There are a lot of features in CarPlay that I don't use. Really, I just use Google Maps, Pandora, and Messages. For Pandora, it's sort of a "set it and forget it" thing, plus I can control it (volume, skip tracks) with the steering wheel controls. I don't message often in the car, but it's pretty easy if I need to as it's via voice command. But the maps, that's been a huge increase in safety for me. I don't need them daily, but when I do, no one will convince me that it isn't safer to just have my destination in there and have voice guidance on. Gone are the days of road tripping with a big paper map on the front seat that you try to look at while driving, or printed out "MapQuest" step by step directions that you have to look away from the road to read.

 

After I posted, those Mapquest/Yahoo print outs came to mind. What an improvement when those portable GPS came out. Talking about safety. And when you need to make an unexpected stop on the route. Lol. Those map booklets are fun too. Google Maps are nice but it doesn't work with my HUD so it's no use for me when the phone is needed. I use stock Navi most of the time.

 

I think Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze do a good job with lane guidance, better than most stock systems, plus there's the added benefit of more real time alerts (police, hazards etc).

 

I'm not looking to do away with "packages" that have features I may not use. My dad complained about this in the 1980s - this isn't going away. But why not just end factory nav? Tech the car companies don't need to acquire and integrate, or cover under warranty. They stopped including CD players because they are obsolete...what's the difference?

 

I knew you'd chime in and **** on the evidence that I posted about distracted drivers. Obviously you're one who uses this stuff constantly.

The 80's features and tapes garbage you like to post when I bring up things like this is an extreme example and you know it. Nothing wrong with how we used to listen to music 15-20 years ago or using the built-in nav screen. All this stuff is too much and causes problems. It's only going to get worse.

And no, you're older than me so I would expect some kind of story from you about walking in the snow. Nice try.

 

Using the built in screen to view CarPlay or Android Auto content is no different to using the built in screen to view factory navigation content. The difference is the former is constantly updated, has better data/map content, and adds valuable features like police notifications, hazard notifications and so on.

You can control most of these things via voice, and the voice capability of a modern phone is much better than the factory voice control in most vehicles. You absolutely can have better results with LESS distraction with CarPlay and Android Auto

 

In a case like this, while it's not really a big deal but if you are not on one of the two inner lanes, you won't know with CarPlay. On BMW's, there would be an arrow showing your current lane and pointed to the correct lane. All these are shown on HUD and instrumental cluster. Also when you need to zoom in/out, you would have to reach the screen and touch +/- and it can only do so much. On BMW's, just grab the big **** and rotate. Much safer IMO. As for hazard and speed checks, I read that these are reported by users? BMW's combines both, reported/fixed location and live. It can basically notify you if there's something ahead or a bumper/uneven surfaces. Some find these not too useful but I encountered some stuff on freeway that I would have run right into them. You do have to pay a small fee for speed check subscription. $25 for 15 months I believe. Not sure why they want this.

 

I am weird; I love CarPlay but I also really like the OEM Lexus navigation, even the navigation in my 2015 GS. I have wireless CarPlay via GROM, and use it all the time. But the stock Lexus navigation has things that make road trips a little better in my opinion, having taken long 10+ hour trips with the stock OEM navi:

1. The Stock OEM navigation has a list of businesses and points of interest displayed on the map and a list of what is upcoming per exit on the lefthand pane, always. Apple Maps, G Maps, and Waze do not have this option at all, I have only seen it thru a paid service on a GPS App you can get on your phone . The newer Lexus OEM nav is even better, displaying turn by turn on the center driver display. Plus if you go somewhere with no signal and you forgot to download maps( or google lamely deleted the downloaded areas you already have, thanks google!!) you can always use the oem nav to get home.
2. OEM GPS starts immediately when you restart your car. Apple needs to fix the wireless stack on iPhone , when using Wireless CarPlay, the phone gets stuck to existing wifi networks, and will crash when switching between 5g and LTE or if your cell signal drops, which shouldn't affect the wireless CarPlay.
3. I do not want CarPlay to run everything, I like some hard buttons so I dont have to look a a display to change something, and having wireless CarPlay or wired CarPlay crash while its running the driver information display could be a real distraction. All I want is CarPlay and carplay nav directions on the center driver info display, and the ability to use any app displayed full screen on the main display using CarPlay when parked. Thats it.

 

everything you said, plus to be honest tech companies are biased to California and California needs ( l live in CA), that can be a real detriment to everywhere else. LOL this map is right in the middle of Silicon Valley off 101 north. Auto manufacturers must looks at the entire world where they sell cars, not just one area with perfect weather 😂

 

You posted a chart from some "source". Let's not go crazy throwing around big words like "evidence" here.

And lemme tell ya, my nav screen in my 04 Honda was *incredibly* distracting. So way to argue both sides there.

 

If you need your nav to tell you what lane you are in, you have bigger problems....

 

If that's what you got out of the post, then... that's your problem. Lol You have obviously not experienced heavy traffic enough to make such statement. When you're in a new area with heavy traffic and crossing freeways, all you want to do is to just keep your ears open and your eyes on the HUD.

 

Agreed. Knowing what lane you need to be in is a big help and something apple is terrible at, along with letting you know in well in advance when to make a turn, and also is dishonest in the distance you car has travelled on the GPS map. I find that Apple Maps make a turn look far away based on the "speed" the current position icon is moving on the map, then once you get closer the turn, the current icon speeds up dramatically, while Google Maps is consistent in the current location icon speed at all times. Having it be consistent helps drastically when driving , as I know when to slow down and put on a blinker, and can guess where the turn is.

My wife really hates it , I hate it and I have a a ton of apple products and services. The only real reason I use Apple Maps is because it intergrates into CarPlay well when you take a call and with the watch, though I might start using Google Maps as it just plain works teh best out of the top 3.

 

These navigation systems are getting absurd. Telling you what lane to be in, when to prepare to make a turn, etc is ridiculous. Navigation should be a guide on how to get to a place. That's it. You don't need to be babied on how to get there. Learn to drive the automobile and use the navigation as a reference on where it is. That's all it should be. All of this nonsense needs to stop. What lane to be in. Jeez, how ridiculous.

 

Last September I drove 700 miles to pick up my ES. I looked it up on the map on my computer and wrote down a few general directions because it was the middle of Sacramento and I never drove there before. I didn't need a screen to tell me what lane I needed to be in when I got downtown and was fixing to make a turn.

I mean come on, learn to actually drive and think. All this tech is just making people lazy to where they no longer need to use their brain.