[wallyo]

I'm wondering about the experience of those who are using Android Auto, and specifically how they use it and for what functions. I've tried it a few times in my Hybrid, and the voice recognition and navigation are clearly much superior to the Acura system. But what about texts and emails (the Acura system doesn't work at all with my Pixel 2 phone)? And what about music (the Android Auto seems to use only streamed music and nothing internal like an iPod)? I've discovered through use that pushing the joystick knob to the right turns on voice recognition, and pushing it to the left goes to the menu (shown in the upper left corner), but are their other things I'm missing in integrating the A.A. with the physical controls? I'm also wondering about using the navigation and what happens when you are in a no-signal area. And I'm assuming that using A.A. requires a limitless data plan (which I don't presently have, but would get if it seemed worthwhile). Many thanks for any feedback about your experience would be helpful.

 

[Gtech]

I can't speak on the Android Auto experience in the 2018 but I use it via Bluetooth and mirroring in my 2015. For the most part I use voice for everything and also rely on the text readout. For music I have music that the Google Play music app streams from my account and also music saved on my S8. Regarding the navigation with no signal you can download maps for offline use in Google maps ahead of time and Andorid auto will use that. There are some limitations with offline maps in terms of searching and how long the cache is saved. I haven't ran into a scenario where I've needed it yet. I would most likely use the Acura nav as a fallback option if needed. As far as data usage it really depends on the apps you use and how active your Google feed is. You can monitor the data usage for a month in the Android settings app and gauge what you may need from there. Hope this helps.

 

[wallyo]

Gtech, thanks for responding. I am unfamiliar with the mirroring approach, so I don't know how it compares to the Android Auto. The NAV is certainly better on the A.A., because you can say just about anything to the phone (like, "take me to the nearest Chinese restaurant") and it work fine. But the 2018 Acura NAV I find excellent, and I am using the Acuralink concierge service, and it's probably cheaper ($25/month) than an unlimited data plan. My biggest concern about the A.A. is how to play locally-stored music, like on an iPod. A.A. seems to only stream music from I don't know where.

 

[Gtech]

The mirroring approach is some what similar. The major difference is with mirroring you control Android auto from your phone and via voice. Since the 2018 has it built-in you have control via the physical buttons. I currently have the trial for Acuralink and while I like the app I didn't find the cost worth it. The traffic isn't so great and it doesn't update the maps in the car so you still have that yearly cost. That's assuming the map update has updated coverage for your area. For locally stored music you may be better off moving your music from the iPod to your Android device or uploading to Google play music. Since the music is on an iPod the integration there isn't so great with Android Auto.

 

[wallyo]

The mirroring approach is some what similar. The major difference is with mirroring you control Android auto from your phone and via voice. Since the 2018 has it built-in you have control via the physical buttons. I currently have the trial for Acuralink and while I like the app I didn't find the cost worth it. The traffic isn't so great and it doesn't update the maps in the car so you still have that yearly cost. That's assuming the map update has updated coverage for your area. For locally stored music you may be better off moving your music from the iPod to your Android device or uploading to Google play music. Since the music is on an iPod the integration there isn't so great with Android Auto.

Gtech, thanks again. Yes, the mirroring is similar, but I wouldn't want to have to handle the phone, which is also illegal in California and often ticketed (for something like $400 I think). I know that what I'm proposing is more expensive and won't be as updated as Google maps. The problem with transferring from the iPod to the phone is that it won't import the data with playlists, or I don't think it will: I've tried both Google Play Music and Cloud Play, and if I had to redo the playlist on the phone (rather than the computer) I think it would take me a year! I'll forge ahead here and see what I can come up with, and I appreciate your input.