Smartphone interface - car play

**A6S** · 28-08-2017,10:35 PM

I've got a courtesy car with CarPlay on it and I have to say I am not impressed. This is the first time I've had long time using it. Thought with all this hype about it that it would feel like the next best thing since Slice bread.
Hand full of apps there and graphics is like in 8 bit colour. Looks like the home screen to my iPhone 3G.
Maps - can't say it's better or worse than the one in the mmi plus. More or less the same with live traffic etc. Would say mmi nav looks slightly better.
Text/Siri annoys the crap out of me. Never gets it right. Must be my dodgy Scottish accent. Not that bothered with texting while driving. If it was important they would call. Otherwise I will text back when I've stopped. You can activate Siri on the mmi plus to send texts anyway.
Podcast don't use it.
Audio books don't use it.
Apple Music rarely use that. Mmi plus can access all the stuff there anyway so nothing extra by having CarPlay.
Spotify is the only third party app I have that works on it and it's better than the mmi as you can access albums/playlists etc

So at £250 option and £1000+ for tech pack it's an expensive piece of kit for just Spotify.
This is in my perspective. I'm sure someone will come and correct me or add to the benefits.
Just so we are clear this isn't an attack on apple fanboys. I have the full suite of apple crap in the house and for my business so if anything I'm the apple fanboy 😄

**B5NUT** · 29-08-2017,09:12 AM

I added carplay/android Auto to my C7 and have to agree with you 100%, I just ticked the option as I was already adding tech pack, so figured and extra £250 was worth a punt. Also it will makes the car a little more desirable when I come to sell on.

I've both android & apple phones and still prefer the cars systems for nav and playing music.

**fest0r** · 29-08-2017,09:23 AM

Originally Posted by B5NUT

I added carplay/android Auto to my C7 and have to agree with you 100%, I just ticked the option as I was already adding tech pack, so figured and extra £250 was worth a punt. Also it will makes the car a little more desirable when I come to sell on.

I've both android & apple phones and still prefer the cars systems for nav and playing music.

Was the quality and functionality on Android Auto usable? I really like the Waze app and it’s certified.

**A6S** · 29-08-2017,09:45 AM

Originally Posted by B5NUT

I added carplay/android Auto to my C7 and have to agree with you 100%, I just ticked the option as I was already adding tech pack, so figured and extra £250 was worth a punt. Also it will makes the car a little more desirable when I come to sell on.

I've both android & apple phones and still prefer the cars systems for nav and playing music.

I think if you are already getting the tech pack then at £250 is one of the cheapest options available so well worth the punt. If you are getting the tech pack purely for CarPlay then it's a very expensive option for very little extra.

**B5NUT** · 29-08-2017,11:03 AM

Originally Posted by fest0r

Was the quality and functionality on Android Auto usable? I really like the Waze app and it’s certified.

It's usable, but a little clunky on the MMI controls, the carplay/android is really designed for touch screen systems IMO.

**A6S** · 29-08-2017,11:21 AM

I think by design it's meant to limit what you can press and see. That's probably what I found the most annoying. The other thing that was my problem it was in a q2. The volume/skip button is so badly placed in the centre console and the buttons on the steering wheel was pretty cheap plastic and very clicky like. The quality and finish of the q2 considering it's a newly designed car is pretty cheap. Maybe I've just been spoiled with the A6 but I expect better from Audi

**B5NUT** · 29-08-2017,12:57 PM

The design is limiting, but without touch screen the navigation is not as straight forward compared to a touch screen.

You are just spoiled on the A6, it's a good few levels up on the fit & finish on the lower models, where the A8 is another level up on the A6.

Lower models are more or of a "cheaper" finish, but then there is a £10,000 price difference between the base model Q2 and the base model A6.

**pxr5** · 29-08-2017,01:29 PM

I've been quoted £496 to get Audi Smartphone Interface retrofitted on my A7. I was seriously thinking about it until I read this thread. I do use spotify, and just wish this was part of Audi Connect instead of Napster. Waze would be cool too though.

**B5NUT** · 29-08-2017,05:21 PM

It's not worth £500, but the euro price is the same as the option price so I would call around a few dealers. Retrofit solution for the Audi smartphone interface 4M0051472 > Audi Genuine Accessories - Vorsprung durch Technik

**pxr5** · 29-08-2017,06:48 PM

Originally Posted by B5NUT

It's not worth £500, but the euro price is the same as the option price so I would call around a few dealers. Retrofit solution for the Audi smartphone interface 4M0051472 > Audi Genuine Accessories - Vorsprung durch Technik

Yes another dealer I think. I was quoted £264 for the ASI and the rest was for 1.5 hours labour. Wow. It actually takes about 30 mins I understand - probalby a tech twiddling his thumbs as the software updates from the Audi servers.