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GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

jalopnik.com

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Re: GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

#261

Post by ageitgey »

Der_Einzige wrote: post #137
jrsj wrote: post #18

If this was actually about safety they would just get rid of the touch screen entirely. You really don't even need a display at all anymore, HUD + physical controls could cover all essential functions.

If it were up to me, I'd mandate that all cars are required to have a HUD. HUDs are insanely useful, mainly because it doesn't require the driver to take their eyes off the road for directions or for checking their speed. Elon refusing to put a HUD in the tesla's is one of the reasons why he shouldn't be the CEO of anything, let alone a car company.

Once you've owned a car with a decent HUD, it really does feel insane to go back to a car where you have to look away from the road for something as basic as checking your speed. It's a great feature.

Re: GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

#262

Post by ageitgey »

YPPH wrote: post #21

The major advantage of AA/CP is they are simple screen projection protocols capable of being supported for decades. The "brains" of the system, namely the phone, can be easily upgraded as technology changes. People will get new phones. Operating systems will be upgraded. Apps will come and go. Maps will update. The system will keep working flawlessly. This can't happen with fixed hardware in vehicle - the firmware an…

> The major advantage of AA/CP is they are simple screen projection protocols capable of being supported for decades.

There's a whole weird gray market for Chinese-manufactured "computers on a stick" that reverse-engineered the CarPlay protocol and use it to display a custom computer/Android interface in your car. You can do things like stream Netflix, use Chrome, install any Android app, play games, etc.

I'm not recommending it as it seems both sketchy and unsafe, but it's a funny niche that exists. For some reason, they are usually marketed on AliExpress as a "Car AI Box" but of course have nothing to do with AI.

Here's a random example video of what they look like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrFHjrYnoDE

Re: GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

#263

Post by esyir »

urbandw311er wrote: post #260
bastard_op wrote: post #156

Automobile companies tried for years to make a decent infotainment system in cars, and almost universally they were all terrible no matter how expensive the vehicle. Finally Android Auto and CarPlay gave everyone what they wanted - decent access to music on their phone, call capabilities that actually work, and program integration with things they actually use with internet service they already have. Then manufacture…

It’s interesting how you correctly identify that this is a massive play for control by Apple and Google, and yet you still seem to sympathise with their position! I can completely understand why vehicle manufacturers are so wary. Just look at the history of how Apple, Google, etc companies have behaved when it comes to “partnerships”. Look at the App Store. Look at what Google did to supposedly open source Android. I…

Turns out doing it better influences people's preferences. The problem is fundamentally that the carmakers do such a shit job.

If infotainment systems matter at all to consumers, we'd expect to see GM take a hit for this, and get their market share eaten by competitors who don't do so.

Re: GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

#264

Post by lycopodiopsida »

gambiting wrote: post #205
bastard_op wrote: post #156

Automobile companies tried for years to make a decent infotainment system in cars, and almost universally they were all terrible no matter how expensive the vehicle. Finally Android Auto and CarPlay gave everyone what they wanted - decent access to music on their phone, call capabilities that actually work, and program integration with things they actually use with internet service they already have. Then manufacture…

Just an anecdote - I own a Volvo XC60(with Sensus not AAOS) and 99% of the time I'd rather just use the built-in OS than Android Auto - AA is slow to respond and imprecise(clicks are almost always recognized as swipes rather than clicks, problem which doesn't happen in the built-in OS), and every time you need to do something it locks you out for 5 seconds to look at the road, even though it's my passenger using it.…

As an observation point - I drive a company car (a BMW) and will be looking for a new car next year. I would not even considers Volvo until they support wireless CarPlay. GM must very much believe in appeal of their car to piss off android and iOS users simultaneously.

Re: GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

#265

Post by petepete »

lostmsu wrote: post #135
nichos wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

GM is one of the few manufacturers that still has physical buttons for almost everything (climate, volume,etc)

Few? Which ones (apart from Tesla) don't?

My Mondeo is the first car I've ever had that doesn't have numbered radio buttons.

My usual flow of listening to Radio 4 until The Archers comes on then switching to Radio 3 in one press was ruined.

Re: GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

#266

Post by miniupuchaty »

lloeki wrote: post #224
epolanski wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have like the opposite experience...AA and Carplay have always been cause of issues, having to take the phone in my hand while driving, sluggishness.. In fact I feel the opposite you say: car play has been an excuse for some automakers for subpar infotainment. That being said removing it completely is madness, because people like you are millions and want it.

None of these issues exist on my Mazda car. Screen is tactile at stops, but I only ever use the rotational+directional knob. Phone stays plugged and untouched. It's snappy. I bet some other cars have poor HID but here they put the work in and it is good.

I have the same experiance, I wonder if maybe people are using wireless modes(I don't have that option in my car), and don't have "knob controls".

Re: GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

#267

Post by gambiting »

lycopodiopsida wrote: post #264
gambiting wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just an anecdote - I own a Volvo XC60(with Sensus not AAOS) and 99% of the time I'd rather just use the built-in OS than Android Auto - AA is slow to respond and imprecise(clicks are almost always recognized as swipes rather than clicks, problem which doesn't happen in the built-in OS), and every time you need to do something it locks you out for 5 seconds to look at the road, even though it's my passenger using it.…

As an observation point - I drive a company car (a BMW) and will be looking for a new car next year. I would not even considers Volvo until they support wireless CarPlay. GM must very much believe in appeal of their car to piss off android and iOS users simultaneously.

Tbf, I don't know why people get hung up on this, I see this on Volvo forums all the time as well - you can literally get a £50 adapter, leave it plugged in inside your armrest and voila, you have wireless carplay. It literally "just works".

Should the car already come with it installed? Yes. Is it a big deal to rectify? No.

Re: GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

#268

Post by tempestn »

pmg102 wrote: post #146
bluefirebrand wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am dreading the future of cars, where they somehow are worse than a car I could buy right now but also I have to pay a monthly subscription for the worse experience. The enshittification of everything is making me want to go berserk.

There's no obligation to buy a new one. Keep your existing cars on the road or replace them with other low mileage used ones. I bet repair costs on used are less than depreciatiom + finance costs on new, and there's pleasure to be gained from a retro aesthetic.

What's particularly frustrating, and I think relevant here, is when new things are better in some respects, but glaringly worse in others. So you can only have the good parts of the new thing if you accept the shit along with it.

Re: GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

#269

Post by gambiting »

imp0cat wrote: post #236
jacquesm wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> every time you need to do something it locks you out for 5 seconds to look at the road Whoever came up with that wasn't entirely right in the head: so now people will stare at the device for another five seconds wondering what they did wrong. Sound of impact.

Or just push the button on your steering wheel and use voice control. You (mostly) do not have to touch the screen at all.

>>Or just push the button on your steering wheel and use voice control

It's literally the worst way to interact with anything. It's infuriating how bad it is, especially for someone whose first language isn't English. It understands maybe 20% of the commands I give it, and the delay between clicking the button, it doing the "bong" to indicate it's ready, then listening to my command, then it processing and finally giving me a response(usually "sorry I didn't understand that") is just horrendous.

Not to mention that it's still physically impossible to use voice controls to dial people with non-English names if you have your OS set to English - try saying "Dial Jan Szczepanek" and it will never recognize it, no matter how you pronounce it. If you have OS set to Polish it will work fine, but I cannot be expected to keep switching my OS language!

Re: GM says it's dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto because they're unsafe

#270

Post by tempestn »

esafak wrote: post #149
alexvoda wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wake me up when you can open the glove compartment without drilling down a menu on a touchscreen because that is certainly not what I call good UI.

I don't get that either. The rest of Tesla's UX is so good, I don't know how they botched this. Is it a cost optimization? Any PMs over there care of chime in? edit: Locking the glovebox is a great use case, but not the typical one.

There's no reason why it couldn't be lockable while still having a physical button to open.
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