Wireless CarPlay now rolling out to more Hyundai and Kia cars … sort of

A few months ago, we reported on the convoluted wireless CarPlay situation for Hyundai and Kia owners. Essentially, lower-trim cars from the automakers have supported wireless CarPlay for years, but higher-end trims with integrated navigation have not.

Hyundai has now announced that it is beginning to roll out a firmware update that adds wireless CarPlay and Android Auto support … but with a big catch: drivers in the United States will have to keep waiting.

Hyundai’s October 2023 “Navigation Map and Software Update” was announced on the company’s website this week (and separately on the Kia website). Among the slew of new features is support for wireless CarPlay and Android Auto.

However, this update is only rolling out to Hyundai and Kia owners in Europe. And to make matters worse, there’s seemingly no timeline on when the update will expand to United States and Canada owners.

“You can connect Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly, without using a USB cable,” Hyundai says. More details on how to enable the feature can be found on the company’s website.

• The full list of Hyundai cars getting this update
• The full list of Kia cars getting this update

Still, despite this significant limitation, it’s a step in the right direction for Hyundai’s support of wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. Owners with higher-trim and more expensive cars will no longer miss out on a feature available on Hyundai’s lower-trim and cheaper models.

And if you don’t feel like waiting for Hyundai to get around to rolling out wireless CarPlay and Android Auto support, there are many third-party accessories that can get the job done.

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