After spending a little more time with it this weekend, I truly don't understand why CarPlay (they call it CarConnect) even exists on this unit. Going to dive a little deeper here to really explain this. The normal CarPlay app allows you to have Pandora, Spotify, Navigation, TuneIn, and numerous other apps that you have on your phone to show up in your car's head unit (I have the same thing from the factory in my 2021 Wrangler and it works great). All of these apps are account driven, meaning you must have an account to use the app. With this unit, you can download, Spotify, Pandora, or anything else directly to the unit outside of CarPlay, and sign into each of those apps. So what do you need car play for? Not to mention the sound quality when using the CarPlay dongle is extremely bad wired or wireless. Once you use these apps outside of CarPlay the unit actually sounds really good (possibly great), and I was able to use the EQ (EQ is useless inside of CarPlay). I went ahead and deleted the CarpPay app as I don't see what the point of it was. Thus I wasted my money on the car play option all together. If I can get IBUS working and, and the steering wheel keys working, I may keep the unit and actually like it. Still I wouldn't buy it again, as it does give off a not ready for prime time feel, and basically you are on your own with the support concept and config. As for the CarPlay dongle option, skip it all together. I don't see why you need it. Amazing how I don't see a single video explaining this.