Android / Apple Carplay

[ColinBarber]

1 minute ago, Dealkent said:

I am I now process of buying a 2019 NX . I am have the Apple play installed for £80 . Told it takes 4 hours !? . Is it worth it ? Can anyone tell me what I can do with Apple play that would be useful? 

It certainly takes some time - most of that time they just leave it installing which is why you aren't having to pay £150+ per hour to get it installed.

Certainly worth it for £80. You get a choice of what Navigation app to use (apple maps, Google maps, Waze) which are all better than the built in nav with better real-time updates. You can use Spotify, the vehicle will read out text messages (reliability) and a user interface that is easier to use when on the move compared to the Lexus system. You have access to other apps too such as Audiobooks, Audible, Webex if you need to join a conference call etc.

You can still use the Lexus system if you want - and use both, so you can put on the radio and then switch to CarPlay for Navigation for example.

[Herbie]

5 minutes ago, Dealkent said:

I am I now process of buying a 2019 NX . I am have the Apple play installed for £80 . Told it takes 4 hours !? . Is it worth it ? Can anyone tell me what I can do with Apple play that would be useful? 

Basically it allows you to almost* mirror your phone screen on the big car screen.

*Almost, because there are only certain apps that will work in apple Carplay/Android Auto to avoid breaking the law. For instance, it's illegal for a driver to see any sort of screen other than a satnav screen whilst the car is in motion, so you wouldn't be able to play YouTube videos or stream Netflix movies while the car is moving.

Primarily, it's greatest use is in navigation. Factory-fitted navs tend to be inferior and don't get updated much. Using AC/AA means that you can use Google Maps, apple Maps, Waze, Sygic or whatever your favourite mapping and navigation system is. These are all updated regularly and traffic info like accidents and traffic jams are almost updated minute by minute.

[First_Lexus]

My NX is at Lexus Swindon tomorrow for annual service and first MOT. After much deliberation I’ve decided to have apple Car Play installed while it’s there. I’ll be keeping the car for a long while yet - it just suits me perfectly - so decided I may as well have the upgrade. For £80 I’ll get it and then see what I think.

Could somebody remind me, exactly what type of cable do I need to plug my Iphone into the car?

[Dealkent]

25 minutes ago, Herbie said:

Basically it allows you to almost* mirror your phone screen on the big car screen.

*Almost, because there are only certain apps that will work in Apple Carplay/Android Auto to avoid breaking the law. For instance, it's illegal for a driver to see any sort of screen other than a satnav screen whilst the car is in motion, so you wouldn't be able to play YouTube videos or stream Netflix movies while the car is moving.

Primarily, it's greatest use is in navigation. Factory-fitted navs tend to be inferior and don't get updated much. Using AC/AA means that you can use Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, Sygic or whatever your favourite mapping and navigation system is. These are all updated regularly and traffic info like accidents and traffic jams are almost updated minute by minute.

Thanks for that . The sales guy mentioned navigating with Google map , also mentioned using Siri to make calls . 

[subria88]

24 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

Could somebody remind me, exactly what type of cable do I need to plug my iPhone into the car?

Standard usb to Iphone lightning cable should be fine

[Herbie]

On 6/17/2021 at 6:03 PM, First_Lexus said:

Could somebody remind me, exactly what type of cable do I need to plug my iPhone into the car?

I think the apple Carplay could be used wireless if you so wish. I do know that Android Auto doesn't have that facility yet but I also wonder just how useful it is because the phone will need to be kept charged up so you may as well have it plugged in anyway.

[subria88]

57 minutes ago, Herbie said:

I think the Apple Carplay could be used wireless if you so wish. I do know that Android Auto doesn't have that facility yet but I also wonder just how useful it is because the phone will need to be kept charged up so you may as well have it plugged in anyway.

Wireless apple CarPlay (or Android) in the current NX requires a usb adaptor as mentioned elsewhere in the thread. If you have a phone that fits the wireless charging bay (and have it on the car), then the phone could be kept charging using that instead of the cable in conjunction with the adapter.

The 2022 NX looks like it will have wireless CarPlay and Android built in (as well as wired)

[pobrown]

I'm selling my wireless CarPlay adapter if anyone is interested.

 

[Dealkent]

On 6/17/2021 at 6:21 PM, Dealkent said:

Thanks for that . The sales guy mentioned navigating with Google map , also mentioned using Siri to make calls . 

Collected the NX today , really pleased with it . apple Play is amazing , great for Whats app tests , Google map etc . 

[Martynt74]

I've paid for the online membership but can't see any options to download Caprplay modules. 

 

If i go into Map and Software updates i only see the option to download maps for MM19, but i've got those anyway from the free section.

Is there something obvious i'm missing?

[ColinBarber]

10 minutes ago, Martynt74 said:

I've paid for the online membership but can't see any options to download Caprplay modules. 

 

If i go into Map and Software updates i only see the option to download maps for MM19, but i've got those anyway from the free section.

Is there something obvious i'm missing?

Has your vehicle been software upgraded to support CarPlay? If not then I'd recommend getting your dealer to do that, costs £80.

Once you have CarPlay functionality the maps you use is whatever apps you have installed on your Iphone.

[Herbie]

10 minutes ago, Martynt74 said:

but can't see any options to download Caprplay modules. 

I'm afraid that there's no such thing as a Carplay module.

If your car is recent enough, a Lexus dealer will do a software update for £80 to give access to apple Carplay/Android Auto. If it can't be updated then there are external units that can be bought for about £200 to £600 that can be integrated into your car multimedia system, but these are third-party devices and not available from Lexus dealers.

 

[Martynt74]

I thought it was possible to update yourself, i had spoken to my local dealer but thought i'd have a go myself based on some posts earlier in the thread.

[Martynt74]

On 9/16/2020 at 10:42 PM, jbi507 said:

I decided to take the plunge and upgrade. All went without a hitch and its pretty straight forward (even though there are lots of steps) . 

 

Here are some pics, I thought I took a pic of the main map screen, but clearly didn't. 

Based on my post above, have you got any walkthroughs or anything as to the steps to perform the update?

[pobrown]

It is possible to do it yourself but I wouldn’t recommend it.  If it goes wrong you could completely brick your Nav system and need to spend ££££ to fix it. 

I did upgrade my own last year and realised afterwards how lucky I was when I saw so many reports of failure. 

[Martynt74]

Ok cheers, have booked it in for next Wednesday, the maps etc all seem quite out of date (they're on 1341) so i imagine there's a lot of prep to get it ready and many other updates the car will benefit from.

[Herbie]

30 minutes ago, Martynt74 said:

Ok cheers, have booked it in for next Wednesday, the maps etc all seem quite out of date (they're on 1341) so i imagine there's a lot of prep to get it ready and many other updates the car will benefit from.

I don't think they'll update the Lexus maps and install AA/AC all for £80, not when map updates cost more than that on their own. But it doesn't matter that the Lexus maps are out of date because you'll be able to use whatever maps are on your phone, such as apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze, Sygic or whatever.

apple Carplay/Android Auto are basically just an interface between your phone and the car, so that you can almost* mirror your phone screen to the bigger in-car screen. If you were just going to carry on using the Lexus mapping then it's hardly worth it.

*Almost, because some apps are purposely disabled for use while the car is in motion.

[First_Lexus]

I’ll be buying the cable to play with the new functionality later, but what has already irritated me is the loss of all my settings and saved settings in the Lexus system following the upgrade.

Have had to reconnect mobile telephones, all navigation favourites are gone, had to set up DAB again…frustrating as I expected all that to remain unchanged.

[First_Lexus]

I’ve purchased the cable, and had a thorough look around apple Car Play. It’s very clever! Having looked at a couple of tutorials on You Tube I’ve got to grips with the basics - messages, Google Maps, Spotify etc.

Has anybody got any tips to share that would be useful? For instance, if I wanted to use Waze for navigation, I assume I simply download the app to my Iphone and it will appear? Is that the same with other apps, because I can only see a selection of what is on my Iphone Home Screen. Am I missing something?

As a previous sceptic, I can now see the benefit. Also, it may be just me, but the screen resolution on Car Play seems better than the standard Lexus. That can’t be right, can it? I must be imagining it…

[Herbie]

1 hour ago, First_Lexus said:

For instance, if I wanted to use Waze for navigation, I assume I simply download the app to my iPhone and it will appear? Is that the same with other apps, because I can only see a selection of what is on my iPhone Home Screen. Am I missing something?

As I mentioned above, some apps are blocked from AC/AA because they are deemed to be a distraction to the driver, which is why you can only see a selection. Waze being a map app, is of course, allowed, so if you don't already have it on your phone it should just be a matter of downloading it and away you go.

One thing I noticed on mine is that some apps (like amazon Music for instance) have to be set to Autostart or I just get a message saying "amazon Music is unavailable at this moment". However, that could be because I'm an Android user or because mine is a third-party unit; might even be a combination of the two. You really need someone else who uses an apple phone and the Lexus unit to advise you further.

[DanD]

One thing of note is that the upgrade gives you both Android Auto AND apple CarPlay. I have always been an Android user, however my wife and kids all have iPhones. Some weeks ago, my wife plugged in her phone to charge it whilst I was using my phone and Android Auto for navigation. A message popped up on the car's screen asking if I wanted to switch from AA to CP.

On a different, but related topic, I usually use navigation and Spotify concurrently. However I can't keep the phone out of sight in the armrest while doing so: using both apps at the same time seems to be resource intensive and causes the phone to overheat. I have to leave it in one of the cupholders. Has any one experienced the same?

[Tel]

I have recently overheated my I Phone when I was using ACP from my Charger Tray that was wrongly live.

Tel

[Spacewagon52]

53 minutes ago, Tel said:

I have recently overheated my I Phone when I was using ACP from my Charger Tray that was wrongly live.

Tel

Cassettes and CD's seem so much simpler! (I have turned into my father!)

[royoftherovers]

18 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

Cassettes and CD's seem so much simpler! (I have turned into my father!)

When I bought my new Beetle in 1969, I only had a Blaupunkt (Blue spot) Radio and I used to enjoy driving at night so that I could listen to Radio Luxembourg. Pure Magic.

[DanD]

47 minutes ago, royoftherovers said:

When I bought my new Beetle in 1969, I only had a Blaupunkt (Blue spot) Radio and I used to enjoy driving at night so that I could listen to Radio Luxembourg. Pure Magic.

I remember my parents listening to RTL on trips... brings back memories! RTL is still going strong.