Pioneer ARC vs Airplus
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pioneer ARC
Transform your iPhone into a powerful touchscreen remote for compatible Pioneer car stereos. Browse music, switch sources, launch third-party apps, and customize audio and illumination settings.
- Touchscreen remote control
- Music browsing
- Source switching
- 3rd party app launching
- Illumination customization
- Audio settings adjustment
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Pioneer’s Advanced Remote Control (Pioneer ARC) app converts your iPhone* into a powerful touchscreen remote control, which allows you to control and customize your compatible Pioneer car stereo. Pioneer ARC lets you browse your favorite music, switch sources (FM tuner, Bluetooth Audio, etc), launch 3rd party apps, customize the illumination colors and audio settings of your Pioneer system. Compatible features vary by model. *The Pioneer ARC app is compatible with iPhone 5/5c/5s/6/6 Plus/6s/6s Plus/SE/7/7 Plus/8/8 Plus/X, running iOS 8.0 and above. Compatible Pioneer products: -Source Control / Audio Settings / Illumination settings / Bluetooth management DEH-S60*0BS DEH-S50*0BT/DEH-X50BT/DEH-X50BR MVH-S501BS MVH-X30BT/MVH-X30BR MVH-S600BS/MVH-S605BT /MVH-S61*BT FH-S70*BS/FH-S70*BT -Source Control / Audio Settings / Bluetooth management DEH-S40*0BT/DEH-S040BT MVH-S30*BT/MVH-S030BT MVH-S40*BT FH-S500BT/FH-S501BT/FH-S509BT FH-S505BT(Mexico)/FH-S51BT -Source Control / Audio Settings MVH-S220DAB MVH-S12UI / MVH-S120UI / MVH-S125UI DEH-S400DAB / DEH-S410DAB DEH-S20*0UI / DEH-S21*0UI/DEH-S210UI DEH-X10/DEH-X10BR MVH-S200DAB / MVH-S210DAB MVH-S10*UI / MVH-S11*UI/G, /MVH-S11UI DEH-X49**BT/DEH-4900DAB DEH-X39**BT/DEH-3900BT DEH-X29**UI MVH-X39*BT/MVH-390BT MVH-290DAB MVH-X19*UI/MVH-190UI -Source Control / Audio Settings / Illumination settings DEH-S220UI / MVH-S2250UI FH-X830BHS / FH-X840DAB FH-X73* BT/FH-X730BS FH-X78*BT DEH-X8800BHS DEH-X7800BHS/DEH-X7800DAB/DEH-X7850BT DEH-X6800BS, DEH-X6850BT /DEH-X6900BT/DEH-X5900BT MVH-X690BS MVH-X580BS/MVH-X58*BT/MVH-X580DAB -Source Control DEH-X68**BT/DEH-X6800DAB DEH-X5800BT/DEH-X5800HD DEH-X48**BT/DEH-4800BT/DEH-4800DAB DEH-X38**UI DEH-X28**UI/DEH-2800UI/DEH-2800DAB MVH-X38*BT MVH-280DAB MVH-X18*UI/MVH-180UI
Airplus
This mobile application allows users to adjust audio quality to meet various needs. It provides sound effects to enhance your listening experience.
- Mobile audio tuning
- Customizable sound effects
- Adjustable audio quality
- Enhance listening experience
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Airplus是一款移动调音App，使用此App可调出满足各种需求的音质效果。
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Pioneer ARC at 3.0 against Airplus's 2.8. Pioneer ARC also leads on ratings volume (165 vs 16). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Pioneer ARC holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pioneer ARC has 165 ratings behind it against 16, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of Pioneer ARC's written reviews are positive against 17% of Airplus's.
Pioneer ARC ships an update every 3 months, Airplus every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Pioneer ARC | Airplus |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (165 ratings) — better | 2.8 (16 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 21.6% of reviews — better | 16.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 165 — better | 16 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 60 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Pioneer Corporation | 广州市锐益科技有限公司 |
Customer experience
Pioneer ARC
Airplus
Bugs and requests
Pioneer ARC
Reported bugs
13 issues- App fails to connect via Bluetooth despite phone pairing
- Connection status shows 'Not Connected' while music plays
- Crashes on iOS 13 and newer versions
- USB connection not recognized by head unit
- App crashes immediately upon opening
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- Bluetooth connection drops after firmware updates
- Audio settings display incorrect values vs actual head unit settings
- Music playback pauses after a few seconds
- App crashes on iPhone X with iOS 12
- Portrait mode dialog cannot be dismissed on iPad
- App becomes unresponsive after iOS updates
- EQ and audio settings become inaccessible
- Incompatibility with specific head unit models after updates
Requested features
13 requests- iPad app optimization and full support
- Wireless/Bluetooth-only control without USB
- Volume level display in app
- On-screen clock display
- Call pickup and dial pad controls
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- Amazon Music and Google Play Music support
- Support for TuneIn Radio, Stingray, YouTube
- Pandora station switching capability
- Modern UI/UX redesign
- Mixtrax compatibility with Apple Music
- iPad Pro screen fill optimization
- Third-party music app support expansion
- Physical remote control alternative
Airplus
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Pioneer ARC
No in-app purchases
Airplus
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Pioneer ARC free?
Is Airplus free?
Which has better reviews, Pioneer ARC or Airplus?
Do Pioneer ARC or Airplus have ads?
Which is updated more often, Pioneer ARC or Airplus?
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