12 hours ago, Tintowellfan said:

No wireless capability in UK

Okay. Understood, but I believe the front USB ports under the air-con controls provide for both data and power so we are both right. It needs to be plugged-in for both reasons. To connect to the infotainment and to supply power to the phone.

 

I'll stop following my thread now.

I'm using one of these for the front USB-C to my Android phone.

 

https://amzn.eu/d/054qPFyj

 

Quality is good. I also bought a half metre one but I prefer the full metre cos it gives me more flexibility to pick the phone up and use it. I've got the half metre one in the glovebox as a backup.

14 hours ago, Tintowellfan said:

...For Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to work, phones need connected via USB. In UK wireless is not enabled.... 

 

 

Prior to buying a Skoda Fabia I owned a 2021 Hyundai i20 SE Connect. This was a '3rd-generation' i20  (built in Turkey from 2021 onwards) and was the entry-level model that had an infotainment head-unit with a 8.0" display screen and without navigation. Other (more expensive) i20 models with a higher specification had an infotainment head-unit with a 10.25 display screen and with navigation. 

 

The i20 infotainment head-unit with 8.0" display had a wireless Apple CarPlay/AndroidAuto capability. Conversely, the head-unit with the 10.25" display did not and, in order to use Apple CarPlay/AndroidAuto, the phone needed to be connected via USB. This omission infuriated owners of i20 cars that had the 10.25" display and there were on-going complaints (from 2021 onwards) about the lack of a wireless capability on the lines of "When will Hyundai get their ****** in gear and provide wireless Apple CarPlay/AndroidAuto for cars with the larger display?" I'm not sure whether Hyundai did eventually provide that capability, but there's no doubt that i20s with the larger display did not have the wireless capability as standard and that i20s with the smaller display did (as I confirmed with my own i20).  This situation was not confined to the UK - all i20s with the 8.0" display, wherever they were marketed, had the wireless capability, and all i20s with the 10.25" display (wherever they were marketed) did not. (It was said/claimed that this difference was due to a licensing rule based on the size of the display, but I've no idea if this was correct.)

 

Anyway, as you've advised, to use Android Auto or Apple CarPlay on a Skoda Fabia MK4 (at least one with the Amundsen infotainment unit) the phone MUST be connected via a USB cable and this is made 100% clear when the Android Auto or Apple CarPlay option is selected on the display unit. There's no doubt whatsoever that this is the case as (although I've no interest in using this feature) I found that, once my (old) iPhone had been USB-connected, running Apple CarPlay was very simple. And, when I deliberately disconnected the USB cable while Apple CarPlay was running, that feature shut down.

 

I believe that owners of i20 cars with the 10.25" display would sometimes (with varying results) use a dongle/adapter to  sidestep the USB limitation, and I'm guessing Fabia owners could do the same. But, otherwise, there's no alternative to USB-connection.

10 hours ago, wiganken1 said:

Okay. Understood, but I believe the front USB ports under the air-con controls provide for both data and power so we are both right. It needs to be plugged-in for both reasons. To connect to the infotainment and to supply power to the phone.

 

I'll stop following my thread now.

Sorry, but you are misunderstanding this. This car has no wireless ability for Apple or Android. I do have wireless Apple CarPlay as I have a cheepo adapter plugged into one of the USB sockets, it remains connected all the time, I do not have to remove/replace. I have no need to plug my phone into any of the USB sockets to access Apple CarPlay, because I have an adapter plugged in. Maybe we are at cross purposes here, but there is deffo no wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto on this car, but certainly has two USB C sockets to use as you please!

Edited 14 July, 20241 yr by Tintowellfan

Apple carplay works wirelessly in my new Monte Carlo june 2024 reg

Good to know it has now been activated in newer models. My wife's new Suzuki Swift has it, and a host of other features not in my Fabia MC. Skoda probably realised they would have to sooner rather than later to compete with competition.

Edited 25 July, 20241 yr by Tintowellfan

20 hours ago, Spamnap said:

Apple carplay works wirelessly in my new Monte Carlo june 2024 reg

 

According to the Skoda 'configuration' website the standard specification of ALL latest Fabia models now includes Wireless SmartLink for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto