Alpine Debuts First Aftermarket Wireless CarPlay Receiver

I've used a few CarPlay systems, and must say, they're not very stable. Systems just turn off (blank screen), causes lag on my phone screen (used as a passenger), and sometimes requires the entire car to be powered down to get it working again.

Not my experience at all. It is incredibly fast, smooth, and reliable.

I've been waiting for this but keep hearing about how badly wireless CarPlay drains the battery and think I may wait. No point in going wireless with CarPlay if it requires plugging in the charger to offset the huge battery drain.

Forgive my simple question but I read the article and checked out Alpines website and I don't see what I'm looking for.

Does this new alpine deck have a DVD player? My current truck has the DVD option on with the factory deck. My kids watch DVDs and I would like to keep that.

99% chance this does not have a DVD player.

Does anyone know if there's a CarPlay deck available which will allow me to have my audiobook/podcast on the deck, and Waze open on my phone simultaneously? Or vise versa? Apparently this isn't as easy as it sounds.....

Pioneer's AppRadio 4 or NEX models let you have Waze open on the iPhone and your audio source displayed on the head unit but only if you switch out of the CarPlay interface by pressing the Mode button on the Pioneer. I do this every day. The only catch, other than having Waze on the small screen, is that you may have to switch back to CarPlay if you want to change tracks or the audio source and every time you do this, it takes you out of Waze.

Honestly, if you really like Waze, I think the best option today is Pioneer's "AppRadio One" models. They don't support CarPlay but they do Siri Eyes Free (which gives you voice control, Bluetooth calling, Messages dictation, etc.) and you can have Waze displayed on the head unit with just a USB connection to your iPhone.

My brand new Jeep Compass has CarPlay and I don't think it is wireless CarPlay. I've tried to figure it out, but nothing seems to indicate that is, or isn't.

Either way, I don't see much practical purpose in it. There isn't much reason for the phone not to be charging while in the car. I get in, plug it in, and put it on my magnetic vent mount. CarPlay takes over from there.

I suppose down the line if there is a Magnetic-Vent-Mount-With-Induction-Charging for iPhone X, that might make me wish there was indeed a wireless CarPlay option in my vehicle. Until then, no.

Has anyone actually received/used one of these units? Curious to read some reviews...

I have the non-wireless one (the ILX-007 that came out a couple years ago). As far as I can tell, there are no physical differences between that one, and this new one, except for wireless CarPlay. So I can at least review the unit in wired mode.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it.

Pros:
1. Dedicated Siri button with a textured feel, so it's easy to feel for without having to look at the unit
2. Supports third-party backup cameras. Installation was actually really easy.
3. Setting up the date/time, etc settings on the device are pretty easy.
4. The screen is still visible in glare, as long as you keep it clean.

Cons:
1. The Alpine app that you use to tune the audio is a complete piece of crap, and it's the only way to fine-tune settings. If you have a nice sub and amp like I do, you *need* to use this to set everything up. Luckily, you really only have to do this once.
2. The volume and recue/ff buttons are build into a touch surface, and not real buttons. This kind of sucks because you can't feel for the control. You'll need to look at the unit to adjust volume.
3. No mute button. If you want to mute, you have to hold volume down (it automatically sets vol to 0 after about a second of holding). The downside to this is that you have to turn the volume back up to where you had it before.

My brand new Jeep Compass has CarPlay and I don't think it is wireless CarPlay. I've tried to figure it out, but nothing seems to indicate that is, or isn't.

Either way, I don't see much practical purpose in it. There isn't much reason for the phone not to be charging while in the car. I get in, plug it in, and put it on my magnetic vent mount. CarPlay takes over from there.

I suppose down the line if there is a Magnetic-Vent-Mount-With-Induction-Charging for iPhone X, that might make me wish there was indeed a wireless CarPlay option in my vehicle. Until then, no.

I'm pretty sure Fiat/Chrysler/Dodge/etc have not put out any vehicles with wireless CarPlay yet.

While wireless CarPlay isn't a dealbreaker for me I can see how it would be nice. I wouldn't always want to plug my phone in every time I get into my car for a 5-15 minute drive. It isn't going to charge much in that time, and I'm sure even CarPlay is not going to drain the battery much in that short of time. But, it would be nice to still be able to continue listen to the playlist/podcast I was listening to etc.

For trips longer than 15-30 minutes then I would definitely be plugging my phone in if I was planning on using CarPlay, even if I had wireless available.

Forgive my simple question but I read the article and checked out Alpines website and I don't see what I'm looking for.

Does this new alpine deck have a DVD player? My current truck has the DVD option on with the factory deck. My kids watch DVDs and I would like to keep that.

Mechless means it does not contain a mechanical disk drive, so no DVD or CD.

C

Sorry for the poor wording, but what I actually meant was, in how many late-model cars can you actually swap the manufacturers unit for one of these after-market double DIN kits, such as the above mentioned Alpine unit?

It used to be easy, but today's cars mostly have everything integrated into the dash, with Stereo, navigation, touchscreen controls, climate control and back-up camera, etc. seemingly all in one package, and there isn't a square angle in sight, everything is sloping, arched, rounded and cushiony, and there doesn't appear to be some kind of a DIN-sized space hiding in plain sight.

Not being an installer myself, not sure how these Alpine units could be made functional in late model cars, short of mounting them in a DIN sleeve, under the dash? Perhaps experienced installers have templates and coverplates to swap the units out and make it all work again and look professional, but it's definitely not something I would attempt to tackle myself.

Crutchfield's website has a "does this radio fit my vehicle" option. I know it doesn't specifically answer your question, and I think a lot of newer vehicle are preventing after market radios, but it is helpful at least. Also, I was worried about vehicle integration for all things in the infotainment, but it looks like there is a workaround for that as well. The iDatalink Maestro apparently solves the vehicle integration issues with backup cameras, engine/vehicle,tire pressure monitoring, etc. I have no first-hand experience with it, but came across it and thought I'd mention it. It seems most of these newer head units are compatible with it.

https://www.crutchfield.com/p_794ADSMRR/iDatalink-Maestro-ADS-MRR-Interface-Module.html?tp=3486

So only four months late. I'm glad it's arrived but I'm also not super excited about this particular model. Alpine has skinnied this down to *JUST* Car Play and zero other features. I'd like a head unit that has everything including wireless Car Play. I'll hold out hope that Pioneer provides a wireless unit (although given how much trouble Alpine had delivering maybe no one else will take the plunge) otherwise my next vehicle will have it from the factory.
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No. Spinning a disc to convey data is very twentieth century though :p

You'll have to wait until next year for Pioneer. They've already released their 2017 headunits and won't announce new ones until CES 2018.

I've been a Pioneer fan in the past but they've simply stopped supporting their products almost as soon as they're released. I purchased the AppRadio 3 when it first came out and 3 months later they stopped offering any new firmware to fix issues with future versions of iOS or Android. Getting support wasn't an option as they simply don't respond to support tickets opened on their site and phone support always acts as if they have no information and no one there can help. It's pretty sad.

Forgive my simple question but I read the article and checked out Alpines website and I don't see what I'm looking for.

Does this new alpine deck have a DVD player? My current truck has the DVD option on with the factory deck. My kids watch DVDs and I would like to keep that.

DVDs in 2017? isn't netflix easier?