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CarPlay in Software Update 2.2

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18K views 72 replies 31 participants last post by  1bad440gtx  
#1 ·
Maybe we should start a new thread for CarPlay discussion.

I installed 2.2 through OTA yesterday, and everything works fine so far. I’m pleasantly surprised because I thought that they had pulled CarPlay from 2.2 in the US.

I think my main mode is to run Google Maps navigation in the dash display and then CarPlay on the center screen for Music, Podcasts, Messages. I’ll have Apple Maps in CarPlay as navigation backup.

In this mode, you can say both “Hey Google“ and “Hey Siri” to bring up the different assistants. I didn’t expect that to work, but it does.

CarPlay graphics on the center screen are very crisp because the resolution is so high. It looks much better than other cars I’ve had with CarPlay.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with Volvo’s implementation of CarPlay on AAOS.
 
#7 ·
Haven’t played eith it long enough. I like being able to access Waze and ABRP.
AAOS is pretty good from my perspective. Nothing wrong with CarPlay though. Just a preference.
One thing I do find annoying about CarPlay is that every time you get in the car and plug it in, you have to tap the screen to enable it. Wish it was automatic.
 
#9 ·
One thing I do find annoying about CarPlay is that every time you get in the car and plug it in, you have to tap the screen to enable it. Wish it was automatic.
that may be because you have your phone paired via Bluetooth. i believe it wants to know if you want the connection to go through USB or Bluetooth when it asks you that question. We deleted the Bluetooth pairing.
 
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#12 ·
Does anybody have trouble with the Google Assistant working (responding) when CarPlay is being used? I can invoke (wake up) the assistant by either saying "Hey Google" or pressing the button on the steering wheel, can see it show up in the center console but when I ask it do something it is unresponsive like it it did not hear my request. "Hey Siri" works just fine and "Hey Google" works when I disconnect from CarPlay.
 
#16 ·
One thing I noticed yesterday is that if you're using Apple Maps for navigation, and switch over to built-in Google Maps, it will cancel itself out when you go back to CarPlay with Apple Maps routing. I'm not sure if this is intentional or a bug. The only reason I was hopping back to Google from time to time is that we had a wicked headwind and I needed to confirm I'd have enough charge to arrive home.
 
#18 ·
It’s not about maps.


As a CarPlay user, it’s quite simple:

1. Accessing your fav phone contacts is much easier. AAOS uses large avatars that force you to scroll while driving, and they are alphabetical; with CarPlay it’s a more condensed list and easier to access, and you can change the order so that the most frequently used numbers are at the top of the list. Google Voice is hit or miss on contacts.

2. While I could access my Apple Music over BlueTooth in AAOS, it’s much easier to get to my playlists and artists in CarPlay. Plus, if you have a playlist playing and want to jump to that artist’s album from which the song was taken, you just tap the artist and it takes you there. Very easy.

3. Voice texting (listening and sending) is much faster and slicker than in AAOS.

4. Waze full screen is great for several reasons. First, the alerts to police, potholes, etc is needed in my area. I had Waze set up before CatPlay to give me audio alerts in AAOS (Android phones could not do this), but full screen is great. Second, even if you choose to use the AAOS map for guidance, the CarPlay Waze app will still provide audio alerts. Third, I find Waze better at rerouting you if there’s traffic. Fourth, when driving in the suburbs, Waze displays street names Bette than Google maps, so it’s easier to find streets when not using it to navigate.

4. Right now, there seem to be more apps for CarPlay than AAOS, but that will likely even out. The choices in The Play Store are limited (which I don’t understand - you’d think that because Google owns Waze, they would have ported that over by now).

5. Siri works better than Google Voice in the Recharge in my experience. Google Voice is hit or miss. Both have their limitations, however.

6. It is true that if you use another map program in CarPlay, the instrument cluster goes black. But, you can use AAOS to navigate to a destination, switch the view to CarPlay but still have the AAOS Google map in the instrument cluster.

At the end of the day, having choices is important - some may disagree with my assessment and prefer AAOS for these features. I’m thrilled that CarPlay works now.

Enjoy the weekend! Happy driving!
 
#51 ·
It’s not about maps.


As a CarPlay user, it’s quite simple:

1. Accessing your fav phone contacts is much easier. AAOS uses large avatars that force you to scroll while driving, and they are alphabetical; with CarPlay it’s a more condensed list and easier to access, and you can change the order so that the most frequently used numbers are at the top of the list. Google Voice is hit or miss on contacts.

2. While I could access my Apple Music over BlueTooth in AAOS, it’s much easier to get to my playlists and artists in CarPlay. Plus, if you have a playlist playing and want to jump to that artist’s album from which the song was taken, you just tap the artist and it takes you there. Very easy.

3. Voice texting (listening and sending) is much faster and slicker than in AAOS.

4. Waze full screen is great for several reasons. First, the alerts to police, potholes, etc is needed in my area. I had Waze set up before CatPlay to give me audio alerts in AAOS (Android phones could not do this), but full screen is great. Second, even if you choose to use the AAOS map for guidance, the CarPlay Waze app will still provide audio alerts. Third, I find Waze better at rerouting you if there’s traffic. Fourth, when driving in the suburbs, Waze displays street names Bette than Google maps, so it’s easier to find streets when not using it to navigate.

4. Right now, there seem to be more apps for CarPlay than AAOS, but that will likely even out. The choices in The Play Store are limited (which I don’t understand - you’d think that because Google owns Waze, they would have ported that over by now).

5. Siri works better than Google Voice in the Recharge in my experience. Google Voice is hit or miss. Both have their limitations, however.

6. It is true that if you use another map program in CarPlay, the instrument cluster goes black. But, you can use AAOS to navigate to a destination, switch the view to CarPlay but still have the AAOS Google map in the instrument cluster.

At the end of the day, having choices is important - some may disagree with my assessment and prefer AAOS for these features. I’m thrilled that CarPlay works now.

Enjoy the weekend! Happy driving!
How do I set it up to see waze on my car screen?
 
#22 ·
I’m an iPhone user but I really enjoy the AAOS integration.

Testing CarPlay today I found a really nice setup that combines both and gives me everything I might need while driving.
I entered my destination on the AAOS google navigation so I get the arrival SOC and navigation on the driver display. Then I opened CarPlay and scrolled to the left to the tiled screen where I could see my music app and Waze. Directions came through the speaker and music play was not affected. One thing I wish was a way to remove the search tile, leaving only Waze and the music app.
 
#23 ·
Also today we got this cables. Not too long and stealthy enough.

USB C to Lightning Cable 1ft MFi Certified 3 Pack Right Angle iPhone Charger 90 Degree Nylon Braided Lightning to USB C Fast Charging Cable for iPhone 13 12 11 Pro X XS XR 8 Plus 7 6 5 (Black) https://a.co/d/9Qt7WNh
 
#25 · (Edited)
For me, Apple Maps is just the superior product right now. Easier for me to read at a glance, better integration with some features I use (sharing ETAs), stoplights shown, better voices. I don't miss having the map in the gauge cluster (for some reason I always found it harder to interpret in a quick look), but I would like Volvo to think of some alternative things that could be displayed there. In my V60, I have my currently playing media in the gauge cluster, which would be nice in the XC40 when the map is full screen.

The big lacking thing at the moment with the Apple Maps is obviously the absence of battery charge state. Doesn't impact us at the moment because we use this car for local travel and it does all its charging at home. We do regularly travel between Pennsylvania and Maine and would need to use Google Maps with planning for charging stops for that. But for the time being, those journeys are being taken in our ICE car. I hope Volvo will get that data routed into CarPlay in a future update, because ultimately we'd like to do that drive on electrons instead of gas.
 
#42 ·
I'm a big fan of Waze, but recently started using Apple Maps. Hands down, the most helpful prompts. Things like,
"Go through the next set of lights, then turn left onto Main Street just before the next light." Also, been using Google Maps in my Recharge, but the prompt is consistently a second or two late. Very frustrating. I'm having myriad problems with my IHU and hoping for a replacement, but have noticed the same problem with Google Maps in a friend's car. Agree the functions w/ charging info are great.
 
#29 ·
If there anyway to get carplay to work with Siri off. I have the car on press to talk but car play seems to demand Siri’s presence.

Help me I want to see why car play is good darn it!!
After playing with it for a bit I noticed that if you want to enable google assistant you need to give the steering wheel button a short press but if you want Siri you need to give a long press.
 
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#30 ·
Something I also noticed is that even though the car is plugged in to the usb cable when it is rested in the wireless charging pad I see the little wireless charging symbol on the screen. When I remove it from the pas the symbol goes away, leaving me to think that even though the phone is plugged in the charger defaulted is the wireless pad.
 
#34 ·
Something else I noticed today is that sometimes the system tends to switch to the AAOS app.
For example I was listening to a song on Spotify (using CarPlay) and tapped to forward to a new song, it did forward the song but started playing the new song on the AAOS. Not s big deal but confusing as the center console was showing a paused song but another one was being played.
 
#39 ·
Something else I noticed today is that sometimes the system tends to switch to the AAOS app.
For example I was listening to a song on Spotify (using CarPlay) and tapped to forward to a new song, it did forward the song but started playing the new song on the AAOS. Not s big deal but confusing as the center console was showing a paused song but another one was being played.
I noticed this today, too. It only does that if you’re on a AAOS streaming app, if you were on radio or SiriusXM before, then it respects CarPlay music for steering controls.
 
#38 ·
Have to say I appreciate everyone’s efforts here. You are coming up with solutions to all sorts of stuff, and I hope the engineers at Volvo are following along. The bit about using the Talk button for Siri vs Google never occurred to me. As was the case when I was in IT, I tend to use a limited number of functions available and only bother with others as the need arises. For my 1500km limited experience with the car to-date, I tend to only switch between mapping, Spotify and the Range Assistant. I use “Hey Google” to call home and other than that, just enjoy the driving, despite having an Apple Watch and iPhone and being mildly interested in CarPlay. Nice to have the options, though. Found a use for the ashtray feature - great place for the USB/Lightning cable.
 
#44 ·
Rather useless review, IMO. Had he compared AAOS to CarPlay, he would have realized:

1. Voice Texting - must faster and more accurate with Siri in CarPlay than with Google Voice
2. Phone favorites list - In AAOS, it alphabetizes your favorites list and uses large icons that take up too much room, so you have to scroll; with CarPlay, it shows your favorites list in the order you put them on your phone, and in a condensed list that is easier to see at a glance. Siri is more responsive to “call X” than Google Voice (in my experience)
3. Apple Music - He doesn’t seem to use it, so he didn’t mention it. For those of us who do use it, navigating to your playlists and artists is much easier in CarPlay than in AAOS.
4. Waze - Waze full screen is great! You can still use the AAOS Google Map to navigate, and switch back to the CarPlay view - AAOS Google maps will still run/give you voice prompts, and the map will still appear in the instrument cluster. Waze has more police/road hazard alerts than Google Maps (you’d think that because they own Waze, they would provide more alerts in Google Maps). I live in an area that has many potholes, so the Waze alerts is a must (take it from me - I’ve lost a few tires and rims because of the Washington, DC potholes - thank goodness for wheel/tire insurance).
5. Bugs - I read the list of bugs and figured “what the ****” - so far, I have not had a single one occur (which means I will on the way home today). I know that issues are inconsistent among users generally (my LTE/GPS daily signal loss has been corrected - TCAM reset plus 2.1 - I was rebooting daily, and sometimes 3-4 times in a row).
6. Wired use - I used the CarLinkIt wireless CarPlay dongle in my 2020 S60, and it worked well, but it doesn’t yet work in the XC40 Recharge. Let’s face it, wireless is easier - just get in the car, toss your phone on the charger or wherever, and you are good to go. Wired means plugging/unplugging, and an unsightly wire. If you use a cable, you do get better sound quality than with wireless (that’s always true). Whether the average listener will notice the difference is questionable. I ran the USB-C to lightning cable to the back left, under the removable wireless charging pad, and out the left front end. I purchased a cable with a 90-degree lighting connector (I don’t recommend the 90-degree USB-C connector because it will cover the other USB-C port so a passenger would not be able to charge their phone at the same time). Once you plug the lightning connector into the phone, you can open the ashtray and use it as a “stand” for your iPhone! Below is a pic of mine (it’s a 13 Pro Max with a case - the pic has the white cable because the black one had not arrived - the black one is not noticeable).

So, I think his review was pretty weak. He only seemed to discuss the features he uses rather than a more comprehensive review of all of the features.

The good news is that we have options - AAOS and CarPlay. Now, if the Android users would get the Android Auto features they are missing, we’d all be much better off.

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#48 ·
The moment I saw it was a 5 min review I closed it. Not sure 5 mins is enough to provide an objective review.
It is good that we now have options.
I asked in a different thread if you can use CarPlay when you have the dreaded triangle with the x.
 
#49 ·
The moment I saw it was a 5 min review I closed it. Not sure 5 mins is enough to provide an objective review.
It is good that we now have options.
I asked in a different thread if you can use CarPlay when you have the dreaded triangle with the x.
That’s the LTE symbol - I believe the answer is “yes”, you can use it because it’s based on your phone’s reception.
 
#53 ·
Maybe we should start a new thread for CarPlay discussion.

...

Overall, I’m pretty happy with Volvo’s implementation of CarPlay on AAOS.

I updated my 2022 Recharge to 2.2 through OTA and besides a few quirks it looks pretty solid. Here's what I've noticed so far:

1) With CarPlay enabled, the physical buttons on the center console and the steering wheel occasionally don't work to pause or advance music or audio.

2) If you're using Apple Maps or Waze on CarPlay, the dash display map will go dark and cannot be toggled on using the button on the steering wheel.
 
#55 ·
Pardon if this is a bit off topic, but I see references here to being able to plug a phone into the USB to enable communication. Does that mean the USB port can now read and play files off a USB stick? I don't use any music streaming app. I like to listen to my own mp3/wma collection and right now the only way I can is through bluetooth and PowerAmp which plays both mp3 and WMA files. Google Music used to play mp3s only and now doesn't even do that. If I could play them off a USB stick I could leave my phone home. As for the navigation, I rarely use it. I've been navigating around my home area for 60+ years and know how to get where I want to go or if not look at a map before leaving, but I'm happy witrh Google for those occasions when I need voice navigation. I have no argument with anyone who likes to use thier preferred app for that, though.
 
#69 ·
Had an odd experience driving home tonight. I was using Apple Maps via CarPlay and mid-drive, google maps suddenly appeared on the driver display and remained up for the rest of my drive. I was able to toggle between calm and map view while CarPlay navigation remained active. Perhaps a google maps app update enabled this or maybe it was just a glitch? I didn’t check to see if it had updated but I’ll look the next time in the car.

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#71 ·
Had an odd experience driving home tonight. I was using Apple Maps via CarPlay and mid-drive, google maps suddenly appeared on the driver display and remained up for the rest of my drive. I was able to toggle between calm and map view while CarPlay navigation remained active. Perhaps a google maps app update enabled this or maybe it was just a glitch? I didn’t check to see if it had updated but I’ll look the next time in the car.

View attachment 4386
This worked like this always. If you navigate with Google maps in carplay, you can't have Google maps in driver screen. But for any other app, Google maps can be shown in drivers display and navigate.

I am using abrp in car play and Google maps in driver display. It works fine.