It is very important for you to understand all these steps closely to correctly setup your audio and CarPlay with your Toyota Hamilton Upgrade Kit. Keep in mind, we are adding cutting-edge functionality to a Toyota system first designed over 15 years ago. It won't be as intuitive as a new iPhone. This is why it's important to be really familiar with the below videos and steps.
LAND CRUISER CUSTOMERS NEED TO READ THE PAIRING AND SETUP ARTICLE FOR LEXUS. THE LAND CRUISER UPGRADE KITS FUNCTION LIKE A LEXUS, AS TOYOTA LAND CRUISERS HAVE A SEPARATE SCREEN AND RADIO. HERE IS A LINK TO THE LEXUS UPGRADE KIT AUDIO/CARPLAY SETUP ARTICLE. THIS ARTICLE SUPPORTS ALL OTHER TOYOTA VERSIONS (NOT INCLUDING LAND CRUISER).
Here is a video, that we recommend fully watching. It will show you not just CarPlay pairing but two really important steps for any Toyota Upgrade Kit: (1) Setting your factory radio to AUX mode
In another video below, I will show you how to delete your factory pair records to make sure they do not interfere with your new Hamilton network.
Please watch this full video very closely:
This video is shown in a 2014-2018 Toyota Rav4. It applies to all Toyotas. On hamiltonmotorcompany.com/pages/manuals we have videos just like this for every model car we offer.
Setting Factory Head Unit to AUX Mode - *Critical Step* to Play Audio
After you pair and setup CarPlay, it is really important to set your factory radio to AUX mode. Your phone is going to stream audio through the new Hamilton network to the Hamilton Upgrade Kit. Your Hamilton Upgrade Kit plays audio through your factory head unit using the AUX mode audio source, not your factory Bluetooth.
Long hold your voice-speech button on your steering wheel for 3 seconds to switch between the Hamilton OS and your factory Toyota OS.
Select "Audio" button on your Toyota Radio > Select "AUX" from the Source List. (The icon looks like an older-style iPod cord).
Pro-Tip: You may also toggle through the audio modes using the "Mode" button on the steering wheel without ever going back to the Original OS. Make sure you press the button repeatedly until you are in AUX mode. Usually, the car will hold AUX mode even after you turn it off.
Ensure iPhone is Correctly Configured for Audio Location (Control Center - Select CarPlay)
- Swipe down from control center in the top right of your iPhone.
- In control center, select the icon with three concentric circles in your music pane.
- Ensure that "CarPlay" is selected if you are using car's AUX mode (default setup).
Erasing Factory Bluetooth Pair Records (Important to Prevent Factory BT Interference)
It is very important to erase your factory iPhone pair records from your factory Toyota and from your factory Toyota network from your iPhone also.
Long hold the voice-speech button on your steering wheel for 3 seconds to switch between the Hamilton OS and your factory Lexus OS.
To Delete Toyota Pair Records:
Go to your original Toyota Home Screen. Click the Gear icon to open settings > Click "Bluetooth" > Click "Remove" > Follow the prompts to delete all of your Bluetooth pairing records from your factory radio.
You do not want your factory Bluetooth network trying to connect to your iPhone anymore.
To Delete Toyota Bluetooth Network from Your iPhone
On your iPhone open Settings > Bluetooth > Locate your factory Toyota bluetooth name (Usually named "CARMULTIMEDIA") > Click the blue (i) > Scroll to the bottom > Select "Forget This Device"
Pairing Wireless CarPlay CarPlay
To pair wireless CarPlay, when you get in the vehicle, pull out your iPhone. Open Settings > Bluetooth > Look for the new Bluetooth network similar to "Hamilton-1234."
Click on your new Hamilton BT network. Your phone will give you a pairing code. You can ignore what the code says and click "Pair." Next it will ask you to use Contacts and Favorites, click "Allow." Finally, when you get a prompt that says "Connect to CarPlay," click "Connect."
Wait a few seconds and wireless CarPlay will appear on the screen.
Make sure your factory radio is set to AUX mode.
Try to answer these prompts without delay.
Seeing "Not Connected" Next to Hamilton Bluetooth is Normal
Once CarPlay is connected, you may notice that your iPhone shows “Not Connected” next to the Hamilton Bluetooth device. This is normal and does not mean that CarPlay has disconnected or that there is a problem with the connection.
Wireless CarPlay uses Bluetooth to initiate the connection. Once the connection is established, CarPlay switches over to your phone's Wi-Fi connection for the high-speed data transmission required by CarPlay. Because of this handoff, the Hamilton Bluetooth connection may show as “Not Connected” while CarPlay is actively running.
How to Correctly Disconnect CarPlay (Watch to the End - Important)
- CarPlay uses Bluetooth to initiate the connection then takes over your phone’s WiFi channel for high speed data transmission. This is inherent to wireless CarPlay, and not designed by Hamilton.
- Once connected to CarPlay, the iPhone turns your WiFi button in Control Center into the default button to disconnect CarPlay. The video below walks you through properly disconnecting CarPlay.
Note: Apple has designated that WiFi channel to automatically be taken over for CarPlay. You never need to make a manual WiFi connection to use CarPlay.