New Vehicle Owners Largely Satisfied With Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

[MacRumors]

New vehicle owners who have purchased a car that's equipped with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto are satisfied with the system and are increasingly relying on it for all in-car tasks, according to a new report released today by Strategy Analytics.

In a survey querying new vehicle owners that have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto installed in their vehicles, Strategy Analytics found that 34 percent of CarPlay owners rely on CarPlay for all of their audio infotainment needs, while 27 percent of Android Auto users use the Android platform exclusively for audio infotainment.

32 percent of CarPlay users and 33 percent of Android Auto users rely on those systems for all of their navigation needs, with CarPlay's slightly lower number here likely attributable to customers who continued to be unsatisfied with Apple Maps compared to other mapping apps like Google Maps or Waze.

Speech recognition usage is said to be "strong" across both sets of users, with CarPlay owners taking advantage of Siri for hands-free tasks while driving.

Overall, more than 85 percent of CarPlay and Android Auto users are "somewhat or very satisfied" with their system, and more than 90 percent are likely to recommend those systems to others.

In a similar report from October, Strategy Analytics learned that CarPlay is becoming an increasingly important feature that consumers look for when purchasing a vehicle.

In the United States, for example, 23 percent of respondents said that CarPlay was a "must have" feature for a new car, while another 56 percent said they were "interested" in vehicles equipped with CarPlay.

While CarPlay has been available since 2015, car manufacturers did not begin widely adopting the feature until mid-2016. CarPlay is now included in many new vehicles from a wide range of manufacturers, with more than 200 vehicles on the market offering CarPlay support.

Article Link: New Vehicle Owners Largely Satisfied With Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

 

[Mac 128]

Rented a 2018 Dodge Durango with CarPlay. Can't say I was very impressed. It was kind of a mess, unless I just wanted to listen to Apple apps. A few times it almost caused me to lose control of the vehicle, just trying to do something simple I could do on the iPhone directly with no issues at all.

 

[Menopause]

"Siri", "recognition" and "strong" in the same sentence. I need to buy a car with CarPlay to see how that Siri works.

 

[ersan191]

This is good news, I do wish Apple would make a standalone OS though - or maybe if wireless CarPlay became more common and didn't suck battery. Plugging in your phone every time you get in the car is a bit inconvenient and user-unfriendly.

Carmakers really have no business writing in-dash software, and neither do the companies they contract to do it - let the pros at Google/Microsoft/Apple do it.

 

[Putzytart]

I still think there's a way to go with Apple CarPlay. Those who have used Waze a few times will know that you cannot return to Apple Maps. This means you still have your phone mounted on your dashboard which is exactly what CarPlay is supposed to put an end to. Also as wireless CarPlay is quite rare amongst manufacturers, this means a cable running to the phone. Until 3rd Party nav apps are allowed and wireless is mainstream, it's a case of 'close but no cigar' in my opinion. And lastly there's a real lack of updates. Let's hope CarPlay gets some airtime at WWDC....

 

[jjhny]

I do like carplay - just wish there was some way to add a module to an existing vehicle for this. One of the better things Apple has come up with!

 

[rjohnstone]

Had an aftermarket CarPlay/Android Auto unit in my last car. Carplay was great for music and messages. Not much else.
Google still has the best maps app.

My current car did not get CarPlay or Android Auto. Honda decided to wait another year for us CR-V owners.

 

[santydolby]

have said this at least 3-4 times on macrumors and will say it again: google maps on carplay will seal the deal for carplay!

 

[Peace]

I'm pretty satisfied with Carplay in my Honda.

 

[Solver]

CarPlay in our Elantra works very well. The turning lanes addition to iOS 11 is icing on the cake. Our car has Wi-Fi. Not understanding why more cars do not use wireless CarPlay.

 

[sirozha]

"Siri", "recognition" and "strong" in the same sentence. I need to buy a car with CarPlay to see how that Siri works.

Not so great.

 

[radiology]

Got my wife a XC-90 which comes with CarPlay and I’m super jealous. CarPlay is awesome and a must have for my next car.

 

[sirozha]

have said this at least 3-4 times on macrumors and will say it again: google maps on carplay will seal the deal for carplay!

Or just use Android Auto.
[doublepost=1523571769][/doublepost]What's really amazing is Android Auto. I'm using a cheap Android phone permanently connected in my car just so that I can have Google Maps on the car head unit. The calendar and contacts on the Android phone sync to my iCloud calendar and contacts. I can text from Android Auto (regular text, not iMessage), but I'm not a fan of texting while driving. Google Assistant can find all sort of information on the web and read it to me. I can ask it to translate to other languages, can have it spell words, find stock quotes, do math, etc. Every day I find something new it can do, so you can actually learn something new while driving. It can also stream latest news from NPR. It's possible to control smart home devices via Google Home, but everything I have is on HomeKit.

I can also do Waze via Android Auto, but I prefer Google Maps. However, either one of them is way better than Apple Maps. I will not come back to CarPlay as long as its driven by dumb Siri and the only navigation option is Apple Maps. Navigation on Android Auto is amazing. Google Assistant on Android Auto can find ANY and EVERY destination you ask of it, and it gets it right in 99.9% of cases on the first attempt. It can navigate to your contacts, it can navigate to your appointments, or it can navigate to ANY destination you can think of.

 

[AppleMad98004]

CarPlay is awesome. I just bought a 2018 Lincoln Navigator and love it. I agree Google maps is better but Apple isn't to bad and the convenience of it all tied into my Apple ecosystem, messages, music, audiobooks, at bat for baseball, contacts, maps, phone etc. is worth it. HomeKit integration would be awesome.

 

[ondert]

Nice but Apple Maps really suck a lot in Europe. Google is much more superior in this class.

 

[69Mustang]

Rented a 2018 Dodge Durango with CarPlay. Can't say I was very impressed. It was kind of a mess, unless I just wanted to listen to Apple apps. A few times it almost caused me to lose control of the vehicle, just trying to do something simple I could do on the iPhone directly with no issues at all.

Question for you or anyone else who may know. Rentals: Is your CP information persistent after returning the vehicle? I can't tell you how many times I've rented a vehicle and the previous person's BT info is just sitting there. The rental companies don't wipe it. I clear profiles on rentals as a matter of principle. CP/AA work similarly? I would think not since they are just fancy overlays being relayed from the phone, but I dunno.

 

[OlliFlamme]

Carplay is overrated already. The system should be this:

- airplay screen, doubling your phone screen
- touch sensitive

No separate OS, let the mobile device do the processor work, as a car lives longer than a phone. Latest phone with my concept? Then you have the latest experience.

These mobile processors are getting so powerful, that there is a lot of sense in my vision no? The most sense is made in the fact that at the longest extend, apps will need to be allowed or not allowed to be mirrored. I mean, the point being it should not replace a phone, but have the maximum available car relevant functionality, most of all: allowing us to use Waze or other nav apps.

Moreover, The driver integrity is guaranteed in thus way, which will more and more be a matter pf concern like the previous poster is alluding.
With car sharing becoming the future, CarPlay already is too old fashioned for my taste.

 

[tillsbury]

Got my wife a XC-90 which comes with CarPlay and I’m super jealous. CarPlay is awesome and a must have for my next car.

Interesting you found that. I've had an XC90 for 18 months and have spent no more than five minutes on CarPlay. Complete waste of time in my experience. Having said that, the navigation and voice recognition is a waste of time on the Volvo. Easily its worst feature. But since I don't need navigation it's a bit irrelevant. Sound quality is way better using FLACs on a memory stick in the other port.

I might try it if it were wireless, but plugging a phone into a car is not something I can be bothered to do this decade.

 

[sou1 so1di3r]

Rented a 2018 Dodge Durango with CarPlay. Can't say I was very impressed. It was kind of a mess, unless I just wanted to listen to Apple apps. A few times it almost caused me to lose control of the vehicle, just trying to do something simple I could do on the iPhone directly with no issues at all.

I rented a VW when I was in Switzerland in February and I liked it a lot for music, but the navigation sucked because it was apple maps.

No way in hell was I trying to use Apple Maps to navigate me through treacherous wintry mountain roads and a country I have never been to before... lmao.

It had a spotify app built in that worked with all my music, why not just add the same for Google Maps?

 

[69Mustang]

Carplay is oberrated already. The system should be this:

- airplay screen, doubling your phone screen
- touch sensitive

No separate OS, let the mobile device do the processor work, as a car lives longer than a phone. Latest phone with my concept? Then you have the latest experience.

These mobile processors are getting so powerful, that there is a lot of sense in my vision no? The most sense is made in the fact that at the longest extend, apps will need to be allowed or not allowed to be mirrored. I mean, the point being it should not replace a phone, but have the maximum available car relevant functionality, most of all: allowing us to use Waze or other nav apps.

Moreover, The driver integrity is guaranteed in thus way, which will more and more be a matter pf concern like the previous poster is alluding.
With car sharing becoming the future, CarPlay already is too old fashioned for my taste.

I think you may be misunderstanding what CarPlay is. The mobile processor does all the work. CarPlay is an overlay running from your mobile device.

 

[sirozha]

Question for you or anyone else who may know. Rentals: Is your CP information persistent after returning the vehicle? I can't tell you how many times I've rented a vehicle and the previous person's BT info is just sitting there. The rental companies don't wipe it. I clear profiles on rentals as a matter of principle. CP/AA work similarly? I would think not since they are just fancy overlays being relayed from the phone, but I dunno.

If you use CP or AA, you don't sync your contacts to the vehicle. The head unit becomes an external monitor (of sorts) for your phone. All the information remains on your phone, and the apps also run off your phone.

 

[OlliFlamme]

Interesting you found that. I've had an XC90 for 18 months and have spent no more than five minutes on CarPlay. Complete waste of time in my experience. Having said that, the navigation and voice recognition is a waste of time on the Volvo. Easily its worst feature. But since I don't need navigation it's a bit irrelevant. Sound quality is way better using FLACs on a memory stick in the other port.

I might try it if it were wireless, but plugging a phone into a car is not something I can be bothered to do this decade.

Not to mention the price of this ‘option’ in the Volvos and on other cars like BMW. Additional money down the drain if you ask me.

 

[krause734]

I’d still like to see YouTube, Netflix, Amazon Video etc. while in park.

 

[sirozha]

Interesting you found that. I've had an XC90 for 18 months and have spent no more than five minutes on CarPlay. Complete waste of time in my experience. Having said that, the navigation and voice recognition is a waste of time on the Volvo. Easily its worst feature. But since I don't need navigation it's a bit irrelevant. Sound quality is way better using FLACs on a memory stick in the other port.

I might try it if it were wireless, but plugging a phone into a car is not something I can be bothered to do this decade.

CarPlay is a disaster. Android Auto is much better. I don't understand how one can say he/she doesn't need navigation. How is this possible? If you live in a city, you need navigation just to find the least congested route. If you live in the country, traffic may not be the reason to have navigation, but do you not drive long distances? Navigation used to be for finding the route from point A to point B. With live traffic, navigation is so much more than a map on the screen. It is a self-healing system that finds the best route based on the current road conditions.

 

[Lancetx]

CarPlay works great in my Grand Cherokee, but I find myself using the standard Uconnect interface just as much if not more than I do the CarPlay interface since the Uconnect music/media interface is much nicer. Either way, it is really nice having the option to use either one whenever I want to.

And due to the fact that CarPlay updates are done via iOS, you won't be stuck waiting on the auto manufacturer to update (or not) the software on their systems over time.