Apple CarPlay IO3 13 - Due Sept 19
 

For those techies amongst us, I have been following the exponential growth of CarPlay especially the Apple version which is being radically updated with the next major IOS 13 due to be released this Sept/Oct.
The below is an informative article on the features that will be coming to a Volvo near you soon........I hope!
https://9to5mac.com/2019/06/13/hands-on-carplay-ios-13/

Bet you still have to plug it in though :(

I am an iPhone user. I think it's very interesting this new version of CarPlay and it's an upgrade to cars like Ford, Renault etc that use a more rudimentary infotainment system but not important for SPA Volvo users.

I don't see any added value of using Carplay on my Volvo except for the app Spotify (if you dont have a paid version of Spotify, it wont work on Sensus).

This new version of CarPlay is very interesting, having the improvements of the way it presents the info to the driver as well the calendar but the value added of using this version of Carplay in a SPA Volvo is almost 0 in my opinion.

It's a nice feature to have as I said but one that most of the drivers don't use it at all having the in-build features we have in our systems.

And if SPA2 goes down the path of Android Automotive, CarPlay will play a less and less important role within Volvos in the future.

Until it starts using HUD I do not think it’s much of an upgrade

Doesn't it look a bit odd and cheap in the centre screen too, being sized for landscape not portrait?

The Volvo integration is great I'm not sure what AA or Apple Car Play adds, agreed makes sense where you have a poor integration.

Certainly not worth £300 as an option it should be standard kit regardless.

I agree with others here, in that I don't think CarPlay offers much over the Sensus system. Indeed I actually find CarPlay quite frustrating, as functionality is often limited to voice control. Fine if you want to go to 1 High Street London, but not so useful if you want to navigate to Ty Pen y Bryn, Dolgellau. Spotify in CarPlay also offer very little in the way of search functionality, you are more restricted to just you playlists. And before the all so righteous, I wouldn't use the richness of the Spotify interface while driving, the wife or kids in the passenger seats however...

Also I just don't think Spotify works well on the Sensus screen, squashed down the bottom, to quote from the article: 'Dashboard looks best on wide-screen displays'!

I appreciate that for some specific application, CP and AA work well for some users, but not for me.

:wq

Just to add:
Apple is not working on anything to compete with Android Automotive. BMW and other brands already winked to Android Automotive but for certain models, not for the full range.
I believe that Volvo will use Android Automotive on it's full range, maybe starting with the new SPA2 in 2022.
Volvo and Polestar made history. They are the first in the new revolution that is arriving to the auto industry.

The future may or not be with Android Auto, who knows, but for sure until 2025, Android Auto will be the next big thing in this industry.

This will allow app developers to interact directly with the car's functionality giving you more or less functionality on your car not based on what the car manufacturer decides or sells you as a feature but in how a company or a developer can take advantage of an API to provide you with more control and functionality.

I'm thinking on features like the polestar optimization being sold as an app or addin for 50 pounds, for example, or even an app that will allow you to customize yourself in detail the gearbox/battery/engine performance settings.
Or to use the parking sensors to detect proximity of people around your car to send you notifications and use the parking cameras to take a snapshot and send you by app or sms.
So many applications you can think of to extend functionality beyond the current capabilities that car manufacturers often dont explore.

It's more or less the revolution we are seeing in modern TV sets that will spread out to the automotive industry.

The major problem with CarPlay or iOS in general is not being able to set a default. For example Siri will default to the massively inferior Apple Maps for navigation.

But at least in the new version, Carplay will scale to different aspect ratio , so I'm hoping Volvo will update Sensus to allow full screen use (Android Auto was always scalable, but for sake of uniformity, Sensus use of AA/Carplay was crippled due to Carplay restrictions)

I don't agree with those that say CarPlay or Android Auto does not add anything over Sensus.

It's more in the line of: it's neither fish or meat, its somewhere in between.
CarPlay and Android Auto are great for most cars. My mother has a Ford Ka+ and with CarPlay the car gains functionality.
With Volvo and the new Sensus that's not the case.

CarPlay and Android Auto are serving their purpose on today's cars: they are serving as a bridge for future systems to come, similar to the Palm in the 90's (and similar PDAs from HP) that served as a bridge for smartphones as we know today.

Love your Denim blue + amber leather config. It was my original config but was not approved by the W.I.F.E.

I had CarPlay in my previous car as it was standard, I don't have it in my XC60 and to be honest I haven't missed it.
The standard iphone integration is really good through sensus, I do wish I could use google maps though instead of the worlds most optimistic sat nav.