Apple CarPlay & Android Auto on Linux

Standalone Apple CarPlay and Android Auto head unit for Linux

pi-carplay is an open-source project that provides a standalone Apple CarPlay and Android Auto head unit for Linux-based systems. It runs on Linux desktops as well as embedded platforms such as Raspberry Pi, offering a responsive and reliable interface designed for automotive use.

Features

• CarPlay support via compatible USB dongles
• Hardware-accelerated video pipeline
• Low-latency audio output via PipeWire
• Voice input support
• Touchscreen and multi-touch support
• Full non-touch navigation via D-Pad and button controls
• Optional Android Auto compatibility (experimental; not fully integrated or actively tested)
• UI optimized for low-resolution OEM in-car displays

Supported Hardware

pi-carplay runs on:

• Linux desktops (Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, Fedora, etc.)
• Raspberry Pi OS (Pi 4, Pi 5, CM4, CM5)
• Other ARM64 Linux devices capable of running Electron (AppImage)

Supported dongles include:

• Carlinkit CPC200 series (CCPA, CCPW)

Installation

Pre-built binaries for Linux are available here: https://github.com/f-io/pi-carplay/releases

How it works

pi-carplay does not implement CarPlay itself. It relies on compatible USB dongles that handle the CarPlay protocol. These dongles usually ship with a questionable Android app — and because we love Linux ❤️ and value our sanity, we decided to build a solution instead.

A fully native implementation is technically possible, but legally messy. Using existing dongles keeps those hurdles on the hardware manufacturers' side.

Build Environment

Screenshots

Documentation

Detailed setup steps can be found in the GitHub repository: https://github.com/f-io/pi-carplay

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Issue reports, pull requests and hardware compatibility findings help improve the project.

Disclaimer