Did you hear that the iPhone 15 has USB-C now? This is a great thing that’s long overdue, but it means there will be a transition period where some of us end up having to deal with both iPhone Lightning and USB-C devices in our lives, especially if we live with someone who doesn’t. Don’t buy a new iPhone right away.
This is especially cumbersome if you’re sharing a car and want to use CarPlay in it, as you’ll need a way to plug in your new USB-C iPhone and maintain a Lightning connection for the other person using the car. You can do this with multiple cables, of course, and swap them every time you get into the car, but who needs that hassle? For the past couple of years, I’ve used this three-point cable to use Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in the same car, depending on who’s driving the car, and no cable swapping required. (It also comes with a Micro USB port on one side, but I can’t say I’ve ever used that.)
Aside from its multi-port capabilities, the other thing that makes this cable great is the fact that it’s retractable, so you don’t have to deal with winding up or otherwise organizing the cable when you get out of the car — just pull it on both ends, and it zips back up. It’s also a good idea to extend it to just the length you need instead of having a very long cable coiled through your center console.
At around $12 for two cables, this is a no-brainer. Since the retractable mechanism will eventually wear out, it comes with a backup ready to use. If you have a new car that has USB-C ports for CarPlay, you’ll need them adapterThis uses USB-A to connect it to the car itself. (or check This option, which has USB-C on the other end. I haven’t tried it personally, so I can’t speak to how well it works.) But most cars on the road today will be able to use this just fine.