CarPlay Screen Radio for Volkswagen Amarok (2010-2020): how to install Android Auto and Apple CarPlay

The Volkswagen Amarok earned its place for the usual reasons: car-like finish, serious TDI mechanicals and a load bed that takes whatever you throw at it. It's the pick-up that spends the week on a building site or a farm and heads to the beach on the weekend loaded to the roof. A high-mileage vehicle, with a lot of hours behind the wheel.

And that's exactly why its infotainment hurts so much. The Amarok's original radio is functional and little else: tiny screen, expensive or non-existent navigation and a bare-minimum Bluetooth. With an Android screen radio featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto you get Google Maps at full size, Spotify, clean calls and a reversing camera — which on a pick-up with a load bed isn't a luxury, it's common sense.

Does the Volkswagen Amarok have CarPlay as standard?

On virtually every unit sold in Europe, no. The first-generation Amarok (2010-2020) came with RCD 310, RCD 510, Composition Media radios and, on higher trims, the Discover Media navigation unit. Apple CarPlay only appears, via App-Connect, on very late and well-equipped units, and not even in every market.

Amaroks from 2010 to 2016, which are the majority of those on the road, have no official option at all: Volkswagen doesn't offer a software update that adds CarPlay to those units. The only real route is replacing the radio.

The solution: Android radio for Volkswagen Amarok

Our CarPlay and Android Auto screen radio for Volkswagen occupies the original radio aperture and connects to the VAG Group's specific quadlock. What it brings to an Amarok:

• Wireless Apple CarPlay: the iPhone connects on its own at start-up, no cables loose around the console.
• Built-in Android Auto, also cable-free.
• Android with Play Store: Waze, Spotify, online radio, fleet or work-route apps.
• Built-in GPS with offline maps of Spain and Europe — key if you work in rural areas or on tracks where the phone loses signal.
• Large HD touchscreen, far more legible with gloves on and with the sun ahead of you than the original RCD.
• Steering wheel controls working thanks to the VAG CAN-Bus.
• Built-in DSP: very useful in a pick-up, where road noise means treble and mids need compensating.
• Free reversing camera activating automatically in reverse: manoeuvring the Amarok in a car park or hitching a trailer stops being an adventure.
• Hands-free Bluetooth, dual USB and Android OTA updates.

Volkswagen Amarok compatibility: supported versions

The unit works with the VAG Group harness and CAN-Bus. On the Amarok it covers:

• Volkswagen Amarok 2H (2010-2016), the original series.
• Volkswagen Amarok facelift (2017-2020), including the V6 TDI version.
• Double Cab and Single Cab bodies.
• Engines 2.0 TDI (BiTDI included), 2.0 TSI and 3.0 V6 TDI.
• Trims with RCD 310, RCD 510, Composition Media and Discover Media radios.

The same unit also covers the rest of the VAG family: Golf V and VI, Passat B6 and B7, Touran, Tiguan, Polo, Jetta, Bora, Eos, Scirocco, Beetle, Caddy, Sharan, T5/Transporter, Multivan, Seat Leon MK2, Altea, Toledo, Alhambra and Skoda Fabia.

Since the Amarok had several console layouts depending on year and trim, send us a photo of your current radio via WhatsApp before buying: we'll confirm the correct fascia and harness free of charge, within minutes.

What is the installation like?

It's a plug & play installation of 30 to 60 minutes, with no wires cut or spliced:

1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal.
2. Remove the console trim and pull out the original radio with the Volkswagen extraction keys.
3. Disconnect the quadlock connector, the aerial and the microphone cable if fitted.
4. Connect the new screen's specific VAG harness. It incorporates the CAN-Bus box, which translates the car's signals: that's what keeps the steering wheel controls and the parking sensors alive.
5. Run the camera cable to the tailgate or the number plate. On the Amarok it's worth taking five extra minutes to secure it properly, because that area takes dust and water.
6. Fit the screen into its fascia and seat it in the console aperture.
7. Reconnect the battery, start the car and pair your phone over Bluetooth the first time. From then on, CarPlay connects on its own.

Since no wiring is cut, the installation is fully reversible: you can put the original radio back in the aperture whenever you want.

At PantallasPremium the complete kit — screen, VAG harness, fascia and free reversing camera — starts at in the 1 GB RAM + 16 GB configuration. The 2 GB + 32 GB one costs and the 4 GB + 64 GB one, . Free shipping across Europe and a 3-year warranty.

Frequently asked questions

Does the reversing camera work with the load bed covered or with a hard top?
Yes. The camera mounts in the number plate area, below the bed line, so it still sees the ground even with a tonneau cover, roll bar or hard top.

Can I see the trajectory for hitching a trailer?
The camera shows guide lines on screen, which helps enormously to line up the tow ball without getting out of the car three times.

Does the GPS work in areas with no signal?
Yes. The screen has its own GPS and you can download offline maps for Google Maps, Waze or the built-in navigation. That's the difference between reaching a remote farm or site and not reaching it.

Does it withstand hard use and the vibration of a pick-up?
The unit is anchored in the radio aperture with the specific fascia, just like the original, and it has no moving parts or CD mechanism — which is exactly what used to fail with vibration.

Do I keep the steering wheel controls?
Yes, thanks to the CAN-Bus box included in the harness: volume, track skip and calls keep working just the same.

See the CarPlay radio for Volkswagen Amarok

You can see it here: CarPlay and Android Auto Screen Radio for Volkswagen Amarok, from with a reversing camera included and free shipping. If you have doubts about your Amarok's year or trim, message us on WhatsApp with a photo of the current radio and we'll confirm compatibility free of charge.