Do you prefer use Apple carplay / Android Auto or the built in bluetooth?

fayt349

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I used only apple carplay, but I think I'm actually starting to like the built in bluetooth for phone functions now.

Mainly because the little shortcut "cards" on the bottom, they have buttons for forward and back for the phone music, while carplay does not. This means I can use the built in GPS but also see what song is playing and have shortcuts for forward and back on the card. I know you can use the steering wheel buttons but with this way you can see what song is playing.

Is anyone liking the built in bluetooth function more than the carplay? What do you all think?
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JellyBelly

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I am using built in navigation so far and its has been Ok. If I have to use use the screen quite a bit for whatever reason I might switch to carpaly as it takes fewer key presses to do what I need to on the phone or may be its because i am used to the phone interface. Built in nav still takes some getting used to and I am still figuring out different things.
 

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I prefer the native phone and navigation vs Android Auto. I was never actually able to make a phone call in AA. The native nav works better for me as well. I like how it offers 3 route choices (fastest, shortest distance or most economical) I also like the traffic feature to show me where the log jams are and I like how I can expand my view and see more maps. AA doesn't do that. Mostly, I like how the native nav will route me via car pool lane. AA didn't have that setting that I was able to find.

I am disappointed the native phone app doesn't let me 3 way conference call. SYNC3 did that just fine in my previous BEV. Otherwise it works the same....
 

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I've been using wireless Android Auto on every drive. Mostly it provides Podcast Addict and Google Assistant... I combine that with the built-in maps just because I like how they look and I want to get used to the new interface.

Today I was on a call while walking back to my car from my desk. I got in the car using the door pillar code (grrrr) but the car woke up enough to recognize my phone by the time I pushed the Start button... Go figure.

Anyway, I was super impressed with how the call transferred from my phone to the vehicle's audio system. The handoff was seamless and fast. On my previous car it would have taken a bit longer. The microphone also works well so I don't need to shout. (I had to shout on the prior car, or turn off the A/C and yet still talk louder than normal.)

My phone usage in the car should work equally well over Bluetooth without AA... I may give that a shot soon.

Sorry for rambling. Android Auto it is -- for now. :)
 

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Android Auto has been incredibly unreliable for me... I think I'll try the Bluetooth music
 


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One of the biggest reasons I traded my Model 3 in on this car is for Carplay. I am using it almost exclusively

Might double team the in-car nav and Waze on a long road trip, though
 

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AA for sure: I use waze faithfully, and frequently podcast addict for longer drives like my commute.
 

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One of the biggest reasons I traded my Model 3 in on this car is for Carplay. I am using it almost exclusively

Might double team the in-car nav and Waze on a long road trip, though
I haven't tested it again, but few weekends ago I took a trip and had loaded Nav via built-in. When I then started Nav in Waze via Carplay the built-in Nav stopped. Just a heads up that you may not be able to use both? I have no idea why though. Need to test it again...
 
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fayt349

fayt349

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One of the biggest reasons I traded my Model 3 in on this car is for Carplay. I am using it almost exclusively

Might double team the in-car nav and Waze on a long road trip, though
I traded in my model 3 and CarPlay was a big reason too but after using the normal Bluetooth I’m pleasantly surprised.
 

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Carplay almost exclusively. Everything else seems like it's from the early 2000's. I added Carplay to my previous car with some 3rd party hardware and it was the best upgrade ever.
 

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I haven't tested it again, but few weekends ago I took a trip and had loaded Nav via built-in. When I then started Nav in Waze via Carplay the built-in Nav stopped. Just a heads up that you may not be able to use both? I have no idea why though. Need to test it again...
I tried using Waze via AA and the Nav system at the same time, AA was kicked off. I prefer Waze for the speed traps, but needed the Nav to keep track of how far I could go because I was cutting it close on energy.
 

mixduptransistor

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I haven't tested it again, but few weekends ago I took a trip and had loaded Nav via built-in. When I then started Nav in Waze via Carplay the built-in Nav stopped. Just a heads up that you may not be able to use both? I have no idea why though. Need to test it again...
Might be Waze specifically because Ford's Sync system directly supports Waze integration. Might try two things: try Google or Apple Maps to see if it happens there. If not, then turn off app projection in the Sync system. I *think* that should only disable the Sync app integration and not Carplay entirely (if it does, I think there is another setting to turn off just the Sync app integration)
 

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I tried all 3 this past weekend for navigation and some music....

Android Auto - I'm biased because this is what I used to, but I liked this one the best. I think the interface looks better than CarPlay. Plus the turn by turn navigations show up on the driver's screen. The SYNC navigation does that, but CarPlay doesn't. I'm also used to the Google Assistant and I know how the voice commands work. I used YouTube Music a lot and it worked well. I mostly just used the steering wheel buttons to advance to the next song.

Apple CarPlay - The rounded corners of the display make it look dated when integrated with the SYNC screen. Siri did a pretty good job of figuring out what I wanted. If it had the turn-by-turn on the drivers screen, I could see using it for navigation if you like Apple Maps. I didn't try music. It is a work phone so I don't have any music services connected.

Built in navigation - I think the road lines are too skinny. I like having the display in dark mode. I was wearing sunglasses and it made it really hard to see the roads because the lines are so small. I also had trouble getting it to navigate for me. I tried "navigate to..." and "find..." but neither worked at times. The place I had the most trouble navigating to was Glenwood Springs. I tried - Glenwood Springs, Glenwood Springs Colorado, and Glenwood Springs City Hall. None of those worked.
 

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They all seem to have limitations. For instance, you can't scroll the up ahead incidents in the built in Nav, nor contacts list in the bluetooth phone connection. Sync 4 is way heavy handed on what it allows while driving. The workarounds end up being more distracting than just letti8ng you do what other manufacturers let you do to begin with.
 

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I haven't tested it again, but few weekends ago I took a trip and had loaded Nav via built-in. When I then started Nav in Waze via Carplay the built-in Nav stopped. Just a heads up that you may not be able to use both? I have no idea why though. Need to test it again...
I tried running two Nav apps at the same time this past weekend and it doesn't work. I tried Apple maps, Google maps, Waze, ABRP and built in Nav. As soon as you switch to another, the first one stops.
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