Is it possible to add wireless charging and wireless Apple CarPlay to your car? A Mob Armor employee was looking to answer this question with their 2021 Ford Ranger. With wired Apple CarPlay already available on the Ford SYNC3 stereo, we knew it wouldn't take much to make the whole setup wireless. With a few parts from Mob Armor and some research on Amazon, we were able to transform their driving experience into a wireless one in just a few minutes. Keep reading to see how we managed this!

Step One: Gathering the equipment for phone mounting and magnetic wireless charging 

First up, we had to find a wireless charger that would be powerful enough to charge the phone while in use. The Mob Armor FLEX Magnetic Wireless Charger fit this need perfectly, offering up to 15W charging speeds on MagSafe and Qi Wireless Charging devices. Since the charger is designed to work with the MobNetic mounting system, adding in a MobNetic Maxx was a no-brainer. With the interior and exterior of the truck being all-black, we went with the original black MobNetic Maxx - but you can now get something different to match your ride with 10 anodized aluminum colors! Lastly, to keep it all in the family, we added the 38W Dual-USB Car Charger for maximum charging speeds when wireless charging.

All of the components needed to create a wireless charging and wireless Apple CarPlay setup

Step Two: Finding a wireless Apple CarPlay adapter compatible with the Ford Ranger

This second step was a little tricky, since we were going to be dealing with the wild west of Amazon tech shopping. There are hundreds of adapters available on Amazon to create a wireless connection with Apple CarPlay - the key was finding one with the widest range of compatibility, in case you wanted to try the same thing with your vehicle. One important thing to keep in mind is, these adapters are designed to work only if you already have a vehicle that has Apple CarPlay already available. Buying an adapter will not magically make your stereo show Apple CarPlay on your screen.

After some research, we landed on this wireless Apple CarPlay adapter. Advertising compatibility with 99% of all vehicles with CarPlay already installed, and positive reviews across the board, this was the last piece of equipment needed. We ordered it and prepared for the installation.

Step Three: Installation

Since we went with the Mob Armor magnetic phone mounting solution, it was a straightforward installation process. We were relatively free to pick where to install the mount, and no tools were needed. After determining the car phone mount placement that was safe and easy to access, we prepared the flat surface for the Mounting Disc with the included surface cleaning wipes. Once that dried, we pressed the adhesive side of the disc down and pressed it firmly for 60 seconds, as instructed. After letting the adhesive cure for 24 hours, we came back to finish the rest.

The remainder of the installation process was a breeze. First, we plugged in the wireless Apple CarPlay adapter to let it connect with the Ford SYNC3 system. Connecting the phone was easy - the Bluetooth ID for the adapter showed on the stereo screen, and we connected in our phone settings. From now on, it'll connect automatically when the vehicle starts. As for the mount, we simply snapped together the MobNetic Maxx and FLEX Magnetic Wireless Charger and placed them on the mounting disc. After that, we plugged in the 38W Dual-USB Car Charger, connected it and the FLEX with the included USB-C cord, and that's it! We now have wireless charging and wireless Apple CarPlay in a vehicle where it was otherwise not available.

The final wireless product, all connected and in use.

Conclusion

Apple CarPlay is such an intuitive feature included in vehicles these days, it's pretty hard to not use it when available. By having it built into their Ranger, our employee didn't necessarily need their phone mounted in view at all times. But having the convenience of making the whole system wireless, including charging, makes driving a whole lot safer and easier. With just a few parts and a few minutes, we were able to make this truck an even more convenient daily driver by adding wireless Apple CarPlay. After checking that your vehicle is compatible, be sure to check out the products we used in this installation and see if this kind of setup is right for you!

If you have a Mob Armor setup you'd like to show off, tag us on an Instagram post or story and we'll share it for all of our fans to see! Keep Mobbin'!