Apple CarPlay vs Android Auto

[X1Nightmare]

Hey everyone. As the time gets closer to the arrival of my Mach-E, I'm debating on a couple things outside of the vehicle. I have always been an Android user, but recently have been thinking of trying and iPhone.

That said, I know how Android Auto works, but have almost no experience with CarPlay, save for testing it on customer vehicles briefly for Sync issues. For the general consensus, what are your all's opinions and thoughts on Android Auto vs Apple CarPlay integration with this car? That will be a big deciding factor on changing to an iPhone for me as I use Android Auto a lot. Interested to hear your all's thoughts, thanks!

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[hbirring01]

It really depends on your phone preference. In my opinion I have always been android but got the iphone 14 pro max and switched back in 3 weeks. I like android auto better. Just my preference. I like maps on Android so much better.

 

[X1Nightmare]

It really depends on your phone preference. In my opinion I have always been android but got the iphone 14 pro max and switched back in 3 weeks. I like android auto better. Just my preference. I like maps on Android so much better.

That's exactly was I was looking for, someone who's tried both. Never had a problem with Android auto, but after 11 years with Android/galaxy phones I thought about trying it for something new. Your experience of making it 3 weeks is exactly what I'm worried about lol

Definitely don't want to make the switch if CarPlay doesn't work as well

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Buy the phone yiu like best. Deal with the car afterwards.

 

[X1Nightmare]

Buy the phone yiu like best. Deal with the car afterwards.

I mean I get that, but I was specifically looking for differences in how CarPlay and Android auto work. Ultimately, yes I'll end up with the phone I like, but considering how much I use the intergrated feature, I didn't see a harm in asking people's experiences

 

[hbirring01]

That's exactly was I was looking for, someone who's tried both. Never had a problem with Android auto, but after 11 years with Android/galaxy phones I thought about trying it for something new. Your experience of making it 3 weeks is exactly what I'm worried about lol

Definitely don't want to make the switch if CarPlay doesn't work as well

I switched just to try something new and there were good things but a lot of bad. Imo android auto is better. A lot of manufacturers are using Android for their native infotainment os.

 

[bp99]

Just get the phone you want. Car Play and Android Auto are different. Really no worse or better. Just different. So long as you're not the type that hates change, you'll adapt.

 

[sookestang]

It really depends on your phone preference. In my opinion I have always been android but got the iphone 14 pro max and switched back in 3 weeks. I like android auto better. Just my preference. I like maps on Android so much better.

Apple has a dedicated maps, Android doesn't...it's just Google Maps, which you can download the app for iPhone as well, so that shouldn't be a deciding factor between Apple or Android.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

A lot of manufacturers are using Android for their native infotainment os

Android Auto and Android Automotive are two very different things. The MME will be transitioning to Android Automotive in a few years. It’ll still run CarPlay.

 

[randomvoice]

I own a work provided iPhone 13 Pro Max and a personal Samsung S22+ Ultra. Honestly, I prefer Android personally but the iPhone is a solid device. The battery life on that thing will outlast my grandma probably. Nowadays, there is no 'killer feature' that is missing from either unless you think having iMessages or rooting your phone is a 'killer feature'.

In terms of car infotainment, in my experience with the Mach E, the Carplay has been much more reliable and easy to work with compared to Android Auto. I just find it connects 9/10 times while Android Auto for me wife is 7/10 (she has the same phone as me). However, in terms of features, it is a wash. People put wayy too much emphasis on the car infotainment when all you need 90% of the time is for the maps to work reliably lol. Both excel on that part.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

One small vote for iPhone with Apple Maps - I love the Share feature. I don't know if Google Maps on Android Auto has this feature or not, but with Apple Maps you can share your location and arrival time (which updates as the situation changes) with whomever you want. I find it quite useful when visiting someone. But honestly, unless you prefer the iPhone to your Samsung, I'd just use that.

Bottom line: you don't need a new phone for your car and of course you can use CarPlay and Android Auto in the same car - just not at the same time, obviously. So you really don't need to choose right now.

 

[AllenXS]

Tried both. I prefer the Android but the iPhone is company provided so using that. As someone noted you’ll end up using maps, and maybe your music app in the background. Spotify works on both, etc.
you’ll have too much fun in the car to notice what the phone is

 

[ThatGuyLando]

Depends on whether you like to do out of the box stuff with your phone, because Apple won't let you do much. The Mach-e's software is slow as molasses, on Android you can just side load apps to let you stream YouTube, plex, Disney, etc with a much more responsive ui than ford's built in client, you can't side load apps on ios unless you have a dev account which isn't free.,and even then I think you have to re-side load them since the apps expire.

 

[X1Nightmare]

Thanks for all the responses everyone. Obviously I'm not choosing the phone solely on this aspect, but as stated a few times I just wanted to see a general consensus from people that have used both on the 2 integrations. Not choosing a new phone just because of a new car, but having never used CarPlay I wanted to hear some experiences.

I appreciate all of the opinions!

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