Make Android Auto wireless: how the adapter works

Does Android Auto only appear in your car when your phone is plugged in? A wireless adapter takes the cable out of the picture: you get in, start the car and Android Auto starts by itself, with your phone in your pocket or bag. There is one condition: your car already has wired Android Auto from the factory. Below you can read how the adapter works, what your phone needs and how to check your car in one minute.

View the 2-in-1 wireless CarPlay and Android Auto adapter

1. How the adapter works

The adapter does not replace anything in your car. It only replaces the cable:

• Adapter to car: the adapter goes into the USB port your car uses for Android Auto, where the phone cable used to go.
• Phone to adapter: you pair your phone with the adapter once via Bluetooth. After that it connects wirelessly, using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
• On the screen: Android Auto keeps running on your car's own screen, with the touchscreen, steering-wheel buttons, speakers and microphone you already use.

Because your car keeps using its own Android Auto, the adapter cannot add Android Auto to a car that does not have it. There is no installation and nothing in the car is changed.

2. What your phone needs

• Android 11 or later. Google names Android 11 as the version for wireless Android Auto.
• 5 GHz Wi-Fi. Google lists a phone with 5 GHz Wi-Fi support. If you are not sure, your phone manufacturer can tell you. In the EU, Google notes that the phone must also meet additional regulatory requirements for 5 GHz Wi-Fi in the car.
• An active data plan, which Google lists as a requirement for Android Auto.
• Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Location on during setup, as Google recommends for wireless Android Auto.

3. Does your car qualify? The 1-minute test

1. Park the car and wait until the infotainment screen is fully on.
2. Connect your Android phone to a USB port with a good cable.

• Android Auto appears: your car has the wired connection the adapter needs. The adapter goes into exactly that USB port.
• Nothing appears: try the other USB ports, because some only charge. Google also advises a short cable, under 1 metre, without USB hubs or extension cables. If Android Auto does not appear on any port, your car most likely does not have it, and the adapter will not add it.

Passed the test? Then your car has what the adapter needs. Order the adapter and enter your car model and year in the order field.

4. Already wireless? Then you do not need it

Some newer cars connect Android Auto without a cable from the factory. If your phone already connects to your car wirelessly, the adapter adds nothing. Check this per system: wireless CarPlay does not automatically mean wireless Android Auto, or the other way round. Your car manufacturer can tell you whether your model supports wireless Android Auto.

5. Set it up in 3 steps

1. Plug in: start the car, wait until the screen is fully on, unplug the phone cable and plug the adapter into the USB port that worked in the test.
2. Pair once: switch on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your phone, choose the adapter in the Bluetooth list (not the car) and follow the manual.
3. Confirm: accept the Android Auto prompt on your phone. Your phone may first ask you to update Android Auto. After that, the phone should connect by itself every time you get in.

6. What changes without the cable

• Your phone does not charge via the USB port, because the port now powers the adapter. On long drives, use a charger or the car's wireless charging pad if it has one.
• Battery use is higher, because the connection uses Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
• A short delay is possible, mostly with audio, for example when you skip a track. A weak signal or interference from other devices can make this worse.
• One phone at a time: if two paired phones are in the car, switch off Bluetooth on the phone you do not want to use.

7. Questions about wireless Android Auto

• Does it also work with an iPhone? Yes, it is a 2-in-1 adapter: an iPhone uses CarPlay, if your car also has wired CarPlay. A car can support Android Auto and not CarPlay, so test with the phone you will use.
• Do my apps still work? Yes. You see the same Android Auto with the same apps as with the cable, because the adapter only replaces the cable.
• Will the Google Assistant and steering-wheel buttons still work? Yes. If the voice button starts the Google Assistant with the cable, it does the same with the adapter. Calls use the car's speakers and microphone.

8. Check your car brand

Our brand pages explain which infotainment systems usually have wired CarPlay or Android Auto: Volkswagen · Škoda · Kia · Hyundai · Renault · Opel.

9. Order the adapter

Does your car show Android Auto with a cable? Then order the 2-in-1 wireless adapter. Enter your car model and year in the order field; we check it before we ship. If in doubt, you can always send us a photo of your USB ports or ask us before ordering.

Ships within 24 hours · 30-day returns · Free shipping until 30 November

Further reading

Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto adapter: does it work in my car? · 2-in-1 wireless CarPlay and Android Auto adapter · All accessories · Frequently asked questions · Contact us

Sources: Google, Android Auto Help: requirements for Android Auto, “Set up Android Auto” and “My Android Auto app isn't working”.