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Maybe I'm an outlier here (but I don't think so...) in that CarPlay is an absolute non-negotiable. I don't care (and don't really want...) it to handle climate

Maybe I'm an outlier here (but I don't think so...) in that CarPlay is an absolute non-negotiable. I don't care (and don't really want...) it to handle climate control, but music, podcasts, weather, messaging, phone, and navigation? Heck yes. The built-in systems are bollocks and 99% of the planet has already committed to Android or Apple for these features in the rest of their outside-the-car life, so the dumbest thing any auto manufacturer could do is push against the tide.

Jtsummers 11mo ago
Not just push against connecting your own phone, but also charging you for the features your phone could already provide (for free or for a cost you're already paying as a phone user). GM with $10/month data plans, and Toyota (per the article) with $200/year plans to access navigation.
- mbrumlow 11mo ago
  They might try. But nobody is going to pay for a sub par experience. Some executives will get a big bonus for pushing this out, and later another for reverting back. I won’t buy a car that does not have CarPlay. And I know many who are the same. My phone is a centerpiece of my life (gahh I hate saying that), my car however is not.
SoftTalker 11mo ago
I don't want any ties to a phone manufacturer or OS, honestly. I'll have my car a lot longer than I have my phone. Just give me decent sound and an charge/aux connection. The rest I can do on my phone with a mount.
- turtlebits 11mo ago
  There aren't any. Just don't use carplay/android auto and you just have the manufacturer supplied interface.
  - SoftTalker 11mo ago
    That's true, as long as they give me an aux port.
- jcotton42 11mo ago
  > I'll have my car a lot longer than I have my phone Doesn't that make CarPlay/Android Auto a good thing? Provided the car supports both platforms, it means you can change phones during your car's lifespan without having to worry about losing features, and you get new phones as your phone upgrades without having to change your car.
  - SoftTalker 11mo ago
    I don't know, what if a third mobile OS is developed and gains traction (or is just one that I prefer) but it isn't supported by the car. What if future releases of iOS or Android are incompatible with a 10-year-old version of CarPlay or Android Auto? I'd just prefer to minimize dependencies.
    - JCBird1012 11mo ago
      CarPlay and Android Auto were engineered from the start to be as agnostic to the car's hardware as possible. Your car's stereo is really just a dumb screen (i.e. just a display and input/output interface) with the phone doing most of the rendering + a few other things (i.e. providing some car instrumentation, like fuel remaining, if the manufacturer enables it) - the hardware requirements aren't really strict from a performance standpoint (minus CarPlay Ultra, and even then, that's just a tighter integration).
- reverius42 11mo ago
  Kind of a waste of the nice big screen built into the car, then. Are you just going to use it as a backup camera?
fortran77 11mo ago
I really like it on rental cars.
nebula8804 11mo ago
How about Android but implemented by the car company? (Literally using apps like Google Maps but the main app menu is the car company's skin). I believe this is in effect what GM is doing? That satisfies your argument of using Android or Apple.
- atonse 11mo ago
  The problem is that the car companies (like appliance companies) don't give a shit about building quality software. So they will abandon it and your car (which has a lifetime of 10+ years) will have software that stopped being patched 3 years into it. And so you'll have a crypto-node on wheels. Hell no please.
  - nebula8804 11mo ago
    Yeah but that problem happens with companies like Tesla as well given their oldest cars are dog slow now on the latest OS. I have heard some reports of more bugs being introduced on the oldest models because of less QA (not fully sure though) The only way out of that is to ignore the infotainment and use your own device like with an AUX port.
    - atonse 11mo ago
      Agreed. CarPlay/Android Auto gives us the best of both worlds. It's just a dumb pipe so as we upgrade our phones, we get new/better features.
- poulsbohemian 11mo ago
  That doesn't solve my issue at all, though it might be fine for some. I use my iPhone for everything - maps, podcasts, music, and of course phone and messaging. When I get in my car, I want it to instantly become my mobile office connected to my iPhone. Building those features into the car, regardless of the technology, does nothing for me if it duplicates rather than synchronizes with my out-of-car life.

Jtsummers 11mo ago

Not just push against connecting your own phone, but also charging you for the features your phone could already provide (for free or for a cost you're already paying as a phone user). GM with $10/month data plans, and Toyota (per the article) with $200/year plans to access navigation.

mbrumlow 11mo ago
They might try. But nobody is going to pay for a sub par experience. Some executives will get a big bonus for pushing this out, and later another for reverting back. I won’t buy a car that does not have CarPlay. And I know many who are the same. My phone is a centerpiece of my life (gahh I hate saying that), my car however is not.

SoftTalker 11mo ago

I don't want any ties to a phone manufacturer or OS, honestly. I'll have my car a lot longer than I have my phone. Just give me decent sound and an charge/aux connection. The rest I can do on my phone with a mount.

turtlebits 11mo ago
There aren't any. Just don't use carplay/android auto and you just have the manufacturer supplied interface.
- SoftTalker 11mo ago
  That's true, as long as they give me an aux port.
jcotton42 11mo ago
> I'll have my car a lot longer than I have my phone Doesn't that make CarPlay/Android Auto a good thing? Provided the car supports both platforms, it means you can change phones during your car's lifespan without having to worry about losing features, and you get new phones as your phone upgrades without having to change your car.
- SoftTalker 11mo ago
  I don't know, what if a third mobile OS is developed and gains traction (or is just one that I prefer) but it isn't supported by the car. What if future releases of iOS or Android are incompatible with a 10-year-old version of CarPlay or Android Auto? I'd just prefer to minimize dependencies.
  - JCBird1012 11mo ago
    CarPlay and Android Auto were engineered from the start to be as agnostic to the car's hardware as possible. Your car's stereo is really just a dumb screen (i.e. just a display and input/output interface) with the phone doing most of the rendering + a few other things (i.e. providing some car instrumentation, like fuel remaining, if the manufacturer enables it) - the hardware requirements aren't really strict from a performance standpoint (minus CarPlay Ultra, and even then, that's just a tighter integration).
reverius42 11mo ago
Kind of a waste of the nice big screen built into the car, then. Are you just going to use it as a backup camera?

fortran77 11mo ago

I really like it on rental cars.

nebula8804 11mo ago

How about Android but implemented by the car company? (Literally using apps like Google Maps but the main app menu is the car company's skin). I believe this is in effect what GM is doing? That satisfies your argument of using Android or Apple.

atonse 11mo ago
The problem is that the car companies (like appliance companies) don't give a shit about building quality software. So they will abandon it and your car (which has a lifetime of 10+ years) will have software that stopped being patched 3 years into it. And so you'll have a crypto-node on wheels. Hell no please.
- nebula8804 11mo ago
  Yeah but that problem happens with companies like Tesla as well given their oldest cars are dog slow now on the latest OS. I have heard some reports of more bugs being introduced on the oldest models because of less QA (not fully sure though) The only way out of that is to ignore the infotainment and use your own device like with an AUX port.
  - atonse 11mo ago
    Agreed. CarPlay/Android Auto gives us the best of both worlds. It's just a dumb pipe so as we upgrade our phones, we get new/better features.
poulsbohemian 11mo ago
That doesn't solve my issue at all, though it might be fine for some. I use my iPhone for everything - maps, podcasts, music, and of course phone and messaging. When I get in my car, I want it to instantly become my mobile office connected to my iPhone. Building those features into the car, regardless of the technology, does nothing for me if it duplicates rather than synchronizes with my out-of-car life.