How-to Guide
How to Switch Between Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and HiCar
Quick answer
Your unit opens in Apple CarPlay mode by default. To change it, open the PVS Link app, tap the four square apps icon, then select Android Auto or Huawei HiCar. If your phone pairs but nothing ever opens, you're almost always still in the wrong mode.
What this gives you
One head unit that takes whatever phone you've got in the vehicle that day. A work phone on Android and your own iPhone don't need two head units or a compromise. You change it in a few seconds at the start of a trip.
Before you start
- Your phone paired to the unit over Bluetooth first.
- Bluetooth switched on at the phone, and the phone unlocked.
- A USB lead if you'd rather run wired, which both CarPlay and Android Auto support.
Step by step
- Pair your phone over Bluetooth first
Open the Bluetooth app on the head unit, then tap Search. Make sure Bluetooth is on at your phone. Select your phone from the list, then press Connect. Confirm the pairing on both the phone and the unit.
- If you're on an iPhone, accept the prompt
Once paired, CarPlay launches on its own. Your iPhone shows a prompt asking to connect, and you have to accept it. If CarPlay never launches, that prompt is the usual reason.
- For an Android phone, change the mode in PVS Link
Open the PVS Link app, tap the four square apps icon, then select Android Auto. If you're on a Huawei phone, select Huawei HiCar in the same place.
- If your phone connects but nothing opens, you're in the wrong mode
If your phone connects and the screen behind it stays blank, the unit's still in CarPlay mode with an Android phone attached, or the other way round. Go back to the apps grid and pick the right one.
- Use a USB lead if you prefer wired
You can run both CarPlay and Android Auto wired over USB as well as wirelessly. USB Port 1 is the CarPlay and Android Auto port.
- Turn off Background Connection if it keeps grabbing your phone
Open the PVS Link app, then turn off Background Connection through its settings. You can only reach that screen with your phone in aeroplane mode.
If it does not work
- If CarPlay won't launch on your iPhone, delete the device on both the phone and the unit, then pair again and accept the prompt this time.
- If Android Auto connects and drops, try it wired on USB Port 1 so you can tell a phone problem from a wireless one.
- If it worked until you updated your phone, pair again from scratch rather than trying to repair the existing pairing.
- If you think you've got a WiFi fault, it's often Android Auto running in the background rather than the WiFi itself.
Worth knowing
Note: wired CarPlay doesn't use your phone's WiFi radio at all, which matters if you need the phone on a separate WiFi network in the vehicle.
Still need help?
Tell us your vehicle and what you're seeing on screen, and we can point you to the right step.