Former VW driver. Have a relative who drove a Rivian. The software is decent, but the reason they don’t want CarPlay or Android Auto is clearly so they can collect their own data streams.
VW’s software did collect data, but they had CarPlay and Android Auto because consumers demanded it. The telematics software itself, however, was hot garbage. Designed by people with zero knowledge of good UX.
So you have people who are essentially anti-consumer, mixing with people who are software/UX incompetent.
The new Rivian software as it appears on the R2 (and will partially come to existing R1s, and fully to next gen R1s) looks to be substantially more capable. For example, one can finally receive and respond to text messages in (checks calendar)…2026? The voice control stuff is actually pretty snappy and well integrated, but apparently requires their new chipset.
VW will always confuse me. One of the most grown up but not flashy interiors in the non-luxury space, with no sign of the same taste in their software.
At the same time, there are big changes coming to iOS that are supposed to allow the vehicle and phone to share route planning info to avoid conflicts which was allegedly part of the issue with Tesla not implementing CarPlay. I went ahead and installed an aftermarket CarPlay screen in my Model 3 as a binnacle so I could use my preferred podcast player and have chapter support.
Former VW driver. Have a relative who drove a Rivian. The software is decent, but the reason they don’t want CarPlay or Android Auto is clearly so they can collect their own data streams.
VW’s software did collect data, but they had CarPlay and Android Auto because consumers demanded it. The telematics software itself, however, was hot garbage. Designed by people with zero knowledge of good UX.
So you have people who are essentially anti-consumer, mixing with people who are software/UX incompetent.
Not sure any of this will end well.
The new Rivian software as it appears on the R2 (and will partially come to existing R1s, and fully to next gen R1s) looks to be substantially more capable. For example, one can finally receive and respond to text messages in (checks calendar)…2026? The voice control stuff is actually pretty snappy and well integrated, but apparently requires their new chipset.
VW will always confuse me. One of the most grown up but not flashy interiors in the non-luxury space, with no sign of the same taste in their software.
At the same time, there are big changes coming to iOS that are supposed to allow the vehicle and phone to share route planning info to avoid conflicts which was allegedly part of the issue with Tesla not implementing CarPlay. I went ahead and installed an aftermarket CarPlay screen in my Model 3 as a binnacle so I could use my preferred podcast player and have chapter support.