Stream Plex on CarPlay
How to add Plex to Apple CarPlay
Plex’s CarPlay support is audio only, so it won’t show your movies on the car’s screen. To stream Plex video on your CarPlay display, connect an Android device to the CarPlay USB port and run the Plex Android app. The ATCBridge Kit does this with a Raspberry Pi 5 and the open-source Pi2Carplay. Watch only while parked.
Updated · Tested against Pi2Carplay v0.2.0
Why CarPlay won’t stream Plex 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 Plex 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 stream anything Android can, including Plex.
Two ways to stream Plex 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 Plex 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 Plex from the Google Play Store on the Pi.
- Sign in to your Plex account and pick your server.
- Pin Plex to the dashboard.
- Connect to Wi-Fi or a hotspot and stream while parked.
- 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 stream Plex
Your library, your rules
Plex plays your own media, so there are no streaming-service DRM limits on picture quality. The car’s screen and Pi2Carplay’s 4–8 Mbps stream set the ceiling.
Remote access
To stream from home over mobile data, turn on Remote Access on your Plex server.
Plex on CarPlay: questions
Does Plex work on Apple CarPlay?
Plex’s CarPlay app plays music and audio only. To watch Plex video on the CarPlay screen you need an Android device on the CarPlay port, such as the ATCBridge Kit.
Can I stream Plex over mobile data?
Yes, with Remote Access turned on in your Plex server. Lower the playback quality in the Plex app to save data.
Add more apps to CarPlay
- Stream Netflix on CarPlay
- Play YouTube on CarPlay
- Play TikTok on CarPlay
- Stream Twitch on CarPlay
- Play Kodi 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.