Campground/travel apps

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by LERD

... I already called Ford about an upgrade on their system. But for Super Dutys, it's only available on a 2023 or newer, there is no backwards compatibility.

My Ford dealer, the area service rep and the factory "owner support" all told me the same thing about my 2015 F250. They simply said, 'You can't upgrade, buy a new truck"....

I found a "aftermarket Ford electronics upgrade company" (probably a garage industry, but....) that not only was able to upgrade my "infotainment system" but added features that Ford doesn't even offer....

You might want to do a little research for aftermarket upgrades. Here's a link to the company I bought from: https://www.4dtech.com/

I will readily admit that 5 years ago when I did my upgrade, it AIN'T CHEAP... But after all this time, it's still working just like it did on day one..... Yep, I can only wish my emissions system was as reliable as my aftermarket infotainment system......

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by LERD

I would love to hear about any other Android Auto app for truck and or RV travel. I already called Ford about an upgrade on their system. But for Super Dutys, it's only available on a 2023 or newer, there is no backwards compatibility.

Two other RV-safe GPS apps I am aware of are Sygic Truck and Togo RV. I believe they offer Android versions. Back in the day when I tried Sygic, its user interface was bloody awful opaque to the point of unusability. It may have improved since then, but I never pursued it after I found out what the subscription cost was. It's probably very equitable for a full-time pro trucker, but I found it excessive for the amount of RV travel I do. The Togo app I did use a bit, but I just never gave it a serious workout before finding RV Life.

I'm puzzled by your comment about Ford Super-Dutys. Our 2019 came with Apple CarPlay, and I don't believe we even had a choice. Then again, we didn't have the luxury of factory-ordering it, as we did on some other trucks, so I may have just got what it came with.

[NH_Bulldog]

The underlying issue is the app, it is not compatible with Android Auto, only Apple Car Play. It isn’t a Ford or Chevy or Ram issue, Android Auto is Android Auto and Apple Car Play is Apple Car Play regardless of your vehicle.

[LHaven]

I interpreted OP's post as saying that his truck came with Android Auto instead of Apple CarPlay. (I've never had Android Auto, so I don't know anything about it.) I made the assumption that an app that had an Android version would support Android Auto if it supported any vehicle system. So I guess I don't understand the issue, because your response puzzles me.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by LHaven

I interpreted OP's post as saying that his truck came with Android Auto instead of Apple CarPlay. (I've never had Android Auto, so I don't know anything about it.) I made the assumption that an app that had an Android version would support Android Auto if it supported any vehicle system. So I guess I don't understand the issue, because your response puzzles me.

What I see as the "problem" is more a Betamax/VHS or a Mac/Microsoft issue. Trying to use an app that can't talk to an operating system/interface system is sort of like trying to run a Mac program on a Microsoft computer/tablet or trying to get a VHS tape to play a movie in a Betamax machine. Yes, there are "interface apps" that will work around the incompatibility, but so far nobody has identified which app would work to play the software program on the truck infotainment system. That interface is what's missing, I think.....

[NH_Bulldog]

Basically, Apple CarPlay is a programming standard that allows compatible Apple iOS phone apps to “talk” with a properly equipped vehicle. The app developer must meet certain “standards” for an app to be compatible with Apple CarPlay. The same holds true for Android Auto. (It has to be for Audio, Navigation, Food/Parking, Messaging or vehicle manufacturer specific)

It is very import to understand that only a relatively small percentage of Apple phone apps are compatible with Apple CarPlay and conversely, only a relatively small percentage of Android phone apps are compatible with Android Auto. Vehicle manufacturers are ready with current technology and hardware, but the app programers need to write the proper (and compliant) code into the apps.

[GlasNav]

Originally Posted by NH_Bulldog

Basically, Apple CarPlay is a programming standard that allows compatible Apple iOS phone apps to “talk” with a properly equipped vehicle. The app developer must meet certain “standards” for an app to be compatible with Apple CarPlay. The same holds true for Android Auto.

It is very import to understand that only a relatively small percentage of Apple phone apps are compatible with Apple CarPlay and conversely, only a relatively small percentage of Android phone apps are compatible with Android Auto.

Additionally, it depends on how complete the version of Apple CarPlay that is installed in the vehicle. Yes, sounds corny. BUT, I had a 2019 RAM 1500 Bighorn with Apple Car Play, it supported music and phone. Now I have a 2019 RAM 3500 Longhorn with Apple CarPlay and it interfaces with navigation as well as having its own navigation.

[LHaven]

Yeah, thanks, NHBulldog. Being an Apple-Certified service provider, I understand Apple CarPlay. That having been said:

I mentioned Sygic Truck and Togo RV as apps that are available on both platforms.
Both of them are available on Google Play for Androids. Google them!

My only real puzzlement was about how his Ford truck came with Android Auto, as I was unaware that was even possible. My experience has been that the providers like to license these things to manufacturers exclusively -- if you offer one, you can't offer the other.

[GlasNav]

LHaven: Well at least Ford finally got away from the Microsoft Entertainment app!

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by GlasNav

LHaven: Well at least Ford finally got away from the Microsoft Entertainment app!

You mean the Zune push-push port is gone?

[NH_Bulldog]

It isn’t a Betamax/VHS situation, vehicle manufacturers (including Ford) offer both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in their Sync interface system and have for years.

Can you imagine Ford losing a customer simply because their system doesn’t work with their cell phone of choice?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by NH_Bulldog

It isn’t a Betamax/VHS situation, vehicle manufacturers (including Ford) offer both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in their Sync interface system and have for years.

Can you imagine Ford losing a customer simply because their system doesn’t work with their cell phone of choice?

It is a "app incompatability" (I used the example of betamax/VHS incompatability, maybe in a "too simplistic way" to be fully understood by everyone???). The problem is that an Android phone with Android apps can't talk to a Apple CarPlay system and have all the features that an Apple phone has using the same apps. On "SOME" Fords, Apple CarPlay only works with Audio/phone features and won't support navigation apps. On other Fords, both audio/phone AND navigation features work. Then, on SOME Fords, Android Auto works with audio/phone, but not with an app that "translates Apple navigation features to android language. Then there are other Fords that do both apple and android for both audio/phone and navigation.

It all boils down to, as I said in my post, whether you have an app that will allow an apple to talk to an android system or whether you have an app that will allow an android system to talk to apple carplay. Beyond that, it depends ENTIRELY on what the vehicle infotainment system supports. If it doesn't support Apple navigation, then you can't use an android app to talk to that missilg part of your Ford infotainment system. It simply "isn't there to talk to"......

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by NH_Bulldog

It isn’t a Betamax/VHS situation, vehicle manufacturers (including Ford) offer both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in their Sync interface system and have for years.

Can you imagine Ford losing a customer simply because their system doesn’t work with their cell phone of choice?

Well, I didn't say it wasn't a terribly predatory business model, but it was a business model in the industry for a long time. Some of it bled into the auto industry as well.

I went back and reviewed my owner manual, and discovered that my truck does indeed support both systems. I've never seen any indication of it on the screen (which talks about CarPlay all over the place but never mentions the other), but maybe I would if I had any android devices (other than inCommand!)

I learned something today.

[LERD]

I might not have clarified my statment properly. My truck did come with Apple Car Play, and Android Auto. You can use one or the other. But my wife and I use Android phones, so that means we use Android Auto.
And that's the problem. RV life trip wizard works on my phone only. It won't talk to Android Auto. So I can't put the map on the truck display. So once I know my basic route and any obstructions, I'll fire up Google maps for reference and timing.

[LHaven]

So bottom line is that the RV Life app, GPS operation, on an iPhone, talks to CarPlay; but on an Android, does not talk to Android Auto. Certainly strikes me as an inequity, if not a deficiency.

Of the other two apps I mentioned, Sygic Truck sends its route to Google Maps, so that's covered; and Togo RV doesn't say anything about vehicular display on an Android, so I'm guessing it doesn't do that at all.

From nav-forum conversations, I gather that most of the iPhone (and Mac) apps make use of a handy backdoor to Apple Maps to get most of the scut work done... so maybe that's why more apps support CarPlay than Android Auto, because it's easier.

[LERD]

Originally Posted by LHaven

So bottom line is that the RV Life app, GPS operation, on an iPhone, talks to CarPlay; but on an Android, does not talk to Android Auto. Certainly strikes me as an inequity, if not a deficiency.

Of the other two apps I mentioned, Sygic Truck sends its route to Google Maps, so that's covered; and Togo RV doesn't say anything about vehicular display on an Android, so I'm guessing it doesn't do that at all.

From nav-forum conversations, I gather that most of the iPhone (and Mac) apps make use of a handy backdoor to Apple Maps to get most of the scut work done... so maybe that's why more apps support CarPlay than Android Auto, because it's easier.

So I went to the Google play store and started reading reviews on Sygic. Apparently it works with Android Auto using the car version. However, but it doesn't work in Android Auto using the truck/rv version. It will work with Google maps, but not the way I would need to use it. You setup your route in Google maps, then send the information to the Sygic app. Not the other way around. It's very frustrating. I have used both iphones and androids for over 15 years. We prefer androids, so for now I will keep using Google maps and Android Auto until something better comes along.