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It seems bizarre that I can't choose to use the CarPlay user experience on my phone while I'm driving in my DumbCar. This seems like such obvious, low-hanging f

It seems bizarre that I can't choose to use the CarPlay user experience on my phone while I'm driving in my DumbCar. This seems like such obvious, low-hanging fruit.

elromulous 3y ago
It's not the "apple way". Android let you enable Android auto on phone, but iirc the feature went away.
sigmoid10 3y ago
It's still illegal to use your phone while driving in most countries. So by allowing you to use CarPlay on your phone while not connected to a car's media system, that could be interpreted as enticing phone usage while driving and thus open them up to potential lawsuits. The irony is that so many people disregard the law anyways that it would actually end up making roads safer. But Apple wont risk offending lawmakers for that.
- buran77 3y ago
  > that could be interpreted as enticing phone usage while driving This can't be true. Zooming the screen from the accessibility settings probably gets you half way there already. Every navigation app is enticing you to use it while driving. Touchscreens are enticing/forcing users to take the eyes off the road. The mere existence of the phone is enticing a driver to use it. CarPlay "mode" would just be a slightly different GUI for what you can already do with the phone whether legally (by the passenger, or while stationary) or illegally (while driving). Every app in the phone is also accessible from the home screen. At most Apple would have to issue a warning every time to use it correctly, like many cars already do.
  - sigmoid10 3y ago
    >Zooming the screen from the accessibility settings probably gets you half way there already It gets you there all the way. If some cop wants to screw you over, that's more than he needs. Taking your eyes of the road to look at some small smartphone is not just illegal, it's dangerous. People die because of it every day. Most cops just don't give a fuck because almost everyone does it. Doesn't make it legal though. That's also why all navigation apps tell you not to use them while driving. But while these apps have other legit uses, CarPlay literally only exists to be used while driving. So it makes no sense to offer it without integration into a car's systems that allow you (in theory) to use it without looking down. If someone screws this up it's the car maker's fault.
    - buran77 3y ago
      > If some cop wants to screw you over, that's more than he needs. You are not making more sense than the first time and I already mentioned some reasons why. "Phone icons too big" is not a thing a cop can "screw you over". Google had this feature for years. Whether this is "enticing" users to operate the phone while driving has to be legislated or judged before it can be policed. And Apple can get around it the same way everyone else: with a legal disclaimer. In general it's absolutely legal to have a phone operating in the car as long as the driver isn't actively interacting with it while driving, and it isn't displaying videos to the driver. The size or shape of the icons is irrelevant. Anything that can be legally displayed on a car's display is also legal on a phone screen. Tl;dr: don't play with either or watch videos while driving. It doesn't take much thought to realize that if cars come plastered with giant screens and apps like Netflix, then a 5" screen with slightly larger icons is a non-issue.
      - sigmoid10 3y ago
        You are intentionally missing the point, despite all the obvious evidence against your argument. You can deny or rationalise it like most people do, but using mobile phones while driving is bad and the lawmakers have every right to male it illegal. Companies like apple are not getting dragged into that. Neither is google btw if you look at their version.
- shkkmo 3y ago
  Most places that have distracted driving laws ban use of hand-held devices. Some places bam all use based on age. I am not familiar with many places that ban all use for everyone. Given that other large companies offer equivalent functionality, I really doubt that fear of lawsuits has determined when CarPlay is available.
c0pium 3y ago
Consider getting an Android, driving mode is implemented extremely well.
- CharlesW 3y ago
  https://www.androidpolice.com/google-kills-android-auto-for-phone-screens/ https://www.androidpolice.com/google-kills-android-auto-for-...
  - jabroni_salad 3y ago
    The relevant features were put directly into Google Maps rather than being a separate download.
    - CharlesW 3y ago
      I'm afraid there are indications that this is going away as well: https://9to5google.com/2023/12/27/google-maps-driving-mode-going-away/ https://9to5google.com/2023/12/27/google-maps-driving-mode-g...
      - jabroni_salad 3y ago
        >_> google pls
  - c0pium 3y ago
    If you read that article, or even the subtitle, you’ll see that it’s talking about Android Auto, which is importantly different from the Google Assistant Driving Mode I mentioned. Amusingly apropos the main complaint that people seem to have with Driving Mode is that it isn’t designed to be screen-based, which would be quite dangerous, but rather voice-based which is comparatively safer.
    - CharlesW 3y ago
      Thank you, I didn't know they were different. Further Googling shows Google killed Google Assistant Driving Mode Dashboard on November 21, 2022, and is also killing Google Maps' Driving Mode in February. https://9to5google.com/2023/12/27/google-maps-driving-mode-going-away/ https://9to5google.com/2023/12/27/google-maps-driving-mode-g...
jeremy151 3y ago
I use a very inexpensive standalone screen that works flawlessly with CarPlay. Under a hundred bucks, works great in my older vehicle.
- CharlesW 3y ago
  I tried one (maybe a terrible one? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09TP8RZRT/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09TP8RZRT/), but the connectivity was flaky and I couldn't find a good place to mount it in my Odyssey. (Ideas and product suggestions welcome! It's not bugging me enough to replace the head unit.)
cramjabsyn 3y ago
Its about $150 for an aftermarket carplay head unit, better to put effort into that
- lotsofpulp 3y ago
  The cheapest one in the US I have seen is $300: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6283607.p?skuId=6283607 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6283607.p?skuId=6283607 Labor and parts for installation could easily bring the total cost of adding a CarPlay/Android Auto compatible head unit to $1,000. At least it did for me, and that was 3 years ago.
  - RajT88 3y ago
    I bought one which cost under 200, ran full Android (a slightly older one, to be fair), and I was able to self-install with no real issues. Just unplug old stereo, and plug in all the same things into the new one. I have a 2013 Golf. Mind you - it's a little janky after 5 years, but an awesome value for what it cost. I know what you're thinking: Yes it has Netflix and Retroarch. No, I don't ever use those.
    - TylerE 3y ago
      Totally different. Android Auto is a passthru. Sort of like a docking station. Not having a separate OS/set of apps/data is the point. It's your device, not the horrible old thing in the car you grudgingly live with.
astrange 3y ago
Could try super simple mode. https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/08/ios-16-2-custom-accessibility-mode/ https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/08/ios-16-2-custom-accessibility...
- pimlottc 3y ago
  AFAICT this feature was delivered in iOS 17 as Assistive Access [0]. Here's a video demo [1]. 0: https://support.apple.com/en-hk/guide/assistive-access-iphone/welcome/ios https://support.apple.com/en-hk/guide/assistive-access-iphon... 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCB-qzXoJpQ&t=252s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCB-qzXoJpQ&t=252s
hmottestad 3y ago
That is not something that I would like to be legal.

It seems bizarre that I can't choose to use the CarPlay user experience on my phone while I'm driving in my DumbCar. This seems like such obvious, low-hanging fruit.

elromulous 3y ago

It's not the "apple way". Android let you enable Android auto on phone, but iirc the feature went away.

sigmoid10 3y ago

It's still illegal to use your phone while driving in most countries. So by allowing you to use CarPlay on your phone while not connected to a car's media system, that could be interpreted as enticing phone usage while driving and thus open them up to potential lawsuits. The irony is that so many people disregard the law anyways that it would actually end up making roads safer. But Apple wont risk offending lawmakers for that.

buran77 3y ago
> that could be interpreted as enticing phone usage while driving This can't be true. Zooming the screen from the accessibility settings probably gets you half way there already. Every navigation app is enticing you to use it while driving. Touchscreens are enticing/forcing users to take the eyes off the road. The mere existence of the phone is enticing a driver to use it. CarPlay "mode" would just be a slightly different GUI for what you can already do with the phone whether legally (by the passenger, or while stationary) or illegally (while driving). Every app in the phone is also accessible from the home screen. At most Apple would have to issue a warning every time to use it correctly, like many cars already do.
- sigmoid10 3y ago
  >Zooming the screen from the accessibility settings probably gets you half way there already It gets you there all the way. If some cop wants to screw you over, that's more than he needs. Taking your eyes of the road to look at some small smartphone is not just illegal, it's dangerous. People die because of it every day. Most cops just don't give a fuck because almost everyone does it. Doesn't make it legal though. That's also why all navigation apps tell you not to use them while driving. But while these apps have other legit uses, CarPlay literally only exists to be used while driving. So it makes no sense to offer it without integration into a car's systems that allow you (in theory) to use it without looking down. If someone screws this up it's the car maker's fault.
  - buran77 3y ago
    > If some cop wants to screw you over, that's more than he needs. You are not making more sense than the first time and I already mentioned some reasons why. "Phone icons too big" is not a thing a cop can "screw you over". Google had this feature for years. Whether this is "enticing" users to operate the phone while driving has to be legislated or judged before it can be policed. And Apple can get around it the same way everyone else: with a legal disclaimer. In general it's absolutely legal to have a phone operating in the car as long as the driver isn't actively interacting with it while driving, and it isn't displaying videos to the driver. The size or shape of the icons is irrelevant. Anything that can be legally displayed on a car's display is also legal on a phone screen. Tl;dr: don't play with either or watch videos while driving. It doesn't take much thought to realize that if cars come plastered with giant screens and apps like Netflix, then a 5" screen with slightly larger icons is a non-issue.
    - sigmoid10 3y ago
      You are intentionally missing the point, despite all the obvious evidence against your argument. You can deny or rationalise it like most people do, but using mobile phones while driving is bad and the lawmakers have every right to male it illegal. Companies like apple are not getting dragged into that. Neither is google btw if you look at their version.
shkkmo 3y ago
Most places that have distracted driving laws ban use of hand-held devices. Some places bam all use based on age. I am not familiar with many places that ban all use for everyone. Given that other large companies offer equivalent functionality, I really doubt that fear of lawsuits has determined when CarPlay is available.

c0pium 3y ago

Consider getting an Android, driving mode is implemented extremely well.

CharlesW 3y ago
https://www.androidpolice.com/google-kills-android-auto-for-phone-screens/ https://www.androidpolice.com/google-kills-android-auto-for-...
- jabroni_salad 3y ago
  The relevant features were put directly into Google Maps rather than being a separate download.
  - CharlesW 3y ago
    I'm afraid there are indications that this is going away as well: https://9to5google.com/2023/12/27/google-maps-driving-mode-going-away/ https://9to5google.com/2023/12/27/google-maps-driving-mode-g...
    - jabroni_salad 3y ago
      >_> google pls
- c0pium 3y ago
  If you read that article, or even the subtitle, you’ll see that it’s talking about Android Auto, which is importantly different from the Google Assistant Driving Mode I mentioned. Amusingly apropos the main complaint that people seem to have with Driving Mode is that it isn’t designed to be screen-based, which would be quite dangerous, but rather voice-based which is comparatively safer.
  - CharlesW 3y ago
    Thank you, I didn't know they were different. Further Googling shows Google killed Google Assistant Driving Mode Dashboard on November 21, 2022, and is also killing Google Maps' Driving Mode in February. https://9to5google.com/2023/12/27/google-maps-driving-mode-going-away/ https://9to5google.com/2023/12/27/google-maps-driving-mode-g...

jeremy151 3y ago

I use a very inexpensive standalone screen that works flawlessly with CarPlay. Under a hundred bucks, works great in my older vehicle.

CharlesW 3y ago
I tried one (maybe a terrible one? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09TP8RZRT/ https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09TP8RZRT/), but the connectivity was flaky and I couldn't find a good place to mount it in my Odyssey. (Ideas and product suggestions welcome! It's not bugging me enough to replace the head unit.)

cramjabsyn 3y ago

Its about $150 for an aftermarket carplay head unit, better to put effort into that

lotsofpulp 3y ago
The cheapest one in the US I have seen is $300: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6283607.p?skuId=6283607 https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sku/6283607.p?skuId=6283607 Labor and parts for installation could easily bring the total cost of adding a CarPlay/Android Auto compatible head unit to $1,000. At least it did for me, and that was 3 years ago.
- RajT88 3y ago
  I bought one which cost under 200, ran full Android (a slightly older one, to be fair), and I was able to self-install with no real issues. Just unplug old stereo, and plug in all the same things into the new one. I have a 2013 Golf. Mind you - it's a little janky after 5 years, but an awesome value for what it cost. I know what you're thinking: Yes it has Netflix and Retroarch. No, I don't ever use those.
  - TylerE 3y ago
    Totally different. Android Auto is a passthru. Sort of like a docking station. Not having a separate OS/set of apps/data is the point. It's your device, not the horrible old thing in the car you grudgingly live with.

astrange 3y ago

Could try super simple mode. https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/08/ios-16-2-custom-accessibility-mode/ https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/08/ios-16-2-custom-accessibility...

pimlottc 3y ago
AFAICT this feature was delivered in iOS 17 as Assistive Access [0]. Here's a video demo [1]. 0: https://support.apple.com/en-hk/guide/assistive-access-iphone/welcome/ios https://support.apple.com/en-hk/guide/assistive-access-iphon... 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCB-qzXoJpQ&t=252s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCB-qzXoJpQ&t=252s

hmottestad 3y ago

That is not something that I would like to be legal.