dougm213

Just received notice that Destination Assist is being dropped from Lexus Enform which I believe means that the you will no longer be able update your eDestinations on your computer then downloading to the vehicle. I called and they said that in lieu this this service they are extending the subscription by 3 months. Corporate decided to drop the feature since it is not used often. I find this BS since it is a feature I use most. I keep non-business addresses and there is no easy way to enter addresses to the vehicle. Their interface sucks and here they make it more difficult. Really pisses me off. Nothing is more irritating than a company taking away a feature. LEXUS before taking away a feature replace it with something useful like being able to upload an address from the phone into the Navigation system.

jeffreyr

I seem to remember seeing a notice about that as well. It kind of boggles the mind, but I can't say it surprises me with Lexus. Like this nice little feature, with a crappy app interface that Lexus gives us in our luxury cars, is just killing their bottom line. Maybe they should try to improve Enform, rather than strip it down further and make it worse.

islandbeef

Lexus should try to step its game up and support Apple Carplay/Android OS, instead of trying to re-create the wheel with their own interface.

obadea

You can still send addresses to your car, using the Enform App. Here are the steps:

1. Open Enform App on the phone
2. Destination Search
3. Search for Address / Business Name
4. Click on result and press Save
5. In the car, go to Save Destinations under Apps
6. Download and it's there and it's free

spoogenet

It's probably not used much because Enform is a poorly designed system and many of us just use our phones for navigation. Completely agree they should add CarPlay/Android support and it would be infinitely more useful.

While Lexus makes beautiful cars that are well engineered in many aspects, the interface/infotainment system is a huge piece of the experience that will attract or deter many customers. As an example, even if I really, really wanted one -- I would never buy a Dodge or any vehicle with "Uconnect" in it. That level of frustration cannot offset any amount of joy the car may otherwise bring.

frazierwa

Why is it that the automotive industry is so far behind the curve on consumer electronics? With all the innovation over the last decade, why is that they are so far behind in functionality and usability? It it simply economics; they don't want to pay licensing fees so they feel they must reinvent the wheel? It is regulation? Does it take too long to get anything approved for installation to the point that it is obsolete? I suspect that it is a combination of both factors.

The fact that they actually have the gall to charge extra for their remote product tells me that they consider this segment a profit center rather than a product enhancement. I guess as long as we keep buying the cars they won't justify the expense to buy or develop modern products. As others have pointed out, they could fix the problem with Apple Play, but there are a lot of non-Apple phones out there. Something big will have to happen to get them to achieve parity with the electronics that we use everyday.

jeffreyr

To be honest, I thought that this feature on the app is what they were doing away with, but I guess I was mistaken about what eDestination actually was. As long as they keep this feature on the app, then I am ok with that. I guess I rarely if ever used eDestination, so perhaps this affects me little or not at all. While I do use Waze more often than the Lexus NAV, I do sometimes use the app to search and transfer addresses directly to the Lexus NAV. Lexus still sucks at all of this technology interfacing...

JDR76

The app reduces the need for eDestinations. The main difference between Saved Destinations and eDestination is that for eDestination you log into your lexusdrivers account and send addresses to your car from the computer rather than your phone app.

To clarify, Destination Assist is the ability to call a live operator from the car and have them load an address for you. This feature is not going away.

fscoblete

Thanks for the info. I was about to pull the trigger on this monthly option. I agree, present vehicle technology does not match our smart phones ( i do not see this happening anytime soon, too.) They should work together to accomplish more. Oh, well.

fscoblete

Ok, thanks for clarifying this. The OP had me thinking otherwise.

dougm213

I understand that the app provides some function that is redundant. I preferred the eDestination over the app since prefer typing on a real keyboard and tend to plan ahead from my computer. Why not offer both especially when you already have the feature in place? Or do away with it for future subscriptions, after all they don't retrofit features to older years why take away? After all, I pay for the service. fyi, if you do subscribe to SafetyConnect and Enform, call and complain, asking for compensation for taking away eDestination, they will offer a 3 month extension to your subscription, or at least they did for me.

spoogenet

I understand your frustration and perhaps can shed at least some insight. In the context of electronics, the automotive industry is a very challenging one. Consumer electronics generally have focus in the areas of specs (MHz, GB's, battery life, etc.) and the innovation to exceed those specs and drive new ones. They're also generally cheaper, some of them considered "disposable," and let's face it -- few people will die if they malfunction.

Cars, on the other hand, are expected to work when it's 120F in Death Valley today and sub-zero Fahrenheit tomorrow when driving through the mountain range. They need to work in extreme dry and humidity. They're expected to do it reliably. Electronic components have a fairly high bar to become "automotive grade" to the point that individual factories and their production technology undergo rigorous qualification. Aerospace is similar, for good reason.

My iPhone has random crashes anywhere from daily to weekly. While frustrating, it's not the kind of thing forcing a company to fix an out-of-warranty product. It affects my satisfaction with Apple and my phone, but not my general safety or mobility.

dougm213

I agree with the context of your posting but do not see the relation to taking away a feature I use. This feature is already in place, does not change thus does not need new resources.

dougm213

The conspiracists side of me, believes there is an alternative motive, like they want to use the bandwidth of the download for a feature for new models. At the very least, it is a cost cutting (remember it is an included feature of a subscription service) increasing profit by cutting service. But all in all, does no use complaining, moving on.

darylcf108

I believe the issue with Lexus is this… Why put Apple Car play inside your Lexus when eventually Apple will charge Lexus for this feature? That means Apple will be making dollars in the car industry. Lexus definitely do not want anything from Apple in their cars when they can do it themselves. Lexus isn’t trying to make Apple richer when Lexus gets no benefit from Apple Car play besides the customer wanting it. They would rather be behind in technology then to throw their hands up and say let Apple lead us. Not in Apple dreams.