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As some carmakers run from Apple CarPlay, Porsche embraces it
(arstechnica.com)
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this post was submitted on 04 Oct 2023
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I’m looking to buy a new car within the next year. If it doesn’t offer Apple CarPlay, I won’t even bother looking at the car.
Can I ask why, what's the benefit?
CarPlay (and Android Auto) are basically driving-oriented UIs that your phone pushes to the head unit in your car. This means you get a full touch screen UI with your maps and music apps of choice, plus other apps that support it.
It beats mounting your phone over an AC vent because the screen is bigger and the UI is actually designed to be safe to use while driving (fewer, bigger buttons, more use of screen edges and corners so critical functions can be activated without looking).
Car makers don't like this, because it means users are less likely to pay subscription fees for their shittier built-in internet services.
Just want to add on that my recent Mazda doesn't have a touchscreen, but a control knob that works to control either AndroidAuto or Carplay. I'm so happy to not have a touchscreen in the car.
You can use all the apps you are familiar with and have already set up. Like you favourite maps software, your music subscription like Apple Music or Spotify, or things like podcast or audiobook apps, everything right on the big screen of the car.
That and it performs better. I have a ‘22 Niro and the stock interface was laggy when it was new. Swipes would take seconds to register. But I pull up CarPlay and it just works. You’re splitting your attention while driving. While that’s already bad, having a slow UI makes you split attention longer and increases frustration which is also a bad thing to do behind the wheel.
And it will still be usable in 5 years when you have a new phone and your car manufacturer has long since stopped providing free updates to the built-in maps.
It will still be usable, and it will be receiving software updates and improvements.
Ok cool. I can do all that on my phone already though. So it's mostly just having a larger screen then?
Larger display with a better layout and steering wheel controls.
My personal truck doesn't have Android auto or Apple car play (I thought it was something I could get when I bought it but turns out I was a year early, whoops) and my work truck has it. I 100% will not be buying any car that doesn't have it as a feature. It's not something I need all the time because for most drives just using Bluetooth is perfectly fine but if I want to use the GPS for anything Android auto and car play are just so much better than using your phone for that. Everything is kinda frivolous to though.
Stop looking at your phone while driving.
Also allows me to use media controls on my steering wheel with my phone.
Main reason is that many apps have a separate CarPlay or Android Auto UI that is less distracting, more glanceable, etc.
It’s kind of hard to go back once you’ve lived with it for a a bit. It’s much more convenient. A simple phone mount feels kind of janky and distracting afterwords.
Yes. I don’t like to look at or touch my phone while I’m driving. Its dangerous. CarPlay makes it safer and easier to control my phone - from which I play my music and do my navigation. My current car has Bluetooth, so the music works, but I still have to use my phone to control it. Which as I said, I don’t like to do.
Or you can get it installed from bestbuy. It cost me $300 last time, installation was free.
If you're talking about a head unit replacement that get's difficuld nowadays since they aren't just Double-DIN and there are vehicle.settings managed in there.
Looks like to do that for mine is about $800-1500 DIY
You can buy just a screen that is basically a tablet for CarPlay and android auto. It connects to your existing system via Bluetooth and to your phone via WiFi. Then it arranges the Bluetooth connection between your phone and the stock system.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=CarPlay+screen&crid=6HTFE9CINT7K&sprefix=carplay+screen%2Caps%2C268&ref=nb_sb_noss_1
If my car lacked CarPlay, this is likely what I”d use, and mount it over or above the stock head unit.
Sorry for my ignorance, didn’t take newer cars into account. I have a 2015 Mitsubishi Lancer, and it was compatible with my dad’s 2019 Hyundai Santa too.
Personally I tried Android Auto it with a company car (nothing fancy).
Couldn't care less. Give me bluetooth and a USB port to plugin my smartphone and I will bring my phone holder.
No need for stuff that will get outdated and needs dealer updates (if they are even supplied).
I thought Android Auto and Apple CarPlay both handle updates on the phone side, not the car side?
I don't know anything about the software but there surely is some implementation on both sides as I don't believe it's just a pretty chromecast/apple version of that interface streamed from the phone.
And assuming you keep a car for >5 years and the strides tech does at any point (just look back on phones 10 years ago) and Google/Apple developing the platform further and abandoning older models I don't see a very bright future.
Assuming I am wrong, I am happy to be corrected.
Edit: No need to downvote me to hell. I was wrong and corrected >_>
I think it might literally be a video feed? or similar to an X11 session? I know it doesn't work over bluetooth and it requires a wire or wifi, so it's bandwidth heavy for sure
It is, both use a virtual display device over USB or Wi-Fi and send touch events from the screen to the phone.
It's basically a Display + HID interface from the car to the phone.
That said, the software on the car side should be updatable over time as well, to fix bugs and add new features.
If that's actually the case: Neat
Hope they do not drop support for the APIs to allow access via the interface so cars have a long life.
There have been CarPlay compatible cars on the market for 8 years now and they work fine with newer iPhones. Hell, Apple still supports the iPod USB protocol for even older cars on new iPhones.
It's not much of a concern, in my opinion. And I drive a car with no CarPlay and only built-in infotainment lol
This is specifically why people like CarPlay and Android Auto; they are managed by your phone instead of the car manufacturer. If you bought one of the first CarPlay capable cars in 2014, it still works with the new CarPlay features that just shipped in iOS 17 last week.
CarPlay and Android Auto basically turn your infotainment system into a dumb terminal for your phone. They work by turning it into a second display. All the head unit has to do is relay touch inputs back to the device. It is completely unaware of what actual software is running, it just sees a video signal and your fingers.
This is also probably why Tesla and General Motors don't like it. They want you to pay them for the new features you otherwise get for free with your phone.
If that is so, that's really cool.
But other users said it already and I agree: Not everythibg needs to be smart.
Really had attentiom issues with this whole infotainment system while driving.
So I'd agree: Less is better. More knobs amd keys instead of a large pane of touchscreen. Also the whole infosec about cars is probably still only surface level. Who knows what outdated piece of tech lingers in the depths.
Ah yes, such overly smart features as… your navigation on the screen, your currently playing music app, and maybe a handful of driving specific apps.
It’s literally just the same stuff you would normally expect, but with the ability to install/change/update completely independently of the car.
Also not sure what the age of the parts of the car have to do with anything. Are you concerned your 20 year old tv is suddenly going to be sprouting an autonomous cellular connection and broadcasting your content to the internet?
In the specific case of a car: Less is better.
Just a personal preference.
If the options are a phone in your hand, or a car safe version of the same info on your dash, I think it should be obvious which one is better.