I added CarPlay to my R1T

[Acoustic71]

It’s more RJ is anti musk not anti Tesla.

Bingo.

Sponsored

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

It’s no surprise that Rivian is in bed with Amazon. Apple services may never come to Rivian, end of story. It’s not about customer satisfaction, it’s a financial decision.

Our best hope is that Amazon quickly develops and offers apps through the Rivian interface. Then you can have Waze, and whatever other apps you’ve purchased.

Until Apple offers Maps, Messages, Music etc on other platforms as apps (never) we will never get them.

Over time we’ll make peace with Amazon Music or Spotify, integrate apps as allowed, and finally stop yearning for that which will never be offered.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

It’s no surprise that Rivian is in bed with Amazon. Apple services may never come to Rivian, end of story. It’s not about customer satisfaction, it’s a financial decision.

I don't buy this. It gets thrown around, a lot, but it doesn't have much teeth. If Amazon was calling the shots, then why do we have Spotify in the infotainment and NOT Amazon Music?

My theory: Rivian had to split resources across a LOT of functional areas, and it was more important to launch with A music app rather than ALL The music apps. They had to pick which to start with, and Spotify was a reasonable choice, based on maturity of the service and popularity.

I'm hopeful that Rivian recognizes that this was okay to launch, but now they need to build out the feature set. Apple Music should be their next endeavor in the music space, imo.

 

[kylealden]

My theory: Rivian had to split resources across a LOT of functional areas, and it was more important to launch with A music app rather than ALL The music apps. They had to pick which to start with, and Spotify was a reasonable choice, based on maturity of the service and popularity.

This. Let's not forget too that Spotify is the incumbent, global market share leader (more than double Apple's share), and an incredibly fast mover on new platforms - Spotify had a Windows Phone app, for crying out loud. Apple Music doesn't even have a Windows PC app.

Apple Music has taken an alleged subscriber lead in the US, although I'd be surprised if there's not more than meets the eye there (since they get to count a variety of Apple subscriptions that include music - I'd bet Spotify is steaming more minutes of audio). But Spotify is likely to be a simpler integration target for Rivian's software team and a very reasonable default to start with; meanwhile Apple is notoriously slow moving and typically expects a ton of control over implementations.

Apple Music and others may come later, but as usual I think it's silly to read conspiracies here, especially when there isn't even an Amazon Music app.

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

I don't buy this. It gets thrown around, a lot, but it doesn't have much teeth. If Amazon was calling the shots, then why do we have Spotify in the infotainment and NOT Amazon Music?

My theory: Rivian had to split resources across a LOT of functional areas, and it was more important to launch with A music app rather than ALL The music apps. They had to pick which to start with, and Spotify was a reasonable choice, based on maturity of the service and popularity.

I'm hopeful that Rivian recognizes that this was okay to launch, but now they need to build out the feature set. Apple Music should be their next endeavor in the music space, imo.

For the record I would massively prefer Apple CarPlay to any other solution.

My only concern would be presumably Rivian’s concern: letting the nose of the camel under the tent.

When Apple is the main solution your customers are linked to them for all content and media. If Apple suddenly starts charging carmakers for CarPlay, or charging far more, what are you going to do? Put your thumb in your customer’s eyes? If Apple pulls CarPlay when they debut their own vehicle in circa 2025, then what? Essentially you’re giving away the store when you invite Apple into your business. It’s precisely because they do everything so well that end up in trouble.

So perhaps it’s better for Rivian to start with no CarPlay from the start and put that energy into developing their own solutions.

Apple certainly will come out with their own car. I’d say 2025-2027. It will work with their Augmented reality glasses and future subscription services. It will be 3025 tech (vs 2025) and no one will be able to match it.

Those automakers who sold their dashboard to Apple will find their customers have been groomed to jump ship. It will be ugly.

 

[cbuckley]

For the record I would massively prefer Apple CarPlay to any other solution.

My only concern would be presumably Rivian’s concern: letting the nose of the camel under the tent.

When Apple is the main solution your customers are linked to them for all content and media. If Apple suddenly starts charging carmakers for CarPlay, or charging far more, what are you going to do? Put your thumb in your customer’s eyes? If Apple pulls CarPlay when they debut their own vehicle in circa 2025, then what? Essentially you’re giving away the store when you invite Apple into your business. It’s precisely because they do everything so well that end up in trouble.

So perhaps it’s better for Rivian to start with no CarPlay from the start and put that energy into developing their own solutions.

Apple certainly will come out with their own car. I’d say 2025-2027. It will work with their Augmented reality glasses and future subscription services. It will be 3025 tech (vs 2025) and no one will be able to match it.

Those automakers who sold their dashboard to Apple will find their customers have been groomed to jump ship. It will be ugly.

Interesting perspective. I wasn’t aware that Apple was getting into manufacturing EV’s. Has this been confirmed or are you speculating? I imagine that they would have to have concept vehicles already made if that 2025 date is accurate. Would love to see what it looks like.

 

[kylealden]

Also a lot of people here seem to think that Amazon runs Rivian, and the R1 vehicles run on an Amazon software stack. Neither of those is true. Amazon is an investor and R1s integrate Alexa, but Rivian has made a point of their complete end to end control over their software stack - it's not some "Amazon Auto OS," which as far as I know isn't even a thing.

This is about owning the user experience and customer relationship, full stop.

 

[Rivian_Hugh_III]

Interesting perspective. I wasn’t aware that Apple was getting into manufacturing EV’s. Has this been confirmed or are you speculating? I imagine that they would have to have concept vehicles already made if that 2025 date is accurate. Would love to see what it looks like.

Project Titan has been the worst kept secret in Cupertino for 5-7 years. It’s had at least three different heads an several waves of people suddenly hiring in and people jumping ship. Foxconn owns Lordestown if I’m not mistaken. Foxconn is Apple’s major assembler. Apple has over 100 cars running California streets optimizing self-driving tech. Yes they probably have prototypes but Apple’s way is secrecy until the last minute. Probably another year or two imho. There are suggestions that it won’t have a steering wheel — so some think it will be akin to public transport and not be personal vehicles, but no one knows And this is based on patents (I think) and patents don’t always pan out. That’s all I know about Apple’s car. I do think the likelihood of an Apple vehicle by 2030 is 100%. It’s one of the several guaranteed futures for computing and they’ll want to own it (the others being wearables, AR/VR, and old fashioned tablets and desktops).

 

[dleewla]

its dumb that Rivian doesnt integrate Carplay and Android Auto. another mindless copy of Tesla.

an article from Jalopnik said "Rivian representatives told me the company doesn’t want to cede any ground to third-party engineering, preferring to maintain control over every aspect of the user experience. From the factory, every Rivian comes with Amazon Alexa voice-control capability"

uh...ok. do they want to maintain control or not? WTF with allowing Alexa but not Carplay and AA? guess thats true unless you give them big bucks. what a bunch of crock and what a lack of integrity.

 

[astonius]

its dumb that Rivian doesnt integrate Carplay and Android Auto. another mindless copy of Tesla.

an article from Jalopnik said "Rivian representatives told me the company doesn’t want to cede any ground to third-party engineering, preferring to maintain control over every aspect of the user experience. From the factory, every Rivian comes with Amazon Alexa voice-control capability"

uh...ok. do they want to maintain control or not? WTF with allowing Alexa but not Carplay and AA? guess thats true unless you give them big bucks. what a bunch of crock and what a lack of integrity.

Not only that, but CarPlay and AA are completely optional and supplemental features. There is no car on the market that requires use of these phone integrations, and their presence does not prevent development on the native system. It’s pure gaslighting.

 

[Interferon]

Not only that, but CarPlay and AA are completely optional and supplemental features. There is no car on the market that requires use of these phone integrations, and their presence does not prevent development on the native system. It’s pure gaslighting.

Indeed.

Maybe some hackers will figure out a way to modify the infotainment code to allow remote desktop redirection to the center console and allow any arbitrary external computer to send its video output to a window on the center screen.

 

[jdubs]

A brief update on a Carplay option that seems to work well.

I purchased a Kindle Fire 8 plus, installed AutoKit, connected the wireless adapter, and used a couple of suction mounts to mount the kindle under the center console vent. It all works and the audio quality on the phone and media playback is solid.

1. threaded adapter
2. 3" threaded suction mounts x 2
3. USB 2.0 A Male to 2 Dual USB Female Jack Y Splitter
4. Refurbished Kindle Fire 8 Plus
5. Wireless carplay adapter

Steps:

1. Download the autokit software to the kindle from here: AutoKit APK You will have to change security settings on the kindle to allow you to install this "unknown developer" software. The autokit software enables you to connect to the Carplay software from your phone wirelessly

2. connect the wireless dongle to the kindle

3. remove your phone from the Bluetooth devices in the Rivian Bluetooth settings. Don't delete all the Rivian connections on your phone, this is just for the audio one

4. Search for Autobox in your phone's Bluetooth devices and add it. You will probably get prompted to use it as a Carplay connection, say yes to this

5. Add your fire to the Bluetooth devices in the Rivian BT settings

6. To launch Carplay, click on the Autokit icon on your kindle and it will start the process

7. It can take a minute for the connections to line up, when it powers on, the wireless adapter has to boot up and connect to the autokit software on the kindle and the BT on your phone.

8. I used the suction cups and the threaded adapter to connect the kindle to my desired location. You just have to watch out that the cupholder won't hit it.

I'm also working on a raspberry pi version that will use this 8" touch display. It works, just waiting on a 3D printer to print a custom back for it so that it will mount properly on the dash just above the main display. I'll post that when I have it.

 

[astonius]

A brief update on a Carplay option that seems to work well.

I purchased a Kindle Fire 8 plus, installed AutoKit, connected the wireless adapter, and used a couple of suction mounts to mount the kindle under the center console vent. It all works and the audio quality on the phone and media playback is solid.

1. threaded adapter
2. 3" threaded suction mounts x 2
3. USB 2.0 A Male to 2 Dual USB Female Jack Y Splitter
4. Refurbished Kindle Fire 8 Plus
5. Wireless carplay adapter

Steps:

1. Download the autokit software to the kindle from here: AutoKit APK You will have to change security settings on the kindle to allow you to install this "unknown developer" software. The autokit software enables you to connect to the Carplay software from your phone wirelessly

2. connect the wireless dongle to the kindle

3. remove your phone from the Bluetooth devices in the Rivian Bluetooth settings. Don't delete all the Rivian connections on your phone, this is just for the audio one

4. Search for Autobox in your phone's Bluetooth devices and add it. You will probably get prompted to use it as a Carplay connection, say yes to this

5. Add your fire to the Bluetooth devices in the Rivian BT settings

6. To launch Carplay, click on the Autokit icon on your kindle and it will start the process

7. It can take a minute for the connections to line up, when it powers on, the wireless adapter has to boot up and connect to the autokit software on the kindle and the BT on your phone.

8. I used the suction cups and the threaded adapter to connect the kindle to my desired location. You just have to watch out that the cupholder won't hit it.

I'm also working on a raspberry pi version that will use this 8" touch display. It works, just waiting on a 3D printer to print a custom back for it so that it will mount properly on the dash just above the main display. I'll post that when I have it.

Awesome write-up! You're doing the Lord's work. Thank you.

I wound up returning the RoadTop unit because of the bluetooth issues. I was considering exploring options similar to this, but I'm also seriously considering selling the R1T altogether and getting something that has native CarPlay support. Unfortunately these options will never be as clean or have the same quality as a built-in solution. I thought maybe I could do without it completely, but the past few days without the RoadTop unit have shown me just how woefully inadequate the native Rivian system is.

Such a shame that this is an entirely unforced error on Rivian's part.

 

[SoCal Rob]

Awesome write-up! You're doing the Lord's work. Thank you.

I wound up returning the RoadTop unit because of the bluetooth issues. I was considering exploring options similar to this, but I'm also seriously considering selling the R1T altogether and getting something that has native CarPlay support. Unfortunately these options will never be as clean or have the same quality as a built-in solution. I thought maybe I could do without it completely, but the past few days without the RoadTop unit have shown me just how woefully inadequate the native Rivian system is.

Such a shame that this is an entirely unforced error on Rivian's part.

I think the decision-makers at Rivian are going to lose an opportunity if they continue down this path. Once a viable external solution has been developed, Rivian will be unable to sell screen projection capability as a subscription service (with an ongoing revenue stream for Rivian) to a lot of people who want this. If customers have already paid for a hardware solution with no recurring costs, how many will convert? This is an area where Rivian is following Tesla but without the benefit of Tesla’s then competition-free landscape.

I also think that many of the Tesla faithful follow Elon Musk’s lead as if there is no other option simply because Elon says something is best. I don’t see as many Rivian customers being as invested in RJ’s proclamations about the right way of doing things, especially after the March price change and rollback showed that Rivian leadership is fallible when guessing how their customers will react.

If Rivian had launched with the infotainment able to use Alexa skills as if the central screen (or a portion of it) emulated an Echo Show then they probably could have gotten away without screen projection. Developers familiar with the existing platform could’ve tweaked existing skills or created new ones knowing that other devices could use them, too.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I think the decision-makers at Rivian are going to lose an opportunity if they continue down this path. Once a viable external solution has been developed, Rivian will be unable to sell screen projection capability as a subscription service (with an ongoing revenue stream for Rivian) to a lot of people who want this.

consumers don’t want CarPlay as a subscription. BMW tried this and customers revolted; BMW quickly reversed course.

Sponsored