5 Things Nobody Tells You About Honda's CarPlay Wireless Upgrade

The upgrade is available for the 2018-2022 models, and the Japanese carmaker says that approximately 631,000 Accord models on the road are eligible.

The upgrade isn't free. Honda says that upgrading from wired-only Android Auto and CarPlay will cost $112 plus a dealer labor charge.

While the upgrade brings no significant benefit to justify the price difference over an Android Auto and CarPlay wireless adapter, customers still rushed to dealerships to install it. To their surprise, they discovered details that weren't included in Honda's press release.

Here are the five most important.

Ridiculously expensive labor cost.

Honda charges $112 to enable Android Auto and CarPlay without a cable, but customers must also pay a dealer labor charge.

The carmaker didn't impose a specific labor fee, so every dealer can charge as much as they want to perform the upgrade. The $112 upgrade includes the licensing fee, but dealers can significantly increase the price by as much as double the cost of the upgrade.

For example, I've seen Honda owners claiming the dealership charged them over $100 to enable Android Auto and CarPlay wireless, while others said they only had to pay $50 in labor charges.

Some dealers don't even perform the upgrade because they're not aware of the problem. Others claim they don't have the hardware to enable the upgrade, so call your dealerships and ask for information before booking an appointment.

Order the upgrade online to avoid extra charges!

If the dealerships charge you a ridiculous fee for the installation, you should purchase the upgrade and schedule for installation online at dreamshop.honda.com. The upgrade is listed under Honda Accessories > Electrical as Wireless CarPlay/Android Auto.

The online charge shouldn’t be higher than $50 for installation. Eventually, you'll have to pay $150-$160 with the licensing fees and all taxes included.

If dealerships try to charge more in labor, show your payment confirmation to avoid the extra fees. They'll have to perform the upgrade at the online costs.

The online fee for labor is $48 so theoretically, the dealer shouldn’t charge you more (though most will attempt to do it without an online order).

The upgrade resets your car settings.

Before you get behind the wheel and head to the dealership, make sure you save all your settings (you can't create a backup or a copy of your configuration, so you'll have to use alternative methods).

Take photos of all your settings, if possible, as the upgrade resets almost everything. For example, the light sensitivity configuration won't be retained.

If you write down all your settings, you'll be able to set everything again in no time, especially if you can't remember how you configured specific systems.

The loading time.

One of the biggest concerns for Android Auto and CarPlay users is the loading time when giving up on cables.

Theoretically, a wired connection allows for a nearly instant startup. However, the wireless mode comes with a random loading time that can vary between 10 and 30 seconds. The delay isn't surprising, as wireless connections typically come with this shortcoming.

For example, if you use an Android Auto wireless dongle to sidestep the upgrade and give up on cables in your Accord, the loading time should be similar, as getting an instant experience similar to wired CarPlay and Android Auto is impossible.

Your car must boot the operating system, enable the connectivity, and connect to your smartphone to request Android Auto or CarPlay. A similar process happens when using a wireless dongle, as it plays the man-in-the-middle role responsible for the data transfer between the head unit and the smartphone.

The device connects to the media receiver using the USB port and to your smartphone via Bluetooth. When the engine starts, it waits for its system to boot and tries to connect to both devices to receive and transfer data.

Navigation on the HUD.

The good news is that the upgrade also enables navigation on the HUD. However, only Apple Maps is supported for now when you run CarPlay.

Google Maps doesn't show navigation directions on the HUD, but I expect Google to add similar functionality sooner rather than later.

One thing I can't confirm yet is the updated behavior of the USB port in the console. The upgrade disables the option to run wired CarPlay by connecting the mobile device to the infotainment system using a cable. Once the upgrade is installed and enable in your car, the USB port can only be used for charging, albeit at very low speed. If you installed the CarPlay upgrade in your Accord and the USB port can no longer be used for wired connections, let me know in the comment box after the jump.