You have heard about the Android head units for your car; there is even an Android auto for some cars that works very well with the Motorola MA1 adaptor. This adaptor turns your compatible factory-fitted car entertainment/navigation screen into an Android auto device.
But what about an Apple car radio?
It sounds natural for those who choose to use an iPhone or are given one by their employer. How about an Apple head unit?
Could you imagine asking Siri to change tracks on your car stereo or getting a new sat nav app from iTunes? Maybe you just like the familiarity of iOS and Apple’s way of doing things. Having only one account to worry about, sign into the car and the phone with the same iTunes account. There seems to be a massive gap in the Apple car stereo (icar) market.
Unfortunately, there isn’t one.
But we will tell you why Apple has not made a car head unit stereo and what the next best thing is.
No Apple
Apple has the technology to make an iStereo, an IOS-based car radio. Why isn’t it available?
Like Google doesn’t make headunits, Apple doesn’t make car stereos.
Why Android Car Stereo?
Android headunits are so popular because the Android operating system is open source – free to be modified by anyone. You can use Android for your project, if you like, to do whatever you like. The Google apps belong to Google, but the Android operating system is for everyone.
Why no Apple Car Stereo?
Apple owns iOS, and its code is a closely guarded secret. There are no legitimate versions of iOS that you can compile yourself to run on any old hardware. The complete secrecy and lack of availability of the Apple operating system mean it can’t be used by anyone other than Apple.
This means no Chinese mass-produced Apple Car Radios for all those iPhone users. But there is a workaround to the problem.
iPhone on car display
You want your iPhone apps on your car screen, you want to see your iPhone on the big screen as you drive, you want to stream your iTunes through the car stereo, you want it all, but you want it an Apple.
The workaround is to install a carplay-compatible car stereo and upgrade it to Carplay iOS with a USB Carplay adaptor (Amazon). This will stream your iPhone via the car play adaptor to the head unit. Just as the Android owners (who don’t own an Android headunit) – use the Android Auto adaptor to stram the phone to the in-car screen.
Compatible Car Stereos
Many of the modern factory-fitted car stereos had the option of being carplay compatible with an adaptor. If you want to upgrade the in-car stereo, the JVC KW-M865BW has built-in WiFi for Wireless CarPlay that will mirror your Apple phone to its screen wirelessly. But all the cheap MP5 players and the android headunits have USB connections to attach a CarPlay adaptor.
