Poll: Should Rivian offer Apple CarPlay?

[SoCal Rob]

When we've had a CarPlay enabled vehicle, my wife has used it and I have wished it would go away while I'm driving.

In particular, I don't like the way CarPlay hides outside temperature data. Those data matter to me!

I would have enjoyed the poll more with a third option: "I don't care." I bet that would have drawn votes from both sides....

Best to all!

Yes, that would be helpful since a lot of folks really don’t care… and a lot of them are completely over the entire topic.

Just so you know, that lost outside temperature annoyance isn’t CarPlay but rather the way the particular manufacturer implemented it, possibly because of the physical display size in the vehicle. CarPlay doesn’t need to take over the entire screen and some manufacturers essentially have a windowed CarPlay with native displays and/or controls still visible for vehicles with larger displays. The Rivian central display is so large I cannot imagine that anyone wants CarPlay using the entire screen. Of course I may be wrong.

I think that this manufacturer X implementation of CarPlay equals the totality of CarPlay is what drives a lot of CarPlay advocates to frustration. It’s like when people talk about how manufacturer X CarPlay had issues so CarPlay must be terrible. I owned 2 cars which supported CarPlay from two different manufacturers and never had a connectivity problem or lockup issue.

On the other hand, my Rivian regularly loses Alexa and/or TuneIn despite a good cellular connection. So I use Siri via my phone or Spotify on the Rivian. Eventually the infotainment reboots (I lose recent drive efficiency and the seats default to heat rather than ventilation) or I reboot it to get the functionality back. From my perspective, CarPlay I used in vehicles from 2016 to 2023 was way, Way, WAY more reliable than the native Rivian apps I’ve been using for a year.

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[COdogman]

I will never understand why people get so attached to such specific, minor features (within the larger package). Especially when Rivian has been very transparent from day 1 about the fact they never plan to implement it.

To each their own I guess ?‍

 

[Killer95Stang]

“Hey Gary, change my interior lighting to the color of your pants.”

I'd be happy with " hey Gary, would you wear a belt, so your pants don't keep falling down!"

 

[cgm9999]

Read the poll question and just had to laugh.

Poll:

"Should employers offer 180 days of annual leave/vacation?"
"Should Popeyes offer customer service with their fried chicken?"
"Should people keep their shoes and socks on when they're on a public airplane?"
"Should I wear pants when my in-laws come to visit?"

I mean...yeah? I guess? Sure, why not?

Of course, the issue isn't whether Rivian should or shouldn't offer CarPlay, it's whether or not it's worth the cost/resources/licenses/etc. for Rivian to do so.

Despite the constant hollering, it's just not something I care about. I have CarPlay in my Lucid, Cadillac, and other cars. It's fine. I like it. I can't say that its absence from my Rivian is the Archduke-Franz-Ferdinand-assassination incident that so many others make it out to be.

Despite not having CarPlay, I can still make hands-free calls (in the rare instance when I need to talk on a phone while driving a car), listen to music, listen to podcasts, ask for directions, etc. In short, it does everything I need it to do.

Now, is it annoying as hell that I can't get texts read to me as I drive?! Or, not have the ability to get Google navigation directly from my screen?!

HELL YE - well, no. Not really.

I hate getting texted. More so when I'm driving. When I absolutely need google maps to get me to where I'm going, I ask Siri for directions and share them to my Rivian. Does it add an extra step? Sure. Does CarPlay solve this problem? It does. Is it a big enough deal to cry about it endlessly on a public forum when I most assuredly have better things to do with my time?

Nah.

 

[RivAW]

as others mentioned….you should have included an “I don’t care either way” option on the poll….

 

[Chewy734]

I'd be happy with " hey Gary, would you wear a belt, so your pants don't keep falling down!"

Truth.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Truth.

I have my inlaws flying in next week and they will be staying with us for a month or so. My wife is excited to show them her Rivian, but I'm afraid Gary will have my mother in law clutching her pearls while she is sitting in the back seat.

 

[tate16t]

I had CarPlay in my x7 and a couple of other cars. I miss Waze and the phone integration. I don’t believe there’s anything else I miss.

 

[jpal]

I would like to see Apple CarPlay added as an option. I have several comments about the poll, though.

First, I think the poll needs to be about optional screen projection (Android Auto and Apple CarPlay) and not CarPlay only. So many people seem to think that CP or screen projection in general will require them to use the system when that is not true.

Next, I don’t think this poll will accomplish anything other than spark more argument on here rather than rational discussion.

I’ve proposed making screen projection a paid option in the past since many people are afraid that Rivian will stop development on the native system and apps because of the resources spent on screen projection. Something else for folks to consider is that we don’t know how long Rivian will continue to update Gen 1 vehicle software. I hope that at a bare minimum the final update for a hardware platform they no longer plan to support will include an option to buy screen projection capability to prolong the useful life of the hardware by leveraging the smart phone connected to it.

Finally, this really brings out what I consider to be an ugly aspect of some people’s personality: Person A arguing against other people (group B) gaining something which person A already has and which will not negatively affect Person A. Is this merely because Person A already has what they want so group B should just shut up and accept it? That’s just speculation about one possible reason. I don’t understand the motivation for arguing against adding features or choices when the addition doesn’t come at the cost of existing features or choices.

This person A trying to prevent improvement for group B behavior extends to much bigger issues than screen projection, and I’m staying out of examples to steer well clear of politics. I’ll just say that as someone who belongs to multiple group B classes in life, I am sick of the lack of empathy exhibited by some people. If it brings you joy to see other people prevented from getting things they need or want in their lives then it might be beneficial for you to figure out why that is.

oh wow- false binary straight into oppressed status.

Creating the offering for group B DOES affect Group A. Pretending that it doesn’t is your false binary.

If Rivian introduces CarPlay, then the UI becomes fragmented. I want voice-to-text capability just like everyone else. But I don’t want it inside a separate app that can’t also control all the native Rivian stuff. Offering CarPlay takes the pressure off of Rivian to deliver all these missing components in the native unfragmented UI, and almost certainly slows down their progress in that native UI as a result. So everyone complaining about people that don’t want CarPlay by saying “why do you care, it doesn’t affect you” are just flat-out wrong. And seriously? You make it sound like you’re part of an oppressed group here?? Because you don’t have CarPlay on your supertruck? Wow.

 

[s4wrxttcs]

There are a number of people that simply won't buy a car without car play.

I'm not one of them.

Instead I see carplay as a way to get around the terrible navigation that Rivian has. Once they fix their navigation and they offer some kind of off-road navigation then I don't personally see a use for it.

In some ways not having CarPlay is a good thing because it forces manufactures to have really good apps.

 

[tate16t]

CarPlay may add complexity as well. Updates will require coordination. I recall BMW having problems with this. The kinks may be worked out by now but its something to consider for all car manufacturers.

 

[sirna7]

Happy to hear your opinion about whether Rivian should have CarPlay. Mostly I just wanted to poll the membership about appetite for CarPlay. I feel like it is overwhelmingly desired by owners, but I may very well be wrong. Hence my question to you all.

You should make a thread called "Heatpump Poll" and see how many FOMO Gen 1 owners there are lol ?

 

[waitingonanr1s]

I think this dead horse has been thoroughly beaten. If Carplay is so important to you then get an aftermarket second screen or buy something else. It's not coming to Rivian.

 

[SoCal Rob]

I will never understand why people get so attached to such specific, minor features (within the larger package). Especially when Rivian has been very transparent from day 1 about the fact they never plan to implement it.

To each their own I guess ?‍

What I don’t understand is the people who think they can convince Rivian to change their stance. I would like to see screen projection available but I don’t see Rivian changing their stance on it. I mean, they’ve been consistent, AFAIK: nobody with the authority to officially speak on behalf of Rivian ever said screen projection was coming. I could see how some people might be confused by the upcoming mirroring / casting, but that’s completely different.

I absolutely love our R1S and I’d buy it again in an instant if I had to make the decision all over again. Actually, I think that would be an interesting poll for people who want screen projection: What would you buy today given your Rivian experience and ongoing certainty that screen projection is not coming to Rivians? (Same Rivian, Different Rivian, Tesla - still no screen projection but at least it has text messaging, something else but only if it has screen projection, anything else, etc.)

 

[LaJollaAaron]

OK...Rant on...Why is CarPlay asked about evert .25 days? RJ has said at multiple times that CP/AA are not on the horizon and Rivian has no plans to introduce it. You knew that when you bought the car.

Rant off, now back yo your regularly-scheduled forum.

at some point I read an interview with RJ and he didn’t rule it out, he said “~we’ll respond to what the community wants.” I apologize to everyone as it’s clear that this has been asked before- I didn’t mean to pile on. I’m not on here much, and I was lazy, I didn’t look. Sorry.

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