Android Auto and/or Apple CarPlay, please

[rlang59]

But to get to favorites you just press the heart button on the top left of the audio page.

Which you have to take your eyes off the road to do. Then you have to take your eyes off the road again to scroll though a list.

What I believe liuping was getting at is that they should just be listed on the main media screen (which has a lot of wasted space) so you don't have to do into a sub menu.

 

[gizmoboy]

Yeah, as much as I like iOS and am interested in CarPlay, I see why it doesn't make sense in a Tesla.

But the flip side there is they need to refresh that multimedia "app" a bit... perhaps in 7.0, it's better.

 

[liuping]

But to get to favorites you just press the heart button on the top left of the audio page.

That "little" heart button is not easy to press without looking. Not to mention it's right next to another little heart icons that toggles a favorite on/off.

Even after looking, finding and and pressing it, you are presented with a scrolling list that you cannot change the order of, so you can't even put your favorite favorites on the fist page of the list. Even if you delete all the favorites and adding them back in in order, they are separated by type, FM radio stations are always on top, followed by any Tune-In favorites, then Slacker favorites.


Favorites should be a row (or grid) of decent sized, easy to read buttons, presented on the main audio page, that you can rearrange regardless of source type. The few looks the better. The #1 rule for a automobile touch screen UI: "Scrolling should never be required for anything you select while driving".


Also, you should be able to scroll through (or at lease "go to next") favorites from the steering wheel controls.

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Yeah, as much as I like iOS and am interested in CarPlay, I see why it doesn't make sense in a Tesla.

I think it makes great sense in a Tesla. With our large screen, Carplay can have it's own window, and we can still have more than 1/2 the screen for Tesla native Apps

 

[gizmoboy]

I think it makes great sense in a Tesla. With our large screen, Carplay can have it's own window, and we can still have more than 1/2 the screen for Tesla native Apps

That would be true if these "apps" in the Tesla control system are truly independent apps and not part of one large program. I can't speak to that.

 

[markwj]

But that's not the point of what it does. I'm admittedly not as familiar with Android Auto, but CarPlay does not have to take over the whole display and I'd be extremely surprised if Android Auto did, either. Automakers (see Volvo's XC90, for example) have shown their large-touchscreen interfaces with CarPlay in windows while the vehicle's stock interface remains intact around it. This is an anticipated and supported use case.

Here is Volvo's Sensus CarPlay integration. The only part that's Carplay is that portion above the climate controls (look familiar?) and below the Navigation/Media/Status window.

View attachment 82246

Exactly. This makes good sense as a 'My Phone' Tesla app.

 

[tkizzy]

A couple thoughts. +9999999 on integrating Carplay (and/maybe Android auto). It should just be totally modular, an icon along with others. You could use google or Apple maps on it, and waze when they make a carplay app. you could hide it, fullscreen it, move it just like any other integrated app. Tesla could only give it access to things the API currently has, or maybe even just read only aspects of it. In any case, given the choice between creating their own proprietary app platform or integrating with an existing app platform.

Given the high rate of malware on Android, I wonder whether Android auto is any different? In either case, if only trivial access to read only data is provided it might not be an issue.

 

[gjunky]

.

Given the high rate of malware on Android, I wonder whether Android auto is any different? In either case, if only trivial access to read only data is provided it might not be an issue.

Not sure where you got this from and it looks like you are an iOS user but I have been running Android from the very first release and never had a single piece of malware. Granted, the apple app store is policed stricter than the Google play store but this is hardly an OS issue. None of this had anything to do with the integration into the Tesla media center.

 

[lagann]

A couple thoughts. +9999999 on integrating Carplay (and/maybe Android auto). It should just be totally modular, an icon along with others. You could use google or Apple maps on it, and waze when they make a carplay app. you could hide it, fullscreen it, move it just like any other integrated app. Tesla could only give it access to things the API currently has, or maybe even just read only aspects of it. In any case, given the choice between creating their own proprietary app platform or integrating with an existing app platform.

Given the high rate of malware on Android, I wonder whether Android auto is any different? In either case, if only trivial access to read only data is provided it might not be an issue.

...high rate of malware? Seriously? No one gets malware. You pretty much have to enable "install from other sources" which lets you install apps outside of the play store, disable the Google check for outside APK's, then download them, and install them. The only people saying there's a "high rate" are the antivirus companies because they want as many people using their stuff as possible.

 

[markb1]

Oh, let's not have and Android vs. iOS argument. Tesla isn't supporting either, and I hope they support both. Malware should be irrelevant, because the apps run on the phone, not on the car's computer.

 

[gizmoboy]

A couple thoughts. +9999999 on integrating Carplay (and/maybe Android auto). It should just be totally modular, an icon along with others. You could use google or Apple maps on it, and waze when they make a carplay app. you could hide it, fullscreen it, move it just like any other integrated app. Tesla could only give it access to things the API currently has, or maybe even just read only aspects of it. In any case, given the choice between creating their own proprietary app platform or integrating with an existing app platform.

If CarPlay needs to be coded by hand for each auto manufacturer to fit into its OS, it'll never happen. Given that Tesla's system is all on Linux (it seems), I would guess no chance of Apple writing a custom linux version of CarPlay just for them.

For other manufacturers, I assume it's a stand-alone ROM that is integrated into the AV system somehow. Perhaps this could work for Tesla too, but it seems less likely to me.

 

[Twiglett]

If CarPlay needs to be coded by hand for each auto manufacturer to fit into its OS, it'll never happen. Given that Tesla's system is all on Linux (it seems), I would guess no chance of Apple writing a custom linux version of CarPlay just for them.

For other manufacturers, I assume it's a stand-alone ROM that is integrated into the AV system somehow. Perhaps this could work for Tesla too, but it seems less likely to me.

I don't think it works that way. It doesn't run the code of the app, just the display.

 

[Stoneymonster]

I don't think it works that way. It doesn't run the code of the app, just the display.

Indeed, it is a variant of airplay, the phone renders the UI and the car simply displays it and conveys touch events back to the phone. Further, Tim Cook has stated that he'd love to see Tesla implement it. The only hurdle is Tesla willingness to play ball and devote (scarce) resources.

 

[AC123]

The only hurdle is Tesla willingness to play ball and devote (scarce) resources.

.. knowing Apple, there is probably also some sort of insane royalty payment built in.
Yes I'd like to see carplay too. The current voice controls suck. And it would be nice to have real apps, such as Waze etc on that beautiful 17" display.
Browser waze isn't the real thing!

 

[jpcarreiro]

I for one would also like to see Android Auto ( and I guess CarPlay) on the Tesla. But if people want it mostly for Waze you need to be aware that both systems limit what 3rd party developers can do. You'd get the built in navigation on OSes (and for me Google maps is much better than the tesla navigation -- but then , you couldn't probably get it on the dashboard, just on the 17") and the communication stuff ( messages, phone calls)

On Android Auto any developer can do audio apps and messaging, but on CarPlay you can only do audio and you must "ask permission" from Apple.

I guess it would move the "We want Waze now!" threads from the Tesla forums to the Google, Apple and Waze forums :tongue:

 

[wayner]

It isn't just Waze, although that would be great, having flexibility in music services would be good. I believe the with Android Auto and CarPlay you can use Spotify or a bunch of other audio streaming services through the car's UI rather than having to use the phone UI.

 

[AC123]

Yes it isn't just waze. Lots of other integration possibilities.

 

[Stoneymonster]

.. knowing Apple, there is probably also some sort of insane royalty payment built in.
Yes I'd like to see carplay too. The current voice controls suck. And it would be nice to have real apps, such as Waze etc on that beautiful 17" display.
Browser waze isn't the real thing!

Eh, I dunno about that. Apple is interested in selling phones, this sells phones. Phillips has an carplay head unit for a few hundred bucks, so the license can't be that onerous.

 

[markb1]

Waze support or not, at least CarPlay has an SDK, which is more than we can say for Tesla. So CarPlay would be a big step forward for Tesla.

Frankly, Tesla should be embarrassed. All this talk of being the most technologically advanced car, and adding features over the air, but they are behind just about everybody else when it comes to CarPlay.

 

[Sigma4Life]

Waze support or not, at least CarPlay has an SDK, which is more than we can say for Tesla. So CarPlay would be a big step forward for Tesla.

Frankly, Tesla should be embarrassed. All this talk of being the most technologically advanced car, and adding features over the air, but they are behind just about everybody else when it comes to CarPlay.

Sorry, but having CarPlay is not the barometer for determining what's technologically advanced.

 

[AC123]

Sorry, but having CarPlay is not the barometer for determining what's technologically advanced.

How about voice recognition?
Autopilot? Self parking?