Text Message Solutions?

[Dante]

Hi,

I'm wondering if anyone has found any workarounds for in-car text message access. I'm an iPhone user, and it looks like iMessage does not have a web-based app, and the WhatsApp web-app does not work with the Tesla browser. I know this has been a long sought after feature, so wondering if there are any workarounds I am not aware of?

 

[jjrandorin]

Why not just use siri hands free and say "hey siri, read my text messages" and let it read it to you through the car, or "hey siri, send a tex message to XXX" and it will send.

Not on the touch screen, but you wouldnt want to be trying to tap the touch screen while driving to send a message anyway.

 

[ecarfan]

I don’t know what province in Canada you are located in. In Ontario it is illegal to use a phone while driving except to dial 911, and it is also illegal to use any screen in a car in a manner unrelated to driving. So using the Tesla car display for texting would be illegal unless you were parked. And in that case, just use your phone.
https://www.ontario.ca/page/distracted-driving

The law in California Law section.

23123.5.
(a) A person shall not drive a motor vehicle while holding and operating a handheld wireless telephone or an electronic wireless communications device unless the wireless telephone or electronic wireless communications device is specifically designed and configured to allow voice-operated and hands-free operation, and it is used in that manner while driving.

(b) This section shall not apply to manufacturer-installed systems that are embedded in the vehicle.

 

[Firewired]

I bet it is just a matter of time before the car is able to interpret and read text messages. I remember when we didn't have backup lines and everyone said it was not possible with current cars for various reasons such as incompatible with steering system and current video card. It was just a software system and came backup lines came out during an update. Interfacing with text seems even more of a software only problem that I would expect them to be able to solve, particularly for driving safety, particularly with the voice comprehension on the maps and media parts seeming to be so good.

 

[Dante]

Great observations. Not looking to use in car texting while driving. Going to the states for a road trip, and wondering if I can avoid roaming charges by using car as one big cell phone to coordinate with people we're meeting up with (while parked). Agree that siri is sufficient for reading/sending texts hands free (and really, no text message is that important that you need to do it while driving). But what I'm trying to avoid is using my cell phone in the US at all hahahaha.

 

[ecarfan]

But what I'm trying to avoid is using my cell phone in the US at all hahahaha.

My solution when traveling out of my home country is to buy a local SIM card. Cost is modest. I’m in Canada right now and that’s what I have done.

 

[fataldeadlock]

My solution for cell phone use outside of US is to continue using my phone as usual. Google Fi provides cell service. Zero international roaming charges (voice, text, or data), only pay for data the you use, and it also has an unlimited data option for those few months when you need it. If you are using certain phones, you can even software select which network you want to use.

Use the link to get $20 credit.
Google Fi

 

[Krash]

If you want to jailbreak an old phone you can use remote messaging on iOS 9 to access texts via any browser.

Interesting that the Windows phone still reads and replies to texts in v10.

 

[jmaddr]

Does android or IOS (especially iOS) even allow third party access to message content? I don’t know of a single app in the App Store that has access to messages, so the Tesla app (which I assume would be the way to interface with the devices messages) would need to have this programmed, and it may not even be an option.

Any Apple developers know this answer? I would love to be proved wrong but I’m not holding my breath. I know Elon said it was coming but if Apple says no, it ain’t coming. Android would be a different story.

 

[Krash]

Apple Carplay and Android Auto both have APIs for reading and responding to text messaging. Not sure if you could implement just that subset. Remote Messaging's access method was disabled in the next iOS release 9 and AirMessage's access method was disabled in the next iOS release 10, but the later has an update in beta that works on later iOS versions, so access is possible.

 

[afadeev]

Apple Carplay and Android Auto both have APIs for reading and responding to text messaging. Not sure if you could implement just that subset. Likey there is no other way to access iMessage since Remote Messaging's access method was disabled in the next iOS release 9 and AirMessage's access method was disabled in the next iOS release 10.

Unfortunately, Tesla has been stubbornly refusing to license either CarPlay or AndroidAuto, thus we all continue to get better phone and messaging integration in a rental beater (Chevy, Hyundai), then in a Tesla.

Sad.
Stupid.
Real.
Ongoing.

 

[eHaw]

Why not just use siri hands free and say "hey siri, read my text messages" and let it read it to you through the car, or "hey siri, send a tex message to XXX" and it will send.

Not on the touch screen, but you wouldnt want to be trying to tap the touch screen while driving to send a message anyway.

Siri will allow you to reply, "review" after you have dictated to her, and "send".

Pretty sweet.

 

[ajdelange]

My solution when traveling out of my home country is to buy a local SIM card. Cost is modest. I’m in Canada right now and that’s what I have done.

I never thought I'd ever be able to say something good about Verizon but I noticed when I got up here this summer that 0.5 GB of data per day was included in my Canada/Mexico plan. In previous years they were charging a dollar a kB or something equally outrageous.

 

[Dan203]

I bet it is just a matter of time before the car is able to interpret and read text messages. I remember when we didn't have backup lines and everyone said it was not possible with current cars for various reasons such as incompatible with steering system and current video card. It was just a software system and came backup lines came out during an update. Interfacing with text seems even more of a software only problem that I would expect them to be able to solve, particularly for driving safety, particularly with the voice comprehension on the maps and media parts seeming to be so good.

Seems like almost everything in this car is controlled by software. Last night I had a problem with music and rebooted the computer while I was driving. Not even the blinker sound worked. (the light itself did, as I could kind of see it reflecting off the pavement, but no click)

So it wouldn’t surprise me if they could do basically anything with a software update. This thing is basically a computer on wheels.

 

[DopeGhoti]

Apple Carplay and Android Auto both have APIs for reading and responding to text messaging.

Neither CarPlay nor Android Auto are required for this; it is built into the industry-standard Bluetooth protocols for. Tesla simply needs to implement them. Let's not conflate the two discussions.

 

[Firewired]

Yes. The simpler it is to implement the more likely they will do it, especially if it doesn’t require a licensing fee.

 

[Krash]

I was not implying that Android Auto and Apple Carplay are the only solution. Or that the Windows phone solution doesn't use the Bluetooth mechanism.

I suspect that Tesla has implemented the Bluetooth protocol and that is why Windows phone reads and dictates texts. Do any cars implement the Bluetooth protocol without Apple Carplay or Android Auto? That would be telling.

 

[DopeGhoti]

I suspect that Tesla has implemented the Bluetooth protocol and that is why Windows phone reads and dictates texts. Do any cars implement the Bluetooth protocol without Apple Carplay or Android Auto? That would be telling.

Yes, many do. My way of for-instance, my last car which was a 2014 Prius, and the car before that, could both receive and perform TTS recitation of texts and use the in-car MFD to send (customizable) preformatted replies (the one I used most was "I'm driving now; will respond later.") or to (only when stopped) type out a reply by hand.

 

[Altes]

I bet it is just a matter of time before the car is able to interpret and read text messages. I remember when we didn't have backup lines and everyone said it was not possible with current cars for various reasons such as incompatible with steering system and current video card. It was just a software system and came backup lines came out during an update. Interfacing with text seems even more of a software only problem that I would expect them to be able to solve, particularly for driving safety, particularly with the voice comprehension on the maps and media parts seeming to be so good.

Yeah...Cause your average Honda has had this capability for like 10 years, Oh and I can't believe ANYONE could say the Media parts is "so good", or that the maps is "so good" map updates with MCU1 is so slow as to be unuseable and the media....well just search around here to see how bad THAT is

 

[notAnExpert]

Yes, many do. My way of for-instance, my last car which was a 2014 Prius, and the car before that, could both receive and perform TTS recitation of texts and use the in-car MFD to send (customizable) preformatted replies ...

Just to clarify, with a recent version of iOS, have you been able to receive incoming text notifications, and have the car read the message to you without CarPlay? I was under the impression that is not possible with iOS in the last couple of years.