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The best in-car phone streaming devices 2025

• Stream high-quality audio from your smartphone
• Answer calls handsfree
• Give yourself more in-car audio variety

 

Written by Alex Boyd Published: 6 June 2025

There was a time when in-car entertainment systems consisted of nothing more than a radio and CD player. Today, with so many different apps and sources and with so much of our lives on our smartphones, it’s worth investigating in-car phone streaming devices.

If you would like to investigate more about this sometimes confusing subject, you can check out our music streaming guide, which gives a more in-depth explanation of in-car streaming.

Most, but not all, new cars will have state-of-the-art in-car entertainment systems ready to connect to the web, but what happens if you happen to have a vehicle that doesn’t? There are still many vehicles on the road today with radio and CD player combos, and although they might be rarer, radio and cassette combos. And just because you drive a classic shouldn’t mean that you are deprived of decent entertainment and information. Let’s face it – most of us now conduct a huge part of our lives via our smartphones, so it makes sense to be able to access all that entertainment potential from our cars.

The best in-car phone streaming devices 2025 at a glance

The best in-car phone streaming device
Anker Soundsync Bluetooth Receiver
Editor's pick
LENCENT FM Transmitter
Best for not requiring any charging
UGREEN Bluetooth Aux Adapter
Best for compact size
MaedHawk Bluetooth Aux Adapter

We’ve been looking around to find out what devices are available to bring the latest news, weather, traffic information, podcasts, and music into your car. No matter how old your car or in-car entertainment system is, you’re sure to find a solution here to stream phone audio in your car. If you’re interested in phone holders, have a look at our MagSafe car mount guide.

The best in-car phone streaming devices 2025

The best in-car phone streaming device
Price: $41.00
Alternative Retailers
Walmart
$29.95
The Anker Soundsync uses the latest Bluetooth technology to provide a reliable and stable connection between your phone and your car audio system. It has a dual pairing system which allows the connection of two Bluetooth devices simultaneously. A full charge takes about 2 hours and will give you up to 12 hours of battery time.

Pros

  • Small and easy to use, allowing for not much clutter in the cabin
  • Good quality materials and build quality
  • Good sound quality, which helps when calling someone

Cons

  • You’ll still need an AUX cable for it to work, which many cars don't have
Editor's pick
Price: $18.99
The Lencent FM transmitter simply plugs into your vehicle's 12V socket or cigar lighter and offers flexible listening and communication options. Once paired with your smartphone, you can select an FM frequency for it to broadcast on. Then, you simply tune your existing FM car radio to that frequency to enjoy music from your phone. It has 2 USB charging ports and has the facility to quickly and easily answer calls, hands-free.

Pros

  • No cables, which helps de-clutter your car's cabin
  • Can be detected by your car's FM radio, which is useful
  • Simple installation, thanks to only requiring a 12V socket

Cons

  • Can take a little time to find a completely free FM channel
Best for not requiring any charging
Price: $13.99
This looks like a simple cable, but it is a pretty clever way of installing Bluetooth in a car that doesn't have any. You simply plug in the USB and the Aux connecter to allow audio streaming and hands-free calls, and it will support two different handsets at the same time.

Pros

  • No charging needed, which eliminates charge anxiety
  • A simple and tidy solution which won't clutter your dashboard
  • Very simple to use, which many will prefer

Cons

  • Aux and USB sockets required, which some cars may not have
Best for compact size

Rrp: $19.99

Price: $14.59
Alternative Retailers
Walmart
$22.43
The compact MaedHawk Bluetooth Aux Adapter is a straightforward way to add Bluetooth streaming to your car. Its unobtrusive design sits in the Aux socket and, once paired with your smartphone, will provide facilities for streaming music and hands-free phone calling, thanks to the built-in microphone. It does require a 1.5-hour charge to reach full battery capacity, but this will give up to five hours of operation.

Pros

  • Compact size, meaning it won't take up too much room in the cabin
  • Built-in microphone, making voice quality good
  • Five hours of operation, which is handy for long phone calls

Cons

  • Needs to be charged, and this can take up to 90-minutes
Best for improved call quality
SOOMFON Bluetooth 5.4 Aux Adapter focuses a little bit more on phone quality with reduced transmission delay and software to minimise cabin noise for clearer hands-free calls. But it still has its place as a way to stream music from your smartphone. It includes an easy-to-operate wheel to adjust the bass intensity and enjoy a more immersive stereo sound. It also has an ambient light which will pulse in time to the music although this feature can be easily switched off.

Pros

  • Good handsfree calling quality, which is useful when on the move
  • Adjustable bass response, allowing for preferred sound quality levels
  • A nice, immersive atmosphere once connected

Cons

  • Light may be a bit gimmicky to some
Best for multi-function purposes
If you are looking for something a little more substantial the Joyroom Bluetooth 5.4 Car Adapter provides multiple operation functions easily and conveniently. It does require being attached to an appropriate area of your dashboard for optimum operation, but once in situ, it allows the answering of calls with effective delay minimisation and road noise reduction; you can switch songs, adjust the volume, call voice assistants, and the LED lights make nighttime operation easier.

Pros

  • Multiple functions available, increasing versatility
  • Led illumination for night-time driving, making things easy to see
  • Easy to install thanks to plug and set-up

Cons

  • Some may find the cables make the dash look untidy

FAQs and things to remember with in-car phone streaming devices

How we choose
All of these car audio streaming devices have been hand-selected by our team of experts who have spent hours investigating and researching car audio streaming devices to make it easier for you to find the very best, and we’d never recommend a product we don’t believe in.
Where possible, we also test and share the latest and best products you should know about.

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