Just saw an article from CNET Road Show stating that 2018 Mazda6 owners will have access to a free upgrade which will add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, previous reports said there was likely to be a charge to add this new functionality. :smile2:
Sorry that I'm currently unable to provide a link to the article, so instead here's the content for your reference:
The refreshed 2018 Mazda6 went on sale last month, minus one key ingredient: smartphone integration. Starting in July, however, folks who have already purchased Mazda's fun-to-drive sedan in the Touring trim level or above will be able to add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for free.
Customers will have to go to the dealership for a hardware and software upgrade. Mazda said it should be a quick affair, no need to leave the car overnight.
The Mazda6 will be available with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from the factory in December. Again, it's standard on Touring and above, optional on lower trim lines.
It should be noted that those who bought 2018 Mazda 6 sport models will NOT get the Apple/Android update. Only those with Touring and above. Not sure why they left out Sport models, but it's a bit disappointing. It's not like Sport models have a different head unit.
My interpretation from various announcements and social media interactions (Mazda Canada is much more active than Mazda USA) is that it's a free upgrade for 2018 non-Sport owners, but that in theory the hardware can be retrofitted to any other model/year that has Connect, for a price. The hardware allegedly consists of a replacement USB hub and a new microphone, not sure why the mic is needed unless perhaps the original does not meet some sensitivity or always-on requirement of either AA or CP. When Ford made a similar retrofit available recently, their replacement USB hub was around $100 for the part, or $300 or so installed.
It would be nice if they upgrade to USB 3.0/3.1 on the front port in the center console if they aren't already. Anyone know what version they've got in there now? I know the rear seat ports output 2.1A (that's what they're labeled anyway), but I think the front ports are probably still only USB 1.1/2.0. I don't know what the host controller in the head unit is capable of supporting, but maybe it's part of the upgrade? Faster data speeds would be nice for speeding up reads from large music collections.
I’m not sure about the USB version, but I’m pretty sure it’s not 2.1A. I’ve got an iPhone 8 and get just about 10-12% charge on a 30 min drive to work.
Last week, my family and I were on vacation. Our rental car was a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. Actually not a bad little car, with most of the safety tech, and a fairly decent drive. Not much power, but at least we were getting 35MPG. Hyundai has sure come a long way.
Anyways, what I was really curious about was the infotainment system which included CarPlay. This was my first time using CarPlay in the real world, and I have to say I was pretty impressed. It is really very intuitive. Apple Maps, is not Google Maps, but entering destinations on the phone was a breeze. They would then pop up on the touch screen and you just hit GO. The interface for Pandora, message, and Maps was really straight forward.
This experience, combined with the latest CNET article about CarPlay and Android auto in the 2018 Mazda 6 are making me really anticipate getting it in my new Signature. Word is now that it should be available in June!
Speaking to a friend who works at Mazda corporate, it's first being released in Mazda 6 being manufactured now and should be in dealerships by the end of June. But for the rest of us who already have our 18 Mazda 6, they're looking at availability closer to Sept/Oct since this is a global rollout. To expand on this, it is not just a simple software patch, the hardware currently in our cars is going to be replaced with updated units that support Android auto and Apple Carplay. So it's going to take some time for the supplier to manufacture all the units for both cars currently being made and for dealerships to stock for retrofits.
All depends on supplier and parts availability. It may very well be they couldnt get the volumes they needed initially. Which is probably why they aren't going to have the upgrade until Fall-ish. Really not so strange if you factor in lead times and manufacturing schedules.
I was hoping that we had the hardware already, since we have the new 2018 Mazda6 but maybe that's not the case. Oh well. I heard from Mazda Canada via Twitter and they said they have no new information on availability or cost. Oh well, it'll be available when it's available.
Which older models? 2014 and 1016 wont work given they dont have mazda connect. So i would expect only 16-18 models with Mazda connect would be upgradeable.
Has anyone heard anything more about this? We're into July now and I thought it was supposed to be available by now. Mazda has made such a big deal about it that it's disappointing to see them go silent on it.
July is actually the target date for the Mazda 6 that are currently being shipped out from the assembly line with Android Auto/Apple Carplay installed. The retrofit kits for those of us who already bought our 2018 Mazda 6s won't be available until September. Unless their supplier is able to speed up production of the upgraded hardware that replaces our current hardware and gets it to the dealers sooner.
Thanks for the info Doug. Where did you hear that? The original info I read was that the kit would be available for those who already purchased in June or July and the cars wouldn't come from the factory with it until later this year. Did the media have that backward? It was actually in this thread where I read it.
The refreshed 2018 Mazda6 went on sale last month, minus one key ingredient: smartphone integration. Starting in July, however, folks who have already purchased Mazda's fun-to-drive sedan in the Touring trim level or above will be able to add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for free.
Customers will have to go to the dealership for a hardware and software upgrade. Mazda said it should be a quick affair, no need to leave the car overnight.
The Mazda6 will be available with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from the factory in December. Again, it's standard on Touring and above, optional on lower trim lines. @commodore_dude later added: The hardware allegedly consists of a replacement USB hub and a new microphone
The refreshed 2018 Mazda6 went on sale last month, minus one key ingredient: smartphone integration. Starting in July, however, folks who have already purchased Mazda's fun-to-drive sedan in the Touring trim level or above will be able to add Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for free.
Customers will have to go to the dealership for a hardware and software upgrade. Mazda said it should be a quick affair, no need to leave the car overnight.
The Mazda6 will be available with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from the factory in December. Again, it's standard on Touring and above, optional on lower trim lines.
@commodore_dude later added: The hardware allegedly consists of a replacement USB hub and a new microphone
Thanks for the reminder BillK. Hard to keep track of all these threads. Like Florida, i just cringe at the idea of a tech digging into my brand new, rattle-free interior. Any idea where the usb hub is located? I expect the microphone is in the map light assembly.
I think it would be cool to have, not 100% sure I'd go for the retrofit if it becomes available for my 2017. If the Nav had live traffic integrated into it then I probably wouldn't even consider this.
Yeah the lack of traffic routing is really my biggest annoyance with Connect nav. It's basically going to be a trade-off of would you rather have navigation info on the active driving display, or live traffic and better maps (Android Auto can support sending navigation details to a HUD, not sure about Carplay, but it sounds like Mazda didn't opt to build that into this update). I'll be springing for the retrofit the first day I can schedule it at my dealer, as I plan on keeping my 2017 for another 7 or 8 years at least the cost isn't so bad when you annualize it. Plus it would be nice to have more powerful hands-free text response options and a bit more future proofing for any new app trends...
Unfortunately this is only for vehicles with the Connect system, your only option would be an aftermarket head unit (and the various accompanying adapters if you want to keep other things like steering wheel controls, backup camera, etc).
This youtube review of the 18 Mazda 6 in Europe is the first I've seen of the Apple Carplay/Android Auto interface. He kinda rambles on so if you fast forward to 12:29, you get a brief glimpse of Apple Carplay which is pretty standard and then jump to 13:47 and you'll see the new USB hub that replaces the existing ones we have in the center console. Now we have confirmation that the 2018 Mazda 6 are shipping out with the interface installed. Can't wait to get mine put in.
I think you linked to the search results, not the actual video you mentioned. Is this the appropriate link?
Needless to say, I'm excited to see the physical proof of AA/AC in the 6! Doesn't look like they'd have to modify much, outside of the USB hub and software.
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