This $93 gadget solved my Apple CarPlay issues instantly

• You don’t need CarPlay
• Ohsnap’s Car Power Kit
• Who should buy the Car Power Kit?

The amount of road trips I’ve embarked on in the last eight years since leaving home has put enough scenic miles on my car that I should be considered for a Subaru commercial. That is, if Subaru was trying to sell a forgotten warehouse of brand-new 2016 Foresters. My Forester has been going strong for a full decade now, and I don’t have a single complaint about the reliable vehicle.

But if I had to name just one, it’d be the infotainment system. Because the model is so old, it doesn’t come loaded with CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility. I’m no car genius — I still have to call my dad every time I get an oil change — so rewiring a new computer into my car has never been in the cards. My solution was simple: a janky little mount that clipped onto the air vent.

Simple, yes. Effective? Not always — whenever I needed it the most is when the malfunctions happened. I’d take a sharp turn or slam on the brakes, and suddenly my iPhone and mount were at my feet or under the pedals. Not safe, not convenient, and definitely not fun. When I’m driving, I need easy, quick access to maps or calls, and the mount I used instead of CarPlay simply wasn’t safe.

I needed something better. When the folks at Ohsnap reached out to me, I knew their gadgetry was designed for people exactly like me. They sent over a Car Power Kit, and after using it for a month, I can officially say an unamicable goodbye to the vent clip and maintain my lack of CarPlay needs.

You don’t need CarPlay

If you have the right setup

What is CarPlay but a projection of your iPhone on the dashboard? Apple’s car-based infotainment software is sleek, I admit. But I refuse to buy a whole new car to enjoy it when I could fix my iPhone to the dashboard itself somehow — as long as it’s still convenient and not falling at your feet (like my vent clip). To live up to — and even surpass — CarPlay’s convenience, I needed three things:

• Phone placement where I can see it clearly (navigation)
• Assurance that my phone will not wobble or fall (stability)
• Power access (to power my maps and music for longer journeys)

If it has all these things, a good mount can be ‘CarPlay’ enough. Enter my new favorite car kit.

Ohsnap’s Car Power Kit

Magnets on magnets

There are three parts to the car kit: a Snap Car (or adhesive magnetic mount), a Snap Charge wireless charger, and a Snap Grip (Popsocket-like phone grip). The Snap Charge is Apple-MagSafe compatible and offers up to 15W wireless charging with a four-foot long USB-C charging cable that you can plug into your center console.

Some older models (like my 2016 Forester) only have USB-A ports in the center console, so I did have to buy a cheap adapter to enable charging. This is the one I bought.

After sticking the adhesive mount to your desired dashboard location, you can connect your phone to it for easy navigation, viewing, or access if you get a phone call and have to pick it up. The magnets are strong (especially if you use the phone grip), but not strong enough that you’re prying your phone off the mount when you get to your destination.

However, if you want to add charging to the mix, you can attach the MagSafe charging puck to the mount before you connect your phone to it. The puck’s power source is a braided USB-C charging cord you can plug into your center console, and the material itself is a soft silicone that’s smooth to the touch. I chose the Orchid Slap color, and contrary to its spicy-sounding name, it’s a serene lilac addition to my dashboard.

The only bone I have to pick with the puck is how strong its magnets are — it’s much more difficult to disconnect its magnets from the mount’s, so I only use the charger for longer road trips. During regular daily drives, I keep it stowed neatly in the center console. It’s just as easy to pull my phone off the charger as it is off the mount — this mega-strength only seems to occur between the mount and the charging puck.

The mount itself is perfect for everyday use, but the ability to add the puck for a seamless charging experience is truly the cherry on top. I won’t get hit with a wave of despair if I’m in unfamiliar territory and my always-on Apple Maps navigation just announced I only had 10% battery remaining.

Who should buy the Car Power Kit?

People who want CarPlay but won’t upgrade

I hope there’s no one out there that would buy a new car for tens of thousands of dollars just for CarPlay access. At that point, you’re better off paying someone more tech-savvy a few hundred bucks to do the installation for you.

This car kit was spectacular for my perfectly-running 10-year-old Forester. While my dashboard layout is a little small and awkward, I was able to find a spot to place my phone that made navigation a breeze and alleviated my battery worries on longer road trips. I don’t need CarPlay if my iPhone is somewhere visible and reachable, and Ohsnap’s Car Power Kit puts it in the sweet spot.

The Car Power Kit was provided to Pocket-lint by Ohsnap.