[Riley1]

I’ve been using my TopCarPlay for a couple weeks now and it works fine for the most part, but I feel like my phone battery drops a bit faster when I’m using wireless CarPlay compared to when I used to plug it in. Could just be in my head though. Anyone else notice that or is it just me?

[Mike in TX]

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.

[Sam Reads]

Honestly, if the battery drop bothers you, just plug the phone in.

[Lopeza]

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.

[S4r4 Hernández]

Huh, I haven’t really noticed that on mine. Maybe it depends on the phone or how long your drive is? I mostly do short trips and it seems fine.

[EnderWizard]

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.

[L_Parker]

It’s probably just the wifi and bluetooth running at the same time, that’s gonna use more power than a cable. I wouldn’t overthink it.

[Pete Tilbrook]

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.

[Mar__kus]

I’d guess it’s just the wireless part using more power, not really a defect. Mine seems to drain a bit on longer drives, but for daily errands I barely notice. I just toss it on the charger if I’m going far and don’t sweat it.

[Luna]

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.

[Luna Bee]

Hmm, I was actually thinking about getting one of these, so this is good to know. I guess it makes sense though, since it’s basically streaming everything over wifi instead of just passing data through a cable.

[MeryVip]

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.

[HarrY]

Honestly, it’s probably just the wireless part burning a bit more power. Not exactly shocking.

[Jade Writes]

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.

[Riley1]

Kinda figured it was just the wireless thing doing its thing. I noticed it too but honestly it’s not bad enough for me to go back to plugging in. The convenience wins out for me.

[Alex Reed]

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.

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