With this head unit you can also do everything in a voice-automated and “eyes-free” way by making use of your iPhone’s Siri functionality. You don’t have to be distracted to look at and touch-control your head unit again and again while driving. The voice-input is taken through a built-in microphone on the head unit, and not the one on your iOS device. Dual USB Port I will not report on CarPlay itself on the Pioneer because, what is written today can change or could be improved upon next month with software updates, so be sure to read our other articles for opinions on Apple CarPlay OS, its app updates and changes to Apple’s CarPlay platform with each new iOS update. Install the AppRadio app onto the device from the AppStore/PlayStore, including any compatible apps that you wish to use.Compatible apps can be found by opening the AppRadio app and selecting the 'recommended apps' tab. This head unit comes with a rear camera input option too – to make it easier when reversing, parking, and maneuvering through tight spaces. It makes driving easier and safer. Apple/Android compatibility

All this is possible with Apple’s CarPlay. CarPlay is a standard developed by Apple for car head units which allows a car’s radio to become a controller for your iOS device. It lets you connect your iPhone to the car’s head unit through either a USB port, or wirelessly, and becomes a receiver for CarPlay functions.There are a limited number of apps available on CarPlay presently: Phone, Messages, Maps, Music, and Podcasts. Among third-party apps there is support for Spotify, Rdio, and Stitcher (if these are installed and active on your iPhone, they will show up on CarPlay too). You have to make copious use of Siri to use these apps, since touch-functionality is limited for safety. There is no keyboard input, everything is done through voice. You can have Siri compose messages, or read out unread messages from your iPhone (it only “reads” out, and no text is displayed, again for safety – to avoid your visual focus shifting from driving.) For audiophiles, the AppRadio 4 offers a number of features and modes to cater for your critical ears. Pre-set and customisable equalisers allow you achieve the type of sound you want, however if you’re on the lazy side, you can plug in a microphone and let the Auto EQ measure your vehicle’s acoustics and adjust the receiver’s audio levels automatically to suit your car’s interior. Connect the phone using a CD-MU200 Mirrorlink cable, connected to USB port 2 (bottom) on the rear of the unit. CarPlay on the Pioneer AppRadio 4 is as it is on most enabled receivers. The capacitive screen helps with scrolling and interaction with the CarPlay interface is fairly responsive and on par with the Alpine, and like the Alpine, changing the location of the CarPlay side bar is done via the settings menu. One major criticism I have, is when connecting the iPhone you always get a disclaimer screen that you have to interact with to start using CarPlay. You don’t get this with the Alpine and it is unknown why Pioneer has to put you through this jarring process, every time you fire up Apple’s in-car platform.

And what apps can you take advantage of? You'll find plenty to enjoy, including MotionX-GPS Drive, INRIX® traffic, AUPEO! Personal Radio, Pandora® Internet radio, and Pioneer's MIXTRAX, with more coming down the road. The apps will look great on the 6.2" capacitive touchscreen, which recognizes all zoom, swipe, and pinch gestures just as if you were using your smartphone. Out of the box it is clear that Pioneer has chosen to mimic the look of Apple’s iOS devices. With its silver edge rimmed bezel design, the AppRadio 4 carries a close resemblance to an Apple iPad. The glass-fronted display houses a 6.2-inch capacitive touch-screen, with a resolution of 800×480 – similar to both the Alpine and JBL headunits, and most other headunits selling in 2016 come to think of it. A car’s infotainment only has to be built with CarPlay support once, but does not need firmware updates every time a new functionality is added to CarPlay. CarPlay updates are available on your iOS device, and your car’s radio will be able to receive those updates from your phone without any changes to the car itself!A: Please see the Connectivity Cables section above and follow the diagrams to see what cables are required for connecting a phone. Pioneer has made it easier to create new Pandora stations while the app is in use with the Pandora Station Creation feature. Both iPhone and select Android users can simply press and hold a button on the receiver to create a new Pandora station dynamically from the currently playing song or artist. CD-IU52 iPod connector cable (sold separately), the connector-cable that came with your iPhone, or via

MirrorLink looks like I'm getting some version of my phone's home screen on the receiver's screen and actually interacting with my phone as if I were holding it in my hand, but through the receiver's screen instead? So I would be directly running the Google Maps app from my phone, but through the receiver? Will I do input on the receiver's screen? Will I retain voice search? turn-by-turn? And lastly, can I continue to listen to iPod audio while navigating? I'm confused about the difference between AppRadio mode and MirrorLink. I'm on an android device, so please direct answers about using Android, not IOS. I'll be using an iPod Classic via a 30-pin connector. I don't have nor do I stream music on my phone - it's all on the iPod. The SPH-DA120 is a double DIN unit. “DIN” denotes standard automobile radio sizes. A double DIN is the bigger standard, and has a faceplate measuring 7 x 4 inches (single DIN measures 7 x 2 inches). The size you want depends on the size of the stereo slot in your car. With double DIN sizes, you can get smarter head units and more options to choose from. Capacitive touchscreen AppRadio mode uses Pioneer's own built-in apps (and a companion app on the phone) to interface with the phone and use it's resources? So rather than using Google Maps like I do on the phone, I'll be using Pioneer's "AppRadio" version of the maps app to navigate, but pulling the necessary resources from my phone? With this method, it looks like I'll have to do all the inputting on the phone and the receiver's screen just displays the map, nothing more? Do turn-by-turn directions come through the receiver? Can I continue to listen to music on the iPod while navigating, or must I stay in the maps app on the receiver? Connect compatible mirrorlink device into USB port 2 (bottom port) on the rear of the SPH-DA120 with CD-MU200 cable

Built-in Bluetooth adds to the versatility of this cool receiver — pair your phone , and you'll be able to talk hands-free and access your phone book from the touchscreen. You can even stream audio from your smartphone to the receiver. Want to keep your steering wheel controls? A: Make sure you are using a mirrorlink compatible device such as the Sony Xperia Z or Galaxy S3 (requires drivelink app installed from samsung apps). Ensure the device is set to 'iPhone' and connection is set to 'USB', ensure that 'CarPlay' is turned on But the only problem is – even though most car manufacturers are all licensing CarPlay in their latest models, many older models do not have CarPlay support. Great music discovery is effortless and free with Pandora. Just start with the name of one of your favorite artists, songs, genres or composers and Pandora will do the rest.

If you simply want to connect your Android phone to listen to music, you can do that without an app too.

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Complaint 5: The iOS interface for Music & Now Playing is not that great compared to the interface on the iPhone or iPad after recent updates. Specifically, most of the functionality of Apple Music is lost on the Pioneer or it is simply to difficult to navigate while driving.