Does TopCarPlay work if I only have one USB port?

It uses the same port, so the adapter takes over that USB and you won’t have it free for charging. That’s just how it goes with a single port setup.

In my car I ended up plugging the adapter in and just charging my phone from a 12V socket adapter when I need to. Not as clean but it works. If your car only has that one USB, you can’t really have both the adapter and a charging cable in it at the same time.

Some people say wireless charging pads solve it but my car doesn’t have one so I can’t speak to that. The adapter itself doesn’t pass through charging to the phone as far as I know.

I disagree that losing charging is just how it goes. Plenty of cars with a single USB port still have a 12V socket or a hidden USB somewhere else in the console, so people just run a separate charger from that and keep the adapter plugged into the CarPlay port. The adapter only needs the data port, it doesn’t care if your phone is drawing power from somewhere else at the same time. Mine’s been set up that way for a few months and both work fine together. If your car truly has only the one port and nothing else, then yeah you’re stuck, but that’s less common than people assume. Worth checking around the console and glovebox before writing off charging completely.

You can get a cheap USB splitter if you really need both, but I’ve heard those can sometimes cause connection issues with these adapters. Mine just stays plugged in and I charge my phone at home or work mostly.

If it were me, I would just plug the adapter in and not worry about charging from that port. I usually charge my phone before I leave or plug it into the 12V socket if I really need juice on a long drive. The wireless thing is the whole point, so having the phone plugged in kind of defeats it anyway.

I use one of these adapters in a car with just a single USB port too. The adapter itself doesn’t really need charging, it just pulls power from that same port, so it stays in there permanently and you forget about it. As for charging your phone, I’ve just gotten used to topping up before I drive or using a power bank in the glovebox if I really need it. Honestly I don’t miss plugging in at all, the wireless thing is way more convenient than I expected. My personal preference is keeping that port free of cables hanging around, so the trade off is fine by me. If you absolutely need to charge while driving you’ll have to find another power source somewhere, but for normal daily stuff I don’t think you’ll notice the loss much.

Depends on the car. On mine, the port still puts out power while the adapter’s running, so I just plug the phone into the same port with a second cable. It charges slower but it charges. That’s the whole setup, nothing fancy.

Mine actually has two ports, but the adapter only needs one, so I just use the other one for charging. If I only had a single port I’d probably grab a cheap USB splitter and see if that works, though I’ve heard some cars don’t like that. Worth checking your manual first.

My setup is the same and I just charge from a little 12v plug I had lying around, works fine while the adapter stays put in the USB. The wireless thing was the whole point for me, so losing the cable wasn’t a dealbreaker. Adapter’s been solid for a few months now.