Pay attention to the road, limit glances to the device, and do not use any feature if it cannot be operated both safely and legally in your location and environment.

It supports both – Pioneer’s own proprietary software “AppRadio” which already has both Android and iOS support, and Apple’s CarPlay. The total reliance on voice input can be a bit frustrating, especially if Maps does not recognize the places you tell it – but so far, this is what CarPlay has allowed. First, ensure that your iPhone (for Apple CarPlay) or Android phone (for Android Auto) is connected to the radio via USB cable. The HDMI port opens up many more media possibilities in the car and the equaliser and visual customisation options will please many.

With Pioneer, your high-res FLAC is no longer confined to your home hi-fi system – put your music on the move. for wireless control of devices and related metadata (if available) with the ability to browse music libraries on smartphones wirelessly. The voice-input is taken through a built-in microphone on the head unit, and not the one on your iOS device. It lets you connect your iPhone to the car’s head unit through either a USB port, or wirelessly, and becomes a receiver for CarPlay functions. Pioneer’s AppRadio 4 offers playback of files encoded as high-res FLAC up to 192kHz/24 bit and provide playback output at CD quality.

For me though, even with all these media source options, I would still go back to my Alpine iLX-700. CEA did not verify the accuracy of any submission or of any claims made and did not test the item to which the award was given.The AppRadio 4 is certainly feature packed for a ‘budget’ receiver, and it will allow you many media options, all of which I’ll touch on later.

Well that depends on your wants and desires, as well as what media sources you plan on connecting to it. Be prepared though - our car stereos will transform your daily commute into a concert on wheels (we promise! We’ll, all I want to do is just connect my iPhone and use CarPlay, and with its slightly bigger screen, the Alpine feels and looks better in the car in my opinion. Here is where aftermarket radio systems like the Pioneer AppRadio 4 SPH-DA120 with CarPlay make life easier. Run smartphone apps, listen to your favourite music, watch videos or photos, and charge your battery on the go.Navigating through tracks is then done either on the device, via the controls on the headunit or by your own steering wheel interface controls (if compatible). If you simply want to connect your Android phone to listen to music, you can do that without an app too. As soon as you connect an iOS device to the receiver, the green CarPlay option pops up on the front screen. If you can’t find the right colour to match your interior you can enter the colour wheel and select any colour you desire.

You have to make copious use of Siri to use these apps, since touch-functionality is limited for safety. Within this menu, you can adjust brightness, contrast, color settings, and even choose from different display themes to personalize your viewing experience. Products from SATA and USB Blu-ray and DVD burners, to on-ear or earbud headphones and USB powered computer speakers. Among third-party apps there is support for Spotify, Rdio, and Stitcher (if these are installed and active on your iPhone, they will show up on CarPlay too).In today’s age of digital displays and tough-screens, I think it is now time for Pioneer to heavily invest some time in this area. CarPlay is a standard developed by Apple for car head units which allows a car’s radio to become a controller for your iOS device. Simply download and launch the free Pandora app to your device and connect it to the AVH-X5800BHS to take your music to the next level.