What can Apple Carplay do for me?

gkamieneski · 11-08-2018, 08:24 AM

Looking for suggestions as to what Apple Carplay can do for me.

I find that without Carplay, if I hold down the voice button, I get to Siri and I can ask her to do things such as send a text. However, when the return text came in, I wasn't notified. Instead I had to ask Siri if I had any incoming texts. Does this sound right?

Other than duplicating iDrive communications, I am not sure there are any Carplay apps that I need to have. Interested in hearing suggestions.

Cam428 · 11-08-2018, 08:57 AM

Music streaming apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, etc. are definitely one of the biggest draws for using Carplay. While some of those services are also compatible with iDrive directly, Carplay supports more apps.

Navigation is also a big reason to use Carplay, especially since you can now choose between Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze. Any of these navigation apps will get faster map updates than what's built into the car. Depending on where you drive, that can be a huge deal. For instance, despite having the latest map update on my car, the 2+ year old main road to my house still doesn't appear in the BMW maps. With Waze, maps will often update within a week or so of a change to the roads.

Finally, there is cost. If you just got the car, most of the services such as real-time traffic and ConnectedDrive (used for music streaming and apps) are included for a few years. Once they expire, you'll have to pay $50/yr for traffic info, $50/year for ConnectedDrive, and over $100 for each of the biannual map updates. Carplay is $80/yr for more and arguably better services.

gkamieneski · 11-08-2018, 09:07 AM

Thanks, Cam.

Your explanation is helpful. It may be that the Carplay advantages don't mean that much to me after all as I probably am just trying to do hands free communications using my phone. I will have to explore further as to why the incoming text was not announced to me. It's possible that it was coincidental to my asking Siri if I had any texts.

In any event, I can see me being satisfied with the BMW Connected Drive services until they run out, then maybe I move to exclusively Carplay.

wilbur_the_goose · 11-08-2018, 02:38 PM

I used to hate CarPlay, but I admit that it's a lot better now. Just the integration of Waze makes it worthwhile to me. It's also a lot faster than it used to be.

(My '16 Honda Civic Coupe has CarPlay, so I can use it any time I'd like).

montr · 11-08-2018, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilbur_the_goose

I used to hate CarPlay, but I admit that it's a lot better now. Just the integration of Waze makes it worthwhile to me. It's also a lot faster than it used to be.

(My '16 Honda Civic Coupe has CarPlay, so I can use it any time I'd like).

+1
For me too, the Waze integration made CarPlay as a must have. And Google Maps is better than the BMW maps and Apple maps.

11-08-2018, 08:24 AM	#1
gkamieneski Private 19 Rep 78 Posts Drives: 430i xdrive convertible Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: New Hampshire iTrader: (0)	What can Apple Carplay do for me? Looking for suggestions as to what Apple Carplay can do for me. I find that without Carplay, if I hold down the voice button, I get to Siri and I can ask her to do things such as send a text. However, when the return text came in, I wasn't notified. Instead I had to ask Siri if I had any incoming texts. Does this sound right? Other than duplicating iDrive communications, I am not sure there are any Carplay apps that I need to have. Interested in hearing suggestions.
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11-08-2018, 08:57 AM	#2
Cam428 New Member 0 Rep 20 Posts Drives: 2015 428i xDrive Gran Coupe Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: Denver, CO iTrader: (0)	Music streaming apps like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, etc. are definitely one of the biggest draws for using Carplay. While some of those services are also compatible with iDrive directly, Carplay supports more apps. Navigation is also a big reason to use Carplay, especially since you can now choose between Apple Maps, Google Maps, and Waze. Any of these navigation apps will get faster map updates than what's built into the car. Depending on where you drive, that can be a huge deal. For instance, despite having the latest map update on my car, the 2+ year old main road to my house still doesn't appear in the BMW maps. With Waze, maps will often update within a week or so of a change to the roads. Finally, there is cost. If you just got the car, most of the services such as real-time traffic and ConnectedDrive (used for music streaming and apps) are included for a few years. Once they expire, you'll have to pay $50/yr for traffic info, $50/year for ConnectedDrive, and over $100 for each of the biannual map updates. Carplay is $80/yr for more and arguably better services.
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11-08-2018, 09:07 AM	#3
gkamieneski Private 19 Rep 78 Posts Drives: 430i xdrive convertible Join Date: Aug 2018 Location: New Hampshire iTrader: (0)	Thanks, Cam. Your explanation is helpful. It may be that the Carplay advantages don't mean that much to me after all as I probably am just trying to do hands free communications using my phone. I will have to explore further as to why the incoming text was not announced to me. It's possible that it was coincidental to my asking Siri if I had any texts. In any event, I can see me being satisfied with the BMW Connected Drive services until they run out, then maybe I move to exclusively Carplay.
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11-08-2018, 02:38 PM	#4
wilbur_the_goose Major 353 Rep 1,245 Posts Drives: 2018 330ix Gran Turismo Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Metro Philly iTrader: (0)	I used to hate CarPlay, but I admit that it's a lot better now. Just the integration of Waze makes it worthwhile to me. It's also a lot faster than it used to be. (My '16 Honda Civic Coupe has CarPlay, so I can use it any time I'd like).
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