Rivian App Strategy

[PappaBolt]

There’s been scant evidence of direction or tangible evidence of app integration beyond what we have today.

So far we have: Navigation, Tune-In, Spotify, Alexa, and voice-controlled Amazon Music.

R1 won’t get Carplay/Android. R2 is unlikely as the strategy is to follow in Tesla’s footsteps and fight a pixel war over control of the experience. Setting that aside what should Rivian prioritize to improve infotainment and bring it closer to parity with competitors? What’s missing that should be high priority additions?

Here’s my list of apps

Amazon Music
SiriusXM
Google Maps
Text
Calendar

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[moosehead]

- Wired hi res audio

- Texting to audio

- Make Alexa actually function

- Update Nav addresses to this decade and fix glitches

- Integrate Waze

- Be half as effective as Carplay

- Don’t dare try to gouge monthly fees for subpar service already available and paid for.

 

[astonius]

Some of you speak more definitively about CarPlay than even Rivian does. For the record, their official position is “it’s not on the roadmap.” They have confirmed the hardware is there to support it. QNX/AAOS would make it trivial to add. It’s up to those of us who want it to continue to push for it.

 

[PappaBolt]

They have confirmed the hardware is there to support it.

Details on this please

 

[astonius]

Details on this please

From a Reddit AMA with the Rivian VP of Software Engineering (click to see the context):

 

[PappaBolt]

From a Reddit AMA with the Rivian VP of Software Engineering (click to see the context):

Thanks, although “capable”
and “compatible” leaves some ambiguity.

 

[astonius]

Thanks, although “capable”
and “compatible” leaves some ambiguity.

I think that's splitting hairs. If it wasn't feasible I think they would simply come out and say that rather than hedge with the roadmap line. There have been several opportunities on Reddit for Tony or Wassym to definitively say "it's never happening" yet they never do.

My understanding is the hardware requirements aren't really that significant or specialized, which makes sense when you consider brands ranging from low-end Mitsubishi and Suzuki to high-end Ferrari and Rolls-Royce all support CarPlay. There are a few more wifi-related requirements for wireless CarPlay, but I'd happily take wired CarPlay if that's the best we can get.

Software-wise, there's no licensing fees, and QNX/AAOS provide APIs for adding CarPlay. It should be as straightforward as adding an ingress to their UI (another "app" icon on the bottom bar) and defining the projection screen space (the dedicated "app" space where navigation/media/camping/etc lives between the bottom dock and the top status bar). CarPlay and the truck's OS will figure out the rest.

Contrast this with the other holdout, Tesla, who built their infotainment from the ground up on Linux. This doesn't make it impossible to add CarPlay support (the RoadTop unit I've used is built on Linux), but it's a bit more complicated than it would be for Rivian.

 

[PappaBolt]

I think that's splitting hairs. If it wasn't feasible I think they would simply come out and say that rather than hedge with the roadmap line. There have been several opportunities on Reddit for Tony or Wassym to definitively say "it's never happening" yet they never do.

My understanding is the hardware requirements aren't really that significant or specialized, which makes sense when you consider brands ranging from low-end Mitsubishi and Suzuki to high-end Ferrari and Rolls-Royce all support CarPlay. There are a few more wifi-related requirements for wireless CarPlay, but I'd happily take wired CarPlay if that's the best we can get.

Software-wise, there's no licensing fees, and QNX/AAOS provide APIs for adding CarPlay. It should be as straightforward as adding an ingress to their UI (another "app" icon on the bottom bar) and defining the projection screen space (the dedicated "app" space where navigation/media/camping/etc lives between the bottom dock and the top status bar). CarPlay and the truck's OS will figure out the rest.

Contrast this with the other holdout, Tesla, who built their infotainment from the ground up on Linux. This doesn't make it impossible to add CarPlay support (the RoadTop unit I've used is built on Linux), but it's a bit more complicated than it would be for Rivian.

My experience here with other marques with modern infotainment that doesn’t support carplay was to do a retrofit of the HMI with a 3rd party daughterboard.

Perhaps our Rivians are better equipped and it truly is just software. I’m not trying to split hairs, but rather to understand the limitations.

Let’s move past the carplay dead horse. I’m curious why we don’t see SiriusXM, Amazon Music. I doubt there’s a technical reason.

 

[astonius]

Let’s move past the carplay dead horse. I’m curious why we don’t see SiriusXM, Amazon Music. I doubt there’s a technical reason.

SiriusXM absolutely requires hardware, specifically a receiver for the satellite signal. At best expect an app that uses the cellular connection, similar to the iOS app, which means you lose one of the main benefits of satellite radio -- better coverage. A hardware retrofit might be possible in theory, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

Amazon Music will come, I'm sure. Spotify is the largest by market share (followed by Apple Music, then Amazon Music), which is likely why they focused there first.

 

[domoplaytime]

I got Pandora to play using Alexa thanks to guidance from a forum poster. I'd rather have a native experience in the Rivian, but the Alexa hack is good enough for now. I'd also like an NVH app that listens to road noise and tells me where to put the soft velcro.

 

[bummin]

As with everything, much is open to interpretation. When I was taking Delivery of my R1T in Denver, I struck up a conversation with the individual assisting me in the final paperwork. During our conversation I learned she had come from Apple to work for Rivian.

We got into a brief casual conversation regarding Carplay and it’s absence from Rivian from the start. As a beta tester of IOS prior to the release of IOS16, I commented that the new version of Carplay is being written to expressly integrate with screens and technologies used in Rivian and like vehicles. Original Carplay was best viewed in a 4:3 format and was not designed for 16:9 configuration. I mentioned that IOS16 is designed for 16:9 format and multiple screen integration. I asked if she was working on any of those features prior to leaving Apple and what she thought of my conclusions? I was met with a pause, a smile, and a change of direction on our conversation.

All I have, but seemed to be a bit of a tell in her expressions, again open to interpretation.

 

[HighVoltOverland]

I would love either Gaia GPS or OnX for my nav

 

[lefkonj]

Rivian should 100% integrate Carplay/AA. I will not walk away from my Rivian because it is missing but it is just silly and something I use on a daily basis.

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