CarPuride: add CarPlay to your car in just two minutes

if your car does not have CarPlay now is the time to add it without worrying about compatibility, without installation and without spending a fortune. Carpuride adds CarPlay to any car, and you install it yourself in just two minutes.

Characteristics

Carpuride is a system that can be placed in any vehicle and works independently of the audio system you have installed, although you can use it if you wish. The manufacturer offers different bundles that include somewhat different features, so their prices also vary:

• CarPlay/Android Auto system by cable for 319 $ (link)
• CarPlay/Android Auto system wired with rear camera for 329 $ (link)
• CarPlay/Android Auto system wireless and wired for 379 $ (link)
• CarPlay/Android Auto system wireless and wired with rear camera for 389 $ (link)

The operation of all systems is the same, with the differences of whether or not the rear parking camera is included, which would require installation (unless you are a DIYer) and the fact that you have to connect your phone with cable or no for the USB of the device to be able to use CarPlay (or Android Auto). In this article we will analyze the most complete pack, but it is 99% applicable to the rest of the available packs. In the box we will find:

• CarPuride device with 7″ touch screen
• USB-A connection to connect the phone, with charging and data transmission. Can also be used to connect USB sticks with multimedia content
• microSD slot for multimedia content
• Audio output to connect to vehicle audio system
• Rear camera video input (optional)
• Wireless and wired CarPlay and Android Auto systems
• Bluetooth for music streaming and hands-free
• built-in microphone
• Airplay
• FM transmitter to output sound through the vehicle’s audio system
• built-in speaker
• Rear parking camera system
• Fixed support for dashboard
• Suction cup mount for dashboard or front window
• All cables and adapters needed for installation

Installation

One of the strengths of this system is that no need to look for an installerIt is also not necessary to find out if your model and the year of your vehicle are compatible. No matter what car you have, what year you bought it, Carpuride will work without any issues because all you need is your iPhone for CarPlay to work 100%.

The only thing you will have to ask yourself is whether you prefer the suction cup mount or the fixed one for the dashboard. Once decided, you will only have to find the most suitable place, usually in the center of the dashboard, clean the surface, attach the support and place the screens. As soon as you connect the cigarette lighter adapter (incorporated), you will have it switched on and working. The device turns on and off automatically with your car, but in case the cigarette lighter does not turn off with the ignition of the vehicle (like in my case), it has a power button on top, which also serves to silence him.

In case you want install rear cameraeither you are a handyman or you will have to go to a specialized workshop which is responsible for connecting the camera and the system which will activate automatically when you put the reverse gear to see it on the CarPuride screen.

Setting

The whole setup process barely takes a minute, as you can see in the video that accompanies the article. All you have to do is connect to the device via Bluetooth, and it will take care of the rest. It is important that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are enabled on your iPhone as it uses Wi-Fi connection for wireless CarPlay and AirPlay functions.

As CarPlay is nothing more than a remote screen of your mobile, you don’t need to install any apps or configure anything, because Apps you have on your iPhone that are compatible with CarPlay will appear automaticallysuch as Maps, Google Maps, Waze, WhatsApp, Apple Music, Spotify, Podcast, etc. Your podcast subscriptions, the music you listen to in your favorite app, or your saved destinations in your favorite maps app will be available on your new car screen, because again, that screen really is your iPhone.

One last important detail, and that is that although the device has a built-in speaker, the sound quality is not that of a car audio system, no matter how old. If you want to listen to your music, your calls, your podcast… on your car speakers, you have two ways to do it:

• By using the sound output from the device and your car’s auxiliary input, using the Jack to Jack cable included in the box
• By using the fm transmitter From device

The car I installed this CarPuride in is so old that it doesn’t even have an auxiliary audio input, so I had to opt for the FM transmitter. How it works? It’s very simple since all you have to do is choose on the device the FM frequency on which you want it to broadcast, and put your car radio on this FM frequency. You will now have all the sound of CarPlay in your car, with all the quality that your audio system can provide. The connection is very stable as long as you choose a frequency where there are no stations in your area. It really surprised me how well it works. We can also choose if we want the speaker to work at the same time as the car speakers or disable it.

Functioning

CarPuride offers us its own menu with which we can use functions such as hands-free calls, multimedia playback of content that we have stored on USB memory or microSD card, or even the possibility of send multimedia content from our iPhone via AirPlay with iOS screen mirroring option. All of these features are outside of CarPlay. We also have a brief settings menu in which we have some customization options (too bad Spanish is not among the language options) and the FM Radio function that we have already talked about before.

If we are already entering the CarPlay function, its operation is exactly the same as on a screen already installed in your vehicle from the factory. The touchscreen is really comfortable to manipulate CarPlay, and the touch response of this device is really good. Menu navigation is very smooth and fast, as well as response speed. There is only a certain delay when using wireless CarPlay and starting music or podcast playback. This delay also exists in the official CarPlay already installed at the factory, and is something specific to the wireless system, not an issue with CarPuride.

Navigate in Maps, search for destinations, play Apple Music and Podcasts, send messages and WhatsApps, use Siri… everything works fine, just like in factory CarPlay in my car. Since I’ve been using it, I haven’t noticed any unexpected crashes. In 99% of the times I started the car, it connected to CarPlay automatically, without having to touch anything. Only on rare occasions have I had to press the i-Car button (because this device is called CarPlay, I assume for licensing reasons) to make CarPlay skip.

Editor’s review

Installing CarPlay in a vehicle that is not equipped with it is an expensive process that in most cases requires going through a specialized installer. With CarPuride this changes, and we can have a screen with CarPlay in any vehicle, regardless of make, model and year, installed by you in just 2 minutes, and with operation indistinguishable from the pre-installed CarPlay which comes from the factory. With different packages, the price of this fantastic device starts at 319 $ (link) of the most affordable system up to $389 for the most complete (link)

The inconvenients

• Integrated A/C adapter and cable in one