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>Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are okay-ish, but frankly I find the experience of just having the phone on a mount and using that as the display to be far supe

>Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are okay-ish, but frankly I find the experience of just having the phone on a mount and using that as the display to be far superior in almost every way. That's super confusing to me. How is that superior to the larger presentation of (e.g.) CarPlay that has (a) bigger touch targets and (b) an automatically filtered presentation of apps relevant to driving? I find CarPlay to be so good that I will not consider an automobile that lacks it. I've never used the Android equivalent, but I just assume it's on par.

cheschire 4y ago
I think GP finds the tactile buttons more worthwhile than the larger screen, and the small phone screen is "good enough" for all the rest.
2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
I can understand the large screen, but really, it should just be a normal external screen your phone can output to.
- CharlesW 4y ago
  > I can understand the large screen, but really, it should just be a normal external screen your phone can output to. CarPlay is so good (and far safer) because it doesn't just mirror your phone's landscape view, but presents a driving-specific experience. Not-mirroring has another advantage in that your phone can still be used (by a passenger, of course) to do whatever while CarPlay continues to do its thing.
  - 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
    Can’t you just add a “driving mode” that changes the view or displays a different view to the phone? If you externalise the smarts, all you need is external input and output support which all exists. Then any car can have better GPS. This way, I need a car that specifically has this extra cruft and probably can’t get upgrades easily. It’s the car equivalent to a smart TV.
    - __david__ 4y ago
      That's effectively what carplay is though. There are no smarts in the car, just some protocol to display video output and communicate back touch inputs. All the presentation, etc. is on the phone so that when you upgrade your phone you get the latest car interface as well. The protocol is stable, so your car can be stagnant but the experience still continues to improve as your phone does.
    - fomine3 4y ago
      Android Auto was available as an app without need any hardware, but it's gone.
m-ee 4y ago
Zooming in and out on the map is a disaster on CarPlay compared to the phone google maps app. The fact that you can’t keep the map on the cars screen while using other apps is also frustrating and a weird design choice. I’d consider that a killer feature over just using a phone but they chose not to do it. I only use CarPlay in rental cars because it is better than figuring out whatever half baked solution the manufacturer came up with. But for my own car I’m happier with my phone on a mount.

cheschire 4y ago

I think GP finds the tactile buttons more worthwhile than the larger screen, and the small phone screen is "good enough" for all the rest.

2muchcoffeeman 4y ago

I can understand the large screen, but really, it should just be a normal external screen your phone can output to.

CharlesW 4y ago
> I can understand the large screen, but really, it should just be a normal external screen your phone can output to. CarPlay is so good (and far safer) because it doesn't just mirror your phone's landscape view, but presents a driving-specific experience. Not-mirroring has another advantage in that your phone can still be used (by a passenger, of course) to do whatever while CarPlay continues to do its thing.
- 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
  Can’t you just add a “driving mode” that changes the view or displays a different view to the phone? If you externalise the smarts, all you need is external input and output support which all exists. Then any car can have better GPS. This way, I need a car that specifically has this extra cruft and probably can’t get upgrades easily. It’s the car equivalent to a smart TV.
  - __david__ 4y ago
    That's effectively what carplay is though. There are no smarts in the car, just some protocol to display video output and communicate back touch inputs. All the presentation, etc. is on the phone so that when you upgrade your phone you get the latest car interface as well. The protocol is stable, so your car can be stagnant but the experience still continues to improve as your phone does.
  - fomine3 4y ago
    Android Auto was available as an app without need any hardware, but it's gone.

m-ee 4y ago

Zooming in and out on the map is a disaster on CarPlay compared to the phone google maps app. The fact that you can’t keep the map on the cars screen while using other apps is also frustrating and a weird design choice. I’d consider that a killer feature over just using a phone but they chose not to do it. I only use CarPlay in rental cars because it is better than figuring out whatever half baked solution the manufacturer came up with. But for my own car I’m happier with my phone on a mount.