Someone put Apple CarPlay on an Amazon Echo Show running Android, and it actually works

Who says Apple CarPlay belongs exclusively in cars? Apparently, nobody told one adventurous Echo Show owner, who has turned Amazon’s aging smart display into an unlikely CarPlay companion for your desk. And the secret ingredient? A little Android freedom, courtesy of LineageOS.

Reddit user ARJeepGuy123 pulled a first-generation Echo Show 5 out of a closet after seeing someone bring CarPlay to Spotify’s discontinued Car Thing. Rather than letting the forgotten Alexa device gather more dust, they gave it an unexpected second career.

The trick involved replacing Amazon’s restrictive Fire OS with LineageOS, then installing DiPlay, an app that brings wired and wireless CarPlay to compatible Android-based car displays.

The result? A fully functional wireless CarPlay setup sitting on an office desk, complete with music playback through the Echo’s speakers or audio jack. The user even set up a script to automatically enable the device’s hotspot at startup, allowing an iPhone to connect without a separate dongle or workplace Wi-Fi.

Of course, this wasn’t entirely smooth sailing. A slowed-down audio bug forced the user to downgrade DiPlay from version 0.2.21 to 0.2.19 and increase the music buffer to 500ms. Leaving something connected to the audio jack during a reboot can also prevent the device from starting properly.

We’ve previously explored how installing LineageOS can transform an Echo Show into a surprisingly capable Android-powered display that runs apps like Spotify, Plexamp, and NewPipe. Now, CarPlay joins that growing list.

If you’ve got an old Echo Show collecting dust, there’s an XDA guide worth exploring, provided you’re comfortable with the risks of flashing custom software.