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Comment by DevKoala | Hacker News Reader

I was just talking to a friend about this. My main reason for not jumping on a Tesla is the lack of CarPlay. I would love it if automakers stuck to providing a great automobile platform and just implemented a standard computer interface for all devices to hook up. I don’t know when I will get a new car, but ditching CarPlay is not an option.

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I was worried about that too - because I loved the (apparent) simplicity of using Apple maps from my phone... until I actually got the Tesla and found voice navigation is way easier and flawless. (And in the very occasional situation I have an address on my phone now I can just share it to the Tesla). I don’t miss CarPlay (at least for the features I used).

If you actually owned a Tesla, I promise you wouldn't miss CarPlay. This is a complaint that seems to mainly be propagated by non-Tesla owners.

...if someone wants CarPlay enough to where they won't buy a Tesla, yeah, ofcourse the complaints are going to be from non-Tesla owners...

I own two Teslas and wish for CarPlay. Maps and voice recognition are much worse with Tesla’s software.

Nah, I have a 3, and here is what it lacks compared to Android Auto:

* Reading of messages

* Replying to messages

* Correct album covers for things like podcasts, audiobooks

* Playlist support

* Waze or Google Maps (yeah Tesla's maps are good, but they don't have road closure information which makes them pretty useless here in Michigan during the construction season. I often forgo Tesla's navigation and use Google Maps instead)

Sure, Tesla's software is better than pretty much any other automaker, but it's still lacking some critical features, at least in my opinion.

That's strange, because telsa maps ARE google maps, including traffic.

Most people just pull up tesla websites that support the tesla browser.

google "tesla friendly web sites"

The Tesla map tiles are from Google but the implementation of the app sucks. It doesn't preload tiles along your route so if you go out of mobile coverage it just draws blank rectangles which is hideous. There are many other defects.

It gets improved over time with frequent updates though, including new map data. And I don't know how stale your knowledge is on this, so I wouldn't be so sure this is a problem. People tend to repeat very old information a lot about Tesla, when reality has already moved on. I haven't had a problem with blank tiles in the last year or so and I've been plenty of places with low/no coverage.

How did humanity survive when none of this was even possible 20 years ago?

I am interested in the success of Tesla, I have invested in it. However, my current setup with CarPlay is just too comfortable for me to change it. Does Tesla offer a Zoom app already? That’s one of the latest feature of CarPlay that has greatly improved my day to day, handling meetings from my car.

I have a Tesla, mostly love the software, but I would far far prefer CarPlay.

Having to use my phone to select podcasts or songs or deal with texts is pretty damn backwards.

The integrated music service for Tesla is third rate and a bit embarrassing. I don't know why I have to be stuck with their terrible deal that they made many moons ago.

Just give me CarPlay or Android, Tesla.

Many/Most are fine without CarPlay in a Tesla. Tesla's software is very good, getting better and plays well with the rest of the car.

Are you aware that you can retrofit cars to support carplay and android auto?

True, but system integration is a mixed bag when you do. When it is built in originally, you are assured it will work w/ steering wheel controls, etc.

On the flipside, some manufacturers impose limitations on what you can do when driving, which is annoying, so after market might get around some of that?

On vehicles in which you can change the infotainment yeah. But this doesnt really go well for the tesla.

In addition, to my knowledge older Volkswagen AG vehicles are ripe for replacing the infotainment with a newer, carplay enabled system, but on newer models it seems that it is rather locked down and not as easy a solution as you suggest.

Some cars you can. If they have a standard 1- or 2-DIN radio, or an adapter for same, then yeah you can retrofit a CarPlay-capable radio.

But many newer cars have totally custom, integrated audio systems and retrofitting is either extremely expensive or impossible.

Yes, I have a Miata, which I modified for this purpose. I really like my CarPlay setup.

You can, however there's three problems.

Firstly from an aesthetic point of view they're hideous, you'll end up having to buy a plastic piece of crap to hold it in and aftermarket stereos are just not great, it won't be flush to the rest of the dash.

Secondly depending on your car a bunch of stuff that used to work with your car (forward/reverse sensors) might not show up any more.

Thirdly stalk adaptors costs a fortune.

You really want a car that has got that experience sorted and after driving a modern VW, I'd say a VW or Audi is probably the way to go. They'll have Carplay/Auto/Mirror and that's what you want. The experience of an aftermarket stereo is just not great.

Normal cars, yes. A Tesla… I don't think so. The infotainment center in the Tesla isn't in the DIN form factor, and it's tightly integrated with other vehicle functionality like HVAC controls, cruise control / Autopilot, battery status, etc. There's no way of replicating those features with an aftermarket stereo.

I haven't seen a car with a standard DIN1/2 amplifier in a very long time.

My last car, the "stereo" was just a control board with a screen and some buttons. The head-unit was actually under the seat. The space directly behind the stereo controller was air ducts and a center speaker.

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