Play Kodi on CarPlay
How to add Kodi to Apple CarPlay
CarPlay can’t play your own video files. To play them on your car’s CarPlay screen, connect an Android device to the CarPlay USB port and run Kodi. With the ATCBridge Kit, a Raspberry Pi 5 running the open-source Pi2Carplay, you plug a USB drive into the Pi and play with no internet. Watch only while parked.
Updated · Tested against Pi2Carplay v0.2.0
Why CarPlay won’t play Kodi on its own
Apple only allows a few kinds of apps on CarPlay, such as audio, navigation, messaging, EV charging and parking apps (see Apple’s CarPlay developer guidelines). Video apps aren’t one of them, so CarPlay can’t show Kodi on the screen, whatever iPhone you have. Newer iOS versions add AirPlay video while parked, but only in cars whose maker supports it.
The workaround is to plug a small Android computer into the car’s CarPlay USB port in place of your phone. The car sees a CarPlay device and shows its screen, and that screen can play anything Android can, including Kodi.
Two ways to play Kodi on CarPlay
| ATCBridge Kit | T-Box Lite S | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Raspberry Pi 5 running open-source Pi2Carplay | Ready-made Android AI box |
| Setup | About an hour, with our guide | Plug in and go |
| Your car needs | Wired CarPlay | Wired or wireless CarPlay |
| Best for | Tinkerers who want hardware they control | Anyone who wants it working today |
| Price | from $49 | from $89 |
How to add Kodi to CarPlay with the ATCBridge Kit
- Make sure your car has wired (USB) CarPlay. Pi2Carplay works over the CarPlay USB port only. Details
- Download the official Pi2Carplay release from GitHub and write it to the kit’s microSD card with Raspberry Pi Imager. Details
- Boot the Pi at your desk with a monitor and mouse, connect Wi-Fi and sign in to Google. Details
- Install Kodi from the Google Play Store on the Pi.
- Plug a USB drive with your videos into one of the Pi’s USB-A ports.
- Add the drive as a video source in Kodi.
- Pin Kodi to the dashboard and play while parked, no signal needed.
- Connect the Pi’s USB-C port to the car’s CarPlay USB port with a data cable. Android appears on the screen in about a minute. Details
What to expect when you play Kodi
No internet needed
Everything plays from the USB drive, which makes Kodi the best option for road trips with no signal.
Your own files only
Kodi plays media you own. We don’t support third-party add-ons that stream pirated content.
Kodi on CarPlay: questions
Can I watch downloaded videos on Apple CarPlay?
Not with CarPlay alone. With the ATCBridge Kit you can play your own video files from a USB drive in Kodi on the CarPlay screen, with no internet.
Which USB port does the drive go in?
One of the Pi’s USB-A ports. The Pi’s USB-C port is used for the CarPlay connection.
Add more apps to CarPlay
- Stream Netflix on CarPlay
- Play YouTube on CarPlay
- Play TikTok on CarPlay
- Stream Twitch on CarPlay
- Stream Plex on CarPlay
Built on open source
The ATCBridge Kit runs Pi2Carplay, an open-source project (GPL-2.0) that brings the CarPlay bridge to a Raspberry Pi 5. We didn’t write it, and we don’t modify or resell it. We supply the hardware, guides and support, and you install the author’s official release directly from GitHub.