PLEASE PLEASE bring back option of full vs 3/4 screen in New an UI. individually

Gullwingdmc

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add me to the 100% CarPlay list. ford can keep their UI and apps off my screen completely.
I never leave CarPlay, ever, but that’s because I have the larger tiles at the bottom displaying ancillary data (tire pressure, trip info) so I don’t have to open those apps full. The issue here isn’t so much the size of the tiles vs the size of the apps, it’s the loss of “at a glance” data. If Ford can’t out more, or more relevant, data in those smaller tiles then I think everyone would be happy.

I still believe this was one of the driving factors behind the increased CarPlay/AA being fixed. The MME was one of the cars featured in the keynote and I’m hopeful they’re moving towards this full implementation that looks amazing.
I hope that’s the case. Did the Mach-E get featured in the keynote? I didn’t see it in there. I’m hoping this isn’t going to be one of those things that’s only available to newer models (see BC 1.2).
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geftsnowball

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Listening to local radio while using Google maps or Waze is one good example.
Yep. There's also this ancient technology some might use. I believe it's called something like... a USB drive? I hear tale that one can place music files on it and play them via the infotainment system.

This is great for playing music (with artist/album/track info and play/pause buttons. forward/backward too but those are less important with nav controls on the steering wheel) and having navigation up at the same time. Small tiles only give you track name I believe, if that. A lot less info.

In anticipation of 4.1.2+ (just got 3.6.2) I've mirrored the music from my USB drive onto my phone (luckily it has enough storage...) but the problem now is that I'm still waiting for coolwalk to get the music tile. Current version only shows back-play/pause-forward and track title on change.

Tire pressure info was neat and I'll miss it but this is what has me frustrated. Maybe it's not a big deal to you personally (i.e., those that don't care about this change) but it's throwing off people's groove! Change is hard, especially when it's taking away a feature that has been used for 2 or more years for some (I assume).

I never leave CarPlay, ever, but that’s because I have the larger tiles at the bottom displaying ancillary data
This is my situation exactly. Android Auto up 100% of the time with maps, but this is because I can have the larger tiles. With this option taken away, I now have to hop between apps while driving if I want to achieve the same information visibility I currently have and that's a distraction from driving.
 

Gullwingdmc

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This is my situation exactly. Android Auto up 100% of the time with maps, but this is because I can have the larger tiles. With this option taken away, I now have to hop between apps while driving if I want to achieve the same information visibility I currently have and that's a distraction from driving.
I think of them like widgets on my Home Screen. I don’t need to open the weather app to see the temp when it’s right there at a glance. Same deal with the tiles.
 

acosmichippo

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I never leave CarPlay, ever, but that’s because I have the larger tiles at the bottom displaying ancillary data (tire pressure, trip info) so I don’t have to open those apps full. The issue here isn’t so much the size of the tiles vs the size of the apps, it’s the loss of “at a glance” data. If Ford can’t out more, or more relevant, data in those smaller tiles then I think everyone would be happy.
I understand what you want, I just don't want the same thing. I have no interest in watching tire pressure or trip data, or anything like that (and if I did I'd want it on the instrument cluster, not at the bottom of the center screen).

For me the issue very much is the size of the tiles. for a couple very small pieces of data, you're taking up a whole .5" horizontal section of the screen which is a massive waste of space. It would be put to much better use for CarPlay, especially as apple finesses the design for bigger screens.
 

geftsnowball

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I understand what you want, I just don't want the same thing. I have no interest in watching tire pressure or trip data, or anything like that (and if I did I'd want it on the instrument cluster, not at the bottom of the center screen).

For me the issue very much is the size of the tiles. for a couple very small pieces of data, you're taking up a whole .5" horizontal section of the screen which is a massive waste of space. It would be put to much better use for CarPlay, especially as apple finesses the design for bigger screens.
Which is fine for you but removing the -option- of the larger tiles removes functionality that people do want and use.

You can have it your way before and after the change. CarPlay/Android Auto do not provide a visual display of Ford Sync feature information. Sure, -some- of the information visibility can be achieved via workarounds (XM app, copying music to phone, being LUCKY enough to have Google decide to enable coolwalk and its larger tiles (a server-side enabled interface change if you are not aware), etc.) but other information is now pushed behind additional menu interactions and forced full screen even though the information could easily fit in a subset of the display. (aside: this also potentially adds additional cellular data requirements that not everyone wants commit to).

This issue is that we only get information displayed via CarPlay/Android Auto that is in that ecosystem. It would be great if we could feed info directly from Ford Sync into it somehow, then my point would be moot.

It sounds like your opinion is that we should be fine with losing features because you don't need/want or find those features useful. And that's cool... that's your opinion and everyone is allowed one. 😆 Mine is that if the large tiles were never removed you would still be able to full screen your CarPlay features so like, what's the point?

Ford Mustang Mach-E PLEASE PLEASE bring back option of full vs 3/4 screen in New an UI.   individually 1675055993462


In the end, we're all at the mercy of Ford/Apple/Google to decide what we get so I guess it comes down to adapt and try not to get too attached to how things work.
 


acosmichippo

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It sounds like your opinion is that we should be fine with losing features because you don't need/want or find those features useful.
no, I never said that. I am just stating my preference, as you are. obviously having an option would be ideal, but unfortunately Ford doesn't appear to be heading in the "more options" direction.
 

micah77

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Elapsed time is something my other cars had visible at all times and the previous interface had on the tile. I like to know how long my commute is taking since it varies every day. Now I have to click into the trip app to see it.

The camera button at the top is nice but the icons look very dated, like macos from 20 years ago.

However, I do appreciate that they are updating the UI and hope to see further refinements in future updates.
 

Gullwingdmc

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Here’s a perfect example of why bigger CarPlay does NOT equal more usable space and is actually less functional.

Here is CarPlay in its smaller view.
Ford Mustang Mach-E PLEASE PLEASE bring back option of full vs 3/4 screen in New an UI.   individually AADE2115-A9B3-43FD-BDF6-EA86C8612ABF

The map takes up 39% of the screen, the dock is in the top right section of the screen as well the directions tile and easily viewed at a glance.

Here is CarPlay in its larger view.
Ford Mustang Mach-E PLEASE PLEASE bring back option of full vs 3/4 screen in New an UI.   individually F7ED4B53-676F-442B-89A5-EFAB360D1D5E

The part of the map where your route is displayed takes up 18% of the screen, or HALF the size of the smaller view. The dock is shoved to the bottom, as well as the directions making you have to look down from the road more.

Bigger is not always better.
 

Hammered

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See, I'd rather have bigger CarPlay than the tiles.

You know when I look at the tire pressure monitor? When it says there's an issue with low tire pressure. I don't need it visible the entire trip. Same for energy efficiency, I'm not trying to hypermile over here, the only time I've ever looked at it was when I was bored waiting to charge or wanted to see stats at the end of my trip.

I think they could definitely fit some more info there to appease some of y'all (like artist/title, or make them scroll), but generally the tiles weren't all that informative anyways.
Cool, do you wait for low battery warning before charging too?

TPMS is like the oil light, what's known colloquially as idiot lights.

Since the transaxles are sealed units and the seals aren't 'wet', we don't have to worry about an idiot light there, but if your TPMS comes on, you're up shit creek without a paddle in many instances. They're typically around 50% of spec'd pressure which would put mine at 22psi down from where I run them.

Some of us prefer a more proactive approach to operating the vehicle.
 

Hammered

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This update was incredibly stupid and lazy. They should have left the choice in place so that “camp hate tiles” could hide them forever and just have the entire screen consumed by the radio or whatever, and “camp loves tiles” could have a screen with a lot of the radio, and a series of tiles with snippets of interesting data, like next turn, energy consumption, tire pressure, and high score in blocks.
Unfortunately I think they're forcing such things because the CPU/GPU is trash for the task at hand, particularly in a vehicle of this cost and its competition. Some anally retentive bean counter probably got a small bonus fucking over MME owners by saving the company $50 by using this 7 year old galaxy s7 SOC.

Why small tiles? Well it takes system resources to display additional info, and since the programming team couldn't program their way out of a cardboard box, it's what we get. Right @Ford Motor Company
 

Hammered

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I think of them like widgets on my Home Screen. I don’t need to open the weather app to see the temp when it’s right there at a glance. Same deal with the tiles.
Another way to solve this is to make use of the other 80% of the IPC display which is unnecessarily bare. In my F150, the IPC (steering wheel display) allows custom views (select a list of things you want to scroll through, it's quite extensive). Typically I run it in hybrid viewing mode to maximize regen / electric only mode, but hitting down on the steering wheel, the first thing that pops up is my tire pressure. So without moving a hand, the up/down toggle is right next to the track forward / back, so up, view it, down, back to whatever I wanted to view. I'm quite surprised at just how bland the IPC is. Of course that would have cost another $3 to have menu / up / down / back buttons on the wheel so yeah, we get shafted.

I understand the bare display on launch, but here in production year 3 we still have a very bare IPC. Someone just 'hacked' the rivian busses to allow people to do all sorts of visual changes, If only we had a software guy to be turned loose on the MME. Even the lightning gives far more info. Ford is just incompetent. Right @Ford Motor Company?

We won't get better features and visuals with people excusing this stuff away. DEMAND MORE. These are screens after all, powered by software, with all variables at hand to display. It's not like we're asking for features that aren't possible because they don't exist.

If we were given even half of the stats that ford continually steals from our cars to upload to their servers, it wouldn't be half bad. This is stuff the community could also add if ford wasn't too busy telling us what info we need to know. Open up skins / variables so people can make their car, theirs.
 

Gullwingdmc

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Another way to solve this is to make use of the other 80% of the IPC display which is unnecessarily bare.
Nah I like the IPC the way it is. I love that there’s minimal data on there and it has the last bit of beautiful design work on the car that the current designers haven’t taken a crap on.
 

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I just wish they fixed aa/car play tile to take you back to where you were instead of returning to the main screen every time. This update like most of Fords software changes feels rushed and barely tested...
 

acosmichippo

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Here’s a perfect example of why bigger CarPlay does NOT equal more usable space and is actually less functional.

Here is CarPlay in its smaller view.
Ford Mustang Mach-E PLEASE PLEASE bring back option of full vs 3/4 screen in New an UI.   individually F7ED4B53-676F-442B-89A5-EFAB360D1D5E

The map takes up 39% of the screen, the dock is in the top right section of the screen as well the directions tile and easily viewed at a glance.

Here is CarPlay in its larger view.
Ford Mustang Mach-E PLEASE PLEASE bring back option of full vs 3/4 screen in New an UI.   individually F7ED4B53-676F-442B-89A5-EFAB360D1D5E

The part of the map where your route is displayed takes up 18% of the screen, or HALF the size of the smaller view. The dock is shoved to the bottom, as well as the directions making you have to look down from the road more.

Bigger is not always better.
1. you have just shown why more vertical space would benefit the large layout. it would make the map a lot easier to see.

2. i have confidence that apple is going to greatly improve the carplay UI for larger screens.
 

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I never leave CarPlay, ever, but that’s because I have the larger tiles at the bottom displaying ancillary data (tire pressure, trip info) so I don’t have to open those apps full. The issue here isn’t so much the size of the tiles vs the size of the apps, it’s the loss of “at a glance” data. If Ford can’t out more, or more relevant, data in those smaller tiles then I think everyone would be happy.


I hope that’s the case. Did the Mach-E get featured in the keynote? I didn’t see it in there. I’m hoping this isn’t going to be one of those things that’s only available to newer models (see BC 1.2).
I don’t believe “Ford” has been uttered in a keynote since Steve died. It’s been all BMW BMW BMW. Tim must really have a thing for BMW 😀
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