MHI2Q CarPlay cluster integration
Bring CarPlay maps, turn-by-turn directions, calls and album art to your Audi Virtual Cockpit —
the digital instrument panel behind the steering wheel. Cars with an external amplifier also
get 5.1 surround sound.
This mod is for Audi MHI2Q infotainment systems. After installation, connect your iPhone by
USB and use CarPlay as usual. See compatibility and installation before starting.
Use at your own risk. This mod changes the MMI system software. The installer saves backups
of the system files it replaces, but these do not guarantee recovery from a failed installation.
The authors are not responsible for damage, bricked units or warranty issues.
🎨 Gallery
Virtual Cockpit: CarPlay map on the cluster, route guidance beside it
Audi front PDC no longer hides CarPlay · Cover art on the cluster
CarPlay calls on the cluster phone tab
5.1 sound: CarPlay UpMix in the MMI · Spatial Audio from Apple Music
Head-up display
📍 Contents
📦 Installation
UPDATE YOUR MMI SOFTWARE BEFORE INSTALLING THIS MOD.
Your MMI must already be running one of the latest versions, example listed below.
Installing on older or unsupported software can brick the MMI — it may stop at the Audi
logo and no longer start normally. Use the correct firmware for your unit and region.
The CarPlay installer does not update your MMI firmware. If it warns about an unsupported
version, stop and resolve that first. Do not run it again to bypass the warning.
Already stuck on the logo? Follow the recovery guide.
Check compatibility first
You need:
- An Audi MHI2Q infotainment system running one of the versions below. Check the full
software version in your MMI’s version information screen; the car model alone is not enough.
- Audi Virtual Cockpit, the fully digital instrument panel. Analog instruments are not supported.
- An SD card with M.I.B. (More Incredible Bash) already set up, and access to the
Green Engineering Menu (GEM). This guide starts from a working M.I.B. setup.
- The prepared CarPlay installation archive (
install_*.zip) from the
Releases page.
Download it from the release’s Assets section. The Source code ZIP is not an installation package.
| Region |
Supported MMI software versions |
| US — North America |
MHI2Q_US_AUG22_P5087, MHI2Q_US_AUG22_P5145 |
| ER — Europe / rest of world |
MHI2Q_ER_AUG22_P5092, MHI2Q_ER_AUG22_P5152 |
| JP — Japan |
MHI2Q_JP_AUG22_P1017 |
| CN — China |
MHI2Q_CN_AUG22_K1004 |
Sound system: 5.1 sound and UpMix are supported on all external amplifiers used with these
MHI2Q systems, including B&O and Bose. Cars using the MMI’s built-in amplifier keep normal
stereo sound; the map, calls and other cluster features are still available.
Other CarPlay mods: uninstall any other CarPlay mods using their own uninstallers before
proceeding. Conflicting mods can cause malfunctions or brick the MMI.
Install with M.I.B.
If you have not set up M.I.B. yet, follow the instructions in the
M.I.B. GitHub repository first.
-
Unzip the installation package on your computer.
Open the install_MoreIncredibleBash folder inside it.
-
Copy its mod folder to your M.I.B. SD card.
Put it at the top level of the card, alongside the existing apps and esd folders.
Merge the folders and replace matching files if asked. Keep all files inside carplay together.
M.I.B. SD card/
├── apps/ <- already on the card
├── esd/ <- already on the card
└── mod/
├── custom.sh
├── command.sh
└── carplay/ <- copy this folder with all its contents
Check that custom.sh is directly inside mod. Do not put the outer
install_MoreIncredibleBash folder on the card.
-
Disconnect your iPhone and insert the card into SD1.
CarPlay must be disconnected while the installer runs.
-
Open the Green Engineering Menu and run the installer.
Find the button combination for your car in the
M.I.B. menu and reboot shortcuts.
Select m.i.b. → Advanced Settings → Run Custom Script.
On M.I.B. V3.7.1 and older, the same option is called Run individual script.
-
Wait for the completion message.
The installer checks the files and saves backups before replacing system files.
At the end, it spends another 20 seconds saving changes. Wait until you see:
DONE (install). Reboot the HU to load.
Here, HU means the MMI head unit. Do not restart it or remove the card while the
installer is still running. If it reports a failure, record the message and resolve it
before continuing.
-
Restart the MMI with the iPhone still disconnected.
Use the Reboot combination for your car in the
same shortcut table.
Once the MMI has fully started,
reconnect your iPhone.
Check that it works
Open CarPlay and Apple Maps, then check the map in the Virtual Cockpit. Start a route to check
the turn arrows and lane guidance. You can also check album art on the media tab and calls on
the phone tab.
To adjust the map, route guidance or audio, see CarPlay settings.
Uninstall
- Disconnect your iPhone.
- Open
uninstall_MoreIncredibleBash from the installation archive. Copy its mod folder
to the top level of the M.I.B. SD card, replacing custom.sh and command.sh.
- Insert the card into SD1 and run m.i.b. → Advanced Settings → Run Custom Script
(or Run individual script) in the Green Engineering Menu.
- Wait for the saving step to finish and for
DONE (uninstall). Reboot the HU. to appear.
- Restart the MMI.
The uninstaller restores the saved system files and removes the files added by this mod.
M.I.B.'s conflicting NavActiveIgnore add-on is removed during installation and is not restored
by uninstalling. See the installer details.
🎯 Features
🗺️ Maps and directions behind the steering wheel
- CarPlay map in the Virtual Cockpit. See the map even when no route is active.
Classic, Sport and expanded map views are supported where available on your cluster.
Press VIEW to change the layout; use the steering-wheel map zoom roller to zoom in or out.
- Turn-by-turn directions. See 3D turn arrows, roundabout exits, the distance to the next
turn and recommended lanes beside the map. The distance bar fills as you approach the turn.
- Road names and arrival time. Long road names scroll. Press OK on the left
steering-wheel roller to switch between road information and arrival time / time remaining.
- Head-up display. If your car has a HUD, turn arrows, lane guidance and distance also
appear on the windshield.
- Album art. The Virtual Cockpit media tab shows the cover of the music playing in CarPlay.
What appears depends on the navigation app and the information it sends. Apps that provide
route guidance let the car draw its own turn arrows and lane guidance. Other apps may show
their own directions inside the map instead. Waze does not provide native cluster/HUD guidance
in the versions examined by this project; do not assume every app supports every feature.
See navigation app support.
The map requests up to 30 fps for smoother movement. The actual rate depends on the iPhone,
app and connection; a steady 30 fps on the car has not yet been confirmed.
Technical details.
🔊 5.1 surround sound and UpMix
These features work with external amplifiers, including B&O and Bose:
- Spatial Audio. Supported Apple Music Spatial Audio / Dolby Atmos tracks play in 5.1,
with separate front, centre, rear and bass channels.
- UpMix for ordinary music. Expands stereo music from apps such as Spotify and YouTube Music
into surround sound. Vocals stay focused at the front, while instruments and ambience can
extend behind you. Choose Off, Normal or Intense in CarPlay settings.
- Normal voice audio. Calls, Siri and navigation prompts keep their normal voice playback.
Cars with the MMI’s built-in amplifier keep stereo audio, and the surround options are hidden
automatically. There is no amplifier type to select during installation.
On supported B&O systems, the Sound effects menu also offers a Surround On/Off switch
and AudioPilot road-noise compensation. Amplifier sound controls differ between systems;
B&O’s surround bypass does not behave the same way on Bose.
See audio documentation for the audio processing and
amplifier comparison for compatibility details.
📞 Calls and everyday controls
- Calls on the Virtual Cockpit phone tab. See the caller’s name and number, call status,
timer, recent calls and favourites. Answer, reject or end calls from the steering wheel;
hold, mute, call waiting and keypad dialling are also available. Caller photos are not available.
- MMI touchpad navigation. Swipe to move the selection through CarPlay lists and buttons.
Faster swipes move further.
- Siri with a short press. Press the steering-wheel voice button briefly to open Siri
while CarPlay is connected. A long press still works.
- Parking sensors beside CarPlay. The parking sensor display can appear alongside CarPlay
instead of covering the whole screen.
- Car information for the iPhone. Sends wheel speed, remaining fuel range, outside temperature
and the low-fuel warning for apps that use them.
- Improved USB reconnection. Includes fixes for CarPlay failing to reconnect after the
iPhone is unplugged and plugged back in.
⚙️ CarPlay settings
You can open these settings at any time, even when CarPlay is disconnected.
Go to Main Menu → Settings → Connection manager, highlight Audi smartphone interface,
push the rotary knob to the right, and select CarPlay settings.
| Setting |
What it does |
When it takes effect |
| Spatial Audio — On / Off |
Enables 5.1 sound in supported apps. External amplifier required. |
Reconnect the iPhone |
| UpMix — Off / Normal / Intense |
Sets how much surround sound is added to stereo music. External amplifier required. |
Immediately |
| Maps on Cluster — On / Off |
Shows or hides the CarPlay map in the Virtual Cockpit. |
Reconnect the iPhone |
| Maneuver Cards Position — Left / Center / Right |
Places the phone’s turn cards and arrival time on the map. |
Reconnect the iPhone |
| Route Guidance — On / Off |
Shows or hides the car’s 3D turn arrows in the Virtual Cockpit and HUD. |
Immediately |
| Map Cards during Guidance — Hidden / Shown |
Hides the phone’s turn cards while the car shows its own guidance, or keeps both visible. |
Immediately |
| Guidance Maneuver Preview — Always next maneuver / Follow road when far |
Shows the next turn early, or a straight-ahead arrow until you get closer. |
Immediately |
📝 Troubleshooting and logs
If something goes wrong, include your full MMI software version, iPhone model, iOS version,
navigation or music app, and the steps that caused the problem. For a wrong turn arrow,
include what you expected to see and when it happened.
You can collect diagnostic logs with M.I.B.; no terminal connection is needed:
- Copy the
mod folder from logging_MoreIncredibleBash in this repository to the top level
of your M.I.B. SD card, replacing the previous scripts.
- Run it from the same Green Engineering Menu option used for installation.
This saves the current logs and turns on more detailed logging.
- Reconnect the iPhone and reproduce the problem.
- Run the logging script again before restarting the MMI. Restarting clears the session logs.
- Attach the newest numbered folder inside
carplay_logs on the SD card to your bug report.
For log files, SSH commands and diagnostic details, see
log collection and
logging options.
🔧 Build from source
To compile your own installation package, start with the Build System
guide. For package contents and manual installation over SSH, see
Deploy and Release.
📚 Technical documentation
The guides in docs/ cover implementation, reverse engineering, test results
and development work. Use the full topic index or start here:
Before changing the code, read known pitfalls.
🤝 Help wanted
Bug reports, fixes, documentation improvements and test reports from other cars are welcome.
Please include your MMI software version and sound system, and describe what worked or failed.
The log collection steps help us investigate problems.
📄 License
GNU General Public License v3.0 or later (LICENSE): use, change and share it, also
commercially, as long as the source of what you distribute stays open under the same license and
the copyright notices stay in place. Stock firmware files, jars, fonts and other third-party
material in the repository keep their owners’ terms; NOTICE lists them.
🔗 References
Thanks for the prior work and knowledge that helped figure this out:
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