How to Connect GPS to Car Stereo | Get Nav Audio Through Your Speakers

Your phone already has GPS. The problem is hearing the turn-by-turn directions over your car’s audio, and you want those prompts coming through the stereo instead of a tiny phone speaker. If you are researching how to connect GPS to car stereo, the best route is a stereo with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Both systems are designed to show maps on the car display and push the navigation audio through the vehicle’s sound system.

There is a catch, though: your stereo has to support one of those phone-projection systems. If yours doesn’t, a simple AUX cable or FM transmitter still gets the job done. Below are the exact steps for each method.

Connecting GPS With Apple CarPlay

Apple CarPlay is the cleanest way to run GPS on your car stereo, but it works only if your vehicle or head unit supports it. Apple says to confirm both country/region support and vehicle compatibility before setting it up.

Wired CarPlay setup:

• Start the car and make sure Siri is on.
• Plug the iPhone into the car’s USB port using an Apple Lightning to USB cable.
• The car’s USB port may be labeled with a CarPlay icon or a smartphone icon.

Wireless CarPlay setup:

• Put the stereo in wireless or Bluetooth pairing mode.
• Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the iPhone.
• Tap the CarPlay network when it appears, and keep Auto-Join on.
• Select your car in Settings > General > CarPlay.

Once connected, Apple Maps, Google Maps, or Waze can run on the car’s screen, and the spoken prompts come out of your car speakers.

Connecting GPS With Android Auto

Android Auto follows the same idea. Google says it works with over 500 car models, plus many aftermarket stereos. Google’s compatibility page specifically names aftermarket wireless support on stereos from JVC, Kenwood, and Pioneer.

Wired Android Auto setup:

• Confirm the car or aftermarket stereo is compatible.
• Plug the phone in with a high-quality USB cable. Google stresses this because cheap, charge-only cables fail to connect.
• Follow the on-screen prompts to authorize the connection.

Wireless Android Auto setup: the car or stereo must support wireless Android Auto. You pair the phone over Bluetooth during setup; after that, the connection may auto-start each time you get in the car.

Production tip: if wired connection fails, the cable is the first suspect. Try a different high-quality USB cable before troubleshooting anything else.

CarPlay and Android Auto Compatibility at a Glance

Alternatives When the Stereo Has No CarPlay or Android Auto

If your stereo is older, you can still get GPS audio through the speakers with a basic connection. These methods skip the car display, so you will watch the map on your phone and hear directions through the car.

• AUX cable: connect a 3.5 mm cable from the phone or GPS device’s headphone jack to the stereo’s AUX input, then switch the stereo to AUX mode.
• FM transmitter: the phone or GPS device sends audio over an FM frequency; tune the car radio to the same channel to hear the prompts.
• Bluetooth audio: pair the phone and stereo as a standard audio device, then select Bluetooth as the stereo’s source.

Each route works, but they share one catch: navigation prompts often interrupt music with a loud tone, and FM transmitters can pick up static in crowded radio bands. If you are shopping for a stereo that handles GPS audio cleanly, a unit with CarPlay or Android Auto is the better investment. Our tested roundup of car stereos with built-in GPS and backup camera support compares models that skip the AUX-cable workaround entirely.

Before buying anything, check your phone’s compatibility. Apple says to consult the car manual for vehicle-specific CarPlay setup details, and both Apple and Google emphasize confirming compatibility before you assume a wireless connection will work.