Today, most new cars come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems pre-installed, which greatly simplify the connection between the car's multimedia system and the smartphone, allowing you to use familiar applications on the car's screen. However, despite the convenience, these systems have serious drawbacks that cannot be ignored in everyday use of the vehicle.
The main disadvantage of the system is its complete dependence on the smartphone and a stable internet connection on it. If the phone is left at home, runs out of battery, or loses internet connection, you get a complete lack of information about traffic jams, cameras, and streaming services.
Another notable disadvantage is the limited control over the car's functionality compared to the standard system. CarPlay and Android Auto cannot provide access to, for example, climate control, heated seats, cameras, and other important settings.
The third disadvantage is problems with updates, especially major ones. It is a common situation when manufacturers do not have time to adapt cars to changes. In this case, the smartphone may simply stop connecting to the car system, and it is unknown how soon they will react to this and fix it.
Also, despite all the convenience and claimed safety, sudden pop-up messages, loss of connection, and difficulties in recognizing voice commands can distract the driver from the road and create an emergency situation.
The final disadvantage is the closed ecosystem. The number of applications that can be used is limited by the developer. If you are used to using any non-standard or more convenient maps for navigation, alas, the choice is only from the standard set, in which, for example, "Yandex Maps" only recently appeared.
In general, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto remain good systems for smartphone and car interaction, but, unfortunately, not without nuances and limitations.
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