Wireless CarPlay for the Ford Focus: make factory CarPlay wireless

With a wireless adapter you get into your Ford, start the car and drive off: CarPlay or Android Auto starts by itself and your phone stays in your pocket or bag. There is one condition: your Ford already has wired Apple CarPlay or Android Auto from the factory. You can check that in one minute below.

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

1. What the adapter does in your Focus

• Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto in one adapter: iPhone and Android.
• Plugs into the existing USB port your Ford uses for CarPlay or Android Auto.
• Pair once, then the phone connects by itself.
• No installation, no tools: nothing changes in the car.
• Your Ford's own screen and controls keep working: touchscreen, steering-wheel buttons, speakers and microphone.

2. Does your Focus qualify? The 1-minute test

1. Start the car and wait until the touchscreen is fully on.
2. Connect your phone to a USB port with a cable: an iPhone for CarPlay, an Android phone for Android Auto.

• CarPlay or Android Auto appears: your Ford has the connection the adapter needs. The adapter goes into exactly that USB port.
• Nothing appears: try the other USB ports and a good cable, because some ports only charge. If nothing appears on any port, your Ford most likely has no CarPlay or Android Auto, and the adapter will not add it.

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

3. Which Focus generations have wired CarPlay

In the Focus, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto came with Ford's SYNC 3 system and its 8-inch touchscreen. SYNC 3 connects the phone by USB cable, and that is exactly the connection the adapter makes wireless. Only the 2022 facelift with SYNC 4 usually connects without a cable.

• Focus Mk3 (from 2011) and early Mk3 facelift (from 2014) with SYNC or SYNC 2: usually no CarPlay or Android Auto. Even with its 8-inch touchscreen, the facelift initially ran SYNC 2, as did the first Focus RS. The adapter cannot help here.
• Focus Mk3 facelift with SYNC 3 (about 2016 to 2018): in its last years, the Focus got SYNC 3 with CarPlay and Android Auto by cable. In the UK, for example, SYNC 3 Navigation became standard on the Zetec Edition, Titanium, ST-Line, ST and RS for cars built from February 2017. The entry-level Style usually lacks it, and early SYNC 3 cars may need a software update before CarPlay appears.
• Focus Mk4 (2018 to 2021): usually SYNC 3 with an 8-inch touchscreen and CarPlay and Android Auto by cable. This is where the adapter helps most often. Entry versions with only a 4.2-inch colour screen, such as the UK Focus Style, usually lack it.
• Focus Mk4 facelift (from 2022, presented in October 2021): SYNC 4 with a 13.2-inch touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. In the UK it is fitted to all versions; in Switzerland, Ford listed SYNC 4 as standard on every trim except the entry-level Cool & Connect. If your phone already connects without a cable, you do not need the adapter for CarPlay; check Android Auto separately.

Equipment differs by country, model year and options, so the cable test is decisive.

4. Set it up in your Focus in 3 steps

1. Plug in: start the car, 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 CarPlay or Android Auto prompt on your phone. After that, the phone should connect by itself every time you get in.

5. Questions from Focus drivers

• Does it work with SYNC 3 in my Focus? Yes, if your Focus shows CarPlay or Android Auto with a cable. SYNC 3 only runs CarPlay via USB; with the adapter in that USB port, the phone connects wirelessly and CarPlay or Android Auto still runs on the Focus's own touchscreen. Whether it is a Mk3 facelift or a Mk4 does not matter.
• Which USB port do I use in the Focus? The one where CarPlay or Android Auto appeared in the cable test. If your Focus has more than one USB port, not every port has to support CarPlay, because some only charge. Test first, then plug the adapter into the port that worked.
• My Focus has an 8-inch screen, but nothing appears with a cable. Then it may still run SYNC 2, which the Mk3 facelift used before SYNC 3 arrived. SYNC 2 has no CarPlay or Android Auto, and the adapter cannot add it. On an early SYNC 3, CarPlay may only appear after a software update, so ask a Ford dealer.
• My Focus from 2022 with the 13.2-inch screen already connects without a cable. Do I need the adapter? Not for CarPlay. SYNC 4 supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto itself. Check Android Auto separately with your Android phone: if it still only works by cable, the adapter can make it wireless.
• My Ford only shows Android Auto (or only CarPlay) with a cable. Does the adapter help? Only for that system. The adapter does not add a system your Ford lacks. For wireless Android Auto, Google lists a phone with Android 11 or later and 5 GHz Wi-Fi.
• Will the steering-wheel buttons and Siri or Google Assistant still work? Yes. If the voice button starts Siri or the Google Assistant with the cable, it does the same with the adapter. Calls use the car's speakers and microphone.
• Lag and battery? Wireless can respond slightly slower than a cable, mostly with audio, such as a short delay when you skip a track. Your phone no longer charges via the USB port and uses more battery, so use a charger on long drives.

6. Order the adapter for your Focus

Does your Ford show CarPlay or Android Auto with a cable? Then order the 2-in-1 wireless adapter. Enter your Ford 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 for Ford · 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: Autocar, used buying guide Ford Focus RS (Mk3); Auto Express, Ford Focus RS (2016–2018) review; UK Car Discount, “New Ford Focus Zetec upgrades for 2017” (January 2017); Carbuyer, used Ford Focus Mk3 review (January 2022); Auto Express, on the new 2018 Ford Focus (April 2018); Auto Express, used Ford Focus Mk4 review (January 2022); Motor1, on the 2022 Ford Focus facelift (October 2021); Ford Switzerland, press release on the new Focus (October 2021); Auto Express, Ford Focus review, interior and technology; Ford UK, “How to connect SYNC 3 with Apple CarPlay”; Google, Android Auto Help.