Wireless CarPlay upgrade coming to select Honda Accords

Select Honda Accord models with CarPlay will be eligible for a wireless CarPlay upgrade later in 2024, but upgrade pricing is unknown.

Wireless CarPlay has existed since 2017, but it only became more widely available in recent years. Honda is offering customers the chance to upgrade their CarPlay experience to wireless via an in-shop upgrade.

According to Autoblog, the wireless CarPlay upgrade is a simple software update that is performed by a service technician at a dealership. Pricing for the upgrade will likely be limited to labor since no new part installation is required, but that isn't known at the time of publication.

The 2018 to 2022 Honda Accord are eligible for the wireless CarPlay upgrade. Honda hasn't announced if it plans to perform similar upgrades for its other models.

Wired versus wireless CarPlay have individual benefits, but the convenience of automatically connecting when the car starts is useful. However, the user will need to remember to plug in or wirelessly charge their iPhone.

Customers will need to check in with their official Honda service centers for when appointments can be made for the upgrade. Honda plans to make the wireless CarPlay upgrade available sometime later in 2024.

5 Comments

slow n easy 400 comments · 9 Years

About 9 months ago

I like to keep my phone in my pocket, so I would feel very frustrated with wired CarPlay only.

entropys 4302 comments · 13 Years

If it is just an software upgrade, does that mean the infotainment system always had a wifi module, just not enabled, or just not enabled for CarPlay?

nickchristensen 1 comment · New User

entropys said:

...does that mean the infotainment system always had a wifi module...

Yes, it's had wi-fi since day one. I've gotten multiple OTA software updates via the wi-fi connection— which actually makes me wonder what part of this needs to be done at the dealer vs an OTA update.

I'm really excited about this news, as I've tried multiple dongles that were supposed to enable this and none of them worked.

22july2013 3723 comments · 11 Years

slow n easy said:

I would feel very frustrated with wired CarPlay only.

Even worse, in a Honda CR-V, you have to plug one end of the USB cable in a very hard to see & hard to reach spot. First, I have to strain to look for the location of the cable, then I put the cable in my hand and reach into the compartment, completely unable to see if my hand is close to the USB port. My compartment is loaded with junk, so I feel like Willie in the Temple of Doom movie reaching into the unknown, worried about bugs attaching to my hand.