[NoVAMC]

One of my buyer values is to get in my car, plug my phone in and use my voice/ears to do what I want instead of fingers/eyes. One of the reasons I don't want a Tesla is because it drives me crazy to see someone spend that kind of money and have to hang their phone from a vent with a $10 piece of plastic to interact with it. (And to be clear, I've been a big user of Android Auto since it came out).

When I asked Rivian customer service about this, they pointed to Alexa and talked about being able to control all the features of the car with your voice. That sounds pretty cool but it doesn't cover the two main things I do with my phone while driving - navigation with Google Maps and text messaging.

I assume we'll have a native navigation platform and that (like Tesla's) it won't be as good or accurate as Google Maps and Waze but that we will be able to control it with our voice. I think at this point text messaging won't be supported (only a phone feature).

What do you all think? Anyone have workarounds for these things or understand it differently?

Thanks!

 

[lefkonj]

CarPlay and Android Auto should be standard features at this point. Period end of story, don't care if it is that way in a Honda Civic it should be that was in a 80k vehicle.

 

[Steve]

I agree with the concerns with the UI. I really like car play. However, like Tesla, Rivian sees the value of owning the interface wholly to better integrate with vehicle features and to sell software like games.
I’ve heard Tesla maps are actually very good and that the biggest gripe was with music streaming. I’ll be interested to see what apps Rivian offers within its UI,but doubt it will ever support car play or android auto

 

[timesinks]

Just keep giving them the feedback and (if they're delivered without it) sending pictures of how ridiculous phone mounts look in these vehicles.

Carplay/AA are not mutually exclusive with a high-end, proprietary system. CarPlay/AA could be offered as an app that runs in a window. Give you access to the stuff on the phone via the Rivian's screen, while not interfering with the other vehicle functions. Our Volt touch screen, CarPlay doesn't just take over. I can always go to the vehicle's Home Screen to operate the radio, see the charging info, etc., etc..

Just keep telling them we expected them to be better than Tesla and embrace industry best practices. Put a lot of emphasis on the fact that you will be using your phone, so it's best to make that experience as integrated and safe as possible. CarPlay and Android Auto are just two features of a complete and modern system.

 

[lefkonj]

I agree with the concerns with the UI. I really like car play. However, like Tesla, Rivian sees the value of owning the interface wholly to better integrate with vehicle features and to sell software like games.
I’ve heard Tesla maps are actually very good and that the biggest gripe was with music streaming. I’ll be interested to see what apps Rivian offers within its UI,but doubt it will ever support car play or android auto

I understand why Rivian/Tesla want to own the UI however technically they could carve out a space of the center screen for the Carplay/AA interface. Audi/MB have massive display units in their cars, all digital controls but they support these functions. Their apps even integrate into them.

 

[travwill]

I'm not sure what Rivian is going to use for a Navigation engine; Tesla used Google previously for maps but their newer native opensource type Nav was actually better and improved/more up to date.

I would hope Rivian could give us some CarPlay functionality if we want it on most of that large center console screen, but we'll see. If they do good enough on the UI it shouldn't be needed though.

 

[Vollmarj]

If they don't support Android Auto and CarPlay I will probably cancel my pre-order. Being able to plug my phone in and have the familiar interface that knows my music, podcasts, frequented destinations, reservations, trip itineraries, etc is a must. When I am travelling and rent a vehicle this is the main feature I look for when selecting the make/model. It just makes things better. I'd hate to give that up. Please Rivian do the right thing and support what has become industry standard tech.