How do you like Apple CarPlay?

[DerekS]

After 50,000 km over two years in a Taycan – mainly on longish road-trips – I have mostly stuck to using the PCM only features. For context – I used to be an active iOS software engineer – so am fairly embedded into the Apple ecosystem.

I'm an active iOS software engineer and card-carrying Apple fanboy so I'm with you on this.

I used Carplay when the PCM was impossibly buggy, but they've fixed it.

The main reason I stopped using Carplay was irritation at this buggy workflow:

- Turn off the car on a native source (Apple Music, Podcasts, Sirius XM)
- Return to the car and it resumes that last-used source (yay!)
- Carplay connects and kills the source you were enjoying.

That eventually pissed me off enough to shut off carplay. The only thing I miss is the text message handling; the PCM can read them so it's not a deal breaker. I might turn on CarPlay for a long road trip or something.

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[gnop1950]

I use CarPlay in all my vehicles and have had very very few issues and none for quite a while now. It is nice using the same interface in my vehicles, home, etc.

 

[f1eng]

I cancelled Apple Music a long time ago since it didn’t work very well for classical music (no streaming service does because they all seem to be “song” rather than complete work based).

Hence my USB stick so I can listen to works logically.

I try to plan all my trips before driving - I really do believe changing stuff whilst driving isn’t very safe, sending my next destination to the car and using its inbuilt nav worked extremely well for me last week.

I do have Waze and find it poor for finding a route and OK for finding traffic obstructions in cities. I drive in a city as little as possible

 

[f1eng]

Carplay connects and kills the source you were enjoying

That in itself is convincing enough not to bother initiating car play on my car! I don’t always have sound playing but having the car do that would tip me over

 

[gnop1950]

I cancelled Apple Music a long time ago since it didn’t work very well for classical music (no streaming service does because they all seem to be “song” rather than complete work based).

Hence my USB stick so I can listen to works logically.

I try to plan all my trips before driving - I really do believe changing stuff whilst driving isn’t very safe, sending my next destination to the car and using its inbuilt nav worked extremely well for me last week.

I do have Waze and find it poor for finding a route and OK for finding traffic obstructions in cities. I drive in a city as little as possible

I frequently listen to classical music on Apple music so I'm not sure what the issue is unless it is different in Europe. This might also be of interest: Apple Classical Music App. Waze seems to work well for me in the US so far. But I haven't taken a lot of long trips to new destinations.

 

[f1eng]

I frequently listen to classical music on Apple music so I'm not sure what the issue i

It may be better now but the choices were limited and finding a complete work rather than a single track, which Apple Music has always called a “song” even going back to the original iPod. I bought and used an iPod from its first release for my weekly flights as much lighter than a flight case full of CDs!

The way the iPod ripped and stored albums was, and probably still is, unsuited to classical music - you can use it but it is crap.

I solved the problem by using playlists of works and still use the system.
I have Qobuz streaming software but mainly to decide whether to buy the CD.

I was an early adopter of file based music and digital recording but have drifted back to mainly CDs and LPs so ripping to a USB stick for the car has worked fine for me.

 

[whan]

Have been an avid user of android auto in all the cars I've had before. I'll say that the #1 thing that keeps me using the AA/Carplay type interfaces is the significantly better voice control and search. Particularly google assistant does a really good job of understanding contextual commands, and coming up with the right place that you're searching for.

For example, I wouldn't trust most other voice command interfaces to correctly interpret "find a pho restaurant on my route", because they either don't have within route search, or won't understand "pho" correctly. Or even if they do, probably don't have many search results. The integration with Spotify music is also decent - not perfect, but I can ask it to start playing certain playlists I have made, or specific songs / artists.

In addition, I do think google maps is still the most accurate and best for GPS routing, as well as pointing out some speed traps (though not all, and some are false alarms / old where the cop has moved).

I am also excited for the addition of wireless AA/Carplay for when I get my car. The biggest hassle with my other cars is plugging in the cable when I want to use it. The wireless AA/Carplay apparently uses wifi so music quality should be decent (not as bad as bluetooth), and I'm also planning to add a magsafe double sided taped to the lower front storage area so I can easily charge my phone on longer trips

The main downsides I am thinking of have been mentioned already. #1 is lack of integration with the gauge cluster. Kind of a bummer but not a huge deal since I can choose to show other info anyways. #2 is bigger on longer trips which is integration with the car's battery %, etc. Apparently the Ford Mach E can actually feed this info to apple maps to create an integrated system. Know it probably won't happen anytime soon but would be awesome if Porsche was able to do it too

https://www.ford.com/support/how-to...ric-vehicle-ev-routing-feature-in-apple-maps/

 

[Wakesurfer]

I have never had a car which uses CarPlay before and when we were going to add it when I picked the car up I was asked to initiate Siri on my phone. I wasn’t sure how and was not keen anyway, I don’t like talking to “things” or them listening all the time.

Anyway I haven’t used CarPlay yet my ‘phone works fine in the car, I have DAB radio and can play my chunes from a USB stick so what would CarPlay add?
I am not missing what i have never had so far and my inclination is to not bother.

Can anybody persuade me otherwise?

I have not set up CarPlay either. My phone connects to the car as soon as I get in and I have access to answering or making phone calls through the PCM (if that is the correct acronym...............) I do have a favorite radio station that is always on and if I want to listen to my Apple Music songs the car picks it up right away. On the right tube (US car) if the phone/car is playing Apple Music you and scroll through songs by selecting Media on the right tube. Not a tech guy either, just a guy that would prefer concentrating on turn-in, apex, exit whenever I can.................................

 

[David Bennett]

I launch CarPlay every time I get in the car, it just seems normal and gives me the same interface I have with my other cars so feels the right and I know how to navigate. My problem is you have to lanch carplay , then confirm you want carplay and some times have to re confirm. Come on Porsche if I push the CarPlay icon it means I want carplay, why the need for sometimes multiple confirmations ? I also have Apple Music so CarPlay just makes more sense

 

[blulite]

I launch CarPlay every time I get in the car, it just seems normal and gives me the same interface I have with my other cars so feels the right and I know how to navigate. My problem is you have to lanch carplay , then confirm you want carplay and some times have to re confirm. Come on Porsche if I push the CarPlay icon it means I want carplay, why the need for sometimes multiple confirmations ? I also have Apple Music so CarPlay just makes more sense

Something is wrong with your setup. Most of the time CarPlay just starts when I get in the car. Sometimes it does not, so I hit the icon and it starts. I am never asked to confirm.

 

[kl98cwg]

I find Carplay really useful and reliable too. I use the voice command button on the steering wheel to activate it (rather than saying Hey Siri) but the ‘ready’ tone changed after I replaced my iPhone and it’s difficult to hear now - if anyone can tell me how to change the tone (or its volume) I’d appreciate it, as I can’t find it anywhere in either the iPhone or car settings.

 

[timc3]

Here are my reasons for using CarPlay:

• Being able to use Siri to do things with my phone without taking my hands of the wheel and eyes off the road such as reading/dictating messages, starting music, initiating phone calls (rare!)
• Having the same experience in my BMW and Taycan. The operating system in the BMW is way better than the PCM but CarPlay equalises it to some degree.
• Being able to activate my Garage door opener (which actually only works 40% of the time at the moment) which is CarPlay enabled.
• Waze / Apple Maps / Google Maps
• I use Apple Music it at home and on the move. I can start playing a track at home, jump into the car it continues and then jump into another car and it continues.
• I think the PCM is ugly. It's functional, and not over the top like Mercedes but could be a lot nicer.

 

[Tsingtao]

Thanks for this.
Really appreciate specialist advice.

I hardly ever make/receive phone calls in my car but hadn’t realised there was a difference.
I decided to put my lossless files on a USB stick and music wise I was pretty pleased. They are mainly the same ones as on my ‘phone anyway.

I have all notifications other than messages switched off on my phone, I’m a grumpy old bloke.

I think you have persuaded me to leave things as they are, thanks.

If you have no kids, you are fine, but with kids -- who now seem incapable of communicating with parents other than through text messages -- carplay is a must. They send a text, you hit one button on the pcm and Siri reads the text; you respond verbally and Siri translates your response into a text message that Gen Z can read. I am not sure why kids can't talk on a phone, but it is what it is.

 

[f1eng]

If you have no kids, you are fine, but with kids -- who now seem incapable of communicating with parents other than through text messages -- carplay is a must. They send a text, you hit one button on the pcm and Siri reads the text; you respond verbally and Siri translates your response into a text message that Gen Z can read. I am not sure why kids can't talk on a phone, but it is what it is.

Our youngest is 40!

 

[Tsingtao]

Our youngest is 40!

Consider yourself lucky. Your kids, who were not raised by an iPad, can likely engage in conversation like normal human beings. I consider myself fortunate some days if I can extract a monosyllabic grunt out of my Gen Zs. Just waiting for the day when my kids start sending me texts from the back seat of the Taycan while I am driving them to school. Thank you Steve Jobs!

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