Most Users Want Android Auto and CarPlay as Standard, Not Willing to Pay Extra

[doorknob60]

I got spoiled enough by rental cars with Android Auto, that I got my head unit ("old school" with just text display and physical buttons, though it did have Bluetooth) replaced with an Android Auto/Carplay Wireless capable unit. It's really great. My go to for road trips is the split screen mode with Waze (or Google Maps) and Spotify. I don't usually need directions on road trips, but having traffic alerts and stuff is nice. And once I get to where I'm going, it's useful for local trips in less familiar areas (and again navigation around traffic). Much prefer it over voice instructions over bluetooth, I prefer turning the voice directions off and just looking at the screen. It will definitely be something I consider in my next car.

[ZLoth]

I did a Google check, and there are now replacement head units for my 2013 and my mother's 2016 vehicles. However, I really don't have the time to install one, and I'm driving so rarely at this time that I can't justify the expensive of getting one installed at this time.

[tmoore952]

I still listen to CDs in my 2012 Suburu. I still have a lot of purchased CDs that I've never listened to, and am trying to do so. It takes years (plural) to do this, even if I am continuously actively trying to make progress, since I try to listen to each more than once. Listening to them during part of my daily commutes helps me make progress with this, in a small way. I wouldn't make much progress otherwise, since I don't live alone. Sometimes I have time around bedtime.

When this car eventually needs to be replaced. I will learn about all of this technology with which I am not yet familiar (it changes quickly enough that I don't pay much attention to it otherwise). I am also aware that will likely be the end of my listening to CDs while driving. My wife has satellite radio, and we wanted to add it to my car, but this Suburu doesn't have the necessary equipment, said equipment isn't that easy to add, and at my mileage (177 K) it might not be worth the effort depending how long the car lasts.

I have learned from several car rentals done in the last year, that backup cameras today are infinitely better than the one I have in the 2012 car. So I am definitely aware of that limitation.

[HighwayStar]

I did a Google check, and there are now replacement head units for my 2013 and my mother's 2016 vehicles. However, I really don't have the time to install one, and I'm driving so rarely at this time  :hmmm:that I can't justify the expensive of getting one installed at this time.

Replacement head units have probabally been available for years. Install time varies by vehicle, I did one head unit swap in an hour parked on a city street once, quite easy. The other was several days of work and involved soldering 40+ connections. Really depends on the setup.

[HighwayStar]

I still listen to CDs in my 2012 Suburu. I still have a lot of purchased CDs that I've never listened to, and am trying to do so. It takes years (plural) to do this, even if I am continuously actively trying to make progress, since I try to listen to each more than once. Listening to them during part of my daily commutes helps me make progress with this, in a small way. I wouldn't make much progress otherwise, since I don't live alone. Sometimes I have time around bedtime.

When this car eventually needs to be replaced. I will learn about all of this technology with which I am not yet familiar (it changes quickly enough that I don't pay much attention to it otherwise). I am also aware that will likely be the end of my listening to CDs while driving. My wife has satellite radio, and we wanted to add it to my car, but this Suburu doesn't have the necessary equipment, said equipment isn't that easy to add, and at my mileage (177 K) it might not be worth the effort depending how long the car lasts.

I have learned from several car rentals done in the last year, that backup cameras today are infinitely better than the one I have in the 2012 car. So I am definitely aware of that limitation.

Hate to say this, but with respect to music in the car technology has not really progressed much in the last decade or so. If your CD player dies, or you get tired of swapping them, the best solution is what it was a decade ago. Buy a cheap aftermarket head unit with USB support, rip CD collection USB, play USB. Simple as that.

Android Auto is good for navigation etc. but I would not bother with it simply for audio.

[ZLoth]

I still listen to CDs in my 2012 Suburu. I still have a lot of purchased CDs that I've never listened to, and am trying to do so. It takes years (plural) to do this, even if I am continuously actively trying to make progress, since I try to listen to each more than once. Listening to them during part of my daily commutes helps me make progress with this, in a small way. I wouldn't make much progress otherwise, since I don't live alone. Sometimes I have time around bedtime.

First of all, respect for being a physical media owner.

So, does your 2012 Suburu have a Bluetooth connection? If so, that you can use that to play back media on your car's audio. You can "rip" your CDs to MP3 files, then transfer the files to a storage area of your phone, and then use a player such as PowerAMP to play the audio from your phone without burning up data minutes. This is what I did in the past until I got unlimited data and set up my media server, thus I can stream my music while I'm traveling or download the albums using PlexAMP.

Android Auto/Apple CarPlay is simply a method to provide a user interface to supported applications on your smartphone. Bluetooth started becoming standard in cars in the late 2000s and can be used to play back audio as well as phone calls, and later versions of the Bluetooth spec has improved the audio quality that was lacking in the early versions.