I think what's missing here is an understanding that early adopters want to be...well...early adopters. I chose this car in part because I want to test the latest and greatest, give me the option to force the update. Will 99% of users choose this option? No. Will the ones who want to be early...
Mine is no where to be found, either. Given that there is very little cell reception at my house, it would be much better if it stayed connected like any other modern device!
It's funny - I actually went for a drive tonight, and you're right. I had thought it just appeared right before a turn because (not so surprisingly) that was when I was looking down at my dash. Tonight, now that you all had pointed it out, I noticed it flashing randomly the whole drive. There...
For me, it shows soon before any turn, every time. I think it's to give you a visual that you have to do something soon. If you have the audible alerts on, there's an audible alert at the same time.
I'd also love to see this in an OTA. No need for the car to be locked in my garage, and I had to turn off the car horn when the car locks behind me because it kept scaring my dog whenever I left the garage and the car parked.
Confirming that the latest update to Android Auto allows wireless Android Auto to work on the Mach E. Sideload the 6.1.6105 APK if you want it to work.
If that's the case, I hope PAAK gets better soon. It works...but definitely is buggy. I feel like I'm beta testing it (although, I generally love the car).