Touch screen only? That sucks.
No way to disable it from the touch screen menus? I wouldn't be able to use that car.
I would get too hot, I am sure.
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Hands-On With Volvo's Dual-Screen Apple Maps CarPlay Experience
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I would get too hot, I am sure.
I've got a C40 and the Android infotainment is good but Volvo's implementation makes it feel like an ancient cheap Android tablet. It's pretty cool to have an actual app store and the apps are less limited than CarPlay versions.
Also it's nice that Google Maps automatically syncs your previous searches to the car but that also means if you have other drivers, they have access to your searches. Realized this after valet parking.
Also it's nice that Google Maps automatically syncs your previous searches to the car but that also means if you have other drivers, they have access to your searches. Realized this after valet parking.
Good point, I added a mention that that doesn't work for Apple Maps. Agree it would be nice to have.
HazeAndHahmahneez
macrumors regular
This is cool and all but aren’t the new Volvos this year going forward all rolling out with 100% google software? From the interior cameras to the engine computers??
Looks like to stick with the best car brand known to man I’ll have to stick to older models : (
Looks like to stick with the best car brand known to man I’ll have to stick to older models : (
Volvo's implementation of CarPlay in their 2022 XC60 line has come along really nicely. The one omission that would make it a "home run" is wireless CarPlay. I found an adapter that works really well with the car, but one limitation is that the dual-screen for navigation (subject of this post) doesn't work through the adapter, only when I hardwire my phone to the USB-C port. Has anyone had a successful experience with an adapter that passes along the dual screen info for navigation into the instrument panel? (In the interests of not turning this into an advertising thread, please DM me with your recommendations)
Game changer. I hope more manufacturers follow suit. Carplay plus a HUD would be amazing.
Absolutely. It’s also a dream to drive. One of the most underrated vehicles on the market right now.
The interior design is appalling.
We just took delivery of the 2024 V60 Recharge Polestar and I have a couple of comments:
A few months ago, Volvo and Polestar announced updates for their infotainment systems to support dual-screen Apple Maps displays from CarPlay, allowing a supplementary Apple Maps view to appear in the driver display separate from the main infotainment screen.
While an increasing number of vehicles are supporting text-based Apple Maps navigation prompts in the driver display and/or head-up display, Volvo is one of the first to adopt a full map view on a second screen, and I recently had a chance to test it out in a 2024 S60 Recharge.
The driver display Apple Maps screen is only active when there is a navigation route running in CarPlay, and it provides a familiar Apple Maps view with your vehicle position and your route, including upcoming traffic lights as well as surrounding streets, points of interest, and other features. At the bottom of the screen is a thin black box displaying your arrival time plus the time and distance remaining in the current trip.
This secondary Apple Maps screen doesn't show a visual text prompt of your next turn or exit, the distance until that movement, or lane guidance, but with Siri voice prompts and the visual representation of your route, you shouldn't have much trouble staying on course even if you don't have navigation up on the center infotainment screen. It also would be nice if the turn prompts were sent to the Head-Up Display, but they are not for Apple Maps.
With Apple Maps taking up residence in the driver display, that frees up the main infotainment screen for other functionality, whether it be for another CarPlay app like Music or Podcasts or for the native infotainment system. And if you're in another CarPlay app, you'll still get pop-up text instructions for upcoming turns from Maps just like when when you're in a non-Maps app while using single-screen CarPlay.
Volvo is notable for its portrait infotainment screens typically measuring 9 inches diagonally, although other manufacturers are increasingly adopting the form factor, particularly in electric vehicles. CarPlay on the main screen adapts to the portrait aspect ratio, with the usual sidebar containing status items and recent apps moving to the bottom and individual apps adjusting their layouts to fit.
The CarPlay Dashboard view looks particularly nice in portrait orientation, with a horizontal view from the Maps app taking up the full width at the top and then plenty of room for generously sized tiles from other apps appearing below.
At least on this Volvo model, Apple Maps in the driver display appears in dark mode at all times, regardless of whether the main CarPlay screen is in light or dark mode. While it initially seemed a bit jarring for the two screens to display differently, it does make sense to always use dark mode in the 12-inch driver display to match the rest of the display elements like the speedometer. It results in a more cohesive look for the driver display and means you don't have a bright screen almost directly in your line of sight.
Native Google Maps on the driver display
The native Volvo infotainment system now runs on Android Automotive from Google, so it features built-in Google Maps support that also shows up on the driver display, complete with upcoming turn prompts and lane guidance. The overall infotainment system was a bit sluggish to use at times, but Google Maps routing and features are solid, so it works well once you've got your route going. And with access to the Google Play Store, additional Android apps can be installed right on your vehicle's system.
Volvo SiriusXM Now Playing screen
I have some mixed feelings about the overall look of the Volvo infotainment system. While individual app screens are generally fine, the application manager view in particular has a rather dated look with app icons broken up into sections by type. It's functional and you can rearrange apps however you like, but it just doesn't look very slick or modern to me... Click here to read rest of article
Article Link: Hands-On With Volvo's Dual-Screen Apple Maps CarPlay Experience
- if you put your iPhone vertically in the slot to the right of the latch for the centre console, it fits nicely and you don't have to put it in your cupholder.
- Wireless CarPlay: I have used the Ottocast U2 Air dongle successfully in a 2020 MB E63 and a 2022 MB A35; haven't had a chance to try it in the Volvo yet but it is supposed to work.
Our V60 Recharge Polestar is absolutely a delight. Best of both worlds. So far commuting (20-30 mins one way) it is getting 120+ miles per imperial gallon. At the same time, smooth, accelerates wonderfully and is nimble. Fabulous.
The V60 is sexy AF, but I'm a self-professed wagon/estate lover so some bias there
If the V60 had been a full EV, I would have probably done that instead of the P2. The P2's fastback setup is almost as accommodating as a wagon, though.A Chinese car (yes, Volvo is owned by a Chinese company and many models are manufactured in China) and Google software. An interesting combination. One spies for the Chinese government, the other just to monetize your data.
Final assembly for some models for both Volvo and Polestar will be in the US starting in 2024. And only Western market cars get Google. Chinese and other Asian market get Huawei
Glad to be in Western market.
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seriously, the wireless CarPlay is so great I would never want to go back to wired
I haven't used iMaps and mostly use Waze. Does iMaps give you the disabled vehicle ahead warning, or does it just say "Ford alert!"
Tried it for a bit on my Polestar2. Apple Maps on CarPlay is definitely inferior to the the Native Android Automotive Google Maps solution- The more top down perspective and close zoom settings make it harder to see where you have to go before you're almost on top of it, and the dash display (in front of the driver) maps doesn't give street names or turn directions unlike with AA Google Maps.
In all, Apple CarPlay implementation in the vehicle feels like the absolute minimum effort from Polestar, but it may possibly be because their hands are tied- CarPlay is showing its age- seems more geared to older cars with smaller displays (Polestars bigger screens dont allow for more resolution, instead things are just generally larger) and a second display seems like a stop gap solution.
Hoping the major updates to CarPlay in the future will help it catch up a bit. Until then the only reason to use it is for Apple Music and Waze.
In all, Apple CarPlay implementation in the vehicle feels like the absolute minimum effort from Polestar, but it may possibly be because their hands are tied- CarPlay is showing its age- seems more geared to older cars with smaller displays (Polestars bigger screens dont allow for more resolution, instead things are just generally larger) and a second display seems like a stop gap solution.
Hoping the major updates to CarPlay in the future will help it catch up a bit. Until then the only reason to use it is for Apple Music and Waze.
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probably an unpopular opinion but I kind of hate these giant dashboard tablets. I don’t know what my preferred alternative would be but I just haven’t liked it on any vehicle I’ve ever seen. It’s like they just forgot to put any “design” into it.
I think it's more about the state of CarPlay and Apple Maps here. As much as I hate to admit it, Google Maps remains far ahead of Apple Maps in terms of accuracy and usability for routing; and the implementation in AAOS is (not surprisingly) seamless. Newer Volvo and Polestar vehicles (like the Polestar 3) will embrace CarPlay better, but I don't expect that to improve the overall experience for navigation much until Apple steps up.
“Hey Google turn off the seat heater”.
No need to take your eyes off the road at all. You can’t do that if there’s physical switches.
Also you can turn off that automatic seat heater in settings?
A case of RTFM?
Totally unnecessary. If you’re that desperate, just use Google voice assistant to control everything.
On Polestar, accessing the full controls simply requires a swipe up from the bottom of the screen, and then 1 tap. Very easy.
The only thing I might hate more than touchscreen hvac controls are voice assistants. I don't have Google Assistant at all (nor would I know how to engage with this in my car, nor am I interested in finding out), and I turned off Siri on on my iPhone circa 2013.
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Incorrect. In one of the more recent updates this year, CarPlay now supports displaying an Apple Maps route on the driver dash. Interestingly enough, CarPlay still does not support Google Maps being shown on the driver dash, but that's kind of redundant from using the native Android Auto Google Maps
My '23 BMW X1 also has the ability to add Apple Maps to the instrument cluster, as well as showing the music app, and being able to scroll through the phone book or playlist in the heads up display. Also gives turn by turn directions through the HUD, and "Hey Siri" works without pressing a button. And wireless CarPlay is standard. I do wish they'd support 3rd party apps like Google Maps and Waze being shown in the instrument cluster though, as sometimes those are more accurate for my area.