CarPlay and Android Auto coming soon to all Mazda

They've been suggesting this for over a year now. I'm holding my breath until we're given an actual availability date.
 
If the CX-9 had Android Auto today, there would be no question we'd buy it. That is the one feature that is keeping the Honda Pilot in contention as we decide which new three row vehicle to get.

Looking forward, I think Android Auto and Car Play are going to transform infotainment. Buying a new car without it seems like dooming myself to obsolescence from day one. The maps and navigation experience on an Android phone is already miles ahead of automotive systems.
 
I've never used Car Play, but when I plug my iPhone into my 2016 CX-9, the car identifies it as an iPhone and all my playlists, music and album covers show up via the grace notes DB. Full back and forward controls work. Even bluetooth streaming works pretty well.

What does CarPlay bring to the system that I can't do now?
 
I've never used Car Play either, but I have used Android Auto and I'll try to explain what's so good about it.

Right now, the primary benefits of Android Auto are the maps/navigation/traffic and Google Now integration. The most obvious advantage to using Google Navigation (or an alternative such as Waze) is that the maps are always up to date. No need to go to your dealer and spend a couple hundred bucks every few years to update your database. Also, road construction information is always current. Another obvious advantage is that the crowd-sourced traffic data you get in Google Navigation or Waze is much more accurate and timely than what you get over XM or HD radio. I deal with traffic jams every day on my commute and on almost every trip we take, and using the Google Nav app with Waze data or the using Waze app are the only ways to get true real-time traffic data. Traffic data on XM is typically imprecise and 1-2 hours old, so I find it to be pretty useless except in certain holiday weekend traffic situations where the same traffic patterns persist for hours on end. And one thing that stupefies me about auto infotainment systems is when they make the traffic display a separate app from the nav, which isn't terribly useful. Not to mention, I find the quality and accuracy of driving directions from Google Navigation and Waze to be a cut above anything else I've used. Sometimes far above.

Another advantage of using smartphone/Car Play/Android Auto for navigation is access to the internet. While traveling as a family, my wife and I frequently use the internet on our phones to search for a place to eat, a good place to stop and stretch the legs, a gas station, etc. Auto nav databases have some of these places, but they are never comprehensive enough that I would use them over using my phone. And when I find a place via internet search on my phone, I can jump right from there into maps and nav. With a car nav system, I have to look up an address on the phone and then type it into the nav system.

Another aspect to data entry is that car navigation systems lock out most inputs while the car is moving, which means that your primary means to interact with them on the road is through voice command. That makes having Google Now (and presumably Siri on Car Play) really valuable, because as search agents/assistants they are a lot better than your car's infotainment system.

Finally, the really big deal with Android Auto and Car Play is that they will keep improving over time. Up until now, when you buy a car you're basically stuck with the functionality of the infotainment system as it was when you bought it, for the life of the vehicle. My wife and I have kept our last three vehicles for 7, 10, and 12 years. That is a very long time in terms of Android and iOS development. I not going to claim that Android Auto and Car Play are going to make your infotainment system future-proof, but you're certain to see a steady stream of app upgrades that keep making it better, and you're not at the mercy of the car manufacturers who want obsolescence to drive the next sale.
 
Has anyone actually spoken to a dealer about this yet? I cannot wait to get CarPlay on my 2016 CX-9. I got a taste of it in a chevy rental car over the last couple of weeks, and it should be a tremendous addition to the overall user experience.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I asked my local dealer this past Saturday (04/22) while our car was geting the oil changed, he said " we know as much as you do at this point..."
 
I asked my local dealer this past Saturday (04/22) while our car was geting the oil changed, he said " we know as much as you do at this point..."

Again, this is something they've been promising for well over a year now - I'll believe it when I see it.
 
The sales associate at the dealer I bought from this week said he thinks we likely won't see any update until 2018 Mazdas hit the dealer lots preinstalled with the Carplay/AA version of Mazda Connect. His best guess was November/December.
 
If the CX-9 had Android Auto today, there would be no question we'd buy it. That is the one feature that is keeping the Honda Pilot in contention as we decide which new three row vehicle to get.

True, we wanted the pilot ex as well just cause of android auto. Honda wouldn't budge on pricing though.
 
I asked my local dealer this past Saturday (04/22) while our car was geting the oil changed, he said " we know as much as you do at this point..."

Thanks for the update. Mine's due for its first oil change soon, so I'll ask then as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The sales associate at the dealer I bought from this week said he thinks we likely won't see any update until 2018 Mazdas hit the dealer lots preinstalled with the Carplay/AA version of Mazda Connect. His best guess was November/December.

I hope he's wrong. Also hope he dealers won't charge for the upgrade.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I got the chance to use Android Auto last weekend and LOVED it. I can't believe we don't have them in the 2016 models, let alone 2017. Mazda needs to get their s*** together.
 
I honestly don't know how great it will be considering how buggy the underlying OS is. With start up delay, random reboots, music playback resetting between restarts and screen overheating, Android Auto may still be annoying to use.
 
I don't know much about Android Auto but with Carplay Apple severely limits the apps that can be used. It's not full access to your phone. Waze/Google Maps ARE NOT AVAILABLE....Apple pushes Carplay users to Apple Maps.
 
Back