Pioneer has become the first aftermarket car audio system manufacturer to support Apple CarPlay.
The Japanese company has released new firmware for its AVIC-F60DAB, AVIC-F960DAB, AVIC-F960BT, AVIC-F860BT and AVH-X8600BT in-car receivers, adding Apple’s in-car system to the package.
Pioneer has also launched the SPH-DA120, which comes with CarPlay support as standard.
All you need is an iPhone 5 or later with iOS 8, as well as one of the above Pioneer receivers installed in your car, and you can get the full Apple in-car experience. Simply download the new firmware onto a USB storage device and connect it to the receiver’s USB cable input.
“CarPlay enriches the iPhone experience in the vehicle by providing a safer way to access the iPhone features they want to use most while driving,” said Philippe Weyers of Pioneer Europe. “With Pioneer’s implementation, CarPlay can now be integrated into millions of vehicles already on the road.”
Apple announced CarPlay back in March. Initially, the system was only available pre sold in cars from Ferrari, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz – so not much good for those of us driving a 2003 Toyota Corolla, then.
Now, though, Pioneer has made Apple CarPlay accessible to millions of car owners around the world
CarPlay offers a lot more than simply a Bluetooth music player and hands-free calls. It also enables turn-by-turn GPS navigation, and Siri arguably becomes truly useful for the first time with its hand-free dictation and message read-back capabilities.
Read More: 8 things you can do with Apple CarPlay
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
