Insane Audio’s JL3001 is by far the most advanced head unit ever built and we do just about everything. Bluetooth. Connecting to your hotspot. Downloading apps. Android Auto. Wired Apple CarPlay and even Wireless Apple CarPlay. Insane Audio’s JL3001 is now shipping with both Wired Apple CarPlay as well as Wireless Apple CarPlay built in. But if you were one of the lucky ones to get your hands on one of the first super awesome Insane Audio JL3001’s (before anyone else, but also before we officially released Wireless CarPlay) then this post will step you through how to update your unit to add this feature.
But before we begin, we always want to remind customers that using things like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto are nowhere near as powerful as actually downloading and installing apps directly on your Insane Audio head unit. So instead of running a very small number of “CarPlay approved” apps from your phone, with Insane Audio’s JL3001 you can run just about any app that you’d like. So, we always like to encourage customers to turn on your phones hotspot and experiment with downloading apps directly. We want you to get the most out of your Insane Audio head unit and with our technology, you can do everything from watching videos through YouTube to satellite imagery through Google Earth. If you need some ideas, check out the Creative Uses section of the Insane Audio forum right here – https://insaneaudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=7
Then, we need to add yet another disclaimer. Wireless Apple Carplay requires your iPhone to connect to both Bluetooth and WiFi. This is how Wireless CarPlay works on all devices. So it is important to note that you will be unable to use your iPhones hotspot while also connected to wireless CarPlay. In our opinion, this is a huge disadvantage and even if you want to use CarPlay, then we believe that wired CarPlay is a much better option because 1). You can still use your hotspot and tab between CarPlay (via zLink) and our native interface while being fully connected and 2). Your phone will also be getting charged at the same time. For more information on the nuances of CarPlay and how it works, check out this post - viewtopic.php?f=33&t=4437
Lastly, we want to point out that this update is not necessary unless you really want or need wireless Apple CarPlay. This update is a little tricky as it involves flashing your JL3001’s bluetooth chip. You can continue to apply future software updates from Insane Audio and take advantage of all the cool features we will continue to add without ever having to go through these steps. But we get it. You are an Apple fanboy. You want wireless CarPlay. Insane Audio promised wireless CarPlay and gosh darn it you want it so let’s get down to it already!
Now on to the bad news. This update is going to be a bit more complex than our normal software updates because we need to flash the bluetooth chip from a 3rd party device. That, and you are going to need to borrow an android phone. Yep. That’s right. Sorry to our die hard Apple fans. We understand the irony here – in order to get wireless Apple CarPlay, you first need an android phone. But the process should only take a few minutes so hopefully you can borrow a friends phone and you won’t have to touch that dirty android device for too long.
In order to apply this update, you first need to be on Insane Audio’s JL3001 firmware version 1.2 or newer. Here is a link - viewtopic.php?f=32&t=4440
If you are already on build 20200325 or newer and did NOT apply v1.2 yourself, then you ALREADY have wireless CarPlay and do not need to apply this update!
OK. On to the fun….
- First, you’ll need to borrow a friend’s android phone. Check it out. Play around with it. It’s just like an iPhone only much smarter.
- On the device, you’ll first need to temporarily change the screen timeout to whatever the longest setting is (30min on most devices). You’ll find that under settings -> display -> screen timeout
- On the android device, you can go straight here – https://www.insaneaudio.com/JL3001_UPDA ... ssCarPlay/
- Download and install Gaia_v3_2_9.apk
- You should also download KSP0720.03.25-15.bin and save it somewhere on your phone
- On your JL3001, turn on Bluetooth and make sure NO other devices are connected. This is important.
- Launch GAIA control on your android device
- Select JL3001 bluetooth then click Connect BR/EDR
- Allow the pairing request
- After everything is paired successfully, you can click on UPGRADE
- You’ll need to tell the tool where you saved that KSP0720.03.25-15.bin file. Select it and click Start Upgrade
- This should take about 4-6 minutes. Please make sure your device stays on while the process completes.
- At the end, you’ll get a pop up window asking if you’d like to proceed. Click on continue.
- After everything is done, you’ll get one final Data Commit popup box. Click continue.
- Finally, you’ll get an Upgrade complete message. Click on OK.
As always, if you need assistance you can reach our support staff at www.insaneaudio.com/support