Toyota considers supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
 

Report from Automotive News:

http://www.autonews.com/article/2017...nges-at-toyota

Hopefully this is for real and will actually happen.

Toyota and BMW are the only major car makers which currently do not support this technology.

The lack of support for Android Auto is one of my biggest gripes with my ES.

Well I hope that you're right. I think that Toyota is behind with technology. I plan to buy a 2019 and I'm hoping some changes are made by then.

Well b****y time, as they say across the pond. Toyota still insists on using its slow and stuffy infotainment system when smartphones are capable of so much more. I've got an older Toyota pickup that I retrofitted with an Android Auto head unit and it's such a joy to use compared to the clunky stock Lexus systems. Google Maps and Waze have much better traffic avoidance routing and I use Spotify to stream music.

BMW actually started to support apple car play with their 2017 models. But not android auto as of yet. So Toyota is the only major manufacturer that hasn't moved onto the new tech. I don't see how it can be so hard, when even sub $20k cars comes with that technology. It just seems Toyota is being rather stubborn at this point. I'm sure car play is coming for Toyota. Maybe 2019, but that'd be 5 years too late.

Oh, it's not hard. Toyota just doesn't want to cede control to third parties over any part of its infotainment stack.

Eventually competitive forces will probably force them to change course once they start losing too many sales over their insistence on being stubborn on this issue.

b****y time
 

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Acura is in the same league if not behind Toyota, I have one. I live in rental cars, mostly Hyundais, Fords, Chevys, etc and a large number of them have the ability to link Google maps onto your screen.

I recently acquired a certified 2016 RX 350 without navigation and was astounded to learn (after the sale) that I could not bluetooth the map onto the screen. The salesman mistakenly told me I could download Scout but that was wrong. If there is any work-around for that, I haven't found it yet.

Unfortunately Scout GPS was offered starting for 2017MY.

You probably should've gotten factory nav so you could have had an aftermarket solution from Beat Sonic. http://www.beatsonicusa.com/if04ep.html
Maybe email them to see if they have a solution for you?

I doubt he missed much by not having the Scout GPS Link thing. The reviews on that app are some of the lowest I have ever seen on any app. Most users claim it's total crap and are badly dissing Toyota for not having a better solution.

I looked at that BeatSonic thing and it looks like there might be an analog interconnect in there which might mean the resolution might be quite low through that adapter.

Unlike Lexus, Acura started supporting this technology this year. It's currently available on the TLX and will probably be available on more models in the upcoming model year.

See: https://www.acura.com/tlx/modals/android-auto and https://www.acura.com/tlx/modals/apple-carplay

If it weren't for the lack of Apple Carplay/Android Auto, the RX 350L would be the car I'd be buying once it comes out. I want a 3 row SUV, and it really has everything I want except for that. Without it, I am looking to the Buick Enclave or the top trim of the Subaru Ascent when it gets released next year.

In terms of other hold-outs, Tesla hasn't adopted either technology. Mazda "says" they are coming to their future vehicles, but I'll believe it when I see it in their cars. And so far, Infiniti only has Android Auto, not Apple Carplay. Not sure why that is?

Thanks for sharing the article, CarToys. It is the only article I have seen that gives any hope that Apple Carplay/Android Auto may actually be on the horizon. If they are truly considering it, I can understand why they are keeping it silent. Once they announce they are adding Apple Carplay/Android Auto, people who are considering buying a Lexus/Toyota will hold out for the 2018/2019 models, and the current models will just sit on their lot.

The smart car companies will just license this stuff from Apple and Google and let them figure it out and just port it over.

Car companies are terrible at making operating systems and this stuff is only getting more complex.