CarPlay Head Unit for Alfa Romeo Giulietta (2010-2020): how to install Android Auto and Apple CarPlay

For a decade the Giulietta 940 was the way into Alfa Romeo ownership and, for many people, it is still the compact hatchback with the most character in its class: clean lines, a lively steering feel and the Alfa DNA selector that changes the car's mood with a flick. It sold well in Spain and plenty are still on the road, owned by drivers in no hurry to replace them.

The weak spot sits in the middle of the dashboard. The Giulietta was born with Blue&Me and gradually moved on to Uconnect, but even the later cars fall short next to any modern phone. If you end up driving with your handset clipped to an air vent, there is a far more elegant answer: a model-specific head unit for the Giulietta that fits the original opening and brings wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Does the Alfa Romeo Giulietta have CarPlay as standard?

On the vast majority of cars, no. The Giulietta was launched long before CarPlay and Android Auto reached the market, and the model kept systems designed for a different era for years.

Depending on the year and the trim, your Giulietta could have:

• Blue&Me: the voice and USB hands-free system, with a small display in the instrument cluster and a radio-CD in the console. No navigation and no apps.
• Blue&Me TomTom: a removable sat nav on top of the dashboard, very handy at the time, now outdone by Google Maps.
• Uconnect with a touchscreen on later versions, with radio, Bluetooth and navigation depending on equipment.
• Steering wheel audio controls on practically every car, which can be kept after the upgrade.

None of those systems mirrors your phone's apps the way CarPlay does, and their screens are small for daily navigation use. That is why the sensible route is to replace the head unit with a current screen made to measure for the opening.

The solution: an Android head unit for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta

The model-specific head unit for the Giulietta 940 replaces the original unit and brings:

• HD touchscreen built into the console with a made-to-measure fascia, respecting the dashboard lines and the air vents.
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto: the phone connects on its own as soon as you start the car.
• Built-in GPS navigation plus Google Maps and Waze.
• Bluetooth hands-free calling and audio streaming, replacing the old Blue&Me.
• FM radio and playback over USB, Bluetooth and Spotify, with several USB ports.
• Steering wheel controls kept through the included CAN Bus module.
• Reversing camera included, genuinely useful in a car with a small rear window and thick pillars.
• Plug & play installation, with a model-specific harness and without cutting any of the car's wiring.

Giulietta 940 compatibility: supported versions

The kit covers the model's whole production run:

• Alfa Romeo Giulietta 940 — from 2010 to 2020, in every trim, including Distinctive, Super, Veloce and Quadrifoglio Verde.
• Pre-facelift and post-facelift cars, checking the outline of the radio opening.
• 1.4 TB and 1.75 TBi petrol and 1.6 and 2.0 JTDm diesel engines, with manual or TCT transmission.
• Cars with Blue&Me, with Blue&Me TomTom and with Uconnect.
• Cars that already have an aftermarket unit in the original opening.

The safest check before buying is to compare the outline of your centre console and the current radio surround with the photos on the product page, because the trim changed slightly over the years.

What is the installation like?

It is a manageable job as long as you use plastic trim tools and do not force the clips:

1. Disconnect the negative battery terminal and wait a couple of minutes.
2. Release the centre trim panel around the radio and the air vents, starting at the bottom.
3. Undo the screws holding the original unit and slide it out.
4. Unplug the connectors for power, speakers and aerial, plus the Blue&Me module connector if your car has one.
5. Plug in the new screen's harness: it fits the car's own connectors, and the CAN Bus module keeps the steering wheel controls and the ignition and illumination signals working.
6. Route the GPS aerial to the base of the windscreen and place the microphone near the rear-view mirror.
7. Fit the screen into the opening and refit the trim panel.
8. Reconnect the battery and test sound, steering wheel controls, CarPlay, GPS and camera before pushing everything fully home.

If FM seems weaker after the change, check whether your car has an amplified aerial: a powered aerial adaptor sorts it out.

How much does it cost to install CarPlay in an Alfa Romeo Giulietta?

Alfa Romeo does not offer an official CarPlay retrofit for the Giulietta, so the realistic comparison is between taking the car to an audio shop to fit a generic head unit — with fascia adaptor, harness and steering wheel interface bought separately, plus labour — or installing a kit already prepared for this chassis.

The model-specific kit saves the expensive part, which is the adaptation: fascia, harness and CAN Bus module are included and made to measure. If you fit it yourself, the saving is bigger still. Memory options and up-to-date prices are on the product page.

Frequently asked questions

Do I lose Blue&Me when I change the radio?
You replace its functions with better ones: Bluetooth hands-free, audio streaming, USB and CarPlay. The rest of the car carries on exactly as before.

Do the steering wheel controls still work?
Yes. The included CAN Bus module keeps them and they are set up from the head unit's menu.

Does the Alfa DNA selector still work?
Yes. DNA acts on the engine, steering and stability control, and does not depend on the radio.

Does anything have to be cut in the dashboard?
No. The kit is specific to the Giulietta and fits the existing opening with its own fascia.

Does CarPlay work without a cable?
Yes. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wireless: you pair the phone once and after that it connects on its own when you start the car.

See the CarPlay head unit for the Alfa Romeo Giulietta

You can see all the details, photos and memory options on the product page for the CarPlay and Android Auto head unit for Alfa Romeo Giulietta 940 (2010-2020). If you are unsure about your version, write to us with the year, the trim and the system currently fitted and we will confirm compatibility before you buy.