Twelve South launches Airfly Drive, a $39.99 wireless CarPlay adapter
Twelve South released Airfly Drive, a $39.99 dongle that turns factory wired CarPlay into wireless CarPlay, works with cars back to 2014, and switches between two paired phones with one button.
According to Twelve South, the device works with most cars that came with wired CarPlay from the factory, covering more than 75 makes and model years going back to 2014. The adapter uses a USB-A connector, and a USB-A to USB-C adapter is included in the box. It is built in a compact aluminum housing and is designed to stay plugged into the car's USB port.
The Airfly Drive requires no companion app and no account. A driver plugs it into the car's USB port and pairs it with a phone once; on later trips the adapter reconnects automatically when the car starts. It can hold two paired phones and switches between them with a single press of a button.
The company lists wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto on the car's built-in display, plug-and-play setup without charging, fast automatic reconnection at each start, one-press phone switching, USB-A and USB-C support with the included adapter, and continued compatibility updates as features. Twelve South says the adapter works with the car's existing display, buttons and steering-wheel controls.
Airfly Drive is available to order from Twelve South as of October 2 for $39.99 in black and white. It supports Android Auto as well as Apple CarPlay.
9to5Mac, which reported the launch, described wireless CarPlay as noticeably more seamless than the wired version, particularly on short trips around town, and characterized the adapter as a convenience upgrade rather than a change to how the car's infotainment system works.
In an update to its report on October 2, 9to5Mac said readers had asked for a complete vehicle compatibility list for the Airfly Drive and that 9to5Toys had published that list.