Very, very cool. I bet it's a dream to drive.I have one.
What color is yours?
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Ford Brings CarPlay to 2016 Vehicles With SYNC 3 Update
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What color is yours?Car play and Android auto are the ugly stepchild in auto infotainment systems.
If you need the car to do something outside them, you must exit out of the connection and then re- establish connection. It's just not worth it.
It's still better to connect via Bluetooth to your contacts and leave it at that.
2017 E300 sedan, E400 coupe. Mercedes.
If you need the car to do something outside them, you must exit out of the connection and then re- establish connection. It's just not worth it.
It's still better to connect via Bluetooth to your contacts and leave it at that.
2017 E300 sedan, E400 coupe. Mercedes.
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Very, very cool. I bet it's a dream to drive.
Lightning Blue Metallic, with the 19" black wheels that go with the Performance Package (which also gets you the 6-piston Brembos up front, heavier springs and sways, and a 3.73 TORSEN rear end).
This ain't your grandpa's muscle car. This thing will corner like you wouldn't believe, provided you're careful with the loud pedal (it's *very* tail-happy!).
The new Fiesta also gets a Band And Olufsen Play stereo system option
Mind you, since the iOS update this week my iPhone 6S now actually works properly with my ST and Sync 1! Only took Apple a few updates.. and at least two people on here claimed I was talking rubbish when I blamed Apple for it not working! Some people will defend Apple over anything.
I may look at the new Fiesta ST.
Mind you, since the iOS update this week my iPhone 6S now actually works properly with my ST and Sync 1! Only took Apple a few updates.. and at least two people on here claimed I was talking rubbish when I blamed Apple for it not working! Some people will defend Apple over anything.
I may look at the new Fiesta ST.
I am in the same situation. They said it would be a free upgrade for my 2016 Edge. Honestly there is a lawsuit here. It's false advertising. I'd prefer to use google maps anyways so not that big of a loss.
Disagree. It's pretty good and I use it every day. The best setup, which a lot of cars have now, are real buttons/knobs for climate control and the rest of the infotainment on the touchscreen. In real-world usage, you don't need to leave Carplay/Android Auto much if at all. Also, at least in my car (Chevy Volt), there's a home button to get out to the car's system, but it doesn't need to re-establish a connection at all... there's just an icon to get back to Carplay. It stays connected at all times. Some other notes:
- Personally, I don't use Sirius because I have Apple Music, but the radio is only two button presses away. There's a Spotify app, but I prefer Apple Music now because we have an Apple TV at home, and Apple Music is well-integrated into Carplay. You hold the speaker button on the steering wheel to access Siri, and you can play anything you want.
- Apple maps works fine and is integrated into voice control. I wish Waze was available for Carplay, but we all know that's not going to happen. For those times I want to use it, my phone is mounted to the dash also, but that's a workaround. Apple maps doesn't have pinch to zoom and scroll, which is lame. You have to press buttons. I have no idea why, since Google Maps has it in Android Auto and the screen is capable of multitouch.
- When the car is moving, Carplay will limit your ability to browse through contacts and music and things like that. I get why they added this, but there should be a way to override it because a passenger might want to do that. They probably can't for legal reasons, however. The workaround is to have the passenger just do it directly on the phone.
- Plugging in your phone every time is a minor annoyance. I've gotten used to it, but in the future, I hope that cars get wireless Carplay AND wireless charging that can keep up with the battery drain.
I agree with your disagreement
Like you've indicated: you don't really need to "reestablish connection", there's an icon/app to launch back to the OEM UI, and another icon to switch right back, but I very rarely need to do that, the AC has hard buttons on the center stack, and everything else: Music, Podcasts, Nav/Maps, Phone is nicely presented in the CarPlay UI, and also controlled via voice.
I love the consistent UI, the general design/layout/typography, it's fast, the real issue with CarPlay is the need to open up the development, provide more of even an Apple TV 4 like experience.
I've seen most of the major car "infotainment" systems, and CarPlay is definitely competitive and could be *much* better.
You can get the part for about 50 bucks, the install only took about 5 minutes and was pretty easy to load the software from USB.... but im not sure its worth the hassle... I actually prefer Sync 3 nav at this point... car play navigation is pretty bad, but hopefully it gets improved.
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They wont, the hardware was changed on the 2016 , so youll prob want to go aftermarket... i held out for the 2016 knowing that sync 3 was going to support this and sync 3 actually being pretty decent on its own.... carplay is not all that in its current form so I wouldnt sweat it, buy a whipple supercharger instead
Correct.
CarPlay and Android Auto run within the OEMs ICE system. The additional requirements to effectively implement Android Auto/CarPlay whilst being compatible with other vehicle systems have caused most auto manufacturers to change their electrical architectures entirely, so compatibility with older vehicles isn't possible in the vast majority of cases. Expecting OEM supported CarPlay on a 2006 vehicle is equivalent to demanding TouchID on a first gen iPhone - The hardware just isn't there
Aftermarket solutions are out there, but I've yet to see any compelling reasons to make Android Auto/CarPlay a must have when it comes to buying a vehicle.
I excitedly just bought a mint 09 Subie, only to discover the super deluxe 2009 stereo/gps unit has zero connectivity, is not upgradable, and is a total nightmare to swap out with steering wheel control connectivity complications.
So now I drive around listening to the sound of the engine, tires, and wind.
So now I drive around listening to the sound of the engine, tires, and wind.
It's not free for CarPlay. The original announcement by Ford states that a dealership visit is required for CarPlay usage to replace the USB hub within the car.
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You can replace it with the Sync 3 head unit but it's expensive at $1799 without GPS. If your vehicle has the smaller sync 2 screen you may be able to replace it with an aftermarket unit.
I purchased CarPlay on a 2017 BMW and I can tell you compared to BMW's software, CarPlay is absolute garbage. Here is a review I posted after I first started using CarPlay. Since writing this review a few months ago, I now have CarPlay disabled using the far superior BMW software (I don't know if Ford has their own software to compete with CarPlay). I've chalked it up to loosing $350 on a piece of garbage software from Apple.
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Three days I go I received delivery of my new 2017 BMW 430xi. One of my motivations to purchase the car was because of BMW’s recent offering of Apple CarPlay, but after playing with BMW’s Bluetooth integration/software and CarPlay, I am very disappointed with CarPlay.
When I purchased the car, I had to decide at that time to purchase CarPlay because I was told the option could not be added after delivery. The option was only about $350 so I opted to purchase CarPlay because I love my iPhone and wanted to have what I assumed was the best possible iPhone integration. I owned a BMW 530xi prior to this BMW which did not have CarPlay and had only limited Bluetooth integration (e.g., only hands free calling and contact synchronization). Since I didn’t have any other type of integration with my iPhone on my previous BMW, I was looking for a change.
On first thoughts, the BMW software has a nice look and feel. The colors have a kind of rich design (no I don’t mean expensive but rich as in color tone and shading). I was impressed with the high level of integration between BMW’s software and my iPhone, this was before I activated CarPlay. On my BMW, you can integrate your iPhone using just BMW’s Bluetooth integration or you can activate CarPlay for a kind of dual/hybrid integration that is a mixture of BMW’s Bluetooth integration and CarPlay.
As I mentioned above the look and feel of the latest BMW software has nice color tones and a consistent look and feel throughout with excellent integration/coordination to the physical buttons on the center console (i.e., Menu, Navigation, Communication, Media, etc.) that surround their iDrive wheel. I would prefer a touchscreen to the mechanical iDrive wheel, but I admit it’s not that bad and I’m used to it from my previous BMW.
When I switch from one of the BMW screens to the CarPlay screen, the look and feel of CarPlay really jumps out as horrible in my opinion. The quality of the icons, the color scheme, the shading (or lack thereof) looks like something created by a 5-year-old. I realize Apple wants and probably needs to create a standard look & feel for CarPlay across all makes/models of cars, but when you jump into the CarPlay screen it’s a shock. This is probably more prevalent from car manufacturers, like BMW, that have spent many years and significant resources perfecting their Bluetooth device integration and have mature/refined software.
I will say that CarPlay’s integration with the iPhone seems good and what I would have expected from Apple, but over the past few days I’m starting to see that CarPlay’s integration is not much better than BMW’s integration. Like CarPlay, BMW’s integration includes contact integration, voice activated commands, comprehensive multi-media integration including playlist integration, and app integration like Pandora detected on my iPhone.
I will add that CarPlay does have messaging integration, BMW does not, and it appears maybe integration to other applications not provided by BMW. I have a feeling the Germans probably draw the line at messaging integration because they probably want us to concentrate on driving (a good thing) or maybe Apple refuses to allow third-party integration with their messaging application. I will add that CarPlay does not let you mess around with messaging while driving, so I don’t want to imply that Apple’s CarPlay promotes unsafe driving, it does not.
My number one complaint is the CarPlay mapping application. Compared to BMW’s navigation system, the CarPlay maps are absolutely HORRIBLE, and this is coming from someone who did not want to purchase BMW’s navigation system. When used on my iPhone, the overall quality of the Apple mapping system is fine, but as an in-vehicle driving system integrated via CarPlay and compared to BMW's navigation system they suck.
For example, the BMW mapping system automatically moves from a “day mode” to a “night mode” when appropriate. That means at night the BMW maps go into a very dark back ground with streets colored (illuminated) versus a light (or white) background and dark lines for streets during the day. The CarPlay maps remain in a kind of “day mode” (e.g., white background with dark lines for streets) even at night. So, you have this massive white light shining in your eyes and illuminating the whole cabin that screws with your night vision (yea yea yea I know, what about oncoming headlights, street lights, etc. effecting night vision). My other major complaint is that the CarPlay maps only use half of the large BMW display compared to the BMW maps that use the whole display. I could go on about the CarPlay mapping system but I’m not going to develop a side-by-side comparison, I will say that the actual map quality of the BMW maps is far more detailed than the CarPlay (iPhone) maps, and the Apple CarPlay mapping solution is not even in the same league as the BMW navigation system.
When I purchased my BMW, I was angry BMW forced me to spend $1,500 for the BMW navigation system just because I wanted to purchase CarPlay. It really irritated me because I kept saying, why do I need your navigation system when I’m going to purchase CarPlay, isn’t the reason for CarPlay so I don’t have to purchase your overpriced navigation system. The sales people at BMW could not give me a good explanation, but I really wanted CarPlay so I begrudgingly purchased the BMW navigation system … well I am sooooo glad I did because I would have been really upset seeing Apple’s pathetic mapping implementation through CarPlay.
In summary, I admit I’ve only used CarPlay and BMW’s Bluetooth integration for a few days. I might learn some cool things about CarPlay that I didn’t get with BMW’s Bluetooth integration (like messaging), but at this point, I’m leaning towards disabling Apple’s CarPlay and chalking it up to a $350 mistake.
---
Three days I go I received delivery of my new 2017 BMW 430xi. One of my motivations to purchase the car was because of BMW’s recent offering of Apple CarPlay, but after playing with BMW’s Bluetooth integration/software and CarPlay, I am very disappointed with CarPlay.
When I purchased the car, I had to decide at that time to purchase CarPlay because I was told the option could not be added after delivery. The option was only about $350 so I opted to purchase CarPlay because I love my iPhone and wanted to have what I assumed was the best possible iPhone integration. I owned a BMW 530xi prior to this BMW which did not have CarPlay and had only limited Bluetooth integration (e.g., only hands free calling and contact synchronization). Since I didn’t have any other type of integration with my iPhone on my previous BMW, I was looking for a change.
On first thoughts, the BMW software has a nice look and feel. The colors have a kind of rich design (no I don’t mean expensive but rich as in color tone and shading). I was impressed with the high level of integration between BMW’s software and my iPhone, this was before I activated CarPlay. On my BMW, you can integrate your iPhone using just BMW’s Bluetooth integration or you can activate CarPlay for a kind of dual/hybrid integration that is a mixture of BMW’s Bluetooth integration and CarPlay.
As I mentioned above the look and feel of the latest BMW software has nice color tones and a consistent look and feel throughout with excellent integration/coordination to the physical buttons on the center console (i.e., Menu, Navigation, Communication, Media, etc.) that surround their iDrive wheel. I would prefer a touchscreen to the mechanical iDrive wheel, but I admit it’s not that bad and I’m used to it from my previous BMW.
When I switch from one of the BMW screens to the CarPlay screen, the look and feel of CarPlay really jumps out as horrible in my opinion. The quality of the icons, the color scheme, the shading (or lack thereof) looks like something created by a 5-year-old. I realize Apple wants and probably needs to create a standard look & feel for CarPlay across all makes/models of cars, but when you jump into the CarPlay screen it’s a shock. This is probably more prevalent from car manufacturers, like BMW, that have spent many years and significant resources perfecting their Bluetooth device integration and have mature/refined software.
I will say that CarPlay’s integration with the iPhone seems good and what I would have expected from Apple, but over the past few days I’m starting to see that CarPlay’s integration is not much better than BMW’s integration. Like CarPlay, BMW’s integration includes contact integration, voice activated commands, comprehensive multi-media integration including playlist integration, and app integration like Pandora detected on my iPhone.
I will add that CarPlay does have messaging integration, BMW does not, and it appears maybe integration to other applications not provided by BMW. I have a feeling the Germans probably draw the line at messaging integration because they probably want us to concentrate on driving (a good thing) or maybe Apple refuses to allow third-party integration with their messaging application. I will add that CarPlay does not let you mess around with messaging while driving, so I don’t want to imply that Apple’s CarPlay promotes unsafe driving, it does not.
My number one complaint is the CarPlay mapping application. Compared to BMW’s navigation system, the CarPlay maps are absolutely HORRIBLE, and this is coming from someone who did not want to purchase BMW’s navigation system. When used on my iPhone, the overall quality of the Apple mapping system is fine, but as an in-vehicle driving system integrated via CarPlay and compared to BMW's navigation system they suck.
For example, the BMW mapping system automatically moves from a “day mode” to a “night mode” when appropriate. That means at night the BMW maps go into a very dark back ground with streets colored (illuminated) versus a light (or white) background and dark lines for streets during the day. The CarPlay maps remain in a kind of “day mode” (e.g., white background with dark lines for streets) even at night. So, you have this massive white light shining in your eyes and illuminating the whole cabin that screws with your night vision (yea yea yea I know, what about oncoming headlights, street lights, etc. effecting night vision). My other major complaint is that the CarPlay maps only use half of the large BMW display compared to the BMW maps that use the whole display. I could go on about the CarPlay mapping system but I’m not going to develop a side-by-side comparison, I will say that the actual map quality of the BMW maps is far more detailed than the CarPlay (iPhone) maps, and the Apple CarPlay mapping solution is not even in the same league as the BMW navigation system.
When I purchased my BMW, I was angry BMW forced me to spend $1,500 for the BMW navigation system just because I wanted to purchase CarPlay. It really irritated me because I kept saying, why do I need your navigation system when I’m going to purchase CarPlay, isn’t the reason for CarPlay so I don’t have to purchase your overpriced navigation system. The sales people at BMW could not give me a good explanation, but I really wanted CarPlay so I begrudgingly purchased the BMW navigation system … well I am sooooo glad I did because I would have been really upset seeing Apple’s pathetic mapping implementation through CarPlay.
In summary, I admit I’ve only used CarPlay and BMW’s Bluetooth integration for a few days. I might learn some cool things about CarPlay that I didn’t get with BMW’s Bluetooth integration (like messaging), but at this point, I’m leaning towards disabling Apple’s CarPlay and chalking it up to a $350 mistake.
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I think you mean the 5-series, not i5. The 5-series was the first to have wireless CarPlay, but several of the model year 2017 BMWs also have wireless CarPlay now.
Just upgraded my 2016 Focus and am really loving CarPlay. To each his own but in my case it's a vast improvement over the audio/nav system that came with my vehicle. The reality is that I am doing way less looking at and messing with my phone while driving and I have to believe this is a safety benefit. It's less stressful. To the question of having to 'leave' CarPlay the access the native system. The only reason to do that in my case is to control the radio, which I do not often do. I also have the alternative to stream radio right in CarPlay if I want to. I am aware this is a hack on the existing system - still better than the usual crap the car companies produce.
I've had it in my '16 since December of last year
My hub was ~$60 to my door, the install is literally 5 minutes, definitely a DIY.
I am curious if your original USB connection also had an SD slot right below it. Mind does, and it looks like by ordering the part I will lose it which might impact my navigation?
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I am curious if your original USB connection also had an SD slot right below it. Mind does, and it looks like by ordering the part I will lose it which might impact my navigation?
Likely the wrong hub for your car then, those parts are for dual USB, one has blue surround lights, other part is same but with white surrounds. Looks identical to the part being replaced if you get the right one. No SD slots. May need to contact Ford to get the correct part number.
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My '16 just like the poster above did not have an SD slot my factory setup had a single USB in the armrest console in a single USB in the center stack.