You can’t simply tap a point on the main screen and “go there”. You can on your iPhone, but that defeats the whole point of CarPlay, namely, stay off your phone.
There’s no upcoming turn warning, or alert. At least, there’s no obvious way to enable this. I’m going to go out for a drive in an hour and I’ll update this post after I change some Waze settings. On the other hand as an example, Apple Maps not only gives you warning about an upcoming turn (or merge, or whatever), it will buzz your Apple Watch if you’re wearing one.
Maybe this will give me alerts to turn…
Let’s be honest: Waze speech comprehension is terrible. I have my son type in destinations.
I go through the same intersection every day for weeks and I get Red Light Camera warning each day, one on the way in, one on the way out. I don’t know this is a complaint, it might be an observation. Whatever the case, it mysteriously stopped after about three weeks. Hm.
Despite all this, I like and use Waze. It’s my #1 nav app because it gets me where I’m going fastest.
I thought this is interesting: Mazda ad on Facebook showing CarPlay very prominently on the 2018 Mazda6‘s dash. I think they’re proud of finally being on the CarPlay bandwagon, and want to cement in buyers’ minds that new Mazdas do have CarPlay.
It was a long stretch where Mazda was the only major manufacturer that didn’t offer CarPlay. Months ago they put that bad fact to bed and started offering it on new models.
I’d put it down to Mazda being a very small car company compared to every other player, and simply not having the manpower to make CarPlay happen while trying to get new cars into its lineup.
(Why a 2018 model and not a 2019 or even 2020 — I don’t know…)
Surprisingly, CarPlay is unavailable in some countries. In fact, it’s unavailable in the vastmajority of the globe’s countries, given that this list is 36 items long and the number of countries currently hovers at 195.
Here’s a post on Apple Discussions by an owner of a new car, a CarPlay-compatible car, who can’t get CarPlay to work because he’s in a non-available country (Malta). He has an iPhone 6, a phone well within the CarPlay compatibility range, and (at the time) an iOS version that also qualifies to run CarPlay.
End of last year I bought the new SEAT LEON FR with the latest stereo + system. My car is listed in the Carplay compatibility list. But unfortunately the country I live in which is Malta, it’s not listed in the chosen contries list. So I have the latest car with the latest beefed up stereo with a nice big full colour touch screen, I have an iPhone 6 with the latest IOS version 9.2.1 but still can’t use it when I thought I was going to finally have Carplay in my new futuristic car.
Why isn’t Malta one of the chosen contries. I would really love to use it. Something else I would like to ask is, since my stereo unit is fully compatible with Carplay aND its just a country issue, will SEAT be able to install the system once it’s released to my country or do I have to buy a new car?
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7444874
We don’t know what the behavior is in one of these countries, if it displays a message or just won’t activate entirely. If you know, please drop us a line.
Apple CarPlay and Android Auto React Quicker Than Native Infotainment Systems
… and when the display shows you what you want faster, you spend more time watching the road than the screen. That’s the goal of CarPlay. See the Digital Trends story.
In its latest automotive safety report, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety measured the distraction times required for drivers to complete typical in-car infotainment tasks and the results showed Google’s Android Auto and Apple’s Carplay were significantly faster on average than car manufacturer’s native infotainment systems. The smartphone apps were 24 percent (five seconds) faster when making phone calls and 31 percent (15 seconds) faster programming navigation than standard car systems.
Even with faster performance than in-car systems, however, the smartphone apps were overly demanding. According to the AAA, drivers double their crash risk when they take their eyes off the road for more than two seconds. The group stated that distracted driving causes 3,500 deaths and 390,000 injuries annually.
We thought this was very interesting, and a feather in CarPlay’s cap:
The researchers considered CarPlay and Android Auto roughly equivalent in visual demand, mental demand, and the time needed to complete infotainment tasks. Overall, the group rated the smartphone apps “moderately demanding” and the native systems “very highly demanding.”
In other words, Apple (and Google) are achieving what they set out to do: reduce driver demands, aka, don’t crash.
What we’ve been waiting for has finally happened! Mazda announced last week that they’re now offering a Mazda Carplay retrofit in the US for all 2014 and up vehicles with their Mazda CONNECT infotainment system.
The update has a suggested retail of $199 + labor and you’ll have to bring your vehicle into a dealer to get the work done. Mazda notes the Carplay upgrade takes a couple hours to complete, so you’re likely looking at a total cost around $400 or so.
The upgrade includes both new software and hardware components as well as a faster, 2.1 amp USB port and the latest version of Mazda CONNECT.
Mazda introduced the CONNECT infotainment system in 2014 across their entire lineup, so if you’ve recently purchased a Mazda3, Mazda2, Mazda6, MX-5, CX-5, CX-9, or CX-3, you shouldn’t have a problem getting the upgrade.
Mazda is pretty late to the CarPlay game, but with this latest offering, they’re jumping straight into the deep end. Both Ford and Hyundai offer CarPlay upgrades in certain vehicles, but no other auto maker is offering the upgrades for so many different models and years.
CarPlay is great for music and the like, but there’s other uses as well.
Reddit user thewizleon posted earlier this year about a clever hack to integrate your Apple Calendar and Maps app so you can easily pull up saved locations. It’s such a nice little piece of advice we wanted to share it here.
Here’s the issue: You’ve added appointments and events to your Calendar throughout the day. You get in your car, ready to drive to your next meeting, but have no idea where to go. What to do?
thewizleon notes:
I’ve always wanted the calendar app to be CarPlay so I can pull up my next job, click it and get directions straight to Apple maps. Sadly this isn’t possible, however I have noticed there is a (sort of) solution.
Instead of looking up your destination every time or saving half the info in Apple Calendar (time/event) and half in Maps (location), here’s a helpful trick: Add the location directly to your Calendar events. Just make sure that the Calendar knows it’s a location (it’ll show a map of the location if everything is right).
That’s all you have to do. Next time you get in your car, wondering where to drive, tell Siri to open Destinations in Maps and voila! all your event and meeting locations for the day will be listed right there. Pretty cool, huh?
Streamlining your life like this is always a blessing. This neat little trick is great for those of us who are driving around all day and don’t want to constantly re-find where we need to go. A+ thewizleon!
Apple CarPlay allows you to easily access your iPhone
without taking your eyes off the road. With distractions a major cause of
accidents while driving, this could truly save your life one day. Plus, it’s
just so easy to use!
Currently, Nissan offers CarPlay in 10 models, and is adding
more every year. Let’s take a look at these models, as well as how to setup and
use CarPlay in your Nissan.
What Nissan Models Include Apple CarPlay?
Nissan first started supporting Apple CarPlay in 2017
Maximas and Micras. As of December 2018, Nissan currently offers Apple CarPlay
in 10 different models:
Maxima (2017 – )
Micra (2017 – )
Murano (2017.5 – )
GT-R (2018 – )
Kicks (2018 – )
Leaf (2018 – )
Rogue (2018 – )
Altima (2019 – )
Titan (2019 – )
Sentra (2019 – )
Nissan does include CarPlay in most trim levels, but not
all. Typically, carmakers save CarPlay for the higher trim levels, though that
depends on the model. Apple CarPlay needs an infotainment system to function,
so some of the base models can’t support it.
The 2018 Leaf, for example, only includes CarPlay in the SV
and SL trim levels, not the basic S. Overall though, CarPlay comes in all trim
levels for many of the cars above. The Murano supports Apple CarPlay across all
trim levels. The 2018 Rogue also comes with CarPlay in every model, as does the
Maxima and Altima.
How Much Does CarPlay Cost?
CarPlay is absolutely free! After purchasing your vehicle,
there’s no monthly or yearly fee to continue using CarPlay, so sit back and
enjoy!
I Don’t Have CarPlay, Can I Get a Nissan CarPlay Upgrade?
If your Nissan doesn’t support CarPlay, you might be
wondering if you can get an upgrade. Unfortunately, Nissan doesn’t offer any
CarPlay retrofits at this time.
However, that doesn’t mean you’re out of options! While
Nissan doesn’t offer any CarPlay upgrades, there are quite a few aftermarket
headunits that support Apple CarPlay. Check out our list of best
headunits with Apple CarPlay to get an idea of what’s out there.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised at your options. There’s
budget options all the way up to premium headunits with wireless CarPlay,
something no manufacturer has yet to incorporate!
How to Setup and Use Your Nissan CarPlay
Setting up CarPlay in your new Nissan is actually quite
easy:
On your iPhone, Go to Settings > General and
ensure both CarPlay and Siri are turned on. There’s no CarPlay app to install,
as iOS already has everything you need for CarPlay to work.
Connect your iPhone via a lightening cable to
USB 1.
A screen will appear on your in-dash screen
asking if you’d like to connect to Apple CarPlay. Touch Don’t Show Again and then Yes.
You’re done!
After setting up CarPlay the first time, every time you connect
your phone, you’ll see a simplified version of your iPhone’s menu mirrored on
your car’s infotainment screen. You’ll find all your apps that are pre-approved
to work with CarPlay now on your screen.
While driving, you can use the touchscreen to open an app,
or hold down your steering wheel’s voice command to engage Siri. You can also
hold down the white home button on the touchscreen to engage Siri.
If you want to listen to the radio or use your car’s native
navigation system, just press the physical Home button and you’ll move back to
your car’s infotainment system. To return to CarPlay, click Info on the touchscreen, then choose Apple CarPlay.
Here’s quick video from Nissan to show exactly how to setup
and use CarPlay:
Troubleshoot Your Nissan CarPlay Not Working
Is your Nissan Carplay not working? Tech doesn’t work
sometimes, but hopefully it’s an easy fix. Whenever Apple puts out an update to
their iOS, CarPlay seems to inevitably break or glitch for some.
If CarPlay isn’t working for you, try these steps:
Are you plugged into USB 1? That’s the only port
that works with CarPlay
Are you using an Apple-approved USB cord? If
not, that could be the problem.
Is CarPlay and Siri turned on in your iPhone?
Hardstart your iPhone and restart your car.
Update to the latest version of iOS
If CarPlay still doesn’t work in your Nissan, check your
owner’s manual for firmware updates to your infotainment system.
What Can I Do With CarPlay?
CarPlay lets you use your iPhone without taking your eyes on
the road. Basically, it’s a safer, easier way to use your smartphone while
driving. Instead of constantly squinting at your phone, trying to text someone
back or play new album, just tell Siri what you want to do.
Via CarPlay, you can listen to music, podcasts, or
audiobooks, take notes while driving, call and message friends, and a bunch of
other stuff – all while looking directly at the car in front of you. Obviously,
you can’t play games or read an eBook with CarPlay, but that’s kind of the
point right? A safer driving experience.
Maps are Great Mmkay. Now Let’s Get to Testing Them.
Now that we’ve got choices (plural!) for maps on CarPlay, the testing and evaluation floodgates have opened and we at CarPlay World couldn’t be happier.
We love this [CarPlay] stuff.
When Google Maps and then Waze became available with iOS 12 in September, we settled into a fairly constant mindset of switching between them every few days to pick the best for our specific manner of driving and locating destinations. See our Apple Maps vs. Waze comparison to get an idea of how we approach maps/mapping/getting to where you’re going in CarPlay.
How do you test the three mapping apps for accuracy? Why, you say a destination and watch them work. The goal is to have as few distractions and as little further human input as possible — after all, you are driving.
It’s not the Journey, it’s uh… The Destination
Colorado State Capitol 200 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80203
This test is so easy. For humans. For computers however, phones included, “state capitol” — our search phrase for this test — is hard… it’s not a “proper noun” business, like for instance “Starbucks”. My phone and these mapping apps have to do some extra work. In this case, they have to know which state I’m in before they can do the rest of the mapping calculations. And they have to know I’m looking for the state capitol… that I’m looking for a single location.
Apple Maps: Pass
Understood the request? Yes
Remembered the request? Yes
Result: Passed
After the dictation, I was given a choice screen to pick the correct destination. Subsequent “state capitol” voice commands didn’t elicit this choice — it just became my destination. Nice.
By remembering my request, we avoid — excuse the pun — an extra “round trip”. Next time, Apple Maps won’t offer me a choice, and I don’t need to involve myself in choosing. Remember, I’m driving.
Waze: Fail
Understood the request? No
Remembered the request? N/A
Result: Failed
Waze just didn’t get it. Literally, I heard “I didn’t get that” or some variation repeatedly while saying “state capitol”. It was all for naught. To a passerby I probably looked like a lunatic: enunciating “state capitol” loudly and clearly, over and over, to my car’s interior.
I tried speaking normally at the first go. “I’m not sure I understand”. STATE CAPITOL. “I didn’t get that.” STATE. CAPITOL. “I’m not sure I understand.” Etc.
The closest I got with Waze with the evil “state capitol” verbal driving directions test
I tried about ten times, then gave up and used “Colorado state capitol”. That worked. I used the same test environment as the Apple Maps test: driving around 25 MPH, no music playing, normal road/traffic noise, windows up. I even tried when stopped at a light to eliminate the already very low ambient road noise.
After failing (after eight attempts it obviously wasn’t a matter of how I delivered the words), I relented and gave Waze the “Colorado state capitol” gimme, and that worked.
Google Maps: Fail
Understood the request? No
Remembered the request? N/A
Result: Failed
Google Maps acted a lot like Waze in its failure. It’s probably no coincidence, because Waze became a Google company in 2013. Five years is enough time to cross-pollinate them so they use the same engine, or at the very least, use many of the same methods to do their work. Which is why we see them fail similarly.
Kinda promising…
Both apps got in trouble not in hearing or parsing my phrase, but by failing to understand that I was looking for, simply, the Colorado State Capitol building. This isn’t a display, UI or mapping problem, it’s a “deep” AI problem.
But can we stop to get beef jerky?After the cheat word “Colorado” is given…
Apple Maps’ 3D button works great in the few areas it works. For a tech nerd like me with a passable map fancy, Apple Maps’ 3D view is really cool. I mean, who doesn’t want to see buildings rendered in surprising detail as you move between them. It’s just cool.
The trouble is, few places in my city are rendered in 3D.
How to turn on Apple Maps’ 3D feature
A mile from downtown Denver, on Lincoln (major thoroughfare) nothing got 3D-ed. It takes literally being at the center of the city to get some 3D-ness. How is your city? Feel free to contact us using the “Submit a Tip” section on the right (on desktop) or at the bottom (on mobile).
Confusingly, the 3D button isn’t always available. In fact it’s nearly entirely absent, whether you’re following a route or just watching your position.
No Speed Limits! Whoo! Wait…
Are speed limits notifications disappearing? Seemingly at the same time that iOS 12 debuted, the frequency of speed limit notifications in Apple Maps seems to have gone down.
Apple Maps helpful speed limit notification, onscreen
On arterials where I used to see them often, they no longer appear. I have and have had “Speed Limit” selected in Settings -> Maps -> Driving & Navigation. It was so bad I actually checked that.
iOS 12 speed limit notificaiton
And looking for some sort of objective metric for this report, looking through the last 6 weeks of CarPlay screenshots (of which I have about 100% more than the average iOS user) I see a much smaller percent that have a speed limit badge than I did before iOS 12. Hm. We’ll keep an eye on this moving forward.
UPDATE: Mazda announced late in November that they now offers CarPlay upgrades in the US across their lineup. Check out our update on the CarPlay retrofit for details.
Mazda’s now offering Apple CarPlay retrofits in both Canada and Australia for vehicles all the way back to MY 2014. But they’ve yet to release any similar plans for the US. When will this awesome retrofit come to US soil?
Mazda Canada Now Retrofits CarPlay in 6 Models
Back in September 2018, Mazda Canada announced that Apple
CarPlay would come standard in all 2019 models (save the MX-5). Mazda also announced
that, if you recently bought a 2018 Mazda6 or a 2019 CX-3 before the new
production change, you can have CarPlay installed in your vehicle for $250 CAD –
a steal for an OEM piece of equipment.
Mazda’s awesome CarPlay offerings don’t stop there though. They
also announced that they’d offer Carplay for all existing vehicles equipped with the Mazda CONNECT infotainment
systems for a cost of $443 CAD. While 2x as much as for the vehicles above,
that’s still not a bad price for a dealer-installed piece of equipment.
Mazda first introduced their CONNECT system across their
entire range in 2014, so if your Mazda is MY 2014 or newer, you’ve got Mazda
CONNECT. This includes the Mazda3, Mazda2, Mazda6, MX-5, CX-5, CX-9, and CX-3 (itself
introduced in 2016).
Will Mazda Offer This Retrofit in the US?
Unfortunately, in the US things are a bit different. Mazda has already announced they’ll include CarPlay in the 2019 CX-9, but they haven’t yet spilled the beans whether or not they’ll offer the CarPlay retrofit for all the models above.
With Mazda offering the upgrade in both Canada and Australia,we can only assume (or hope) it’ll eventually make it to the US. One good sign: Mazda itself admits that Mazda CONNECT is basically the same the world over.
We really can’t see any reason they wouldn’t offer this
CarPlay retrofit in the US – unless they have a deep loathing for their
customer base.
Mazda isn’t completely quiet on the home front though. As of
November 2018, they have confirmed that they’re offering a CarPlay retrofit the
2018 Mazda6 – and for free!
2018 Mazda6 Owners Can Already Get a Free Retrofit
If you’ve already got a 2018 Mazda6 – you’re actually in
luck! Starting in September, Mazda dealers across the US began offering
CarPlay/Android Auto retrofits at no
cost. The free retrofit is only available for certain trim levels, so if
you opted for the Touring, Grand Touring, Grand Touring Reserve, or Signature,
you’re good to go.
Mazda first announced this awesome deal back in a Julypress release. For the retrofit, you must bring your Mazda6 into adealer and the procedure includes both hardware and software upgrades and takesabout two hours to complete.
So if you’ve got a 2018 Mazda6 (of one of the trim levels above) but don’t have Apple CarPlay – go to your dealer today and get it for free!
