Volvo Cars partners with Google!

[soupytwister]

Originally Posted by V8EBR

Looks like the move to Google has already begun - a friends XC90 appears to have had the Here app replaced with a Google app as of yesterday. Apparently it shows a Google map view in the app, although it is not possible to navigate from it (and obviously does not interact with the drivers display or HUD).

I've checked mine today but it is not showing any updates, so no idea why he has already got it!

I had the same and installed the google app the other day. When you go to a POI, it brings up a googlemap as opposed to the volvo map. You can't navigate from it, but it has a button you push which links the POI to the volvo navigation and go from there.

[familymangreg]

Originally Posted by V8EBR

Looks like the move to Google has already begun - a friends XC90 appears to have had the Here app replaced with a Google app as of yesterday. Apparently it shows a Google map view in the app, although it is not possible to navigate from it (and obviously does not interact with the drivers display or HUD).

I've checked mine today but it is not showing any updates, so no idea why he has already got it!

Just checked my Download Centre and another batch up updates were available. Sure enough the app called Local Search has now lost the Here icon and got a nice colourful google icon instead. First impressions are that the app appears to work quite nicely and shows results on a google map. You don't seem to be able to pinch and zoom however, instead have to rely on the + and - buttons. Navigation maps haven't changed obviously.

:wq

[Quacker]

Originally Posted by V8EBR

Looks like the move to Google has already begun - a friends XC90 appears to have had the Here app replaced with a Google app as of yesterday. Apparently it shows a Google map view in the app, although it is not possible to navigate from it (and obviously does not interact with the drivers display or HUD).

I've checked mine today but it is not showing any updates, so no idea why he has already got it!

I've got it on mine. You can actually show a point of interest on the map and navigate to it. I used it at about 11.30 this morning after downloading it a few minutes before. Also used it this afternoon and find it great so far

[Murph7355]

Originally Posted by soupytwister

I expect they first started R&D on this back in the early part of the decade when first starting work on the Mk2 XC90. Things back then would have been less certain. Mercedes/Audi/BMW/Tesla also have their own app ecosystems, so it's unfair to state that Volvo are unique in having gone down that road, or indeed were wrong to do so. Everyone else did the same. Volvo may have not done as good a job so far as the opposition? That's up for debate.

It's easy to say now we're here in 2017 that it was obvious it should have gone down an Android or iOS route. We're here now, and both Audi & Volvo have now announced they are going down the Android route. Seems fair - a car is something that has a much longer R&D cycle & lifetime than an iPhone 7 or a Samsung S8. One is a screen with some electronics. The other is a car with lots of mechanical stuff and a small part of that is a screen with some electronics. Different beasts.

I never said Volvo were alone in this, nor that they are the worst at it. FWIW I actually really like Sensus and much prefer it to any of the other companies you note It was a strong factor in me choosing the XC90 again.

I'm aware development cycles are long for cars, though they are shortening all the time with clever use of technology in all parts of the process. However...Google's Play infrastructure was first released 8yrs ago and Apple's iTunes store 14yrs ago. And these things didn't crop up over night either.

Noting that a phone is just a screen with some electronics behind it is missing the point.

First up, you can boil anything down to that level. Modern systems in cars are little more than the same thing.

Secondly the app infrastructure doesn't care whether what's connected at the other end is "just" a phone, a car or whatever. What makes it complicated are the support mechanisms that have to go with it. That's why the car makers have finally decided to cut their losses on it IMO. They thought they could do it more cheaply alone, it didn't work out so they've changed tack.

Nothing wrong with that. But there was a degree of naivety to think it would ever have been different even a decade ago - they probably thought "they're just phones"

The one slight worry I have is that I'm far from a fan of the Android Auto UI, and am possibly alone in preferring the Sensus map UI to Google Maps. So I'm expecting not to like the visuals as much (I'm not sure I'll prefer the updated Sensus either tbh....will find out in a couple of weeks).