CarPlay Screen for Audi A6 C7 and A7 (2011-2019): how to install Android Auto and Apple CarPlay

The Audi A6 C7 is one of those saloons that ages with rare dignity. Its brushed aluminium and leather interior still feels premium, the 3.0 TDI and 2.0 TDI ultra cover motorway miles on very reasonable consumption, and the Avant is an enormous estate that does not look it. The A7 Sportback, with the same mechanical base and that coupe tailgate, still turns heads in the street.

The weak point is the MMI's retractable screen. When it rises out of the dashboard the mechanism is still impressive, but what it displays belongs to another era: menus driven by the MMI wheel, navigation on DVD or SD card that you have to pay to update, and phone connectivity limited to Bluetooth. Without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto there is no Google Maps with live traffic, no Spotify with your playlists and no voice-dictated messages. An Android screen made specifically for the A6 C7 and A7 brings exactly that part up to date.

Does the Audi A6 C7 have CarPlay as standard?

On the vast majority of cars, no. The A6 C7 and the A7 were delivered with several MMI configurations and almost none includes Apple CarPlay or Android Auto:

• MMI Radio: small monochrome or colour display, no navigation.
• MMI Radio Plus: 6.5" retractable colour screen, radio, Bluetooth and vehicle menus, but no built-in navigation.
• MMI Navigation and MMI Navigation Plus (MMI 3G and 3G+): 6.5" or 8" screen, hard-drive navigation, Audi Connect and an MMI wheel with touchpad on the higher versions.

Audi introduced the Audi Smartphone Interface package, which does add CarPlay and Android Auto, only on the last production runs after the facelift and always as a paid option. If your car did not leave the factory with that option, no software update will add it: the physical module is simply not fitted.

The solution: Android head unit for Audi A6 C7 and A7

The alternative is to fit an Android screen developed specifically for the A6 C7 and A7. It sits in the position of the original screen while respecting the dashboard as a whole, in a far larger widescreen format.

• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: your phone connects on its own when you start the car, with no cables.
• Widescreen HD touchscreen, far ahead of the original retractable display in size and resolution.
• Google Maps and Waze in real time, with traffic, speed cameras and alternative routes, with no map updates to buy.
• Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, podcasts and online radio installed.
• WiFi, Bluetooth and a SIM slot, or data shared from your phone.
• Rear and front camera inputs, with guide lines when you engage reverse.
• Steering wheel controls and MMI wheel still working thanks to the included CAN Bus decoder.
• Compatible with Bose and Bang & Olufsen systems, respecting the factory amplifier and speakers.
• Split screen so you can see navigation and music at the same time.

One detail matters a lot on these Audis: the unit keeps the vehicle settings menus and on-board information, so you do not lose access to what you already handled through MMI.

Compatibility with Audi A6 C7 and A7: supported versions

• Audi A6 C7 saloon and A6 Avant C7, before and after the facelift.
• Audi A7 Sportback of the same generation, and A6 Allroad variants.
• 2.0 TDI, 2.0 TDI ultra, 3.0 TDI, 2.0 TFSI and 3.0 TFSI engines, with front-wheel drive or quattro.
• Cars with MMI Radio Plus, MMI Navigation and MMI Navigation Plus (3G / 3G+).
• Compatible with manual, S tronic and tiptronic gearboxes, with or without a premium sound system.

To identify your system, check whether the MMI wheel on the console has a touchpad on top and whether the screen shows a navigation map. If you are unsure between Radio Plus and Navigation Plus, send us a photo of the screen switched on and we will confirm the exact reference before you buy.

What is the installation like?

Fitting is plug & play: it uses the car's original connectors and there is no need to cut or splice any wiring. At home, without rushing, it takes a little over an hour.

1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal before you start.
2. Using a plastic trim tool, release the upper dashboard trim where the retractable screen emerges, starting at the ends so you do not mark the plastic.
3. Remove the screws from the screen assembly and take it out carefully; the connector releases with a tab at the back.
4. Locate the MMI unit, which on the A6 C7 and A7 sits in the boot or under a seat depending on version, and disconnect the video cable.
5. Connect the harness and the CAN Bus decoder to the new screen: this is the part that translates the car's signals so the steering wheel controls, the MMI wheel, the warnings and the automatic power-on keep working.
6. Plug the assembly into the vehicle connectors and, if fitting a camera, run the video cable to the tailgate along the side trim of the boot.
7. Reconnect the battery and check sound, steering wheel controls, Bluetooth and CarPlay before closing the dashboard.
8. Fit the screen into its frame, screw it down and refit the trims.

If you would rather not do it yourself, any car electronics workshop will fit it in an hour to an hour and a half.

• Audi dealer: the Audi Smartphone Interface retrofit, where the car supports it, runs to -1,200 between module, fitting and coding, and you still keep the original screen.
• Updating the MMI maps: between and each time, with no real-time traffic and no apps.
• PantallasPremium: the Android screen made specifically for the Audi A6 C7 and A7 costs , with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto included.

The difference against the official retrofit is not only price: besides CarPlay you gain screen size, your own apps, navigation that stays free forever and camera inputs the factory MMI does not offer.

Frequently asked questions

Does the MMI wheel still work?
Yes. The CAN Bus decoder keeps the wheel, its buttons and the touchpad working so you can move through the new screen's menus, along with the steering wheel controls.

Do I lose the retractable screen?
The new unit is fixed in the upper part of the dashboard, with more usable surface. In exchange for giving up the mechanism you get a much larger touchscreen.

My A6 has Bose or Bang & Olufsen, do I lose quality?
No. The screen respects the factory amplifier and speakers, and adds its own equaliser to adjust the sound.

Does CarPlay work without cables?
Yes. You can pair your iPhone over WiFi so it connects on its own when you start the car, or use USB if you prefer to charge at the same time. Android Auto supports both.

Does it also fit the A7 Sportback and the Avant?
Yes. The A6 saloon, the A6 Avant and the A7 Sportback of this generation share the same dashboard and connectors, so the same screen works for all three.

See the CarPlay screen for Audi A6 C7 and A7

You can see all versions, real fitting photos and the connection details on the product page for the CarPlay and Android Auto screen for Audi A6 C7 and A7 (2011-2019). If you are not sure whether your car has MMI Radio Plus or MMI Navigation Plus, send us a photo of the screen switched on and we will confirm compatibility.