LIVI – Linux In-Vehicle Infotainment

LIVI is an open-source Apple CarPlay and Android Auto head unit for Linux.

It is a standalone cross-platform Electron head unit with hardware-accelerated video decoding, low-latency audio, multitouch + D-Pad navigation, and support for very small embedded/OEM displays.

Supported USB adapters: Carlinkit CPC200-CCPA (wireless/wired) and CPC200-CCPW (wired)

Project Status

Installation

Important

LIVI requires WebGL2 or WebGPU support.

Raspberry Pi OS

curl -fL -o install.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/f-io/LIVI/main/scripts/install/pi/install.sh
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh

Raspberry Pi OS Trixie or newer is required for WebGL2 support.

The install.sh script performs the following tasks:

1. checks for required tools: curl and xdg-user-dir
2. configures udev rules to ensure proper access rights for the CarPlay dongle
3. downloads the latest LIVI AppImage
4. creates an autostart entry so the application launches automatically on boot
5. creates a desktop shortcut for easy access

This install script is not actively tested on other Linux distributions.

Linux (x86_64)

This AppImage has been tested on Debian Trixie (13) with Wayland. No additional software is required — just download the -x86_64.AppImage and make it executable. Depending on your distro and how you run the app, you may need a udev rule to access the USB dongle. It presents as a composite (multi-class) USB device, and unlike single-class devices, its interfaces often require explicit permissions.

sudo bash -c '
  RULE_FILE="/etc/udev/rules.d/99-LIVI.rules"
  USER_NAME="${SUDO_USER:-$USER}"

  echo "Creating udev rule for Carlinkit dongle (owner: $USER_NAME)"
  echo "SUBSYSTEM==\"usb\", ATTR{idVendor}==\"1314\", ATTR{idProduct}==\"152*\", " \
       "MODE=\"0660\", OWNER=\"$USER_NAME\"" \
    > "$RULE_FILE"

  echo "Reloading udev rules…"
  udevadm control --reload-rules
  udevadm trigger

  echo "Done."
'

chmod +x LIVI-*-x86_64.AppImage

Mac (arm64)

Just download the -arm64.dmg, open it, and drag LIVI.app into Applications. Then remove the Gatekeeper quarantine once and launch the app. This step is required for all non-Apple-signed apps and future in-app updates will preserve this state.

xattr -cr /Applications/LIVI.app

For audio support, please install Sound eXchange (SoX) via brew.

brew install sox

Windows (x64)

Important

The Windows build is provided on a best-effort basis. Windows is not a primary target platform of this project and receives limited testing.

It is mainly intended for development, experimentation, and desktop testing.

Audio Backend

On Windows, LIVI uses FFmpeg / FFplay for audio input and output:

• ffmpeg is used for microphone capture (DirectShow)
• ffplay is used for low-latency audio playback

Both binaries are bundled with the application. No additional audio software is required.

USB Driver Requirement

The Carlinkit dongle requires a compatible WinUSB (winusb.sys) driver on Windows. You can install it using a tool such as Zadig (libwdi): https://github.com/pbatard/libwdi/releases

Steps:

1. Plug in the Carlinkit dongle
2. Start Zadig
3. Select the dongle from the device list
4. Install the WinUSB (winusb.sys) driver

Build Environment

System Requirements (build)

Make sure the following packages and tools are installed on your system before building:

• Python 3.x (for native module builds via node-gyp)
• build-essential (Linux: includes gcc, g++, make, etc.)
• libusb-1.0-0-dev (required for node-usb)
• libudev-dev (optional but recommended for USB detection on Linux)
• fuse (required to run AppImages)

Clone & Build

git clone --branch main --single-branch https://github.com/f-io/LIVI.git \
  && cd LIVI \
  && corepack enable \
  && corepack install

# Install dependencies from lockfile
pnpm run install:ci

# --- Build targets ---

# Linux x86_64 (AppImage)
pnpm run build:linux

# Linux ARM64 (AppImage)
pnpm run build:armLinux

# macOS (arm64 dmg)
pnpm run build:mac

Dashboard

The Dashboard is currently in an early stage. While the IPC/socket telemetry payload already supports many signals, the UI exposes only a small subset. Widgets and layouts will be extended over time.

Telemetry Simulator (local)

To feed demo telemetry into the app, you can run the simulator from scripts/tools:

pnpm -C scripts/tools install
pnpm -C scripts/tools run telemetry:cycle

Dongle Firmware Feature Matrix

The available features depend on the firmware version running on the Carlinkit dongle. Listed limitations are firmware-level restrictions and cannot be fixed by the application.

Firmware Version	Nav Auto Switch	Call Auto Switch	Audio Metadata	Web Interface	Notes
2025.10.15.1127	🟢	🟢	🟢	🟢	Full feature set
2025.02.25.1521	🔴	🟢	🟢	🟢	No auto switching on navigation guidance
2021.02.23.1758	🔴	🟡	🔴	🔴	Limited protocol support

🟢 = Supported, 🔴 = Not supported, 🟡 = Unknown

Images

 

 

Credits

See CREDITS for acknowledgements and prior art.

Disclaimer

Apple and CarPlay are trademarks of Apple Inc. Android and Android Auto are trademarks of Google LLC. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple or Google. All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.