2017 owners:Feedback on Infotainment connect with iPhone--what works, what's missing?

[Acupunk]

I've been looking all over forums, on YouTube videos and in reviews and can't get good answers on how the 2017 Infotainment is with the connectivity to iPhone. The few comments I've seen were contradictory. I'm looking for feedback from current 2017 owners who also have an iPhone. I am very close to getting the 2017 GT w Premium package. If anyone knows of some good videos or forums relating to this issue specifically, please direct me. It may be a big enough issue for me to pause on the purchase.

When I got my 09 Mariner, Sync was brand new and a big deal, and they were touting big time the connectivity to cell phones. We were told that texts would come in across the screen, and you could verbally text back. It turns out it didn't work for iPhone but "was coming" in an update. It never came. 2009. My wife just got a new 17 Ridgeline with Apple CarPlay, and we really love the feature.

Like many of you, I'm also being told "Car Play is coming in an update any day now." 3 different salesmen told me that, and one salesmen told me "Mazda told us not in the 17s or 18s for sure. After reading these forums, I'm doubting that it's coming despite the big buzz.

I read Mazda Connect's website and checked compatibility. It looks like iPhone doesn't allow connectivity to verbally read your incoming texts to you (despite this apparently being a feature on the system), but that website hasn't been updated since November. I've read a couple of forums where people have reported they did have them connected to be read to them, but you can't verbally dictate back. I'm confused. A lot of the how-to videos out there are old.

Current 2017 owners, how is it actually working? Are you able to hear/see texts and dictate back?
Is your iPhone music connecting to the system to play through the car?
Can you play GoogleMaps through your speakers if bluetoothed to the phone?

Anything else it's doing/not doing that you're happy about/not happy about regarding iPhone connectivity?

Thanks!

 

[jventu]

I have a 2017 GT and pairing with an iPhone 7. Texts do not work. Bluetooth works very well for me. Almost no lag to connect mostly trying to download new contacts which due to my job I am always adding. But music starts right away. I used iBooks, Google Play and Apple Music and they all work fine. One minor annoyance is that the car does not remember the bluetooth volume. My prior car did. I have not tried using Google Maps. Otherwise everything else works fine nothing to write home about but it does the job fine.

 

[Anchorman]

To get SMS messages from your iPhone, you have to go settings, Bluetooth then click the "I" next to Mazda then activate notifications. She'll even read them out for you!

 

[joe6864]

Current 2017 owners, how is it actually working? Are you able to hear/see texts and dictate back? Sometimes. You need to activate it in iPhone settings, but doesn't always work for me. I have apple watch so not a huge deal for me, but something to be aware of.
Is your iPhone music connecting to the system to play through the car? Yes, I use this for all my music and it's been flawless so far.
Can you play GoogleMaps through your speakers if bluetoothed to the phone? Yes, all sound from the phone is routed to the Mazda, including google maps.

My answers bolded above!

CarPlay and Android Auto are likely coming, but don't assume they are for sure. Make a decision based on what's in the car now so you won't be disappointed.

You should try doing all this while test driving the car so you can experience this for yourself. It's easy to pair and un-pair during the test drive.

 

[Acupunk]

Thanks, everyone. I'm seriously wanting to pull the trigger now but agree with those who say "if it's missing something you really want now...." I'm thinking I might wait til '18. Better chance of CarPlay by then and minor kinks may have been altered (major ones probably not that soon). I am secretly hoping for a Turbo in that 4 since I haven't driven a 4cyl in at least 20 years. And while I know the 17s just came out, I'm hoping they'll release the 18s maybe by November to get back on track with more usual release dates?

 

[bigtex]

I expect the diesel to be labeled as 2018 model and the 2019's to be out in late spring to get back on schedule.