TopCarPlay and phone battery drain – anyone notice anything?

Yep, that’s totally normal. When you were using wired CarPlay, your phone was plugged in and charging the whole time, so battery life was never really an issue. With TopCarPlay, the phone isn’t getting any power from the car, so you’re naturally going to see the battery percentage drop during longer drives. Nothing to worry about.

I haven’t really paid close attention to my battery since I got the adapter, but mine seems to hold up fine for short trips around town. I do keep a cable in the car just in case though.

I haven’t really looked into it too much but I figure it’s probably normal since the phone is doing more work wirelessly. Mine seems fine for my commute but I could see it being more noticeable on longer drives. I’d probably just keep a charger in the car if it bothered me.

Mine does the same thing if I’m on a long drive, but honestly I barely notice it on shorter trips. Wireless is just gonna use more juice than a cable, that’s how it works.

I guess it depends on the phone and how long you’re driving. I mostly use mine for shorter errands so I haven’t really noticed a big difference, but I can see it adding up on a longer trip.

I haven’t really paid close attention to battery drain myself, but it makes sense since wireless is just doing more in the background. I mostly use mine for short hops around town, so I haven’t noticed anything drastic. Long drives might be a different story though, I guess that’s when you’d really feel it.

I just keep a charger in the car, so it never really bothers me either way. The wireless part is convenient enough that I don’t mind plugging in if I need a top up.

Mine doesn’t seem any worse than when I used a cable, honestly. Wireless is always going to use a bit more juice, but it’s not something I’ve ever had to think about during my commute. I’d say don’t worry about it unless you’re seeing something really drastic.