I have the misfortune of being stuck doing DoorDash. It means I’m constantly plugging in and unplugging my phone from my car, at least once at the beginning and and again at the end of each and every delivery. Even with USB-C (it’s an iPhone 15 Pro Max), that makes me nervous. It’s also inefficient, having to fumble with the cord and the plug and the phone each and every time. And of course it’s a problem when it’s pouring down rain and the USB outlet gets wet.
So I’ve been trying bluetooth adapters for my 2021 Toyota RAV4 XLE Premium Hybrid. I’ve gone through three of them, now. They each worked great for the first day or so, then died. A message appears on the screen that the device could not be started in “advanced mode” and “normal mode” means the device doesn’t work.
The dealer informs me that the head units which support CarPlay over bluetooth are only available in model years 2023 and newer and cannot be retrofitted to a 2021.
I’m not even seeing the problem acknowledge in a web search. But for me, it’s consistent.
Does anyone know a solution?
Do you really need CarPlay? I’ve been relying on phone mounts in my car for years. Now with MagSafe, I stick my iPhone on and stream audio over Bluetooth, no plug/unplug. Aside from that, viewing navigation on my iPhone allows me to move around the map so I can see what turns are coming up. The CarPlay decks I’ve seen don’t allow moving around the map on screen and only show text directions on iPhone. For me, stick-and-go is a better and seamless experience.
If you have any interest in this route, I highly recommend the Nite Ize Steelie system for mounting. Their MagSafe system works with Apple’s MagSafe charger (or without if you don’t need constant charging) with a variety of mounting options.