Apple Car Play

[Chris Dolphin]

Hi everyone

I have a 2017 Audi S6 and the infotainment system drives me mad to the extent that i'm either installing Apple Car Play or selling the damn thing.

I'm told by my main dealer it can be installed for around £300 however when i ask will it then connect wirelessly (i assume via bluetooth) with my Iphone, or will i have to fit a Sim Card into the car, or will i have to connect it by way of a cable to the USB port ? Can anyone enlighten me ?

No one in the dealership returns my calls so i'm none the wiser as to what i'd end up with, obviously i'd like a wireless bluetooth connection that i dont have muck about with.

Annoys me that a car that cost £45K has such a usless infotainment system, poor sat nav, poor internet connectivity and a lack of intuitive search functions.

[Envy]

Hi, 

So your MMI will have a specification did the car come with a Tech Pack 

My 2016 A6 came with the tech pack so has the Audi online stuff built in - this I have found very useful if a little data hungry. Voice input and MMi touch are good once you learn to write with your left hand if you are not left handed or from over the pond. 

Apple Carplay is an in car infotainment solution so having a link between handset and ICE so no Internet link required. 

I am surprised you have been offered the option at a cost without explanation of how the module will be added and function - Your steering wheel will have the voice command button on it that will be the link to car play.

I have multiple phones set up in the car so kids can play their own "sounds" if they want - I also have many albums on SD cards and a USB drive so have as much music that I would ever need but can also use spotify and amazon music through the car via my own iPhone using the iPhones internet connection. When in the car I plug my phone in to maintain charge (USB) so not reliant on BT connection but have found the bluetooth to be reliable so far when pairing auto connecting and utilizing any device. 

I thought of apple carplay but cannot see what it would add apart from a splash of colour. With SIM in dash kids have internet WiFi hotspot and I have google services - I am surprised if you do not have the option of the same. 

 

[Chris Dolphin]

Ok so this is what angers me.

I left my house to go to my daughters school knowing the main route was closed, i tried multiple times using voice and the touch pad to enter the school name and location, but arrived at my destination before i managed it. a 25 minute journey !

A few weeks ago i went to North London and the Sat Nav failed to warn me which lane to be in so i missed my exit off the motorway and again off the North Circular. With this in  mind when i went to Walsall a week later i stuck a 3 yr old tomtom on the windscreen, it was the TomTom that warned of speed cameras and gave advance notification which lane to be in on the motorway.

Add to this the failure of Audi Guildford to call me back about the installation of Apple car play, despite 3 phone calls requesting the same information.

Its being sold or part exhanged this week...2017 Audi S6 10,600 miles immaculate bar 2 scratches on the Alloys £36K if anyones interested.

Edited November 14, 2019 by Chris Dolphin
add more info

[Envy]

I can appreciate your frustrations but have not had the same experiences. 

I do not think Apple Carplay is an optional add on to the A6 - C7 MMi - someone else may be able to confirm or dismiss this... it is possible the Audi Guildford have gone "Meerkat" on you - diving for cover at the mere mention of your name. 

It sounds like you have the Tech Pack but it does not sound like you have the same level of functionality as mine, sorry to hear you are so disappointed to the point of selling - have you found a suitable replacement? 

[Chris Dolphin]

Hi

Thanks for your replies.

As  I have racked up 6 points on my licence since i have owned this Audi i have been looking at either a Porsche Cayenne which is a bit more sedate but a little out of my financial range or maybe a Mercedes E53 but thats a bit like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

Looks like "Motorway" are offering me £35k...hmm.

Time to squeeze Porsche 🙂

[Envy]

You only live once I was once told - but having faced down the barrel of a lengthy speeding ban once I know where you are coming from but it sounds like you are selling an alligator to buy a crocodile.

One thing I do know is the excitement of buying a new car. Enjoy.

[Mitchramsell]

@Chris Dolphin

I couldn’t agree more! Recently purchased a 2018 S6 and the navigation is shocking. Great if you want to know how many feet above sea level you are (not flying) great if you want to navigate the pacific (compass) completely useless however if you would like a heads up which lane to be in on the motorway.. only wish I knew before buying the car, it’s not even something you could pick up with a test drive ! Driving high mileage through Europe this becomes a genuine problem..

[Slugmong]

I just bought a 2017 C7 and was hoping to be able to easily integrate Apple Carplay into it but alas I have the RMC MMI, I have been looking at either swapping the screen for a android touchscreen or getting the box that goes behind the glovebox either of which are only slightly more than getting a map update from Audi!!!!!

 

[Steve Q]

23 minutes ago, Slugmong said:

I just bought a 2017 C7 and was hoping to be able to easily integrate Apple Carplay into it but alas I have the RMC MMI, I have been looking at either swapping the screen for a android touchscreen or getting the box that goes behind the glovebox either of which are only slightly more than getting a map update from Audi!!!!!

 

Keep us posted in how you get on 🙂

[MrYatesy]

I have just purchased a 2017 A6 sline that has the tech pack option. So it has the bigger mmi screen, DIS and wireless phone charger in the arm rest. I queried Apple Car Play / Android Auto. It is a retrofit software update option that the dealer can do. All  MY2017 cars with the tech pack could have had this optioned from factory and in my case retrofitted. I have copied the Web link to Audi's official accessories page that should explain more.  Prices do vary from dealer to deal. Would be looking at £350 ish. Takes the dealer about 30 mins to action the update.

https://shops.audi.com/en_GB/web/zubehoer/p/retrofit-solution-for-the-audi-smartphone-interface-4m0051472-9?category=8047:904_ASOS:Category

[MarkA6BiTDI]

I will (probably) never spend money on Audi MMI / software again !  My Audi A6  MMI High SIM, SD, Audi Connect, Google Earth, Send destination to car  and dynamic traffic routing no longer has  Google Earth Send destination to car  or dynamic traffic routing because "Audi no longer support it because Google needs stuff your car cant do! "  Well in the intervening  8 years I cant remember what it all cost but I am guessing £150 a year to reach Audi obsolescence!  I was - am planning to keep the highly specked and well behaved car for at least another 5 years  so it looks like I will go for a Chinese Android  head unit ... with all the politic that carries. Easily justified in Audi (Rubbish) Map cost however ! 

[Shytot]

1 hour ago, MarkA6BiTDI said:

I will (probably) never spend money on Audi MMI / software again !  My Audi A6  MMI High SIM, SD, Audi Connect, Google Earth, Send destination to car  and dynamic traffic routing no longer has  Google Earth Send destination to car  or dynamic traffic routing because "Audi no longer support it because Google needs stuff your car cant do! "  Well in the intervening  8 years I cant remember what it all cost but I am guessing £150 a year to reach Audi obsolescence!  I was - am planning to keep the highly specked and well behaved car for at least another 5 years  so it looks like I will go for a Chinese Android  head unit ... with all the politic that carries. Easily justified in Audi (Rubbish) Map cost however ! 

I thought that Google Earth was no longer supported but all the other ones still work under either audi connect or with a 3rd party sim? 

[MarkA6BiTDI]

Sadly not in my instance !  Send to car has been flaky for a while. Audi said they would check but it never got better.  Connect works but has never found me a car parking space or shown the price of "Super" Diesel   and a big "dog tag" comes up to say traffic conditions cannot be received without a valid licence.  I have only ever paid for a SIM (ID Mobile).  So ... I believe my SIM will be better off in an Android head unit.  Not a pretty solution but then again Audi's offering of "CarPlay" is not pretty  solution either and they should own the dash !