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Connect your phone to your Brummstadt unit

Video, 9:44. Four steps, each one also written out below.

In this video

  1. Intro
  2. Connect wirelessly
  3. Cable and two phones
  4. Online and back
  5. Quick fixes
  6. Recap
Speed

By the end, your phone connects by itself every time you start the car.

Time
A few minutes, parked, handbrake on, ignition on.
Have ready
Your phone, unlocked, and a data cable for part two.
Screens can look different
Not every Brummstadt unit looks the same, so go by the names, like ZLINK, Settings and Bluetooth.
How to watch
Watch the video once, then start again and follow along.

Step by step

The same steps as the video. Each one plays from its own spot.

Connect wirelessly

Play from 0:57

ZLINK, the app on your Brummstadt unit, does the connecting. CarPlay and Android Auto are already in your phone: nothing to download.

How do I connect my phone wirelessly?

  1. Ignition on, and find ZLINK on your unit. Go by the name, because not every Brummstadt unit looks the same.
  2. On your phone, switch Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on. On an iPhone, keep Siri on too.
  3. Open ZLINK on the unit. It's waiting for your phone.
  4. Open Bluetooth on your phone and pick your unit's name from the list. If your phone asks for a code, use the one your unit shows.
  5. When your phone asks to use CarPlay, say yes. Then give it a few seconds.
  6. The unit says Bluetooth has been turned off? That's normal. Your phone meets the unit over Bluetooth, then ZLINK builds its own Wi-Fi link, and Bluetooth steps aside.
  7. On an Android phone the steps are the same. If you see Welcome to Android Auto, tap Continue.

Sits on Connecting?

Play from 2:23
  1. Switch Bluetooth off on your phone, then back on, and try again.

Connect by itself every time

Play from 2:35
  1. Once you are in, tap the gear in ZLINK. With Background Connection on, your phone links up by itself every time you start.
  2. Set Driver Position to right, so the CarPlay bar sits on your side.

Cable and two phones

Play from 3:07

How do I connect with a cable?

  1. Switch Bluetooth off on your phone first, so the cable does the linking.
  2. A mistake a lot of people make: a cable that only charges. The phone fills up, but CarPlay and Android Auto never start.
  3. The plugs can look the same. Use the cable from your phone's box, or one that says data or sync on the pack.
  4. Test it at home first. Unlock your phone and plug it into a computer. An iPhone may ask Trust This Computer. An Android phone offers file transfer. Either way, the phone shows up on the computer. Nothing shows up? Try another cable, or another port on the computer.
  5. Plug your tested cable into your Brummstadt unit's USB lead, then into your phone, and open ZLINK. If your phone asks to trust the unit, say yes.
  6. Charging: don't count on it. The unit's USB is made for the connection. A small charger in the 12 V socket keeps your phone topped up.
  7. It charges but CarPlay doesn't come up? Swap the cable first, then try the unit's other USB lead. If the cable works every time and wireless doesn't, you know it's the wireless link.
  8. Wireless suits most drivers: get in and go. A tested data cable is your steady backup.

Two phones, or a new phone?

Play from 5:21
  1. Your Brummstadt unit connects to the phone it used last. To swap, switch Bluetooth off on the phone that's connected, then connect the other one.
  2. Got a new phone? Remove the old one from both Bluetooth lists, then do part one again.

Online and back

Play from 6:00

Your phone apps use your phone's internet. But apps on the unit itself, like the App Store or an update, need the unit online. The unit's one Wi-Fi is either your phone link or the internet: they take turns.

  1. Switch Bluetooth off on your phone. If CarPlay stays on the screen, tap Restart on the unit, and let the Brummstadt logo come up.
  2. Switch on your phone's hotspot, or use your home Wi-Fi if it reaches the car.
  3. On the unit, open Settings, Network and internet, then Wi-Fi. Tap your hotspot and enter its password.
  4. Hotspot not showing up? On an iPhone, stay on the Personal Hotspot screen while the unit looks, and turn on Maximise Compatibility.
  5. Now do your online jobs, like an update. Our update video shows every step.
  6. When you're done, switch the hotspot off, Bluetooth back on, and open ZLINK. Your phone comes back.

Quick fixes

Play from 7:27

If your phone ever doesn't connect, try these fixes, gentlest first, and test after each one.

  1. A fresh start. Forget the unit in your phone's Bluetooth. On an iPhone, also open Settings, General, CarPlay, tap your car, and choose Forget This Car. Remove your phone from the unit's list too, then do part one again.
  2. Tap Restart on your Brummstadt unit, and restart your phone too.
  3. Clear ZLINK's cache. In Settings, open Apps, then ZLINK, then Storage and cache, and tap Clear cache. Only the cache: the cache is old connection leftovers, and Clear storage wipes the app's saved settings.
  4. Check your phone. Keep it up to date, and on an iPhone, make sure CarPlay isn't switched off in Screen Time.
  5. Keep your unit and ZLINK updated online. Our update video shows every step.
  6. Last check: restart the unit once more, and watch your phone come back by itself.

Questions from customers

Real questions Brummstadt owners asked us, with the answer.

Bluetooth connects, but I can't get CarPlay to start.

Switch Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on on your phone (on an iPhone, keep Siri on too) and open ZLINK on the unit, so it's waiting for your phone. Then pick your unit's name in your phone's Bluetooth list and say yes when your phone asks to use CarPlay. When the unit says Bluetooth has been turned off, that's normal: ZLINK has built its own Wi-Fi link.

See it in the video at 1:14

It just keeps saying Connecting.

Switch Bluetooth off on your phone, then back on, and try again. Still stuck? Work down the quick fixes, gentlest first, and test after each one.

See it in the video at 2:23

Do I have to reconnect every time I start the car?

No. Tap the gear in ZLINK and switch Background Connection on: your phone links up by itself every time you start. While you are there, set Driver Position to right, so the CarPlay bar sits on your side.

See it in the video at 2:35

The phone charges on the cable, but CarPlay or Android Auto never comes up.

That's often a cable that only charges. Use the cable from your phone's box, or one that says data or sync on the pack, and test it on a computer first: the phone shows up on the computer. Then swap the cable, or try the unit's other USB lead.

See it in the video at 3:21

Does the unit charge my phone?

Don't count on it. The unit's USB is made for the connection. A small charger in the 12 V socket keeps your phone topped up.

See it in the video at 4:40

Two of us drive the car, and my phone won't connect when the other phone is in the car.

Your Brummstadt unit connects to the phone it used last. Switch Bluetooth off on the phone that's connected, then connect the other one.

See it in the video at 5:21

I've got a new phone and it won't connect.

Remove the old phone from both Bluetooth lists, your phone's and the unit's, then do part one again.

See it in the video at 5:52

Why can't the unit get online while CarPlay is connected?

The unit's one Wi-Fi is either your phone link or the internet: they take turns. Switch Bluetooth off on your phone, then join your hotspot or home Wi-Fi in the unit's Wi-Fi settings. When you're done, switch the hotspot off, Bluetooth back on, and open ZLINK.

See it in the video at 6:04

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Full transcript
  1. Jess: How do I get CarPlay or Android Auto on here? Wireless or cable? And if it won't connect?
  2. Liam: ZLINK, the app on your Brummstadt unit, does the connecting.
  3. Liam: CarPlay and Android Auto are already in your phone. Nothing to download.
  4. Liam: The unit's one Wi-Fi is either your phone link or the internet. They take turns.
  5. Liam: By the end, your phone connects by itself. Coming up: connect wirelessly, cable and two phones, online and back, and quick fixes.
  6. Liam: Have your phone, unlocked, and a data cable ready, handbrake on. We'll check your cable in part two. It takes a few minutes. Watch once, then follow along.
  7. Liam: Part one. Ignition on, and find ZLINK on your unit. Go by the name, because not every Brummstadt unit looks the same.
  8. Jess: Found it.
  9. Liam: On your phone, switch Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on. On an iPhone, keep Siri on too. Then open ZLINK on the unit. It's waiting for your phone.
  10. Liam: Now open Bluetooth on your phone, and pick your unit's name from the list. If your phone asks for a code, use the one your unit shows.
  11. Liam: When your phone asks to use CarPlay, say yes. Then give it a few seconds.
  12. Jess: The unit says Bluetooth's been turned off.
  13. Liam: That's normal. Your phone meets the unit over Bluetooth, then ZLINK builds its own Wi-Fi link, and Bluetooth steps aside.
  14. Jess: There it is! Maps, calls, my music.
  15. Liam: That's CarPlay. On an Android phone, the steps are the same, and if you see Welcome to Android Auto, tap Continue.
  16. Jess: And if it just sits on Connecting?
  17. Liam: Switch Bluetooth off on your phone, then back on, and try again.
  18. Liam: Once you're in, tap the gear in ZLINK. With Background Connection on, your phone links up by itself every time you start. Set Driver Position to right, so the CarPlay bar sits on your side.
  19. Jess: So on the school run, it just connects?
  20. Liam: Imagine Monday morning. You start the car, and your maps and music are just there.
  21. Liam: Part two. Prefer a cable? Switch Bluetooth off on your phone first, so the cable does the linking.
  22. Liam: Now, a mistake a lot of people make: a cable that only charges. The phone fills up, but CarPlay and Android Auto never start.
  23. Jess: So which cable do I use?
  24. Liam: The plugs can look the same. Use the cable from your phone's box, or one that says data or sync on the pack.
  25. Liam: Test it at home first. Unlock your phone and plug it into a computer. An iPhone may ask Trust This Computer. An Android phone offers file transfer. Either way, the phone shows up on the computer.
  26. Liam: Nothing shows up? Try another cable, or another port on the computer.
  27. Liam: Now plug your tested cable into your Brummstadt unit's USB lead, then into your phone, and open ZLINK.
  28. Liam: If your phone asks to trust the unit, say yes.
  29. Jess: Does the unit charge my phone?
  30. Liam: Don't count on it. The unit's USB is made for the connection. A small charger in the twelve volt socket keeps your phone topped up.
  31. Jess: And if CarPlay doesn't come up?
  32. Liam: If it charges but CarPlay doesn't come up, swap the cable first, then try the unit's other USB lead. If the cable works every time and wireless doesn't, you know it's the wireless link.
  33. Liam: Wireless suits most drivers: get in and go. A tested data cable is your steady backup.
  34. Jess: And if we both drive the ute?
  35. Liam: Your Brummstadt unit connects to the phone it used last. So to swap, switch Bluetooth off on the phone that's connected, then connect the other one.
  36. Liam: Got a new phone? Remove the old one from both Bluetooth lists, then do part one again.
  37. Liam: Part three. Your phone apps use your phone's internet. But apps on the unit itself, like the App Store or an update, need the unit online.
  38. Jess: And the unit's one Wi-Fi is busy with my phone.
  39. Liam: Exactly, they take turns. So first, switch Bluetooth off on your phone. If CarPlay stays on the screen, tap Restart on the unit, and let the Brummstadt logo come up.
  40. Liam: Then switch on your phone's hotspot. Or use your home Wi-Fi, if it reaches the car.
  41. Liam: On the unit, open Settings, Network and internet, then Wi-Fi. Tap your hotspot, and enter its password.
  42. Jess: Mine's not showing up.
  43. Liam: On an iPhone, stay on the Personal Hotspot screen while the unit looks, and turn on Maximise Compatibility.
  44. Jess: There. Connected.
  45. Liam: Now do your online jobs, like an update. When you're done, switch the hotspot off, Bluetooth back on, and open ZLINK. Your phone comes back.
  46. Liam: Part four. If your phone ever doesn't connect, try these fixes, gentlest first, and test after each one.
  47. Liam: One. A fresh start. Forget the unit in your phone's Bluetooth. On an iPhone, also open Settings, General, CarPlay, tap your car, and choose Forget This Car. Remove your phone from the unit's list too, then do part one again.
  48. Liam: Two. Tap Restart on your Brummstadt unit, and restart your phone too.
  49. Liam: Three. Clear ZLINK's cache. In Settings, open Apps, then ZLINK, then Storage and cache, and tap Clear cache.
  50. Jess: Not Clear storage?
  51. Liam: Right, only the cache. The cache is old connection leftovers. Clear storage wipes the app's saved settings.
  52. Liam: Four. Check your phone. Keep it up to date, and on an iPhone, make sure CarPlay isn't switched off in Screen Time.
  53. Liam: And five. Keep your unit and ZLINK updated online. Our update film shows every step.
  54. Liam: Last check. Restart the unit once more, and watch your phone come back by itself.
  55. Jess: There it is. Maps up, music on.
  56. Liam: That's it. Connect wirelessly, cable and two phones, online and back, and quick fixes.
  57. Liam: Still got a question? Ask your installer, or best of all, us at Brummstadt. We sell these units and work with them every day.
  58. Liam: Enjoy the drive, and if there's anything else for your car, come back to us at Brummstadt anytime.

Still got a question? Ask your installer, or best of all, ask us at Brummstadt. We sell these units and work with them every day.