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This menu system is one of the better-looking interfaces on an AI Box right now with a choice of three main layouts, with the ability to customise and move the main top row of panels to your liking, and along the bottom, there are two buttons on the left to go to the home screen and invoke the Google assistant, followed by four favourite apps of your choosing, and on the right-hand side there is the time, date, and small status bar icons, that when tapped act as a shortcut to go into the adapter’s preference pane. An alternative option is BimmerTech's SmartView HD with Apple TV4. It includes an original Apple TV4 box specially adapted for in-car use. The set comes with a remote, plus all the hardware needed to integrate it with your BMW iDrive. Installing this upgrade will let you switch to Apple TV using the iDrive controller, then watch content from any Apple TV streaming app you want. Please note that to navigate within the media box you need to use a remote or smartphone. How to watch TV on Apple Carplay? Most cars, if they support wired CarPlay, probably also support Android Auto (or vice versa, depending on how you roll). Obviously, not all dongles do that. The OttoCast U2-X does, and at a reasonable price. It's nice to have a dongle that supports both if you have a family that crosses the mobile OS streams. It includes a 12-inch USB-A to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-C cable. The U2-X is rated for any vehicle with wired CarPlay from 2016 on, but not for BMWs or Sony aftermarket head units.
However, video streaming is not the only feature offered by the MMI PRO. Your car doesn’t come standard with any cellular connectivity options? After installing our retrofit, you’ll be able to benefit from the added CarPlay (or Android Auto) capability and effortlessly connect your smartphone to your BMW or MINI. The MMI PRO is also great for integration of front and rear view camera retrofits. If CarPlay has a downside, it's that not all iOS apps are supported on the platform. Your iPhone's games and video apps, for example, won't show up on your CarPlay menu, which means no Netflix on CarPlay. (Then again, there might be a few workarounds that we'll get to in a moment…) The CarPlay MMI PRO unit is compatible with 95% of BMW models produced since 2008. Watch Videos on Your iDrive Screen with Apple TV As the cheapest of the top 5 AI Boxes, this AI Box is a good all-rounder with solid foundations. It’s fast to boot as well as launch wireless CarPlay. It gets the job done without any fuss or frills. So if you’re on a budget, and you’re looking for speed and reliability, you can’t go wrong with this AI Box. 2. Ottocast Picasou 2 Pro CarPlay AI Box
Hinine 7-Inch Portable Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Screen
Whether you have a hand-held in a mount or an in-built sat nav, the rules around driving without due care and attention still apply. Unlike the two competing adapters, the T-Box Plus does support dual Bluetooth. So you can connect to wireless remotes and Bluetooth game controllers for navigating apps, browsing menus and controller-based gaming. Unlike the Picasou 2 and M.I.C. adapters, the T-Box Plus doesn’t have HDMI output, so this adapter can’t be used with an external monitor, TV or projector. You can also pair a wireless Bluetooth remote to navigate the AI Box from a distance from your screen or if your CarPlay system doesn’t have touchscreen input, to make navigation and control a little faster. Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto The remaining home screen consists of one large app panel, which can be altered to display apps like maps, or media apps like YouTube. There is a Now Playing media control panel to the side of it, and below this is a panel consisting of four app shortcuts, which can be customised to launch any app that has been installed on the adapter. Supported on iPhone X R, iPhone X S, iPhone X S Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone SE (3rd generation) and Apple Watch Series 5 or later. Support for car keys may be available only on certain car models and only in certain configurations, and not all models are available in all areas. Support for car keys is subject to change. See your dealer for details.
And those apps you can't get through CarPlay? Can you play Netflix on Apple CarPlay, or do you have to make do with only music and podcasts to keep you entertained on a long road trip? We have tested eight devices, and the experience with each was similar. What they all share is that once you have your phone connected, you’ll appreciate the ease of wireless CarPlay or Android Auto. But you'll also notice a slight lag from hitting a button on the screen to when it responds (for example, when pausing a song) compared with using the direct wired connection. Another feature I love is the loop recording. I don't have to worry about running out of storage space because the oldest footage is automatically overwritten, ensuring that the dash cam is always ready to capture new events. It's incredibly convenient and hassle-free. Family Enjoyment: With the multimedia options and phone mirroring, your family can enjoy a vast range of entertainment options on the go. The Plus runs a lightly earlier version of Android 12 than the Ultra but the experience is just the same. With a new Settings screen and pull-down menu, which are a lot cleaner and more modern than earlier Android operating systems. Other than this, that’s the only real visual difference in this new version of Android that sits underneath this clunky and rather dated-looking user interface.So after many extensive tests, I narrowed down my 11 finalists to just my top 5. All of these AI Boxes are worth looking at, yet some may offer better connections and features, so depending on what you want out of your adapter, you might find an AI Box in second or fourth place that is a better fit for you. 5. Exploter ApplePie Ultra In second place we have the Ottocast Picasou 2 Pro. This is a new entry AI Box that I have yet to bring my full review on this channel, but it made good sense to size it up alongside all the other AI Boxes. Thanks to its overall performance it managed to easily sneak its way into taking second place in my top 5. It’s the second fastest to boot into its launcher menu, and the second fastest to boot into CarPlay. It only supports a Bluetooth remote and it has an average speed in launching the four key apps. But if you aren't interested in watching Netflix in your BMW (the app uses DRM technology to prevent screen mirroring, which means Apple TV is the only way), it's absolutely possible to use CarPlay instead, and mirror other content — including YouTube — to your iDrive screen.
Being able to play Youtube and Netflix, or play Android games on the CarPlay display can have its advantages whilst waiting for your EV to charge, or if you’re waiting in your car for long periods of time. Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto It has great Wi-Fi specs that make it a solid performer for wireless CarPlay and Android Auto and its HDMI output port allows you to connect it to an external HDMI display.From here, both car platforms behaved responsively to touch input, with the usual common Wi-Fi traits of a slight 1-2 second delay in music and navigation audio, whilst Android Auto continues to use the older full-screen mode on this AI Box. My Impressions Getting the adapter online requires either pairing it to a personal hotspot on your phone, connecting to a local Wi-Fi network in your car, or inserting a data SIM into the provided slot on the adapter. This last option is the only way you can simultaneously operate both internet-based Android apps and wireless CarPlay or Android Auto. Otherwise, you’ll have to toggle the Wi-Fi and Hotspot connections each time. The Android Auto dongles induced hairpulling during setup, starting with the Carsifi. Admittedly, I was somewhat hampered by testing with an Android device (a Google Pixel 4) with no cellular data plan—that would have made the firmware updates and accessing the help files via the Carsifi app a lot easier. But even after the updates, I still had to experiment with settings, finally turning off Carsifi’s “Intercept AA protocol,” before it would work in my 2018 Honda. For your safety, please refrain from using the car infotainment system while the vehicle is in motion. Many states and provinces consider displaying video content within the driver's view while the vehicle is moving to be illegal.
A large number of apps are compatible with CarPlay, and unsurprisingly include many of Apple's own. Maps, Phone, Messages, Music and so on are all available, but there are a lot more third-party CarPlay apps as well. It was the fastest AI Box to boot into the same launcher menu as its rounder brother. Yet I found it had average wireless performance in its MultiPlay app for CarPlay and Android Auto.
In fifth place is the Exploter ApplePie Ultra. This AI Box along with many other Ultra brand alternatives offers a fast Qualcomm 665 chipset, SIM card and TF card slots. It performed a solid average score throughout all its tests which meant it earned its place among the top 5 finalists. It’s the only adapter in the top 5 to feature the newer Android 12 operating system, and although its launcher software isn’t the best out of the final 5, it makes up for this with 8GB of RAM for better multitasking and 128GB storage more storing more apps, media and games. The video quality is exceptional, even in low-light conditions. The high-resolution footage ensures that license plates, street signs, and faces are easily identifiable, which can be crucial in case of an accident or incident. The night vision capability of the dash cam is impressive, making it equally reliable during nighttime driving. Most AI Boxes came with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, with the exception of one finalist that came with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, which earned an extra point as more RAM helps with multitasking between running apps.
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