GM’s CarPlay replacement software is off to a disastrous start - 9to5Mac::I don’t need to remind you that GM is ditching CarPlay starting with its 2024 model year EVs. We’ve covered…
I won’t touch this with a 10 foot pole. Stupid.
GM’s CarPlay replacement software is off to a disastrous start - 9to5Mac
Submitted 10 months ago by L4s@lemmy.world [bot] to technology@lemmy.world
https://9to5mac.com/2023/12/20/gm-carplay-new-software-reviews/
Comments
phoneymouse@lemmy.world 10 months ago
_stranger_@lemmy.world 10 months ago
That’s just unfair. You’re completely discounting this list of excellent, well supported software products created by legacy car companies:
…
residentmarchant@lemmy.world 10 months ago
The pay-to-play heated seats always work, though!
/s
dojan@lemmy.world 10 months ago
It boggles the mind that the built in software in cars always runs (and often looks) like an early 2000s budget DVD player.
cyberpunk007@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Why wouldn’t you touch it? You WANT this. TRUST US!
-GM, probably
NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I can’t say I was inclined to buy a GM before but now I’m absolutely not going to buy one. The problems described in these reviews are safety issues.
raptir@lemdro.id 10 months ago
I honestly would have considered the Blazer EV were it not for this.
skeezix@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I was thinking of getting one. Not any more.
RandomPancake@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I can honestly say that the phrase “my radio was stuck in a boot loop” is something I ever thought I’d need to say, but here we are.
Side note, you know what would be just absolutely perfect? Just Bluetooth. I don’t need to watch Disney+ while I drive. I don’t need up-to-the-minute notifications of the hottest celebrity news. I don’t need sports updates. I don’t need to know what my stocks are doing right now.
I just want to play music.
AbidanYre@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Maps are nice too. But other than that, yeah.
raptir@lemdro.id 10 months ago
Eh, it’s nice to be able to reliably control my music from the screen with Android Auto.
DudeDudenson@lemmings.world 10 months ago
I can change songs from my steering wheel and I own a 2008 Volkswagen Gol which is the third world country version of the golf 2 more or less
You can keep your shitty touch screen I’d rather just have the physical buttons and Bluetooth
Ive never had any issues with it (other than the microphone not working anymore but the stereo itself is a refurb)
Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee 10 months ago
I struggle to imagine spending twenty minutes on the side of the road troubleshooting my car’s touchscreen, rather than just driving and dealing with it later. Maybe a quick reset, sure, but not more than that.
kaitco@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Who could have imagined that this might happen?
I mean, yeah there’ve been dozens of articles from unbiased analysts suggesting that GM was not in a position to take on this task, especially since Apple CarPlay and Google Android Play have already accomplished what’s necessary and are available to nearly 100% of GM’s customers, but a company the size and scope of GM couldn’t possibly be expected to listen to any of this analysis over these many months.
RandomPancake@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Who could have imagined that this might happen?
Look I don’t know about you but when I hear “quality software development” the first company that comes to mind is GM so
Dizzirron@lemmy.world 10 months ago
[deleted]RandomPancake@lemmy.world 10 months ago
This will be the most middle aged thing I ever post, but:
I’m Gen X. I feel like my generation, and maybe some millennials, got the best of both worlds. We know what it’s like to live in an offline world, including cars. You can drop me anywhere in the continental US and I can drive home without GPS, and probably without a map. We grew up on mixtape-fueled road trips and not having every inch of our commute planned and cross-checked. We didn’t know exactly what to expect in that upcoming town or city, because there was no Tripadvisor or Wikitravel.
We also know how convenient smartphones can be. It’s great that I don’t have to carry a camera plus a camcorder plus a Walkman plus an atlas plus a photo album plus a laptop plus a calling card plus a bag phone plus a notepad plus an encyclopedia plus a wristwatch plus a travel alarm clock plus whatever else I’m forgetting. But take that all away, and it’s at worst a mild annoyance.
So if I can’t use Android Auto, I’m just going to not buy that car. And if all cars suddenly stop shipping with Android Auto, then I’ll see that as a precursor to mandatory 30-second ads before being able to drive, and I’ll just buy whatever car remotely meets my needs AND makes it easy for me to install an aftermarket Android head unit.
BearOfaTime@lemm.ee 10 months ago
Are you me?
We have 2 cars in my family that have BS systems in them. We had to add our own Bluetooth adapters because the builtin crap sucks so bad.
I added a GPS head unit to a car in 2007 or so. It was nice for a few years. I swapped the factory unit back into the car 2 years ago.
Any phone has outperformed head units of any type for 10 years now. It’s more headache to use the built in crap than to use my phone.
stoy@lemmy.zip 10 months ago
But that will be… gasp …boring.
Jokes aside carplay in my car usually just plays podcasts, and sometimes displays navigation, though for the most part it is not needed as I learn the streets.
LukeMedia@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I use navigation all the time, or have it up at least, for the live traffic updates. Very useful!
Cold_Brew_Enema@lemmy.world 10 months ago
GM products are complete garbage. Avoid at all cost.
cm0002@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Almost all first party OS’s from Car manufacturers are complete garbage, idk why anyone has any faith that a car manufacturer (And ancient “old guard” types at that) is going to have good code and good UI/UX
Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I mean, they’re using Android automotive. It’s not truly a first party OS.
redcalcium@lemmy.institute 10 months ago
GM: I removed Android Auto and replaced it with Android Automotive
notannpc@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I expect nothing less. And even if they do make the software stable and usable it will be quickly ruined by micro transactions and subscriptions for basic functionality.
Trash software from a trash company.
Squizzy@lemmy.world 10 months ago
The deep sleep by walking away is infuriating.
Give me an option to reboot entirely from the settings menu
helenslunch@feddit.nl 10 months ago
Yeah. GM doesn’t care about how good it is. Making it good is expensive. They can keep it crappy because you don’t really have any choice (other than buying from another manufacturer that will do the same).
LazaroFilm@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Wow one more reason not to buy GM not that I was planning on it to begin with.
cyberpunk007@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Whaaaaat?! No way! I don’t believe it!
(…/s for those that need it)
lukewarmtuna@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I know this is probably off topic but I’m always stunned in these articles how simple things like this cause peoples (the authors) brains to just meltdown. They seemingly become so helpless when they don’t have a screen to tell them what to do and where to go. As a species we have been so heavily spoiled that simple inconveniences are seemingly incomprehensible to people who are surrounded and coddled by technology at every moment.
That’s not to say I’m perfect and haven’t fallen victim to these things myself, but I at least try to make do and overcome without complaining to the world how hard it is, since it’s not hard at all, just a bit inconvenient. At least I’m not making sandals out of discarded tires, shit could be worse than my car not being able to tell me where to go for a few minutes. (Not trying to say people in those conditions live shitty lives, they’re just subject to their environments; they very well may enjoy their way of living but from my western, coddled perspective, it sounds subjectively unpleasant and I’m greatful for what I have) /rant
More on topic, it’s really sad and unfortunate that so many software based products are shipping in such abysmal and borderline useless states until months after release. Too many things are made now with the presumption that “we just gotta ship it and we’ll fix it later”. It’s annoying as hell but understandable with games, it’s not a critical piece of software. A car though? Even if it’s the infotainment system it’s still awful. I love my '06 car, works great, gets me where I need to go, doesn’t harvest my data or relies on a battery to open the door.
I’m reminded of an article from 2015 about how a Jeep could be “hacked” while in motion and the attacker could apply the e-brake or kill the engine. Scary stuff, and with a thousands of pound rolling machine, it better not have such flawed software.
Anyway, I wish we could go back to an engine on wheels and a protective shell, don’t need all the “gizmos” so to speak.
Starbuck@lemmy.world 10 months ago
I think it’s worth saying that the head unit failing in this scenario is very disruptive for two reasons:
First and foremost, the purpose of this journey in this car is to review the car. So if the head unit craps out, and he doesn’t make every effort to reboot it, and he mentions it in the review, he loses a lot of credibility from the users and industry folks. Could you imagine a review for a computer where it crashes or turns off, and the reviewer just says “welp, that’s all folks”?
My second point is that he is navigating in an unfamiliar place to a charger for the car. If you’re coming from Tesla or AA/CarPlay, this is something you expect to work flawlessly. And it’s part of the review that’s worth discussing whether or not it works.
In my opinion, even if he 100% knew where he was going, his behaviors are justified for a review.
Poayjay@lemmy.world 10 months ago
The thing that kills me about this sort of thing is the complete lack of accountability. Working class people at assembly plants, dealers, suppliers will all feel the sting from the drop in sales. There’s some dipshit MBA at GM who made and pushed this decision. Any rational person could see that GM is not is a position to push their own infotainment system. Car play and android auto are beloved. Not having one or both is a deal breaker for new car purchasers. We will never know who this person is. Making such an outrageously bad business decision should result thing this person being blackballed from any kind of business role. But that will never happen.
reddig33@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Becoming employee-owned can help with this. Union pressure can also help. Nothing stopping the unions from enrolling their members in a stock purchase plan to give them more votes/power/sway.
helenslunch@feddit.nl 10 months ago
Too many people make the mistake of projection. No one buys GM vehicles for their infotainment system. Any loss in vehicle sales will likely be offset by the increased income from selling user data.
That’s what they’re banking on.
Alexstarfire@lemmy.world 10 months ago
Not having one or the other is a deal breaker? My guy, neither one ever crossed my mind while purchasing a car. Didn’t need it growing up, still don’t need it now.
Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world 10 months ago
They’re pushing a Google developed infotainment system. Android automotive.
9to5mac.com/2023/03/31/gm-carplay-support-ev/