Any News on Apple CarPlay for Model S?

[DBG]

Hi was wondering if there is anyone with insight/news in to the chances for CarPlay for the Model S?

I very much love driving my Model S but I have to admit to being disappointed that both my two year old GMC Yukon and BMW really blow away my large, cool 17" Model S screen in terms of being able to fully access playlists, songs, and phone, etc. from both my GMC touch panel and the voice inputs.

I've given up on obtaining a storage bag for the frunk and a center console from Tesla (I got an email update in December on the console saying "sometime soon" however I visited the Tesla showroom today at ParK Meadows Denver and the manager says he was recently given an indication the consoles won't now be available in any numbers before October this year. (He made great pains however to remind me that no one at Teslas is supposed to give out indications however and it is their standard practice that no one who interfaces to customers is given info about delays or availability.)

Thanks!




Model S, P85+, black, 21" grey wheels, etc etc. Dec

 

[shady]

Scroll down to the bottom of this page for your answer.

 

[DBG]

Thanks for the link Shady... not even on the long list of manufacturers planning future integration much less the list of committed manufacturers... oh well... it is still a very nice large screen even if it doesn't understand the concept of a playlist. It's obvious Apple and Tesla haven't anything serious together to date and I guess that will continue.

As mentioned I would settle for the years old playlist/song control on the touch screen in my truck that is pre-CarPlay but I guess we won't have that choice either. When I bought my Model S it never even occurred to me to check that the Model S would not have even the basic iphone/ipad integration on my other vehicles from years back; especially when I paid $2500 extra for a premium sound system (which it seems is actually just a big but nice premium speaker system attached to my iPhone via bluetooth with the standard play/pause/forward functions you get on any "boom box" lol).

 

[ausdma]

Be interesting to see what media improvements there are (if any) in version 6.0.

 

[liuping]

I higher recommend emailing [email protected] to request Carplay support (or at least some form of iPhone/iPod integration). If enough people email them, it should get a higher priority.

The current Media play is the only part of the car that I'm actually embarrassed to talk about telling people about the car. I try to avoid talking about it, but if they ask, I always say it will get an upgrade in the future.

Hopefully it will someday have iPhone integration at least as good as a $15k econo import...

 

[JaredBanyard]

I doubt Tesla wants to pay Apple for the licensing rights and obey their rules. If you haven't noticed, Tesla almost exclusively implements open source and free solutions for everything. Tesla won't implement anything that may restrict what they can do with their system. There may be rules that prevent other audio systems, device support, etc, if Tesla licenses Apple's integration. Honestly I have moved far away from local music anyway, especially with Google Music allowing you to upload 25,000 songs to their servers for you to stream down (which is only needed if Google Music subscription doesn't have those songs, which is rare).

When Android support comes to the computer, we will see even less of a need for Apple integration.

 

[techmaven]

I doubt Tesla wants to pay Apple for the licensing rights and obey their rules. If you haven't noticed, Tesla almost exclusively implements open source and free solutions for everything. Tesla won't implement anything that may restrict what they can do with their system. There may be rules that prevent other audio systems, device support, etc, if Tesla licenses Apple's integration. Honestly I have moved far away from local music anyway, especially with Google Music allowing you to upload 25,000 songs to their servers for you to stream down (which is only needed if Google Music subscription doesn't have those songs, which is rare).

When Android support comes to the computer, we will see even less of a need for Apple integration.

I doubt Tesla's decision has much to do with open source philosophy as much as it had to do with pragmatic engineering decisions. They will cater to the market. What FUD are spreading about CarPlay? Do you have sources that say that Apple demands exclusivity to implement CarPlay?

 

[liuping]

Tesla almost exclusively implements open source and free solutions for everything

Tesla already pays Google for Google Maps and Slacker for Slacker Plus.

They've included a lightning adapter on the optional console, which is licensed, so they are not adverse to paying Apple licensing fees.

I think it's just low on their list of things to improve. The Navigation system is much higher priority, so it's a major focus of 6.0. hopefully the media player is next.

Carplay would be great, but I'd be happy with basic iPhone playlist and track selection integration.

 

[Gizmotoy]

I doubt Tesla's decision has much to do with open source philosophy as much as it had to do with pragmatic engineering decisions. They will cater to the market. What FUD are spreading about CarPlay? Do you have sources that say that Apple demands exclusivity to implement CarPlay?

He has an Android as his avatar and promotes his Google+ page in his signature... I wouldn't hold my breath for sources. In any case, we know they don't exist or Volvo, at least, would be getting sued. They support both Android and CarPlay in their upcoming models.

I'm sure engineering priorities are the reason, as you say. The Media subsystem sucks for everyone, not just Apple users. And indeed, while CarPlay would be neat I suspect most people would be mostly happy with the simple iPod interface provided in basically every other car on the market today. We'll get something when the Media player finally makes Tesla's priority list.

 

[markb1]

I higher recommend emailing [email protected] to request Carplay support (or at least some form of iPhone/iPod integration). If enough people email them, it should get a higher priority.

FYI, when I emailed this address last month, they told me the right place for feature requests was the service team ([email protected]).

 

[bob_p]

The current software is very limited - much more can be done to support smartphones - Apple and Android - and hopefully the next major release (6.x) will start adding new features (after they get sleep mode and air suspension working).

Unlike other auto manufacturers, Tesla has committed to providing software updates for the life of the car - today we're talking about CarPlay - twelve months from now there will be something else new and shiny. For the other car manufacturers - the cars they ship today with the "current" technology will look pretty dated in several years - and the Model S should continue to embrace the latest technology.

I've had my Model S since January 2013 - and the slow pace of releasing the needed major upgrades to the media and navigation software has been frustrating - but compared to my previous cars - who were locked into the technology the manufacturer had (a year before the car was built), at least we have the opportunity to see major improvements in the on board software - if we can only be patient enough to wait...

 

[FairFrank]

I agree with all who say the car is a huge jump forward in sustainability and driving experience. However the media, interactive and navigation experience is ways behind BMW. If you want to get EU drivers out of their German premium vehicles this should be adressed. For example, in my BMW 5 series calling somebody is a piece of cake via the steering wheel. In my Tesla I don't call anybody, because it's a major hassle. Scrolling through a massive contact list on the the display doesn't invite and selecting a contact via the steering wheel is a nice practice for those who want to sollicitate at Cirque du Soleil.
I hope Tesla will quickly improve the accessability and usability of media, telephone etc. Otherwise I am afraid my next car will be a (e)BMW again.

 

[wmarcy]

Can't these things be updated remotely? Has Tesla opened up the API so that programmers can solve these problems for them?

 

[jerry33]

Can't these things be updated remotely? Has Tesla opened up the API so that programmers can solve these problems for them?

Yes, they can be updated with new firmware.

No, the APIs and SDK haven't been delivered yet. Maybe in 6.X.

 

[JohnQ]

I agree with all who say the car is a huge jump forward in sustainability and driving experience. However the media, interactive and navigation experience is ways behind BMW. If you want to get EU drivers out of their German premium vehicles this should be adressed. For example, in my BMW 5 series calling somebody is a piece of cake via the steering wheel. In my Tesla I don't call anybody, because it's a major hassle. Scrolling through a massive contact list on the the display doesn't invite and selecting a contact via the steering wheel is a nice practice for those who want to sollicitate at Cirque du Soleil.
I hope Tesla will quickly improve the accessability and usability of media, telephone etc. Otherwise I am afraid my next car will be a (e)BMW again.

You were unable to use voice commands to call someone on your contact list?

 

[Atebit]

Thanks for the link Shady... not even on the long list of manufacturers planning future integration much less the list of committed manufacturers... oh well... it is still a very nice large screen even if it doesn't understand the concept of a playlist. It's obvious Apple and Tesla haven't anything serious together to date and I guess that will continue.

Oh, so ~that~ explains why my iPod just sits there when I plug it into the USB port. Indeed, I never thought to ask either, sort of take it for granted at this point.

 

[liuping]

In my Tesla I don't call anybody, because it's a major hassle.

If you press and hold the voice button on the steering wheel, say "call john smith", then releasse the talk button, it brings up John Smith's contact info. You should not need to scroll through anything.

 

[FairFrank]

You were unable to use voice commands to call someone on your contact list?

Yes, MS voice dialing isn't working in The Netherlands. But Siri on iPhone does.
So, if I really need to call somebody I pick my iPhone, start Siri and pas the command....

 

[dsm363]

Yes, MS voice dialing isn't working in The Netherlands. But Siri on iPhone does.
So, if I really need to call somebody I pick my iPhone, start Siri and pas the command....

I'd let Tesla know then. At least in US it pulls up a few contacts that it thinks you said and you push on the name and then the number (home, work...etc).

 

[liuping]

Yes, MS voice dialing isn't working in The Netherlands. But Siri on iPhone does.
So, if I really need to call somebody I pick my iPhone, start Siri and pas the command....

Do the other voice commands work, or is it just contact syncing with your phone that is broken?