CarPlay is here! - Megathread

[GEWC]

Article from Teslarati: Lucid Air spotted testing Apple CarPlay for update next quarter

View attachment 3406

Not sure if anyone else said this, but the Home screen icon is highlighted, not the music screen, so no way this is legit.

 

[rbbarry]

Sounds like the Apple Car is a bit of an on again, off again saga.

I would agree that it’s several years away if it happens.

Apple Car details: Design, skepticism, EV, more

Apple’s self-driving car development efforts, codenamed Project Titan, have been well-documented over the years. Project Titan has gone through numerous...

9to5mac.com

I figured the second my Lucid arrives, Apple will start shipping the Apple Car...

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I know its not new but even with OBD there are some things that are walled off. A prime example is when Apple updated Maps in CarPlay about 2 years ago to include EV routing. To this day, I believe Ford and BMW were the only ones that integrated it. To me, It seems there's reluctance within the industry to give Apple the data it needs so i'm skeptical that the new version of CarPlay is going to be seen in every car in the coming years.

Sure, they can all make API's but do you really think the auto industry is on top of its game when it comes to software and security to then allow 3rd parties to access it? Lucid is a prime example, even they at the moment have disabled data on the USB ports for fear someone could get into the system. I think the original CarPlay was the compromise where automakers just went "fine, put it in" this new version of CarPlay though might be a step too far. If an automaker allows this then they may as well stop internal software development and just do a bare bones system and let Apple take over. The new CarPlay is an OS competitor to what OS's automakers are putting in their cars and a majority of them won't be able to compete with Apple when it comes to software so when you see a threat what do you do? You don't open the front door and let them in. You lock everything down.

I could be wrong but recent responses from automakers is "we'll look into it". I think Volvo\Polestar are the only ones that gave a commitment that they will integrate the new CarPlay. Time will tell I guess.

I’ve said it before, while CarPlay does add some useful functions, I do NOT want Apple interface to be the whole car interface, it destroys individuality and preference, the icons are cartoonish and we should be thinking beyond square boxes with app titles for automotive UI, which I actually think Lucid does quite elegantly and better than CarPlay. It’s only the functional aspect of Lucid’s software that is lacking, I think the interface is vastly superior to Icon scrolling like CarPlay, BMW, Ioniq5, Taycan, Mercedes, etc. I can literally open trunk/frunk, change drive modes, change regen, fold/unfold mirrors, open glovebox, adjust brightness, all within one layer of one screen. Yeah there’s still some functionality room for improvement like having maps on one screen with audio on the other, etc, but overall I think the UI is much better thought out than CarPlay or Android Auto.

 

[HC_79]

I’ve said it before, while CarPlay does add some useful functions, I do NOT want Apple interface to be the whole car interface, it destroys individuality and preference, the icons are cartoonish and we should be thinking beyond square boxes with app titles for automotive UI, which I actually think Lucid does quite elegantly and better than CarPlay. It’s only the functional aspect of Lucid’s software that is lacking, I think the interface is vastly superior to Icon scrolling like CarPlay, BMW, Ioniq5, Taycan, Mercedes, etc. I can literally open trunk/frunk, change drive modes, change regen, fold/unfold mirrors, open glovebox, adjust brightness, all within one layer of one screen. Yeah there’s still some functionality room for improvement like having maps on one screen with audio on the other, etc, but overall I think the UI is much better thought out than CarPlay or Android Auto.

Couldn't agree more. For a first attempt I think Lucid did a decent job. Very interested to see how it evolves over the coming months, years.

 

[rbbarry]

I disagree, I want Apple to take over the user experience of the dash of any car, including the Lucid.

 

[Shuasha]

I disagree, I want Apple to take over the user experience of the dash of any car, including the Lucid.

I agree, UIs are one thing Apple does exceedingly well. It has to be personalized to each car no matter what, so who is to say they can't have the same functionality as the stock interface?

 

[DeaneG]

I agree, UIs are one thing Apple does exceedingly well. It has to be personalized to each car no matter what, so who is to say they can't have the same functionality as the stock interface?

That's for next year's version of CarPlay. I don't think it's possible with the current release.

 

[DeaneG]

FWIW my Volvo EV finally got Carplay. It was promised for three months after purchase. It arrived fifteen months after purchase.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

FWIW my Volvo EV finally got Carplay. It was promised for three months after purchase. It arrived fifteen months after purchase.

Rivian doesn’t have CarPlay, don’t know if there’s any plans to have it at some point. It’s funny that I’ve gotten so used to being without it on the Lucid that I barely miss it. So what does CarPlay do for people that the Lucid can’t do, or does worse? I can only speak for my experience but…

-Waze: some swear by it, I hate it, it was too buggy for me and the graphics are a cluttered mess. I prefer Apple Maps for navigation because it works with my watch, but the 1.2.6 Lucid Nav does the job fine (with room for improvement). If Lucid could make their Nav map look and behave more like Mercedes MBUX, allow me to change navigation lady volume, and split turn directions onto another screen, it would be fantastic.

-direct audio via USB: I do miss having that!

-streaming apps: I think Tidal’s Lucid interface is much better in the Lucid than in CarPlay, just a little more sluggish. Same for Spotify. Having tracks listed on the pilot panel with tabs for songs/artists/albums is awesome, MUCH better than scrolling through the tiny CarPlay box interface. If it gave me the option to add to playlists or like a song, that would make it perfect.

-messages/calls: I miss tapping on a received message to have Siri read it/reply, or making/answering calls, and the Lucid interface for doing that is unreliable, and I completely gave up on using Bluetooth for it on my phone, which works fine on my wife’s phone but not mine weirdly. But I can have my watch do it or just put my phone on speaker.

So in summary all I can think of that CarPlay is great for is like maybe three things? It’s funny it’s the most requested thing cuz I’d rather have DD Pro, software stability/responsiveness upgrades and navigation software polishing first.

 

[MikeTz]

Last month, while driving at night on the turnpike, Waze informed us of an object that appeared to have fallen from a small truck. We slowed down and manage to spot it early enough to go around it. Dark rusted metal object that would clearly have ruin someone's day (or night in this case). I do agree it can drive you nuts on a long trip, announcing all kinds of false alarms but it would be nice to have just in case.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

Last month, while driving at night on the turnpike, Waze informed us of an object that appeared to have fallen from a small truck. We slowed down and manage to spot it early enough to go around it. Dark rusted metal object that would clearly have ruin someone's day (or night in this case). I do agree it can drive you nuts on a long trip, announcing all kinds of false alarms but it would be nice to have just in case.

That’s great. That was one thing I did love about Waze. Lately Apple Maps will warn of trouble ahead and sometimes speed traps but it’s inconsistent, not as many notifications as Waze.

 

[Tesla2.0]

My wife uses Waze, I prefer Apple Maps more for its style. Lucid Navigation is not that as bad as people think, of course, it can always use more enhancement. What I want in CarPlay is Siris read me all the messages. I often have tons of messages in different messenger apps, CarPlay is good reading and replying for me while I’m driving.

 

[Compy]

Volvo has had Carplay in it's vehicles since 2017. The XC40 Recharge was first sold in late 2020. Volvo is supposed to put out an OTA installing Carplay into the XC40 Recharge this month. So a company that has experience with the product in its vehicles took almost 2 years to introduce it into its AAOS running EV. I'm going to say it's not as easy as people on this forum are making it out to be.

I own the Volvo XC40 and just rec'd the Carplay update. Only one problem, I don't use Carplay, but purchased the car in June, 21, so it took over one year for Volvo to send Carplay.

 

[MorganB]

-direct audio via USB: I do miss having that!

-streaming apps: I think Tidal’s Lucid interface is much better in the Lucid than in CarPlay, just a little more sluggish. Same for Spotify. Having tracks listed on the pilot panel with tabs for songs/artists/albums is awesome, MUCH better than scrolling through the tiny CarPlay box interface. If it gave me the option to add to playlists or like a song, that would make it perfect.

The Apple Music Atmos library is a big plus.

 

[Boomer AZ]

I figured the second my Lucid arrives, Apple will start shipping the Apple Car...

So, 2Q23 then. A month after me.

 

[thecodingart]

I honestly dont understand why some people try to defend not having CarPlay when it’s well known that people prefer it and it mostly provides a better experience than OEM interfaces. I’m honestly just baffled when a few people come out defending something that will benefit the majority of the consumers.

 

[Maverick]

I honestly dont understand why some people try to defend not having CarPlay when it’s well known that people prefer it and it mostly provides a better experience than OEM interfaces. I’m honestly just baffled when a few people come out defending something that will benefit the majority of the consumers.

Not sure anyone is defending not having it. It's clear that some people really, really like it (perhaps the majority of all Apple users). Some people, like me, don't have an iPhone (yes, there are some of us). Some people, again like me, never really used it in the first place (Android Auto in my case) or had cars that didn't allow it. And lastly, some people like @bunnylebowski just haven't missed it as much as they thought they would.

When they release CarPlay and Android Auto for the Lucid, I'll definitely play around with it, but for now, it's hard for me to be disappointed about something I've never really used in the first place.

 

[hellolucid]

Last month, while driving at night on the turnpike, Waze informed us of an object that appeared to have fallen from a small truck. We slowed down and manage to spot it early enough to go around it. Dark rusted metal object that would clearly have ruin someone's day (or night in this case). I do agree it can drive you nuts on a long trip, announcing all kinds of false alarms but it would be nice to have just in case.

i haven't used Waze in years. Since Google owns them now, i expect Google maps to have everything waze feature integrated. I prefer Google maps interface to waze's + it lets you see restaurant reviews, gas prices (soon to be an old thing for me) etc. i don't know if waze added those features. I do get occasional objects on road surface so i'm pretty sure the data between google maps and waze are synced. google maps recently started showing speed traps but they are only 50% accurate in my experience.

 

[Bunnylebowski]

I honestly dont understand why some people try to defend not having CarPlay when it’s well known that people prefer it and it mostly provides a better experience than OEM interfaces. I’m honestly just baffled when a few people come out defending something that will benefit the majority of the consumers.

Oh yeah I totally get that it’s a priority and important for most drivers. I was just more asking myself how necessary it was for me to have it, and I kind of realized it’s not a big deal for me.

 

[MPawelek]

We have had Apple Car Play in my wife’s XT5 for 4 years and I just tried it out yesterday to see what all the discussion is about. Nothing about it interests me…..