OT:Crap apps of the year (so far award)

[Jethro_uk]

Android Auto: now connects 1/10 times (down from 9/10). Same phone, same car. Tried all self help suggestions, barring getting an iPhone.

BBC Sounds: No idea why it has a "subscribe feature" since it doesn't automatically download the latest episode (pretty sure it used to). Which you invariably learn just as you are driving off. Mind you since it doesn't integrate with Android Auto (see above) unlike Castbox, it can take a while to discover. And that's before you realise that at no point does it ever display the episode details on the AA screen. So I have a list of identical programmes.

Even the car crash app for my Smart Thermostat is better. And I wouldn't inflict that on my worst enemy.

[Brian Gaff]

Well, I'd like to add the Blink doorbell one since following the instructions ends up with you and your phone linked to an unsecured wifi generated by the doorbell, and the only way out is to go out and buy another module to bridge between your normal wifi and the doorbell. I could have got a ring one for that money, so its going back as I'm told there is a work around, but I don't like sharp practice at any time. Brian

[Jethro_uk]

Day 5 now. Tried cables, resetting infotainment system. Resetting phone to factory settings. Won't connect at all.

Since it used to work flawlessly, this is another google f*ck up.

[Tim+]

Used to have a lot of trouble with my Samsung phone getting it to stay connected. Since replacing it with a Google Pixel phone I’ve had no trouble.

Tim

[Jethro_uk]

Interesting. This is a Samsung.

But it worked OK for over a year. Curious as to what part Google plays in this.

[Theo]

Android Auto, like much of Android, is written by Google. Presumably your phoned downloaded an update and something is different about the new version.

Maybe Google test it better on their own hardware than Samsung do?

Theo

[Andy Burns]

Car manufacturers provide the interface through which android auto "projects" apps from your phone to the car's screen, many cars have their own 4G data connection nowadays, so the car might have downloaded an upgrade, or may need to download one?

[Jethro_uk]

Or could download one via the phone.

Slight update is that so far AA is consistently working via USB. It also worked wireless yesterday morning when I got to work and un/re paired about 10 times. And I tested it 3 times before I got in.

Come the evening (you can see where this is going) ... no joy. 10 fruitless minutes of it spinning before saying "Fuck off".

Mind you, it is becoming of limited use, since Google broke google maps. I may just revert to pairing up the media player and resurrecting my old Garmin. Be a test to see if "lifetime" maps & traffic was true.

[chop]

How do you claim that happened ?

[Jethro_uk]

They've removed the options to choose a route based on time or distance. Now you get a selection of greenest routes and that's that.

If you didn't know the journey you could spend an extra 20 minutes on the road.

[Andy Burns]

It still offers me multiple routes, e.g. one labelled 1hr 28 mins (56 mi) and the other labelled 1h 29 mins (62mi) all that's changed is there is a now small green leaf on the label for the first one ... that's hardly "broken" in my book.

[chop]

But you are still free to choose between the two offered routes and tweek the route by dragging it on the map.

Wrong with the greenest claim.

But you can see the time the route will take and choose on that basis.

[Andy Burns]

Quite amusing that for a couple of routes I looked at, the greenest petrol/diesel route was much quicker than the greenest route for electic/hybrid e.g. 51 mins vs 1 hr 14 mins

[chop]

Why do you normally choose distance ?

Can't see why that would be useful unless you are travelling at well below the legal speed limit on that route deliberately.

[Jethro_uk]

I prefer time - shorter the better.

Take yesterday. My journey (8 miles as the crow files) was given 2 suggested routes through Birmingham. Each 11 miles and 42 or 44 minutes.

I did it M6/M5 in 30. And that's with a stranded stranded vehicle causing a couple of miles crawl. I have done the 17 miles in 25 minutes.

As an aside the last few months, every day Google has told me there is "more traffic than usual for this time of day" on my route. Which makes me wonder what "usual" is ?

[Jethro_uk]

Nope. All that does is treat it as a diversion to it's intended route.

Luckily I don't drive anywhere unfamiliar as a matter of course anymore. But if I did, I would damn well consult a map before I set off. A habit borne of caravanning when knowing the route closely could save a lot of pain.

[Jethro_uk]

I had that yesterday. 42 and 44 minutes/ I did it "my way" in 30.

[chop]

You still get that. You just can't select distance anymore.

Being able to select distance wouldn't have helped in that case.

Somewhat less than it actually was on those days.

[chop]

Nope, not when you drag it to a slightly different route.

So you are using it to allow for different traffic, in which case there is never any point in selecting distance which you can no longer do.

Thats a separate issue to your claim that google maps is now broken because you can no longer select distance instead of time.

[Andrew]

70 in a 50 limit ? :-)