I bought a car that is so old that it doesn't have Apple CarPlay either Android Auto, and I love it. It's an old BMW and it has USB, but nothing special. I use the built-in navigation system for maps, Bluetooth for music, and you know what? I don't miss CarPlay at all. In fact, I'm relieved to no longer have to rely on my smartphone. That's a big problem for Apple and Google. CarPlay and Android Auto have made things worse in every way, not better.
What does my older car do that CarPlay doesn't? Let's start with the things it doesn't do. It never freezes. When I switch from music to maps, I don't get an endless pause that leaves me wondering if I need to restart… something. The only thing I reset is the internal combustion engine. The navigation system just works.
With Android Auto and CarPlay, I'm constantly fighting bugs and glitches. The audio will stop working while listening to an Audible audiobook, or Waze will crash just as I approach an important turn, leaving me with a map frozen on my screen.
Awesome. Now I can troubleshoot my car, driving at 55 mph, while also trying to figure out what to do with the start I just lost.
That's if I can get out on the road before the problems start. I constantly have connection problems with both Android Auto and CarPlay. On Android, not only would my device disconnect from Bluetooth (why do I need BT for a wired CarPlay connection?), but it would remove my car from my list of Bluetooth devices. I've seen this happen on top Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones, and more than once.
My Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max is more reliable, by a fraction. I'm having fewer connection issues, but CarPlay still freezes frequently when I need to switch between apps, especially apps that play audio content.
I once made the terrible mistake of running Apple's iOS 17 Beta software while relying on my iPhone for CarPlay. CarPlay broke down on every trip. I will never do that again, my friends. It was a harrowing experience of high speed software crashes and it is impossible to downgrade from Beta software in case of emergency.
Buttons are good, touch screens are bad.
I use my phone in the kitchen, but I don't use it to chop vegetables.
My car is not perfect; BMW's intricate iDrive entertainment system is quite famous. Still, I much prefer it to my iPhone 15 Pro Max or Pixel 8 Pro either Galaxy S24 Ultra controlling my system. It may not have a voice assistant or messaging features. It can be difficult to navigate with just a manual dial and a button to press. It's still much better than a touch screen.
What I like most about my car is the way it avoids touch screens. It has six programmable buttons and you can program them to do anything on the screen. Instead of just radio stations, I can program buttons for navigation shortcuts, music, or the trip computer.
I don't need to touch a touch screen multiple times for every common task. When I want to go home, I press button #1. I can do it without looking, because it's a big, real button. Instead of focusing my attention on a small screen, BMW (at the time) recognized that buttons were more efficient. I wish more car companies and phone manufacturers would remember this path.
I want to love CarPlay and Android Auto. My phone is smart and has all my music, audiobooks, and navigation shortcuts preloaded. My phone can send text messages just by listening to me and can prioritize notifications to filter out what's not important.
My phone should be part of my car, but it shouldn't be the centerpiece. I use my phone in the kitchen, but I don't use it to chop vegetables. I use it to read a recipe, I don't use it to stir the pot.
A car should be infallible, but a smartphone can fail
In the car, my phone should provide information and content, but it shouldn't be the buttons and knobs. Phones are terrible as buttons and knobs, and we have real buttons and knobs instead. I need to keep my eyes on the road. A touchscreen is so obviously stupid to drive, it's a wonder we've allowed car makers and phone makers to collaborate on this.
Smartphones are not designed to be foolproof while traveling down the road behind two tons of metal and gasoline. My car is designed to respond immediately, in any condition. The rearview camera appears when I put the car in reverse so I don't hit someone behind me.
My smartphone is not as responsive. If the phone fails, so what? Doesn't reboot quickly. There are software bugs and freezes and I'm supposed to live with it. Who let this thing get behind the wheel?
We need to laugh at the ridiculous idea that the future is completely touch-based and get back to the tools that work. Until my phone's touchscreen works better than the knob on my car stereo, I'll continue using the volume up knob and turn off CarPlay.
