Tired of lack of Android support

[borski]

Clearly, Lucid, and several of the moderators, knew of this info for a while.

Lucid, sure. The mods only discovered this recently. We have no interest in hiding things from you if we are allowed not to.

Some of these more remote stops have poor cell coverage. I'd hate to be locked out of my car again in the middle of the night.

This is a misunderstanding. You do not need cell coverage for mobile key - period. You only need Bluetooth, which you should never lose. Even if neither your phone nor the car have cell coverage, mobile key will work perfectly fine.

Moreover, if you have the fob, the valet card is irrelevant. The fob works even if the battery dies, in the same way as the valet card does. You can even take out the battery and use it without one. *That* is completely reliable.

@Bobby made a video on it here:

 

[DeaneG]

it is easy to take a series of misunderstandings and whip it up into a frightening conspiracy.

 

[BS8899]

I’m not completely understanding what happened. Do you mean that your mobile key stopped working?

Yes.

 

[borski]

Yes.

And, to be clear, you’ve set up mobile key, and are not trying to hit the unlock button on the app? (I know, this sounds like the “have you tried turning it off and on again” tech support question, but it’s been like 50/50 that people had never set up the mobile key)

 

[BS8899]

Lucid, sure. The mods only discovered this recently. We have no interest in hiding things from you if we are allowed not to.

This is a misunderstanding. You do not need cell coverage for mobile key - period. You only need Bluetooth, which you should never lose. Even if neither your phone nor the car have cell coverage, mobile key will work perfectly fine.

Moreover, if you have the fob, the valet card is irrelevant. The fob works even if the battery dies, in the same way as the valet card does. You can even take out the battery and use it without one. *That* is completely reliable.

@Bobby made a video on it here:

Yes, I understand the Mobile key is Bluetooth and does NOt need celluar connection.

But, you know well that the Mobile Key fails from time-to-time and needs to be reinstalled, correct?

Can you reinstall mobile key without cell connection?

 

[BS8899]

it is easy to take a series of misunderstandings and whip it up into a frightening conspiracy.

I don't think it is a consipiracy. I think it is incompetency on Lucid's part in communication and expectation setting that ledas to conspiracy theories.

 

[borski]

Yes, I understand the Mobile key is Bluetooth and does NOt need celluar connection.

Cool - wasn’t trying to be dismissive, really! <3

But, you know well that the Mobile Key fails from time-to-time and needs to be reinstalled, correct?

Hasn’t happened to me, but has to others yes.

Can you reinstall mobile key without cell connection?

Yes, but only if you’re in the car already.

The fob works either way though, even if the battery is dead; works just like the keycard, just below instead of above the camera.

 

[gavram]

As far as I can tell, part of the deal with choosing Android is dealing with the fact that a lot of companies don't prioritize Android. Maybe that sucks, but at some point you have to accept that's part of the choice. Just as not being able to sideload any old app I find on the internet is part of the deal when choosing iOS.

I chose the platform that doesn't have sideloading. It would be odd for me to complain about not having access to those apps (although I have many iPhone-using friends who do). Even if every once in a while I really wish I could for one particular app. That's part of the deal you make when choosing iOS.

Integration with Google services is also vastly superior on Android. If I were a die-hard Google app user, and I chose iOS, It would be weird for me to complain that it doesn't work as seamlessly with gmail or sheets or calendar, wouldn't it?

Or imagine me with my Mac, complaining that all the good AAA games only ever come out for PC? There's no reason a Mac can't run top-level games as far as I can tell, beyond simple economics. But I knew going into it that the best games were simply never going to be available to me so long as I remain a Mac user.

You all chose the platform that gets lower priority by many companies. That needs to be factored into the choice. Otherwise you're going to be perpetually frustrated. You're not going to change the incentive structure of these companies via complaining. I've been on the inside of these choices for over a decade. It's a cut-and-dried business decision.

And remember, I'm very much on the record saying Lucid absolutely needs to support Android. From the mobile app to Android Auto. This is not optional. But it's also not surprising where they put their resources first, and the fact Android support is lagging behind.

I'm just surprised so many Android users are surprised, I guess.

I think the Android support argument is a great one if it wasn't already widely available on most car platforms for years now, if it wasn't advertised as a Lucid feature 2.5 years ago, and wasn't currently used by ~45% of the US market (70% in EU). I get that the current Lucid owner base has more iOS users, but the logic of Android users choosing to use a platform that isn't going to be a priority is an example of giving Lucid a pass for taking way to long to deliver AA with minimal communication.

 

[BS8899]

And, to be clear, you’ve set up mobile key, and are not trying to hit the unlock button on the app? (I know, this sounds like the “have you tried turning it off and on again” tech support question, but it’s been like 50/50 that people had never set up the mobile key)

I set up my mobile key. But, as you know, OTAs sometimes mess things up , and we are told to reinstall the mobile key.

I just reinstalled my mobile key a couple of days ago after the OTA 2.5.X

 

[borski]

I set up my mobile key. But, as you know, OTAs sometimes mess things up , and we are told to reinstall the mobile key.

I just reinstalled my mobile key a couple of days ago after the OTA 2.5.X

Makes sense. But if you also have the fob, you don’t need the card - agreed?

 

[BS8899]

Makes sense. But if you also have the fob, you don’t need the card - agreed?

In theory, yes, I don't need the valet card as well, as long as the FOB and mobile key work as advertized. But, on a dark and cold night on a long raod trip, given the history of issues with the Mobile key/FOB, I rather have my valet card with me as well. Call me paranoid! But, as I said in a different post, I also drive my Rivian on the same route. And I only carry my phone/mobile key of my Rivian. I've never had problem with my Rivian entry.

 

[gavram]

My posting of Android support dissatisfaction on this forum was hard to keep top of mind when taking a short twisty drive to the hardware store today and thinking "damn this car handles well".

Here's to hoping for improved Android support focus at the top of the new year so we have great software to go with the great engineering.

 

[MacBain00]

I think the Android support argument is a great one if it wasn't already widely available on most car platforms for years now, if it wasn't advertised as a Lucid feature 2.5 years ago, and wasn't currently used by ~45% of the US market (70% in EU). I get that the current Lucid owner base has more iOS users, but the logic of Android users choosing to use a platform that isn't going to be a priority is an example of giving Lucid a pass for taking way to long to deliver AA with minimal communication.

I think this is the key point that the being dismissed or talked around (e.g. should not buy a car that doesn't have what you want. you should have known better). Lucid has been promising Android Auto as something around the corner since I first started looking at Lucid during the start of summer 2024. When it finally showed up from Lucid with Fall 2024, for me, it was a trigger point to get the car. When I picked up the car 2 months ago, I was told it was expected to be 2 weeks out. I still held my breath because there was still 4 more weeks to end Fall 2024. Now we're passed their deadline and there's still no word on status except still waiting for Google (which btw has been the reason that was given when I picked up my car).

I think for others it's been even longer which is why the frustration seems to have finally boiled over. If a week before the end of Fall 2024, they came out and said something like "We expect a little bit longer delay. We are disappointed along with the rest of our customers. We are working through the Google approval process and hope to be ready in Jan 2025." While this is painful to hear, it would at least go a long way and show some empathy towards their customer base.

I've run tech support orgs in my lifetime and there is a fine balance between too much communication and too little. Lucid is on the too little end with too much fluffery. Having slides showing what they want to do only works when talking to investors and keeping internal folks excited and motivated to keep working. Keeping part of their customer base strung along eventually creates vocal unhappy customers. This is detrimental to any brand. I continue to hope Lucid succeeds, but it's clear they aren't organized internally between their marketing, communication, and product teams. If I was shopping for a Lucid today, I would think that it's great car with an amazing driving experience, but I shouldn't expect Lucid to be trustworthy on anything timeline or feature related.

 

[borski]

In theory, yes, I don't need the valet card as well, as long as the FOB and mobile key work as advertized. But, on a dark and cold night on a long raod trip, given the history of issues with the Mobile key/FOB, I rather have my valet card with me as well. Call me paranoid! But, as I said in a different post, I also drive my Rivian on the same route. And I only carry my phone/mobile key of my Rivian. I've never had problem with my Rivian entry.

Remove the battery from the fob and test it as per the video. It is passive, just like the card. You do not need to carry both.

I think for others it's been even longer which is why the frustration seems to have finally boiled over. If a week before the end of Fall 2024, they came out and said something like "We expect a little bit longer delay. We are disappointed along with the rest of our customers. We are working through the Google approval process and hope to be ready in Jan 2025." While this is painful to hear, it would at least go a long way and show some empathy towards their customer base.

I don’t disagree with anything else you said, but @mcr16 has literally said almost exactly that on 12/18: https://lucidowners.com/threads/confirmed-android-auto-coming-this-fall.9249/post-240567

Hi, everyone. We wanted to provide the Lucid Air community with an update on the release of Android Auto. Although we anticipated that Android Auto would be available in the Lucid Air by the end of this year, we are still in the phase of certification with Google. We know many of you have been eagerly awaiting Android Auto for what feels like an eternity, and we are sorry to ask that you wait just a little longer. We will provide an update on the status as soon as we can.

They can’t give a deadline of January because, presumably, they don’t control Google. But they did say they hope it is out soon and that, at present, it is in the Google certification process. They also apologized and recognized that people have been waiting for what feels like an eternity, etc.

Nobody is happy about the situation. Not you, not me, not Lucid. Nobody is trying to be dismissive. I promise I’m not.

Every single one of us wants it out ASAP.

 

[joec]

I think the Android support argument is a great one if it wasn't already widely available on most car platforms for years now, if it wasn't advertised as a Lucid feature 2.5 years ago, and wasn't currently used by ~45% of the US market (70% in EU). I get that the current Lucid owner base has more iOS users, but the logic of Android users choosing to use a platform that isn't going to be a priority is an example of giving Lucid a pass for taking way to long to deliver AA with minimal communication.

Lucid has been shipping cars for about three years now. What other companies have been doing is irrelevant. None of their work lessens what Lucid needs to do in order to ship Android support.

Ideally all platforms would be supported by now. Nothing about Lucid’s software journey thus far has been ideal. So they are behind. No one is denying that.

People keep spouting the “x% of users have Android” statistic, but as many have pointed out, this is not a driving determiner of the economics.

When building a native mobile app, it’s just cheaper and more efficient for a new company to do one platform, and then do the other. Otherwise you end up solving all the same problems twice. And if you’re going to do one platform first, iOS is the default. iOS developers are easier to find. iOS is easier to support, as there are far fewer hardware variations between the currently supported phones. iOS users are far more likely to walk away when their platform isn’t supported. And iOS users have demonstrated a history of extremely strong brand loyalty. They are potentially more valuable customers, in other words. At the very least, they are the customers you are more afraid to piss off.

As I said many times, that’s no reason to not support Android. But it is a reason to prioritize iOS. Lucid isn’t doing anything different from the vast majority of young companies with limited resources.

In a few years all of this will be behind us. Sucks in the present, to be sure. But it will get better.

 

[whywar]

No.
Lucid deserves all the criticism it is getting over it ridiculously poor roll out of Android Auto. In February of 2022, I was told AA would be in the vehicle "soon". In September of 2022, Peter Rowlinson made a video and said that AA would be in the cars "soon". In 2024 A Lucid employee wrote that AA would be in the cars, wait for it, Fall of 2024. Finally "soon" was defined. And now it is winter, without AA in the cars. Spring is coming "soon".

Lucid's PR Team has ZERO credibility with me. I have been mislead about the integration of AA for nearly 3 years. Corporations should only make factual statements about their future business. All mcr16 had to do was state that AA would be in the car soon, pending Google approval. Then it would be easier to let Lucid off the hook. They didn't and I won't.

 

[BS8899]

Lucid has been shipping cars for about three years now. What other companies have been doing is irrelevant. None of their work lessens what Lucid needs to do in order to ship Android support.

Ideally all platforms would be supported by now. Nothing about Lucid’s software journey thus far has been ideal. So they are behind. No one is denying that.

People keep spouting the “x% of users have Android” statistic, but as many have pointed out, this is not a driving determiner of the economics.

When building a native mobile app, it’s just cheaper and more efficient for a new company to do one platform, and then do the other. Otherwise you end up solving all the same problems twice. And if you’re going to do one platform first, iOS is the default. iOS developers are easier to find. iOS is easier to support, as there are far fewer hardware variations between the currently supported phones. iOS users are far more likely to walk away when their platform isn’t supported. And iOS users have demonstrated a history of extremely strong brand loyalty. They are potentially more valuable customers, in other words. At the very least, they are the customers you are more afraid to piss off.

As I said many times, that’s no reason to not support Android. But it is a reason to prioritize iOS. Lucid isn’t doing anything different from the vast majority of young companies with limited resources.

In a few years all of this will be behind us. Sucks in the present, to be sure. But it will get better.

No.
Lucid deserves all the criticism it is getting over it ridiculously poor roll out of Android Auto. In February of 2022, I was told AA would be in the vehicle "soon". In September of 2022, Peter Rowlinson made a video and said that AA would be in the cars "soon". In 2024 A Lucid employee wrote that AA would be in the cars, wait for it, Fall of 2024. Finally "soon" was defined. And now it is winter, without AA in the cars. Spring is coming "soon".

Lucid's PR Team has ZERO credibility with me. I have been mislead about the integration of AA for nearly 3 years. Corporations should only make factual statements about their future business. All mcr16 had to do was state that AA would be in the car soon, pending Google approval. Then it would be easier to let Lucid off the hook. They didn't and I won't.

While I am not as hell-bent as @whywar, I think Lucid's handling of these issues is ham-handed..

Yes, @mcr16, as the Lucid interface, gave a "heads-up" on Dec 18. However, the positioning is "Lucid has done its job. The delay is Google. We have no idea how long it will take. It is on Google!". Maybe that's not what ucid intended to say, but it is how it came across.

Another Lucid fumble is the FOB issue. I don't know whether there is an official Lucid communication, but it was rumoured that "NDA with the FOB manufacturer prevents Lucid from procuring a different, more robust FOB, for the Air owners". If true, is it an acceptable answer? For crying out loud, a reliable FOB can't be that difficult!

In both cases, Lucid places the blame and accoutability on the vendor/certification partner. To me, that's very poor business practice.

Lucid must have known about the Google validation/certification well in adavnce. But, did they comprehend it properly in their development/deployment schedule?

In general, Lucid must [1] proactively communicate any bugs or schedule slips, and [2] Own the problem and its resultion. Don't sluff it off to a vendor or a partner.

 

[borski]

I personally cannot wait until AA is out. I would love to literally never hear about it again.

Happy new year.

 

[DeaneG]

I personally cannot wait until AA is out. I would love to literally never hear about it again.

I think odds are high that's not going to happen

 

[Bobby]

No.
Lucid deserves all the criticism it is getting over it ridiculously poor roll out of Android Auto. In February of 2022, I was told AA would be in the vehicle "soon". In September of 2022, Peter Rowlinson made a video and said that AA would be in the cars "soon". In 2024 A Lucid employee wrote that AA would be in the cars, wait for it, Fall of 2024. Finally "soon" was defined. And now it is winter, without AA in the cars. Spring is coming "soon".

Lucid's PR Team has ZERO credibility with me. I have been mislead about the integration of AA for nearly 3 years. Corporations should only make factual statements about their future business. All mcr16 had to do was state that AA would be in the car soon, pending Google approval. Then it would be easier to let Lucid off the hook. They didn't and I won't.

You are correct in every way. The lesson I have learned here is to never buy any product assuming it will improve in the future even if the manufacturer promises such improvements.