So far I’m not happy with this purchase. It took me nearly three hours to install (granted I’m a bit obsessive when it comes to my car), but almost immediately I started having issues. It works maybe half of the time. The primary issue being the message “No CarPlay device detected.” This is curious because if I don’t plug in my phone, no message appears. When it does work it’s frequently slow/freezes for a moment or two, and twice now has blacked out the screen on the car until I shut the car off.
Needless to say, I’m very frustrated at this point.
I’m in the process of troubleshooting and will update accordingly. I have service scheduled at the dealership to update the firmware. In the meantime I’m going to test with other devices (another iPhone and an Android) to try and determine if the issue is the hub (you know, what I’m reviewing), the car, or the phone.
UPDATE: The installed firmware was the earliest possible firmware that was compatible with this hub. After taking the car to the dealership for an update, the hub now works better than it had.
It’s far from perfect though I think it might be my phone that takes the blame. While lightening cables are not directional, it doesn’t always connect when plugging it in to the car. Sometimes I need to unplug the cord, rotate it 180° then plug it back in, which is frustrating. It’s also quite slow, but I suspect that’s more of a Mazda issue.
All in all, I’m just happy to have CarPlay in my car. This is much cheaper than OEM, so if you’re trying to save some money, this is the part for you.
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