More and more VW new cars come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. However, many VW do not have the options built into the head units. For these vehicles we have now developed a new VW Touareg Wireless Apple CarPlay SmartBox solution that will enable CarPlay to most Touaregs 2010 to 2017.
Installation involves the fitting of a ‘parasite’ circuit board inside of the head unit itself. We would not recommend this as a DIY project and should only be attempted by a competent electronics engineer.
Apple CarPlay connects wirelessly or via USB cable. Android Auto connects by USB cable, or wirelessly on late Samsung phones (and a few others)
The device operates in a very similar way to the factory fitted option. Control is from the Touchscreen. Selecting AUX on the MEDIA menu will switch the sound. Subsequently, pressing the Nav button will switch the video. Also, the Phone button will activate Siri.
Important Note
The system differs in the way it selects audio and video separately. If Audio & Video are both switched across to CarPlay then the system will work totally seamlessly. This is great if you are listening to music from your phone (iTunes, Spotify, etc). CarPlay navigation commands will interrupt as expected.
If however, you choose to listen to the car system (eg. FM/DAB radio, CD etc), you will need to switch away the audio from the VW Touareg Wireless Apple CarPlay SmartBox to select your source. This means that the CarPlay SmartBox has no way of switching its sound back on. Using an internet radio player will enable seamless radio and navigation. This does not affect the in-built navigation.
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