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Curious, since it's plug and play, how is it activated? Is it like the mirroring feature that you have to download their firmware and upload to the car via USB thumb drive?
Curious, since it's plug and play, how is it activated? Is it like the mirroring feature that you have to download their firmware and upload to the car via USB thumb drive?
I doubt if any modification is made to the car software because Lexus could block it if they chose to. My guess is it works like this:
They take one USB port in the center console and disconnect it from the car and instead connect it to their own embedded system, which implements a CarPlay certified device.
This embedded system then connects to the Remote Touch harness and the video input on the screen.
When an iPhone is plugged in, the embedded system interrupts the cars Remote Touch controller and video, sending the CarPlay video and messages instead. The car doesn't know anything has changed, it just thinks nothing is happening.