlinKit 3.0 adapter has mixed reviews. While it has worked well for some users, a few couldn’t get it to work beyond a few weeks. And the almost non-existent customer service tends to sour the experience in the long run.

The company sells two variants of the adapter. The older model works on cars made between 2018 and 2019. And this variant is made for cars between 2019-2020.

2. Loadkey 2021 Wireless CarPlay Adapter

Loadkey 2021 Wireless CarPlay Adapter

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Another wireless adapter that you can give a try is the one by Loadkey. It has a similar design, although this one has a much premium design, all thanks to the carbon fiber material at the top. The key highlight of the Loadkey adapter is its minimum loading and boot time.

A user has reported that the Loadkey adapter works flawlessly when connected to their older iPhone 8. Again, the load time may differ from car to car. Plus, Siri voice commands work as expected.

It utilizes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for connection and shares a similar setup process with the one above. One clear advantage is that it offers a clear set of instructions.

The Loadkey wireless adapter has a big indicator on top. Naturally, it glows when the adapter operates. And as you may have expected, it is a tad distracting. Thankfully, you can always cover it with a piece of tape.

It’s not as popular as the CarLink 3.0 adapter. However, it has managed to find respectable reviews for its performance.

3. Drimfly Wired to Wireless Carplay Adapter

Drimfly Wired to Wireless Carplay Adapter

Buy

The Drimfly wireless adapter brings the best of both worlds. It’s not expensive, and at the same time, brings a decent performance compared to the ones above. The boot-up time is around 10 seconds, which is decent considering the price and the competition.

Though most CarPlay adapters work on most cars, Drimfly has a list of compatible cars that you should check before buying this product. The best part is that it also supports Siri voice commands, and quite a few users have backed this on their reviews.

Moreover, an additional USB port lets you charge your phone. You need to plug a cable into one end and then connect that cable to your phone.

The setup process is the same as the ones above. At the same time, it’s a small device and fits easily into most car nooks. Both the performance and the durability are comparatively better than the ones above. And that’s probably one of the reasons it enjoys a good chunk of positive reviews on Amazon.

Hey Siri!

Wireless CarPlay adapters remove the hassles of connecting your phone to the car via wires. Though they work as advertised, they are not as prompt when compared to wired CarPlay. Again, a lot depends on your vehicle.

But if you were to pick one from the lot, the Drimfly wireless adapter should be the one you should get. It delivers a decent performance and will be a better pick. Plus, the list of compatible cars adds to the transparency factor.