CarPlay Is Additive • Hacker News Board

Re: CarPlay Is Additive

#721

Post by vtbassmatt » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 10:05 AM UTC

0x457 wrote: post #655

faitswulff wrote: post #104

Surprised no one's mentioned it so far, but CarPlay / Android Auto aren't just features, they're consistency . Across makes, models, years. I know what I'm getting when I connect my phone - and if anyone uses my car with their own device, they get their own dashboard, as well. One interesting use case I saw was a couple where one used a left-to-right interface and the other a right-to-left UI. CarPlay makes this easy…

> Surprised no one's mentioned it so far, but CarPlay / Android Auto aren't just features, they're consistency. No, they are not. When you press "Home" button on your car where does it go? In some cars it goes to CarPlay main screen, in others it goes to car's built-in system main screen. When you press back what happens? When you press Nav/Maps button where does it go? Again, some cars will launch built-in navigatio…

What vehicle did Mazda screw this up so badly in? Neither of my Mazdas with CarPlay disable the touchscreen in CarPlay. The ‘21 Miata disables it while in motion (which sucks badly, and I just learned there’s a hack to fix). The ‘24 CX-5 doesn’t ever disable the touchscreen.

Re: CarPlay Is Additive

#722

Post by faitswulff » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 1:44 PM UTC

0x457 wrote: post #655

faitswulff wrote: post #104

Surprised no one's mentioned it so far, but CarPlay / Android Auto aren't just features, they're consistency . Across makes, models, years. I know what I'm getting when I connect my phone - and if anyone uses my car with their own device, they get their own dashboard, as well. One interesting use case I saw was a couple where one used a left-to-right interface and the other a right-to-left UI. CarPlay makes this easy…

> Surprised no one's mentioned it so far, but CarPlay / Android Auto aren't just features, they're consistency. No, they are not. When you press "Home" button on your car where does it go? In some cars it goes to CarPlay main screen, in others it goes to car's built-in system main screen. When you press back what happens? When you press Nav/Maps button where does it go? Again, some cars will launch built-in navigatio…

> That depends on if car was originally made for left-hand or right-hand traffic

I was referring to i.e. Arabic vs English

Re: CarPlay Is Additive

#723

Post by kbos87 » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 3:36 PM UTC

I currently have a Tesla (no CarPlay) and a Volvo EV with a reasonably good CarPlay implementation. I was in the same position as the writer until I experienced great in-vehicle software that I think only Tesla & Rivian can currently offer.

I don't miss CarPlay one bit, and I think a lot of people are brainwashed into thinking it's the only viable option because they've never been exposed to an auto manufacturer who actually knows how to build software ;) The level of software-hardware integration you experience in a Rivian or Tesla is something that CarPlay just can't compete with.

Personally I also don't want Tesla or Rivian to add CarPlay, because the reality is that it's not only additive. If Tesla & Rivian don't continue to nudge their buyers toward their native in-vehicle software CarPlay will continue to dominate simply because people will default to using what they are comfortable with. That will inevitably drive decisions by Tesla & Rivian about where and how they should invest in the in-vehicle experience.

If you want CarPlay, there are plenty of legacy auto manufacturers out there who can give it to you.

Re: CarPlay Is Additive

#724

Post by abustamam » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 4:03 PM UTC

kbos87 wrote: post #723

I currently have a Tesla (no CarPlay) and a Volvo EV with a reasonably good CarPlay implementation. I was in the same position as the writer until I experienced great in-vehicle software that I think only Tesla & Rivian can currently offer. I don't miss CarPlay one bit, and I think a lot of people are brainwashed into thinking it's the only viable option because they've never been exposed to an auto manufacturer who…

Maybe it's just familiarity, but same. I have a Tesla and I once rented a Toyota BZ whatever that had android auto. It was neat. But I struggled to do basic things. With Tesla I can navigate to the nearest charging station. I could not figure out how to do something as basic as that from the car. I had to use my phone (plug share or whatever) to find a charging station.

I haven't driven a rivian but I've heard their UI is comparable to Tesla.

That said, I don't see why cars need to have bespoke software in the first place. Ideally we have one or two open standards for infotainment systems. Imagine if you used a Dell then you used an HP and then you used an Alienware and they were all different!

Re: CarPlay Is Additive

#725

Post by the_lucifer » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 4:40 PM UTC

kbos87 wrote: post #723

I currently have a Tesla (no CarPlay) and a Volvo EV with a reasonably good CarPlay implementation. I was in the same position as the writer until I experienced great in-vehicle software that I think only Tesla & Rivian can currently offer. I don't miss CarPlay one bit, and I think a lot of people are brainwashed into thinking it's the only viable option because they've never been exposed to an auto manufacturer who…

> Personally I also don't want Tesla or Rivian to add CarPlay

Unfortunately for you, Tesla is working on adding CarPlay support to their cars (for what I assume is to boost their value and image to potential buyers).

From earlier this year: https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/02/tesla-still-working-on-carpla...

More recently, Apple and Tesla are collaborating to fill any gaps in APIs to allow for CarPlay on Tesla vehicles: https://9to5mac.com/2026/06/15/this-carplay-change-may-be-th...

Throughout several communications to developers, they have mentioned changes that lend credibility to this rumor, first in WWDC2026[1] and in 27 as well.

[1]: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2026/212

Re: CarPlay Is Additive

#726

Post by 0x457 » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 5:02 PM UTC

vtbassmatt wrote: post #721

0x457 wrote: post #655

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Surprised no one's mentioned it so far, but CarPlay / Android Auto aren't just features, they're consistency. No, they are not. When you press "Home" button on your car where does it go? In some cars it goes to CarPlay main screen, in others it goes to car's built-in system main screen. When you press back what happens? When you press Nav/Maps button where does it go? Again, some cars will launch built-in navigatio…

What vehicle did Mazda screw this up so badly in? Neither of my Mazdas with CarPlay disable the touchscreen in CarPlay. The ‘21 Miata disables it while in motion (which sucks badly, and I just learned there’s a hack to fix). The ‘24 CX-5 doesn’t ever disable the touchscreen.

2018, 2020, and 2021 MX-5 (so all of NDs?) disabled touch screen in CarPlay unless you're in Park. I'm okay with it because using touch screen in ND Miata is uncomfortable for me to use any way, and Mazda really nailed hardware buttons navigation there.

Re: CarPlay Is Additive

#727

Post by intrasight » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 6:41 PM UTC

al_borland wrote: post #646

artisinal wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With the exception of the screen size I can do all of that with my phone in a mount as well. But you shouldn’t be operating your phone while driving, not even with CarPlay. It’s illegal in many countries.

Your phone in a mount provides integration with your car's steering wheel buttons to allow for control without taking your hands off the wheel? Your mount allows you to leave the screen on your phone off while also using navigation with a screen? I don't know that I believe that.

> integration with your car's steering wheel buttons to allow for control without taking your hands off the wheel

It certainly works that way with my 2016 Volvo

Re: CarPlay Is Additive

#728

Post by bitmasher9 » Sat, Jul 04, 2026, 7:52 PM UTC

WorldMaker wrote: post #686

0xffff2 wrote: post #680

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> two oil changes, a tune-up, and a tire rotation What is this, the 60s? Modern gas cars are so computer controlled that the concept of a "tune-up" effectively no longer exists, and they go 10,000 miles between oil changes so most people don't even average a single oil change every 6 months. EVs are even lower maintenance, but the difference isn't nearly as big as you're implying.

I think that is still in agreement to my point. Even ICE maintenance is no longer the same schedule (and cost patterns) as it was when the dealership model was invented. EVs push it to a "crisis mode", but it has been a building misaligned incentives problem for decades.

Additionally self driving vehicles are promising to reduce the total number of collisions, and collision associated repair is a significant portion of all auto mechanic activity.

Re: CarPlay Is Additive

#729

Post by linzhangrun » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 1:39 AM UTC

nlawalker wrote: post #618

linzhangrun wrote: post #302

For pure interaction, CarPlay as a generic solution is very hard to beat infotainment systems that are deeply integrated with the vehicle itself. Its advantages are mainly these: - Consistency. You get into a new car, all you need to figure out is how to open CarPlay, no need to learning a completely different and often complicated infotainment system. - "It's on your phone". You can decide what playlist to play or w…

Honest question, what are the advantages of an integrated system? These three things are kind of the whole game for me, but I also don't have a very sophisticated taste when it comes to cars.

1. Native car OS can be deeply integrated with the car's own design, both UI and physical controls. eg.

- Nio Firefly and the Smart # series are good examples where the UI is strongly tied to the exterior/interior design language.

-Xiaomi car system is not only connected with the phone, but also with a whole set of Xiaomi smart home devices, from PCs and TVs to robot vacuums, light bulbs and smart plugs and so much more. They literally made almost all the home appliances, which all can connected with the car.

2. More importantly, it can access lower-level vehicle information and control. For example, different navigation routes can influence different driving styles, and even the basic LLM voice assistant can actually control parts of the car.

Some examples from the biggest Chinese EV makers, all with at least hundreds of thousands of annual sales:

- Nio can use road data collected by previous cars to predict bumps and adjust the active suspension in advance: https://www.nio.cn/app-articles/532868

  It can also navigate to a battery swap station, automatically book the swap, and then use assisted driving / automated parking to complete most of the process:
  https://www.nio.cn/app-articles/527488

- Li Auto can use the car itself as a physical feedback device when playing games on the in-car screen. For example in a racing game, it can combine the by-wire chassis and active suspension to tilt the body and give a real 4D feeling.Setting aside who really plays racing games this way, but it is basically using the whole car as an expensive moving racing simulator: https://www.lixiang.com/news/159.html

- AITO(Huawei) cars can link the cabin environment with current air quality, sunlight and other sensor data, then automatically adjust the AC, air purifier, electric sunshade and so on: https://aito.auto/model/m9-new/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

And many more.

Chinese EV makers are doing software in a very deep and sometimes strange way. Compared with them, even Tesla feels very simple and crude.

Re: CarPlay Is Additive

#730

Post by linzhangrun » Sun, Jul 05, 2026, 1:54 AM UTC

xp84 wrote: post #538

linzhangrun wrote: post #355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Current State of Chinese EV Manufacturers

Source? They’re cheaper, but I’ve seen zero proof they are less long-lasting than our cars. If anything, those who have tried them say they’re better cars, including the Ford CEO, who imported one and can’t say enough good things about it.

Believe me, I am a Chinese who follows the Chinese car market quite closely.

Since the endless price war started in 2023, many cars in the tens-of-thousands to low-hundreds-of-thousands RMB range (affordable by most people) have had serious quality problems because of price cuts, including joint-venture cars (foreign-brand cars produced in Chinese factories).

This is the world’s largest car market, where the best-selling ICE car last month could only rank 17th overall. It is also a market where you can buy an Accord for under $20,000, and a Corolla for a little over $11,000. And both are going to be discontinued because it is no longer competitive and sells badly.

When the price goes up, the car itself is usually much better. At least it is not like earlier cheap BYDs, which could start rusting everywhere after just one year.

But the very short development and production cycle is another big problem. In this fiercely competitive market, sometimes it takes less than half a year from the birth of a car brand to a model launch. Recent examples are Huawei GT7.

Because new cars are getting better so quickly, many cars cannot keep sales for more than six months. Some are discontinued in less than a year, like Han L and Tang L. Some cars even get three updates in one year, like Zeekr 001, just to keep up with new cars.

This obviously creates maintenance and after-sales problems.

By comparison, Xiaomi, which changes generation every two years, is already one of the most traditional and conservative ones. This is also the car Ford’s CEO “imported one and can’t say enough good things about it”. I have driven it too, haha.