2017/04/20 04/19 Consumers Largely Satisfied with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Smartphone Mirroring Solutions Provide Better User Experience than In-vehicle Embedded Systems

Boston, MA – April 19, 2017 – Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have been shaking up in-vehicle infotainment systems since 2016, when many automakers began selling vehicles with mirroring solutions integrated into the embedded infotainment system. The user experience of CarPlay and Android Auto compare very favorably to embedded offerings, though integration issues with the embedded infotainment system can negatively impact the overall user experience. A new report from the In-Vehicle UX (IVX) group at Strategy Analytics, “Consumers Largely Satisfied with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto”, has surveyed new vehicle owners that have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to understand their in-vehicle usage and satisfaction with these features. Overall, consumers that have mirroring solutions are largely satisfied, and use them for the majority of their infotainment needs.

Surveying consumers in the US, Strategy Analytics has found that CarPlay and Android Auto are preferred for duplicate features; CarPlay is easy to use given its similarity to an Apple smartphone’s interface; and both CarPlay and Android Auto have relatively simple and consistent interfaces. But perhaps most importantly, both have the ability to be updated as needed, as new apps are added or when bugs and usability issues are uncovered. This will only work to enhance their value as embedded systems age.

Click here for report: http://sa-link.cc/1jZ

Chris Schreiner, Director of Syndicated Research and report author commented, “Overall, consumers are satisfied with CarPlay and Android Auto and are happy to recommend it to others. However, consumer-facing embedded navigation could become obsolete for those OEMs implementing smartphone mirroring solutions, as those solutions provide a better experience.”

Continued Schreiner, “Smaller OEMs could focus on CarPlay and Android Auto as their connectivity strategy greatly simplifies development while at the same time enhancing the user experience.”

Added Kevin Nolan, VP, User Experience Innovation Practice, “OEMs that do not adopt smartphone mirroring solutions will have to provide over-the-air software updates to continually enhance features and fix usability issues, in addition to developing value-added features that tie in with the rest of the vehicle to differentiate themselves from CarPlay and Android Auto. But, the time will come when OEMs must decide whether to implement embedded systems or use mirroring solutions. From our research experience, providing both will not produce optimal results.”