All I wish for is hands-free texting

[dstraede]

Android works well with reading and sending text messages: "Hey Google, text RJ, please integrate Alexa with text messaging." Wouldn't it be nice to see who sent you a text or have a display or sound that alerts you to a new message? Then you could say, "Alexa, read me the text message from Rivian Service." The music would stop, and the car would say, "Your service appointment is in eight weeks, and the service should be complete in 12 weeks."

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[Donald Stanfield]

All I wish is for people to focus on driving when they are behind the wheel.

You'll probably get what you wished for first.

Especially with text messages. Texts aren't urgent, that is what phone calls are for. I've never gotten a text that couldn't wait 20-30 min for me to get where I'm going before responding.

 

[WilcoFan]

Seems to use the phone microphone to initiate the “hey siri” but after that everything is run via the vehicle speakers/mic. My phone doesn’t have to be completely unlocked but does have to be out of my pocket sitting on the console. I think there’s a setting I have selected that ignores Siri inputs if the phone is in my pocket or face down.

I haven’t had an Android phone for a while but years ago it would work in a similar manner.

I don’t use the “hey Siri” audio command, but instead with my right hand (not looking at the phone), click and hold for one second the right sided button on my iPhone, which does the same thing as asking for help. Then ask it to read the text message and I proceeds and it helps me to reply or to call the person at my direction.

It plays through the vehicle speakers, if the iPhone is connected via BT.

 

[ebarke]

I've found with Android, that it doesn't read text messages unless you are connected to audio as BT, after connect+ trial ended, I switched my audio to BT to listen to spotify, and now the text messages get read thru the speakers, but when listening thru the spotify app in the car, it would only say the messages thru the phone and wouldn't affect the audio playing thru the speakers.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Texts aren't urgent, that is what phone calls are for. I've never gotten a text that couldn't wait 20-30 min for me to get where I'm going before responding.

I completely agree with what you wrote, but that doesn’t mean everyone behaves in the way you’re describing. In my experience, younger people tend not to make phone calls and a bunch of other people don’t understand the hierarchy of communication methods. I do IT work and it is a constant struggle to get colleagues in ANY department to call when there is something urgent, even after explaining the (obvious) difference in an ongoing notification (phone ringing) versus one-time notification tone. That’s just in a professional setting.

Then there’s the mystery of how my mom (87) chooses the communication method: urgent will be email or text, trivial unimportant stuff will be phone call or email, and things which would best be seen in writing (say, a shopping list) are clearly phone call material.

Based on conversations I’ve had with friends and colleagues, I’m not the only one seeing these kinds of things.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I completely agree with what you wrote, but that doesn’t mean everyone behaves in the way you’re describing. In my experience, younger people tend not to make phone calls and a bunch of other people don’t understand the hierarchy of communication methods. I do IT work and it is a constant struggle to get colleagues in ANY department to call when there is something urgent, even after explaining the (obvious) difference in an ongoing notification (phone ringing) versus one-time notification tone. That’s just in a professional setting.

Then there’s the mystery of how my mom (87) chooses the communication method: urgent will be email or text, trivial unimportant stuff will be phone call or email, and things which would best be seen in writing (say, a shopping list) are clearly phone call material.

Based on conversations I’ve had with friends and colleagues, I’m not the only one seeing these kinds of things.

It's true that not everyone abides by these rules, but while driving people need to accept that you aren't always reachable. That's the thing with younger people, they may not use the phone to call but they usually aren't expecting an immediate response to a text. How often in life do you even get a legitimately urgent message? Couple times a year?

People's definitions of urgent differ too. Personally urgent is someone dying or an otherwise extremely time-sensitive and vital message. Even most work things aren't so critical that they can't wait 20 minutes unless you're a surgeon or a bomb technician or something like that.

 

[SparkyR1t]

Let me preface by making it clear that this is not about Carplay or Auto, but at the minimum what I feel is a reasonable feature ask is tighter native phone integration, and at a minimum to be able to hear my text messages and have the ability to reply to or send text messages without having to pull over or do what everyone does... text msg while driving. Is this a crazy ask? did I overlook something?

Agree with the hands free texting and maybe move the time and temp over in front of the driver , or at least give me the choice of where I would like to view it. These are basically driver safety issues that if available allow us to devote more of our attention to the road a greater amount of time.

 

[DrBad]

I totally agree they need to integrate texting into the interface, with audible and screen alerts when you have a text come in. Pretty inexcusable they don't have this but they can put out Halloween costumes, IMO. The voice interface with Siri works fine but the problem is you don't get any kind of alert when a message comes in, other than on your phone itself, so you need to take your eyes off the road to see the text or ask Siri every time you hear a text come in, which is stupid. I'me using an Anker magnetic mount and charger to put the phone by the dash where I can easily see new texts and decide if I want Siri to read it or to respond. This works well. EVSportline also has a fixed mount and charger which hooks into the dash and attaches to a fuse, which is pretty slick. But it's on the left side of the steering wheel, which I don't like, and involves pulling some of the dash trim off, which I just didn't want to get into.

 

[snowboarder777]

What about people with hearing loss like me?? I cannot hear siri or android auto voicing the texts to me very well and I prefer to see and type the appropriate responses... This is one of the biggest caveat with this Rivian. My BMW, Audi and Mercedes allows me to voice respond the texts and verify with the texts on the screen before I send it or I have pre-made texts to respond etc...

 

[Steve A.]

Let me preface by making it clear that this is not about Carplay or Auto, but at the minimum what I feel is a reasonable feature ask is tighter native phone integration, and at a minimum to be able to hear my text messages and have the ability to reply to or send text messages without having to pull over or do what everyone does... text msg while driving. Is this a crazy ask? did I overlook something?

Yet another, "I wish..." post for something that's worked great since last December. ;-)

No need to wait for Wassym to continue to waste expensive software engineering resources to reinvent the AA/ACP wheel. No Connect+ subscription necessary. #ItJustWorks

https://evsportline.com/products/apple-carplay-smart-dash-screen-for-rivian-r1t-r1s

 

[mkg3]

It's true that not everyone abides by these rules, but while driving people need to accept that you aren't always reachable. That's the thing with younger people, they may not use the phone to call but they usually aren't expecting an immediate response to a text. How often in life do you even get a legitimately urgent message? Couple times a year?

People's definitions of urgent differ too. Personally urgent is someone dying or an otherwise extremely time-sensitive and vital message. Even most work things aren't so critical that they can't wait 20 minutes unless you're a surgeon or a bomb technician or something like that.

There is not a rule on what medium to use for what purpose. Perhaps you have a rule...

My communication medium is recipient dependent - young people, including my kids, text/message regardless of urgency as they don't use email for the most part unless you tell them to go look at it for something you'd sent them. The only time to call someone is if it requires multiple texts or need for a conversation (e.g., complicated questions and/or multiple subjects).

For most old people, it's usually a call first, then email. Again, many do use text but not as much as email.

For the most part, I avoid phone calls in general as I don't like talking on the phone, especially while driving.

 

[RandomMcRandomFace]

What about people with hearing loss like me?? I cannot hear siri or android auto voicing the texts to me very well and I prefer to see and type the appropriate responses... This is one of the biggest caveat with this Rivian. My BMW, Audi and Mercedes allows me to voice respond the texts and verify with the texts on the screen before I send it or I have pre-made texts to respond etc...

So you want to . . . Look at your screen and read a text? Please do explain further.

 

[snowboarder777]

So you want to . . . Look at your screen and read a text? Please do explain further.

Sure. So if someone texts me it be nice to hear and read the texts at same time and respond if needed. Hearing loss is very different for everyone. I cannot explain to you how hard it is to listen and drive at times. I do have convo with people in the front but it's hard with road noise etc hearing those in the back etc. That's why we have captions for TV etc...

 

[SwampNut]

"If it's that important, they can call."

I absolutely do not want calls, too distracting and I mostly don't answer. If it's that important, they can text.

 

[Ingo B]

I completely agree with what you wrote, but that doesn’t mean everyone behaves in the way you’re describing. In my experience, younger people tend not to make phone calls and a bunch of other people don’t understand the hierarchy of communication methods. I do IT work and it is a constant struggle to get colleagues in ANY department to call when there is something urgent, even after explaining the (obvious) difference in an ongoing notification (phone ringing) versus one-time notification tone. That’s just in a professional setting.

Then there’s the mystery of how my mom (87) chooses the communication method: urgent will be email or text, trivial unimportant stuff will be phone call or email, and things which would best be seen in writing (say, a shopping list) are clearly phone call material.

Based on conversations I’ve had with friends and colleagues, I’m not the only one seeing these kinds of things.

Our moms must be besties. Same experiences.

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