Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

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crofty21
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Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by crofty21 »

Morning all

New member here, with a problem I've been mulling over since getting our 2019 Polo Se Tech Edition a year ago.

It has a nice built in infotainment system that we use reasonably happily both for satnav duties and playing music from kids phones via Bluetooth.

We also have Android Auto available. The app (called Maps and Navigation) looks terrible and we've not really experimented.

Are we missing out on much/anything if we continue to ignore Android Auto and stick with the built in VW system please?

Any advice much appreciated.

Best wishes
Crofty
Norbreck21a
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by Norbreck21a »

Never heard of "Maps and Navigation" ?

I use Android Auto all the time (in my MK7.5 Golf GTI) and I have 3 Navigation apps available. My default - Google Maps, then Waze (also owned by google), and I'm now trialling TomTom AmiGo (which looks pretty good). All 3 of these beats the built in Nav system in my view and each have their own strengths (all are free as well), and all look pretty polished (although to be fair whilst Waze functionally Is very good, the maps do look a little like they were drawn by a 5 years old. I think they took the simplification for driving purposes maybe a tad too far ?)
crofty21
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by crofty21 »

Thank you. I did wonder if I'd missed something. I also wonder why I paid the extra for a tech edition when a simple phone does it better. I'm really so confused by something so basic!
crofty21
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by crofty21 »

Thank you. I did wonder if I'd missed something. I also wonder why I paid the extra for a tech edition when a simple phone does it better. I'm rarely so confused by something so basic!
grazuncle2
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by grazuncle2 »

Interesting post.

i don't have the Tech edition but saw YT video asking why use Android Auto if you have a satnav installed internally (something like Tech Edition?) This was on a higher end Mercedes. He used the voice control.. 'show where coffee shops (can't remember the store) stores are located? It came up with a few named ones and nearest one.. 1.5 miles away. he then raised the camera up to the windscreen and he was situation 200 feet from the store.

The speech recognition was usually off or unrecognised.

Did same with Android Auto and was really accurate and you can ask it the usual things as well. Only you will know if you have these or 'any' issues. I'd rather not plug anything in if I didn't have to. I have the usual removeable Tom Tom but that is a faff plugging it in and putting a route in or adjusting things at arms length on the windscreen. It too has voice recognition but apart from Take me home or phone home.. it is always a lottery on results. LOL

I'm yet to try the AndroidAuto in anger (only just got it working) but we'll see.
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by SRGTD »

I’ve never had factory sat nav in any cars I’ve owned. If it was included as part of a car’s standard spec I might use it, but I wouldn’t pay extra for it when I can get free alternatives from the likes of Google maps or Waze via my phone that seem to do the job just as well, if not better. Having the phone plugged in to use Google maps or Waze is no hardship IMO - a short VW cable to plug my phone in keeps everything tidy and means I don’t have to contend with ‘miles’ of untidy cable between my phone and USB port.

It may have improved with the latest generation of VW sat nav (do the latest generation of infotainment units in model year 2021 cars support automatic OTA sat nav software updates?), but judging by the number of discussion threads on other VW forums, historically, updating the map software to the latest version seems to have caused many owners a certain degree of hassle; it takes a long time and isn’t always successful.

One of the ‘benefits’ of factory sat nav in some models of VW with the digital dash (AID) is the ability to be able to display maps on the infotainment screen and the AID (not sure if this is possible in the Polo). Based on discussions on some other VAG forums, some owners consider this dual display of maps as a big benefit - not something I’ve ever consider to be important; if I do need to use sat Google maps, a single map display on the infotainment screen works fine for me.
vc-10
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by vc-10 »

I have a 2019 Ibiza, with the factory satnav. It's rubbish in comparison to Android Auto.

Android Auto will use full Google Maps, complete with dynamic routing, speed camera alerts, that sort of thing. You can long-press the voice control button on the steering wheel, and you get Google Assistant, just like on your phone. You can do things like tell it to navigate to someone's address, if it's saved to the contact on your phone, or even ask it to answer random questions like with a Google Home.

You need a reasonably recent Android Phone, and to install the Android Auto app from the Play Store. Press the App-Connect button on the headunit, connect your phone using a USB cable (needs to be a decent one, you can get connectivity issues with the cheap ones), and follow the prompts. It's night and day better than the factory stuff.
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OomStu_ZA
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by OomStu_ZA »

By default Goole Maps uses 2D to save on moble data I guess but I much prefer to use it with satellite view enabled.
jackois
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by jackois »

Following up on the Maps theme, Google Maps are getting very good at spotting speed cameras, even temporary ones and warning you that they lay ahead. Speed limit for the roads you are on is didplayed as well.

I also like the ability to use Spotify on Android Auto, using saved playlists and albums if you have Premium. Handy if rhe radio is naff.

The downside, as mentioned is having to plug the phone in via usb. Works better if you use the left hand usb port, with a good quality cable. Sadly, it seems to need a new usb cable on an annual basis, something to do with a slightly higher voltage provided by the car.

I use it much to much!
stevereeves
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by stevereeves »

Poss dumb question (though obv simply not knowing something don't necessarily make one dumb): as mentioned some fone satnav apps are 'free' but do they use your data allowance ? I only ask as one of my mates used his fone satnav app to navigate (pun not really intended) to one of the big London airports, Gatwick or Heathrow ?, it packed up on the outskirts, they initially ended up at the wrong teminal, turned out he'd used one month's data allowance in about 5 hours. I have VW built-in satnav on my Golf only used it few times, worked ok just by intuition, thumbing through the manual (again, again and again) almost had me tearing my hair out :roll: , but apparently fone satnav apps are much better.....
Stuart_Rendall
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by Stuart_Rendall »

stevereeves wrote: Sat May 22, 2021 3:16 pm Poss dumb question (though obv simply not knowing something don't necessarily make one dumb): as mentioned some fone satnav apps are 'free' but do they use your data allowance ? I only ask as one of my mates used his fone satnav app to navigate (pun not really intended) to one of the big London airports, Gatwick or Heathrow ?, it packed up on the outskirts, they initially ended up at the wrong teminal, turned out he'd used one month's data allowance in about 5 hours. I have VW built-in satnav on my Golf only used it few times, worked ok just by intuition, thumbing through the manual (again, again and again) almost had me tearing my hair out :roll: , but apparently fone satnav apps are much better.....
They do use mobile data but if you for example set your destination on Waze or Google maps using your home wifi and stick to that route no data will be used but if you go the wrong way then the app will need to download the maps and directions and re-route you so data will be used. If your mate went the wrong way chances are data was used primarily at the point of which he went the wrong way. I have used Waze to go from Derby in the Midlands down to london and back a few times and used no more than 200mb each time.
stevereeves
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by stevereeves »

It was few years ago, don't recall the exact details but his fone satnav gave up on the outskirts of the airport and all his data allowance was gone. I don't trust much modern tech nor have the patience to fight with such things for hours on end, with many similar devices the instructions are worse than useless seem to automatically assume the user already knows exactly how to operate it. i.e a 'young and obviously born with such ability & info teenagers', as my dad refers to like technology....
vc-10
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Re: Android Auto Vs Tech Edition infotainment

Post by vc-10 »

You can also 'cache' large areas of the country with Google Maps, downloading it on WiFi at home.

Data is cheap- you can get a SIM only plan for £10 from GiffGaff with 9GB of data a month. I use about that and I use my phone heavily.
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