Wireless CarPlay for Lexus: make your factory CarPlay wireless

With a wireless adapter you get into your Lexus, 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 Lexus 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 Lexus

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

2. Does your Lexus 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 Lexus 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 Lexus most likely has no CarPlay or Android Auto, and the adapter will not add it.

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

3. Which Lexus models usually have wired CarPlay

For Lexus, the build date and the multimedia system matter most:

• From model year 2020: Lexus fitted its updated multimedia system as standard across its range. Depending on model and equipment, most Lexus models with it have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
• ES, UX and NX built between 2017 and 2019: a Lexus dealer can add CarPlay and Android Auto with a software upgrade (in the UK, for example, for the UX built January to September 2019, the NX built September 2018 to September 2019 and the ES built October 2018 to September 2019).
• Older Lexus models without this system or upgrade usually have no CarPlay or Android Auto, and the adapter will not add them.

The cable test is decisive: if CarPlay or Android Auto appears with a cable, the adapter can make it wireless.

Newer Lexus: CarPlay is often already wireless. The multimedia system with a 9.8- or 14-inch screen, introduced with the new NX in 2021 and also used in the LBX, connects Apple CarPlay without a cable, while Android Auto needs a cable according to Lexus. With an iPhone you do not need the adapter there. With an Android phone the adapter can make that wired Android Auto wireless. If your phone already connects to your Lexus without a cable, the adapter adds nothing.

4. Set it up in your Lexus 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 Lexus drivers

• Does it work with the Lexus touchpad or touchscreen? Yes, if your Lexus shows CarPlay or Android Auto with a cable. You keep operating CarPlay or Android Auto with your Lexus's own screen and controls.
• My Lexus is from 2018 or 2019 and shows nothing with a cable. What now? Ask a Lexus dealer whether the CarPlay and Android Auto software upgrade is available for your car. Once your Lexus shows CarPlay or Android Auto with a cable, the adapter can make it wireless.
• I have a new NX or an LBX. Is the adapter useful? With an iPhone usually not, because CarPlay already connects wirelessly. With an Android phone it is, if Android Auto only works with a cable. 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 Lexus

Does your Lexus show CarPlay or Android Auto with a cable? Then order the 2-in-1 wireless adapter. Enter your Lexus 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: Lexus UK Magazine, “Lexus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto upgrade” (updated December 2023); Lexus Europe, multimedia software upgrade page for owners; Lexus UK media, on the new multimedia system in the all-new NX (July 2021); Lexus Europe, LBX multimedia and safety page; Google, Android Auto Help.