Ottocast OttoScreen AI review: an 11.4-inch wireless CarPlay screen for older cars

An easy way to put wireless CarPlay and Android Auto in an older car, if you can find a spot on the dash that stays out of the sun and out of your view.

• Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto in cars that have neither
• Wide 11.4-inch, 1920 x 720 screen with room for split-screen maps and media
• Runs hot on the dash in direct sun
• No steering wheel button integration, and track skips through CarPlay can lag

Check price on Amazon

The Ottocast OttoScreen AI is an 11.4-inch touchscreen that sticks to the top of your dashboard and gives a car with no CarPlay or Android Auto both of them, wirelessly. It also runs its own copy of Android 15 with the Google Play Store, so it can run YouTube, Spotify or Waze without a phone projecting to it. It plugs into the 12V socket for power and sends audio to your car speakers over Bluetooth, an AUX cable or a built-in FM transmitter. The factory stereo stays where it is.

The OttoScreen AI running wireless CarPlay on its dash stand. Image: Ottocast.

Pros and cons

Quick specs

Mounting, power and heat

The screen comes on a stand with a 3M adhesive pad, and the basic install is short. Stick the stand to a flat part of the dash, plug the power lead into the 12V socket, and run the AUX cable to your car's AUX input if it has one. Techaeris says it reconnects to the phone on its own when you start the car. One Amazon buyer with a 2014 Honda Odyssey found that pulling the power and plugging it back in brings the screen straight back to where it was, with no reboot.

Ottocast's photo of the kit: box, screen, dash stand, AUX cable, 12V adapter and manual. The Amazon kit also lists the 1080p backup camera. Image: Ottocast.

Pick the spot before you peel the adhesive. Techaeris describes the unit as nearly a foot wide, and on a smaller dash it can cover climate vents or cut into your view of the road. Techaeris also found the bundled bracket a little budget-grade for a screen this size. Ottocast sells a suction-cup windshield mount for the OttoScreen AI separately, and third-party mounts for CD slots and vents are easy to find.

Placement also decides how hot the screen gets. The OttoScreen AI has no fan and cools through vents on the back. Techaeris found it got hot to the touch sitting under the windshield on a hot day, and moved it down to a CD-slot mount, which also cleared the view. The Amazon listing doesn't give an operating temperature range. If you park in the sun, plan on taking the screen down or keeping a sunshade up.

The included 1080p backup camera is the only part that needs real wiring. It is hardwired, so a cable runs from the back of the car to the screen, and Techaeris had to tap the reverse lamp so the camera switches on in reverse. If you haven't tapped a lamp circuit before, a car audio shop can do it. You can also leave the camera in the box.

CarPlay and Android Auto

Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto are the main reasons to buy this. Techaeris used both in a 2010 Ford and called the connection fluid and responsive, with some lag between the phone and the screen that it didn't find bad enough to spoil the experience.

The screen has no link to your steering wheel buttons. Techaeris could still skip tracks and change volume through CarPlay and Android Auto, but with significant delay. The Odyssey owner on Amazon saw about three seconds of delay playing Spotify or YouTube through CarPlay from an iPhone, and didn't see it on his wife's Samsung phone.

Ottocast's Audio Mixing feature is supposed to keep Bluetooth music playing while CarPlay navigation speaks over it. The Dutch site CooleSuggesties had the opposite problem: Spotify sometimes came back before the navigation prompt had finished, so they missed part of the directions. If you rely on turn-by-turn voice, test it on a route you know during the return window.

Android 15, Google Play and Gemini

Outside of CarPlay and Android Auto, the OttoScreen AI works as a standalone Android tablet. You can install apps from Google Play, and split-screen lets you keep a map on one side while the other side runs a music app or video. The FAQ on Ottocast's product page positions it above its cheaper ScreenFlow screen, which uses a 4-core chip with 2 GB of RAM and Android 13 and has more limited split-screen.

Split-screen with Google Maps and YouTube Music running side by side. Image: Ottocast.

Ottocast doesn't list a cellular modem, so the native apps and the Gemini assistant need Wi-Fi. In a car that usually means your phone's hotspot. Techaeris had to switch the hotspot on every time it started the car, and ended up skipping the native apps entirely in favor of CarPlay and Android Auto. The Gemini assistant supports custom wake words for navigation, music and calls, according to Ottocast.

The Odyssey owner's preinstalled Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video apps stopped working after a week, and an over-the-air firmware update fixed them. Ottocast promises free OTA updates, so check for one before you assume an app is broken.

The driver can see everything on a dash screen, so keep video for when you're parked, like waiting at a charger or in a pickup line.

Screen, speaker and camera quality

The 11.4-inch, 1920 x 720 panel. Image: Ottocast.

The 1920 x 720 panel is very wide, and both Techaeris and Tech Times say maps and split-screen layouts benefit from the extra width. Brightness runs on a 1 to 100 slider. Techaeris found touch response fast and consistent. Amazon's listing describes the surface as anti-glare matte and readable through polarized sunglasses, but Techaeris and Tech Times both describe glossy glass that reflects direct sunlight. Tilt the screen to fight reflections, since the stand lets you adjust its vertical angle.

The built-in speaker is a fallback. Techaeris found it fine for navigation prompts and useless for music, and the Odyssey owner said it isn't very loud. AUX gives the best sound if your car has the jack. Bluetooth is the next choice if your stereo accepts Bluetooth audio. CooleSuggesties found the FM transmitter less clean than either.

The 1080p backup camera is waterproof, rotates for aiming and shows parking guidelines. Techaeris found the picture sharp in daylight, noisy after dark, and weak in very dark conditions.

OttoScreen AI or the 2nd Gen

Amazon now flags a newer OttoScreen AI (2nd Gen.) on this listing's page. Its title lists the same headline features: Android 15, Gemini, Google Play, a 1920 x 720 screen at 60 fps and a 1080p camera. The listing doesn't spell out what changed. Before you buy, check which generation the page shows and compare the two spec tables. CooleSuggesties also mentions a 64 GB storage version sold in Europe. The US listing linked here is 32 GB.

Buy it if

You drive an older car you plan to keep and the only thing you want from a new one is CarPlay or Android Auto. The OttoScreen AI gets you there without replacing the head unit or paying for an install, and you can move it to another car later. It also suits drivers whose car has an AUX jack or Bluetooth audio, since those give the best sound.

Families who wait in parked cars a lot get more out of the Android side, with video on one half of the screen and the map on the other.

Skip it if

Your dash has nowhere to put an 11.4-inch screen without blocking a vent or part of the windshield. A smaller portable CarPlay screen fits a tight dash better. If your car already has a factory screen with wired CarPlay, a wireless CarPlay adapter costs less and keeps the dash clear.

Look elsewhere too if your car sits in strong sun all day and you don't want to take the screen down, or if you want steering wheel controls that respond instantly. A replacement head unit is the only way to get full integration.

Verdict

The OttoScreen AI is a practical way to give an older car wireless CarPlay and Android Auto. The wide screen and multiple audio routes make it flexible, and the basic install takes minutes. The downsides are about living with an add-on: it gets hot in the sun, it needs a good mounting spot, CarPlay controls lag, and the Android apps need your hotspot. If you mostly want CarPlay or Android Auto on a big screen and can mount it out of direct sun, it does that job well.

Where to buy

Amazon lists Ottocast as the seller with fulfillment by Amazon and a 30-day return window. Use that window to test navigation audio and CarPlay lag with your own phone.