Android Auto

[TwiceHorn 31488]

I'm in the market for a new to me car.  I'm a longtime Android phone user.  I'm not sure I care much about "on-screen" navigation.  For the most part, I examine a route beforehand rather than rely on turn-by-turn directions.  

Do I care about having Android Auto?

[TexasMan 10891]

Seconded 

[TwiceHorn 31488]

I should say that I assume that other things, such as music from the phone, is available through other means, e.g. bluetooth or usb connection.

AFAIK, Android Auto puts Google Maps and Assistant/App on the screen.

[Updawg 2266]

I'd get it if it's an option. Waze is great. I just bought a new 2019 4runner that just has Toyotas nav/entertainment package. It works well enough but I'd rather have Android auto for Waze and an easier interface I think. Unfortunately the 2020 model has Android auto but it wasn't worth waiting for and paying the extra cost for

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

I drive a ton and couldn't imagine having a car without either Android Auto or CarPlay. 

[TwiceHorn 31488]

5 minutes ago, Lobwedgephil said:

I drive a ton and couldn't imagine having a car without either Android Auto or CarPlay. 

For what purpose though?  The nav?  Assistant?  Something else?  I get that it brings a familiar and decent interface to infotainment systems, which tend to suck, but is that the main thing?

 

I assume, but could be wrong, that with most infotainment systems on a post say 2016 vehicle, you can play music from your phone via usb or bluetooth and get maps audio at least if not text turn-by-turn, if not a displayed map.

Edited October 8, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[CooterBrown 18014]

I now have CarPlay and it’s a game changer. Spotify, Google Maps, etc all right there on the screen.

[Lobwedgephil 1139]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

For what purpose though?  The nav?  Assistant?  Something else?  I get that it brings a familiar and decent interface to infotainment systems, which tend to suck, but is that the main thing?

To me it is the combination of all those things, drive an hour to and from work, so use Waze to get around traffic, cops. Listen to music, podcasts, audio books etc all hands free. Text messages being read to me without having to look up, can reply as well with just my voice. Can easily make phone calls hands free, though most cars can probably do that with just bluetooth. Assistant to set reminders that you think about, etc. 

[TwiceHorn 31488]

Thanks.  I guess part of the problem is that I think I have a handle on what Android Auto does, but I don't have a handle on what current-ish infotainment systems do and how badly do they do it.  I'm sure there's wild variation and knowing in advance with Android Auto is a big help.

That is, it doesn't matter if the system sucks if you have Android Auto.

Also, what is the deal with "4G Hotspots?"  I guess it would provide a wifi connection for the kids' tablets or a laptop or something, right?  That's pretty much n/a for us.  Do you have to have some form of hotspot service through your fone provider or the manufacturer's preferred provider?

Edited October 8, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[pantone159 719]

My experience is that Android Auto is a complete pile of garbage, to the extent that I needed to uninstall it from my phone.

The main thing that I wanted, was to be able to use Google Maps and show the map on my car console. Sometimes this worked ok, and this was really nice. But other times, there was some kind of glitch that caused Google Maps to crash and reset over and over and over to the point that it was worse than completely useless. I never understood why it worked ok sometimes and not other times. So I quit using Android Auto, and then I had to uninstall it to get Google Maps back to giving me voice directions.

Besides that, I did not like how it handled incoming calls and texts, I thought it was hazardous. When I get a phone call in the car, I normally want to ignore it completely, other than to notice that I may want to check who called. I can do that fine with the phone in my pocket. AA made the incoming call a lot more intrusive and hard to ignore. AA also made it impossible to read incoming texts. I definitely do not want to send any texts while driving, but I can sometimes spare a couple of seconds to read one. AA made it impossible to read the texts. I think I tried for a while using the car console touchscreen to find the text messages, but AA is so slow and balky that this was slow and distracting. I definitely thought it was much safer to drive without Android Auto than with it.

 

[Reagan1k 3024]

23 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Thanks.  I guess part of the problem is that I think I have a handle on what Android Auto does, but I don't have a handle on what current-ish infotainment systems do and how badly do they do it.  I'm sure there's wild variation and knowing in advance with Android Auto is a big help.

That is, it doesn't matter if the system sucks if you have Android Auto.

Also, what is the deal with "4G Hotspots?"  I guess it would provide a wifi connection for the kids' tablets or a laptop or something, right?  That's pretty much n/a for us.  Do you have to have some form of hotspot service through your fone provider or the manufacturer's preferred provider?

Huge fan of the HotSpot and I pay GM  for the service separate from my phone.  I don't think it was even an option to self subscribe to another carrier.

As part of the data package it comes with X number of minutes on the  built in cell phone as well.  I never really use the phone part of the deal but it is nice to have. 

I spend a lot of time in rural areas and often alone.  I like knowing that if I lost or broke my phone, I can have access to a back-up to place an emergency call, etc.

HotSpot is great while traveling in rural areas or on long trips.....better call consistency, no delayed text messages, nice to be able to work remotely via WiFi where cell signals are sketchy and data would be slow.   The antenna is more robust than on a phone so reception even on the same network is better.

I'd be content with nothing but the cellular HotSpot and bluetooth and none of the other NAV/INFO crap.....That's on my phone and I'm too lazy and old to learn new shit.

Can't really get it that way though so I have a supercomputer in my dash that is idle most of the time.

 

[crash_davis 23113]

i tried android auto.  it involved connecting phone to car with cable which i didn't like.  android auto doesn't give me any functionality that i don't already have.  i can still use hands free by using "ok google" commands.  only difference is shit is on my car screen vs my phone screen.  i don't stare at my phone or car screen that often while i'm driving to appreciate the extra screen real estate.  ymmv.

choice is never a bad thing. 

[dcbc 14487]

6 hours ago, crash_davis said:

i tried android auto.  it involved connecting phone to car with cable which i didn't like.  android auto doesn't give me any functionality that i don't already have.  i can still use hands free by using "ok google" commands.  only difference is shit is on my car screen vs my phone screen.  i don't stare at my phone or car screen that often while i'm driving to appreciate the extra screen real estate.  ymmv.

choice is never a bad thing. 

I think the screen mirroring is the benefit (in my case).  Been swiping on my phone screen (without looking) lately in the car and haven't been enjoying it.

[Sam Lin 3559]

Android Auto is gradually getting wireless capability. Not a single OEM radio supports it yet, and only a few phones. It'll be a while.

I don't find the current interface of Android Auto very useful, it wastes a ton of screen space and requires too much switching between apps to stay updated with basic info. Many apps are not supported, the ones that are are so stripped down for "car safety" that I often prefer to run them on the phone and just send audio to the car via Bluetooth.

That said, I would recommend you get it on any car you can, simply from a future-proofing standpoint. If you look at an "infotainment" car from 10yr ago, the infotainment is dated and useless, maps probably haven't had updates for most of those years, the UI looks like an Atari at best. What Android Auto will do is allow that UI and capability to update as technology improves, as it's making the car display a glorified remote monitor. In 10yr, 20yr, you'll likely still have a legacy Android Auto app available on whatever smart devices we're using. You'll be able to use nav with updated maps. You'll be able to play music from whatever source is "modern." Having CarPlay and Android Auto now is a way to future-proof your car's infotainment.

Would I pay a monthly fee for CarPlay like BMW is charging? Hell no, and it's shameful that they're making it a subscription revenue stream. But I did pay a fixed one-time install to have Android Auto/Carplay on my Mazda.

[52-80 19161]

if your car has shit entertainment and navigation (which most do), then the  phone piggybacking solution is better. 

if you have modern bmw or audi or new hyundai/kia system, you dont need it.

ive used android auto a bunch with rental cars and what i dislike is how large and bold everything is.  terrible use of real estate and everything looks like Readers Digest Senior.   the connection is also wonky and the hand/off when you start/stop the car isnt great

Edited October 11, 2019 by 52-80

[TwiceHorn 31488]

How's the Benz infotainment?

I think Sam Lin raises some good points, but we are talking about automakers and Google here.

[ousuxndallas 65]

Car Home Auto is what I use.

[The University 851]

having to look and touch/swipe, look again, touch/swipe again in a car is such a stupid idea for a driver. i think we'll go back to primarily tactile interfaces and continue to improve voice assist.

 

that said, andoid auto has come a loooong way.