The CarPlay Thread

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gregatron5

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  • #1,162
    Champ said:
    gregatron5 said:
    Ugh. So it turns out my i3 has an older head unit that doesn’t have CarPlay available to be unlocked. It’s $2200 for an upgrade kit, which requires 3-4 hours of labor to pull the car apart to install a new spec OEM head unit. Not sure I’m ready for that kind of commitment.
    Click to expand...

    It's expensive, but not that expensive. You can also find retrofit boxes for under $300 at AliExpress and elsewhere, but I don't know how much I would trust one of those.
    Click to expand...
    Oh snap! I hadn’t found that; I only saw the complete head unit upgrade. That’s much more palatable. (I wouldn’t trust myself to do the right thing on AliExpress. The extra price is worth the extra piece of mind to me.) We’re discussing the Mrs. taking over the i3 and trading in the A4 for a “big” BEV for me to drive. In that case I would think she’d prefer CarPlay over the 2015 era iDrive. Either way I’d prefer it. Tempting… Tempting…
     
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    CoddLeeves

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  • #1,163
    Semi On said:
    I vastly prefer the wireless CarPlay in my BMW to the wired CarPlay in my wife's MB. It's so much nicer to just get in the car and drive away than fiddle with stuff.

    However, I probably wouldn't be paying for that experience six months out from changing cars if there's a decent chance the new one will support wireless OotB.
    Click to expand...

    I have a new A-Class with the MBUX. I don't use CarPlay much (because the new AR Sat Nav is excellent) but I found the CarPlay to be much nicer than my BMW I had previous.
     
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    Otto Pilot

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  • #1,165
    Previous to trying this little gadget, I think I was on record as not really caring about wireless CarPlay. This is me admitting I was very wrong. Aside from the obvious benefit of the freedom not to have to plug in, the big advantage to me comes down to charging. Previously, if I wanted CarPlay, I had to accept the slow-ass USB charging through the port. Now I have the option to use a higher power charger if I want to really recharge my 11 Pro Max, or I am able to use wireless charging, though one of the 3rd party pads. I picked up a dual-slot (1 USB-A/1 USB-C) thing for the power port, and plugged the wireless charger in and ran the wire behind the steering wheel, so now I have a wireless charger attached to one of the vents and can stick the iPhone onto it via magnets, or use the much higher-speed USB-C if I need to get a quick charge.

    I tested latency again on a call with the wife on the way to work, and can really detect no noticeable lag in phone calls. I'm giving this thing an enthusiastic thumbs up.
     
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    Jeff3F

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  • #1,167
    I like the potential for CarPlay, but I currently do very well with standard old bluetooth, a coiled power cord, and a CD slot phone holder. Everything just works if I do nothing (phone in pocket), and if I want to charge or to keep the phone unlocked during a drive then I can use google's commute or apple maps. Apple maps taps my watch which I like, but google seems better informed of late breaking traffic troubles.

    Of course, the desire to keep the phone unlocked with a navigation app is because my usual audio app, SiriusXM, is periodically buggy. Nothing worse that beginning a drive, having the audio crap out a few minutes in, then not have quick and relatively eye-free access to the app in the short period of time one usually has at a stoplight.

    I have a weird vintage of car, in 2015 Audi was super backward in their thinking (no Siri button and no lightning plug--what percent of their technically savvy customers still had 19-pin iPhones in 2015?

    #sourgrapes over car purchases made of necessity, at inconvenient times technologically (we knew CarPlay would be a thing eventually back in 2015).
     
    Semi On

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  • #1,170
    FoO said:
    /me keeps eyes peeled for CarKey info.
    Click to expand...

    You'll undoubtedly need a new BMW. They appear to be the launch partner, based on the rumors, and I've never seen BMW roll out a feature retroactively, even if all that was required was a software update (which this isn't).

    One article I read suggested the first round would require you to tag the car with NFC to enter. That's a non-starter.

    The second iteration seems to use the UWB chip to simulate the function of current keys whereby you just grab the handle, it unlocks and you push a button to start. I'm 100% on board with that.
     
    FoO

    FoO

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  • #1,171
    Semi On said:
    FoO said:
    /me keeps eyes peeled for CarKey info.
    Click to expand...

    You'll undoubtedly need a new BMW. They appear to be the launch partner, based on the rumors, and I've never seen BMW roll out a feature retroactively, even if all that was required was a software update (which this isn't).

    One article I read suggested the first round would require you to tag the car with NFC to enter. That's a non-starter.

    The second iteration seems to use the UWB chip to simulate the function of current keys whereby you just grab the handle, it unlocks and you push a button to start. I'm 100% on board with that.
    Click to expand...

    See this is where I get curious, because modern Subarus, for example, already use NFC for everything.
     
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    xcrunner529

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  • #1,172
    Semi On said:
    The second iteration seems to use the UWB chip to simulate the function of current keys whereby you just grab the handle, it unlocks and you push a button to start. I'm 100% on board with that.
    Click to expand...

    That's how my Audi works currently if the fob is in my pocket, so it's how the CarKey should work too. It's lovely.
     
    Semi On

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  • #1,173
    xcrunner529 said:
    Semi On said:
    The second iteration seems to use the UWB chip to simulate the function of current keys whereby you just grab the handle, it unlocks and you push a button to start. I'm 100% on board with that.
    Click to expand...

    That's how my Audi works currently if the fob is in my pocket, so it's how the CarKey should work too. It's lovely.
    Click to expand...

    It's a minimum requirement for me. I'm not bothering with anything that doesn't at least reproduce that experience.
     
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    wco81

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  • #1,174
    xcrunner529 said:
    Semi On said:
    The second iteration seems to use the UWB chip to simulate the function of current keys whereby you just grab the handle, it unlocks and you push a button to start. I'm 100% on board with that.
    Click to expand...

    That's how my Audi works currently if the fob is in my pocket, so it's how the CarKey should work too. It's lovely.
    Click to expand...


    Will the CarKey services run in the background or will you have to periodically bring it to the foreground?

    I have an old door lock implementation. If you knock on the phone on which their app. is loaded, it will unlock. Neat trick right?

    But you will periodically have to open and authenticate on the app. If you haven't used the app. in a long time, it's not going to respond until you log in again.


    I guess since this is Apple's thing, they will make sure the UWB is always active looking to see if you're in proximity to a paired car.
     
    FoO

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  • #1,175
    Semi On said:
    xcrunner529 said:
    Semi On said:
    The second iteration seems to use the UWB chip to simulate the function of current keys whereby you just grab the handle, it unlocks and you push a button to start. I'm 100% on board with that.
    Click to expand...

    That's how my Audi works currently if the fob is in my pocket, so it's how the CarKey should work too. It's lovely.
    Click to expand...

    It's a minimum requirement for me. I'm not bothering with anything that doesn't at least reproduce that experience.
    Click to expand...

    Same for my Outback.
     
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    Leaping Gnome

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  • #1,176
    I finally got around to installing CarPlay in my 2016 BMW last month once the weather warmed up. I think it was mentioned somewhere upthread, I used the Andream unit that is popular on bimmerpost. It was around $250 shipped from AliExpress and pretty easy to install. The biggest issue was the area around the headunit is pretty tight so squeezing all of the cables and box in was pain, but now that it is installed everything looks stock and you can't tell the difference. It took me about two hours because on the first try I didn't have one of the plugs in all the way and I had to take everything back apart. :mad:

    It works great, CarPlay comes up when I start the car, and it is easy to switch back to the BMW iDrive. It fills the 8" screen so there is no weirdness in the UI. The only real downside is the display is not a touchscreen so I have to use the scroll wheel to navigate. Not a huge deal but not as nice as my other cars with touchscreens. I do most things like calls, texts, directions with Siri anyway.
     
    Semi On

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  • #1,177
    It fills the 8" screen so there is no weirdness in the UI.
    Click to expand...

    I'm jealous. My i3 pushes most of the screen to the left and then has this big stupid bar where you can stick BMW info. I just want it to go wide-screen.

    The only real downside is the display is not a touchscreen so I have to use the scroll wheel to navigate. Not a huge deal but not as nice as my other cars with touchscreens. I do most things like calls, texts, directions with Siri anyway.
    Click to expand...

    You may find you prefer this after a big of practice. I do.
     
    jaberg

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  • #1,178
    Semi On said:
    It fills the 8" screen so there is no weirdness in the UI.
    Click to expand...

    I'm jealous. My i3 pushes most of the screen to the left and then has this big stupid bar where you can stick BMW info. I just want it to go wide-screen.

    The only real downside is the display is not a touchscreen so I have to use the scroll wheel to navigate. Not a huge deal but not as nice as my other cars with touchscreens. I do most things like calls, texts, directions with Siri anyway.
    Click to expand...

    You may find you prefer this after a big of practice. I do.
    Click to expand...

    I agree. I have become very adept at using the “jog wheel” for CarPlay and don’t see a touchscreen as an improvement. The wheel comes readily to hand in the center console while the screen is a bit of a stretch. (And the button for Siri, right there on the steering wheel, is at my fingertip.)

    That being said, the CarPlay car’s lease is up at the end of the month and I’m in a bit of a holding pattern regarding the replacement. Not COVID/job/financial related — we’re just reconsidering how many cars this family unit needs when one of the “drivers” is approaching an age/condition where maybe he shouldn’t be and another drives approximately 100 miles a year to and from the grocery store that I walk to. I might be back to the “it mostly works some of the time” Bluetooth integration in the Acura for a while. Or finally get off my butt and make the minor repairs necessary to get my Land-Rover back on the road (Yay cheap gas!) — in which case I will be looking for a weather/shock resistant CarPlay head unit. Or at least a “cheap” one given that marine stereos have had an average lifespan of about three years over the 20 plus years I’ve been driving the beast.
     
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    Robert McAuslan

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  • #1,179
    After four years of pretty much flawless operation across two phones, CarPlay seems a bit busted for me at the moment.
    Just in the past week or so, all of a sudden nothing from the For You tab works at all - all the top-level options show, but I can't access any of the playlists at all :confused:
    It all works on the phone as expected, just nothing in the car :mad:
     
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    Chris FOM

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  • #1,181
    Robert McAuslan said:
    After four years of pretty much flawless operation across two phones, CarPlay seems a bit busted for me at the moment.
    Just in the past week or so, all of a sudden nothing from the For You tab works at all - all the top-level options show, but I can't access any of the playlists at all :confused:
    It all works on the phone as expected, just nothing in the car :mad:
    Click to expand...

    Same issue here. Started Sunday night for me. Which is weird timing, no updates to the phone or the car (not that the latter should matter much, since it's effectively a dump pipe for what the phone displays as far as I understand it).
     
    FoO

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  • #1,184
    gregatron5 said:
    The volume of my phone calls is waaaaay lower than the volume of media, either Music or Overcast. Is there some way to level them?
    Click to expand...

    Yeah, just like Thinine says, and just like it is on the phone itself - you have to change the volume of whatever output it is WHILE it is outputting. There's no board with volume sliders for everything, which seems like a simple ask. >_<
     
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    shade1978

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  • #1,185
    I know there's been some discussion of them previously in the thread, but I'm curious about people's recent experience with wireless CarPlay adapters. How well are they working these days? Which ones are particularly good?

    My wife has an Ascent, I have a Civic, both support CarPlay just fine, we use wired CarPlay in both, but a lot of our trips now are just relatively quick around town things where she'd like to be able to take calls, play music, and maybe get maps occasionally without needing to fish her phone out of her jacket pocket or purse and plug it in. However, I've seen some complaints about audio lag in phone calls which would be a major annoyance for my wife, since she uses CarPlay for calls quite a lot.

    As for me, as long as I can play music for my daughter and Apple/Google Maps work, I don't care too much - I'm deaf so I don't take voice calls in the car.

    In particular, I've been looking at the Carlinkit 3.0 ones which seem to have generally good reviews and aren't exorbitantly priced. Anyone have any suggestions or feedback? I have no interest in replacing the head units in either vehicle; the Subaru is new and the Civic is the first model year that had CarPlay and I'm hoping to replace it with an electric vehicle in 2-3 years and I don't really want to put a lot of money into it beyond keeping up on all the basic maintenance.
     
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    LewisB

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  • #1,186
    The main issue with my Carplay wireless adaptor is that it is used by both my wife and myself. If we both get in the car at the same time there is no real option to choose who's phone it connects to, it simply connects to the last connected phone.

    There is a screen shown when the adaptor is first turned on that enables you to select different phones, but 9 times out of 10 by the time the car has started up etc that screen has long since gone and it has connected to a phone.
     
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    armwt

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  • #1,188
    LewisB said:
    The main issue with my Carplay wireless adaptor is that it is used by both my wife and myself. If we both get in the car at the same time there is no real option to choose who's phone it connects to, it simply connects to the last connected phone.

    There is a screen shown when the adaptor is first turned on that enables you to select different phones, but 9 times out of 10 by the time the car has started up etc that screen has long since gone and it has connected to a phone.
    Click to expand...


    Thanks... honestly wouldn't be a problem for me. My wife doesn't drive my car (hers has factory CarPlay). I'm on the fence though... I really like my head unit, but the anti-glare coating has started to peel (I drive an old convertible, so exposed to the weather a LOT). I'm on the fence between replacing with something with wireless CP built-in, or pulling the head unit and trying to clean up the screen with a buffing wheel.
     
    Arasirsul

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  • #1,192
    armwt said:
    Thanks... honestly wouldn't be a problem for me. My wife doesn't drive my car (hers has factory CarPlay). I'm on the fence though... I really like my head unit, but the anti-glare coating has started to peel (I drive an old convertible, so exposed to the weather a LOT). I'm on the fence between replacing with something with wireless CP built-in, or pulling the head unit and trying to clean up the screen with a buffing wheel.
    Click to expand...

    If I'm willing to buy a new head unit, I'm much more willing to try to fix the one I have. If I screw it up or fail.. oh, well, I was gonna buy a new head unit anyhow!
     
    Hap

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  • #1,193
    armwt said:
    LewisB said:
    The main issue with my Carplay wireless adaptor is that it is used by both my wife and myself. If we both get in the car at the same time there is no real option to choose who's phone it connects to, it simply connects to the last connected phone.

    There is a screen shown when the adaptor is first turned on that enables you to select different phones, but 9 times out of 10 by the time the car has started up etc that screen has long since gone and it has connected to a phone.
    Click to expand...


    Thanks... honestly wouldn't be a problem for me. My wife doesn't drive my car (hers has factory CarPlay). I'm on the fence though... I really like my head unit, but the anti-glare coating has started to peel (I drive an old convertible, so exposed to the weather a LOT). I'm on the fence between replacing with something with wireless CP built-in, or pulling the head unit and trying to clean up the screen with a buffing wheel.
    Click to expand...

    Factory Unit in my GMC and wife's Toyota was replace with an Alpine unit (although the wife went through a couple of Pioneer's first) with wireless CarPlay. They're really basic units without CarPlay - basically just AM/FM. They support up to 5 CarPlay devices that you can switch between and it mostly works switching - although it can be glitchy.

    For the Lexus, I'm looking at this to bring (wired) CarPlay to the factory receiver since it's not replaceable.
     
    armwt

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  • #1,196
    Arasirsul said:
    armwt said:
    Thanks... honestly wouldn't be a problem for me. My wife doesn't drive my car (hers has factory CarPlay). I'm on the fence though... I really like my head unit, but the anti-glare coating has started to peel (I drive an old convertible, so exposed to the weather a LOT). I'm on the fence between replacing with something with wireless CP built-in, or pulling the head unit and trying to clean up the screen with a buffing wheel.
    Click to expand...

    If I'm willing to buy a new head unit, I'm much more willing to try to fix the one I have. If I screw it up or fail.. oh, well, I was gonna buy a new head unit anyhow!
    Click to expand...

    Very true, and not like I'm unaccustomed to messing with things in that car... ;)
     
    GaitherBill

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  • #1,198
    Chad Decker said:
    Generally, the last person connected takes priority.
    I use carlinkit 4.0. It supports both Apple CarPlay for iPhones and AndroidAuto system for Android mobiles. I turned off auto connect so that I am able to choose between the iPhone and the Android phone.
    Click to expand...

    WE did that too for our Carlinkit, but the extra step, and the fact that the wireless charging pad in our Lexus won’t charge our iPhone 13’s because of the camera bump, has lead us to just use a cord to Connect.
     
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    elh

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  • #1,200
    Zod said:
    We have a new i4 with wireless CarPlay. It seems to connect randomly to any of the paired phones in the car, not the last one to have been connected.
    Click to expand...
    Also it will switch back to carplay anytime you have audio app on your iPhone right? I.e. if I open a browset and the page has autoplay, it will start playing thru airplay...
     
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