Apple CarPlay Will Now Support Third-Party Navigation and Mapping Apps (techcrunch.com)

Apple today announced that it will now let third-party navigation and mapping apps work with CarPlay starting with iOS 12. "Up to now, Apple only allowed its own mapping app, Maps, to work over CarPlay, but now you can use Waze, Google Maps, Here, or whatever other app you might want to use to get from A to B," reports TechCrunch. From the report: The change marks a big shift for Apple, which is well known for favoring its own native apps and generally a more tightly controlled ecosystem on iOS and across devices. But Maps hasn't been the most popular mapping app by some measure, even for users of iOS. This is in a sense is a tacit acknowledgement that iPhone owners are using a wide variety of other services, and so to get CarPlay used more, this needed to be enabled. It's not clear why Apple didn't extend third-party support for other mapping and navigation apps until now. Perhaps it was to sweeten the deal for more people to use its own Maps app.

Comments

GPL Intellectual Theft

[Anonymous Coward]

Hello,
Consulting for several large companies, I'd always done my work on
Windows. Recently however, a top online investment firm asked us to do
some work using Linux. The concept of having access to source code was
very appealing to us, as we'd be able to modify the kernel to meet our
exacting standards which we're unable to do with Microsoft's products.

Although we met several technical challenges along the way
(specifically, Linux's lack of Token Ring support and the fact that we
were unable to defrag its ext2 file system), all in all the process
went smoothly. Everyone was very pleased with Linux, and we were
considering using it for a great deal of future internal projects.

So you can imagine our suprise when we were informed by a lawyer that
we would be required to publish our source code for others to use. It
was brought to our attention that Linux is copyrighted under something
called the GPL, or the Gnu Protective License. Part of this license
states that any changes to the kernel are to be made freely available.
Unfortunately for us, this meant that the great deal of time and money
we spent "touching up" Linux to work for this investment firm would
now be available at no cost to our competitors.

Furthermore, after reviewing this GPL our lawyers advised us that any
products compiled with GPL'ed tools - such as gcc - would also have to
its source code released. This was simply unacceptable.

Although we had planned for no one outside of this company to ever
use, let alone see the source code, we were now put in a difficult
position. We could either give away our hard work, or come up with
another solution. Although it was tough to do, there really was no
option: We had to rewrite the code, from scratch, for Windows 2000.

I think the biggest thing keeping Linux from being truly competitive
with Microsoft is this GPL. Its draconian requirements virtually
guarentee that no business will ever be able to use it. After my
experience with Linux, I won't be recommending it to any of my
associates. I may reconsider if Linux switches its license to
something a little more fair, such as Microsoft's "Shared Source".
Until then its attempts to socialize the software market will insure
it remains only a bit player.

Thank you for your time.

Re:GPL Intellectual Theft

[Anonymous Coward]

Okay Troll.

Who cares

[Anonymous Coward]

Crappls sucks ass, Tim Cocksucker sucked off all good stuff.

Re:Who cares

[TheFakeTimCook]

Crappls sucks ass, Tim Cocksucker sucked off all good stuff.

Wow! What an erudite post.

Exactly what I have come to expect from Slashtard AC Apple Haters.

Re: Who cares

[Anonymous Coward]

Better slashtard ac than Tim Cock's shill.

Re:Who cares

[Anonymous Coward]

No one forces you here.

Re:Who cares

[Anonymous Coward]

No one forces you here.

Who forces you here? Google?

What about retroactive?

[Anonymous Coward]

So if an iphone with IOS12 connects to any car with an existing carplay feature, will Google maps work?

Or will the car firmware need to be updated also?

TFA ain't not don't say nuffink bout dat.

Re: What about retroactive?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd assume the car firmware has to be updated. The original reason given for Apple Maps only was due to federal regulations. Those presumably haven't changed, so it will only work on cars that are certified to allow it.

Unless, of course, Apple was lying.

Re: What about retroactive?

[BLKMGK]

Federal Regulations?! Where have you seen that? I cannot imagine what regulation that could be and would love to know WTF. The last time I tried to use CarPlay in a car and Waze together it was a disaster and I'd decided I'd avoid it in my next car but if Waze will work I'm onboard! Hopefully it won't require firmware flashes of radcios because if it does this is a near worthless feature announcement!

Re: What about retroactive?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd have to find it again, but supposedly the reasoning behind the restrictions imposed by CarPlay on third party apps (and if you've used it, you should know how restrictive it is - third party apps talk to a special CarPlay UI that's clearly a separate program, and are greatly limited on what they can have it do) was due to regulations on "distracted driving." Apparently there are federal regulations (at least in the US) that heavily restrict what is allowed to be displayed on displays that a driver can view. Part of the license to allow CarPlay restricts what can be displayed, and ONLY Apple Maps was granted permission to be used for navigation purposes via CarPlay.

At least, this was the story I was given when I first tried to find out why CarPlay only allowed Apple Maps.

There's no technical reason it would require an update: CarPlay is just an H.264 stream that the head unit plays back. (Look carefully at reds, it's not that hard to see compression artifacts.) The head unit forwards touch events to the phone, and that's basically it.

Re: What about retroactive?

[Anonymous Coward]

The car has nothing to do with running apps in CarPlay - itâ(TM)s just a screen and input device. The phone is what matters to whether you can run things.

Waze

[Anonymous Coward]

Many use waze while driving. Much different features than apple maps.

Re:Waze

[unixisc]

Owned by Google. If privacy is important, why not just stick to Apple's packages, be it maps or mail or whatever? If it's not, why not go all the way w/ an Android phone?

Re:Waze

[thegarbz]

If privacy is important

It's not. I thought that would be painfully obvious to everyone by now. Facebook, Google, etc show quite clearly that it doesn't even register as part of the thought process for people let alone have any weight.

Re:Waze

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, because Apple doesn't sell your info. Get out of here with this shit. They all sell your info.

Re:Waze

[kilfarsnar]

If privacy is important

It's not. I thought that would be painfully obvious to everyone by now. Facebook, Google, etc show quite clearly that it doesn't even register as part of the thought process for people let alone have any weight.

That is, until they see the results (okay, some not even then). There was quite a stir a little while ago, when people finally understood Facebook's business model. I don't think it's so much that people don't care about privacy as it is that people lack foresight and imagination, as you mention. They like using these "free" services and don't stop to ask why they are free, how the company actually makes money or whether they should really be sharing so much information with these companies.

Once it is pointed out to them that the information these companies have is used to manipulate them, they don't like it. By then it's too late, of course. People want privacy, but take it for granted until it's gone.

Re:Waze

[thegarbz]

I still disagree. If there's one thing that Facebook has shown it's that people not only don't think about the data they hand over, but also when shown how much data these companies have, when shown how data is used to manipulate, when shown how it could have an effect on an entire nation ... they shrug and continue to hand over data.

I would say that categorically people don't give a crap about their privacy, not even related to liking it or not, just flat out not caring in the slightest.

The excuse that they didn't know is no longer defensible.

Today is AppleDay on Slashdot!

[Anonymous Coward]

Where's my discount?

Why not Apple Maps?

[Gravis Zero]

Do people not remember the joys that Apple Maps provides us with? ;)

Re:Why not Apple Maps?

[ausekilis]

The ones that used Apple Maps ended up lost and/or dead.

Well whoop-tee-do!

[Anonymous Coward]

Break out the sarsaparilla!

once again

[Anonymous Coward]

apples mediocre hardware has to be supported by another companies great software.

Tough break for Garmin...

[Anonymous Coward]

No soup for them. They killed their car apps (Garmin and Navigon brands), and while doing one last update for GDPR, someone fat-fingered away the actual speed limit display. So the only Garmin automotive app left in customers' hands is a broken one.

Thank You, Apple!!

[registrations_suck]

FINALLY!!!!

Now CarPlay is finally worth getting!!! THANK YOU, Apple!!

Re:Thank You, Apple!!

[sasparillascott]

Agreed, this is nice to see.

Re:Thank You, Apple!!

[BLKMGK]

Agree so long as it doesn't require flashing the radios. No doubt OEMs will charge an assload for it :(

Re:Thank You, Apple!!

[Anonymous Coward]

CarPlay is purely done on the iPhone. The car knows nothing of all this as it just presents a screen, mic, etc. for the phone to render to.

Re:Thank You, Apple!!

[Anonymous Coward]

You say that, but apparently when Apple approached car manufacturers to get them to adopt CarPlay, they had to promise that the only navigation app CarPlay would ever support was Apple Maps, in order not to eat into the sales of car navigation units. Which means that this almost certainly won't work on cars that use that version of CarPlay.

Re:Thank You, Apple!!

[registrations_suck]

You say that, but apparently when Apple approached car manufacturers to get them to adopt CarPlay, they had to promise that the only navigation app CarPlay would ever support was Apple Maps, in order not to eat into the sales of car navigation units.

What is your source for that little tidbit of information?

FWIW...the same units offer CarPlay and AndroidPlay have no issues using Google Maps for nav....so it seems unlikely the vendors give a shit if iPhones can use Google Maps as well. It is a lot more likely the whole thing was simply a move by Apple to dirvert people into its own shitty mapping application and have given up trying to convert people like me, who have deleted it from their phone and have chosen to forego CarPlay entirely for this reason.

Interoperability.

[denbesten]

My hope is that Carplay, Android Auto and Mirrorlink merge into an interoperable standard. It would be awfully nice if my choice of car (or at least the head-end) did not force me into a particular phone model.

Re:Interoperability.

[Anonymous Coward]

That's up to the vehicle oem. They're perfectly capable of supporting both. My factory radio supports both Android Auto and Apple Carplay.

Re:Interoperability.

[swb]

I doubt this will happen because these brands want to keep themselves unique, but mostly because the cost of separate protocols is about zero due to the power of head unit computing and how the difference is mostly in software.

I also wouldn't be surprised if Apple & Android supplied most of the software that makes it work to standards set by automakers, further reducing the cost of supporting both platforms.

In theory, the major automakers (US, Japanese, German) could have banded together under some engineering standard banner and defined some kind of common head unit integration standard and said it would be the only one they would support, take it or leave it.

But I think carmakers were willing to cater to either Apple or Android or both because they saw that catering to these audiences individually was a compelling marketing tool. Luxury aspirational brands want to say "we are Apple friendly" because it gives them a competitive edge and creates a more personal appeal.

Re: Interoperability.

[Anonymous Coward]

Iâ(TM)ve actually never seen a car with one that didnâ(TM)t have both.

Re:Interoperability.

[Anonymous Coward]

My hope is that Carplay, Android Auto and Mirrorlink merge into an interoperable standard. It would be awfully nice if my choice of car (or at least the head-end) did not force me into a particular phone model.

Well, the listed embedded OSes don't necessarily have to merge, but there "simply" needs to be an interoperable communication standard a la SAE J1939:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1939

Presumably if the aviation community can figure out transferring navigation between devices (GDL90) in that high-risk environment, car manufacturers can do the same thing:

* https://www.foreflight.com/connect/spec/
* https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/programs/adsb/Archival/media/GDL90_Public_ICD_RevA.PDF

Re:Interoperability.

[ilsaloving]

They couldn't even agree on a standard for headphones with built in microphones.

You really think they will share a common standard for something as complex as device remote access?

I certainly won't be holding my breath.

Car GPS is still a thing?

[acoustix]

We all have smartphones already. Their maps are constantly up to date. Why would I want to use outdated maps in my vehicle? The importance of the vehicle's entertainment system is lessening (is that a word?). Phones and tablets have overtaken the pricey navigation and DVD systems.

Re:Car GPS is still a thing?

[Anonymous Coward]

You obviously don't know what Car Play and Android Auto are. They are just links to your smartphone so you can see your phone on your car's stereo. It is what you are looking for. Using your phone's updated mapping system, but displaying on the 7+" screen of your car.

Re:Car GPS is still a thing?

[kilfarsnar]

We all have smartphones already. Their maps are constantly up to date. Why would I want to use outdated maps in my vehicle? The importance of the vehicle's entertainment system is lessening (is that a word?). Phones and tablets have overtaken the pricey navigation and DVD systems.

Go through along tunnel, with exits, using your phone. Once it loses the sat connection it doesn't know where it is. Your car's nav system can use information from the car to keep track of it's location on the map, and tell you where to exit. I often chuckle at the stories of Uber riders going way out of their way because the driver's phone lost signal in the tunnel, and didn't know where to get off.

Re:Car GPS is still a thing?

[tlhIngan]

We all have smartphones already. Their maps are constantly up to date. Why would I want to use outdated maps in my vehicle? The importance of the vehicle's entertainment system is lessening (is that a word?). Phones and tablets have overtaken the pricey navigation and DVD systems.

Go through along tunnel, with exits, using your phone. Once it loses the sat connection it doesn't know where it is. Your car's nav system can use information from the car to keep track of it's location on the map, and tell you where to exit. I often chuckle at the stories of Uber riders going way out of their way because the driver's phone lost signal in the tunnel, and didn't know where to get off.

Or you lose data connection. I was surprised when I was using Google Maps for navigation that you cannot navigate when your data connection goes away. It may have a cached navigation plan if you managed to start navigation prior to losing the network connection, but it's stuck after that. Works fine for brief interruptions, but if you have to turn data off, not so good.

And yes, this was WITH offline maps.

So yes, it's nice to actually have backup systems just in case.

And why might you lose data connection? Well, travel is a big one. Depending on your carrier, you might have no problems with data roaming, or you might get dinged a lot of money when you do.

In this cloud connected world, an offline mapping system is useful. Unless you want to burden yourself with paper maps, a car GPS can serve as an adequate backup for most cases.

Fix the stability too, please

[kilfarsnar]

This is good news. Now, if I could get CarPlay to not crash every two minutes (seriously, every two minutes, almost like clockwork) I might be able to use this. It's a nice feature, and sounds better than Bluetooth (upgrade your codecs too, Apple) for audio. But it is useless if it crashes constantly.

Finally

[Anonymous Coward]

apple admits their maps application is crap.

Car Manufacturer

[Anonymous Coward]

Now if only the car companies would allow Car play to run on their infotainment systems instead of expecting us to pay and extra $600 for a crappy map program and $20 a month for 4G access. I have LTE and google maps, I just want to play on my screen without having to hack the thing apart and have wires snaking everywhere.

Check your data link

[alispguru]

CarPlay in my experience is way picky about the data link between the phone and the car.

My Kenwood after-market unit had CarPlay crashes all the time until I:

* Took the battery case off the phone
* Connected with a decent quality Lightning cable

Some battery cases don't switch cleanly between charging the case and charging the phone, and the momentary hiccup seems to break CarPlay. The cheap micro-USB connector in the case might also contribute to this.

Agreed, CarPlay should not crash on transient data interruptions.