hans471

One feature I love on my RDX is that I can easily share a location from my phone directly to the Nav system in my 2019 RDX Advance. BUT, while this worked great when the car was new its functionality decreased in the past year or so and then seemed to totally quit recently, perhaps after the latest software update (1.5.1 I believe) on the vehicle. Some have posted they didn't think this would work without a paid Acura Link subscription. If you read the Acura Link web info its really confusing just which package does what. If I recall from a year ago most of this confusion was due to the way Acura listed the packages.

Today I tried something different. Rather than just using Google Maps on my Android phone (Samsung S10) to try to send a location I went into the system a different way. I first opened the Acura Link app on my phone. Then I went into "Maps" in the app. I picked a location from that app (which I believe is actually using Google Maps for its data) and the Acura App instantly shared the location to the Nav system in the vehicle. I did this five or six times and it worked 100%.

Next, after doing it using the Acura Link App I opened Google Maps (without closing Acura Link) and picked several locations and shared them. Sure enough they were instantly sent to the vehicle's nav system and worked as they use to.

For now I have drawn only one conclusion: Sharing still works without a paid Acura Link subscription. BUT, and I could be wrong, it appears from my limited testing that one needs to FIRST open the Acura Link app and click on "Maps" from within the app to get this sharing to work. I will test more trying different combinations of actions to see if this is a certain sequence that is needed or if I have overlooked something else.

Thinking back more on this I seem to recall that the change may have happened some months back when the Acura Link app on the phone was updated. I am not certain as my RDX sits a lot as I run around in our Honda Fit EX-L most of the time and only use the RDX for longer trips and don't use the "Share" feature on a regular basis.

ELIN

Thanks for sharing!

NooYawkuh

Le'me get this straight - You have the AuraLink app but you no longer have a paid AcuraLink subscription. If that's correct, that's interesting if you can still send a destination to the car. I also have a Galaxy S10.

"Send destination to car" is supposed to be a feature of the AcuraLink Remote Package, which I have. I mainly use it for remote start. I don't have much use for send-to-car, but I have used it just to see if it worked and it did. The only thing I don't like is that you can't delete the send-to-car history. At least I've never been able to. The couple times I used it are still in my history.

ELIN

Reminds me of a quote:

"A toast to wives, girlfriends, and lovers.
May they never meet."

DrWoo

From what I have been told by Acura customer service, and based on what is posted above, the send to without a subscription only works when the car infotainment system is on. I have the remote service, but I was informed that the send to function when the vehicle is off only works with the security package, which makes no sense and is contrary to what they originally stated.

hans471

OK, this is all making a little more, but not complete, sense.
1) When car was new and I had the "free" complete package I could send destinations to the car any time. I would be in my hotel room at night and send out destinations for the next day's travel. When I got in the car the next day as soon as the system booted up the locations would show up. I liked that...but it quit later, likely when the "free trial" ran out.

2) Now...how it works from what I can tell: When the car is off and I enter a destination on Google Maps or on the Acura Link map the Acura app tells me the location will be sent the next time the phone connects to the car. Well, it isn't. I turn on the car and even though the app says its been sent the car does not get it. .

3) If I turn the car on and THEN enter a destination on the Acura App map it is instantly sent to the Nav system. If I then do the same thing on Google Maps it shows up instantly also.

All I can tell, and I could be confused, is that if the car is on and if I start the Acura app first then the phone does connect and send destinations to the Nav in real time. Based on that I am thinking that the confusion about this function is that if you pay for the connection service from Acura (maybe its the remote package??) then the maps can be sent when the vehicle is turned off. I am not perfectly clear on this but it seems how it worked when I had the trial service. But, another twist, Acura did change the service steps after my original free trial period ended so maybe something else changed. I don't want to spend the money for the Security package if this is all I get that is helpful to me. My RDX lives in my garage except for longer trips, its not my daily driver and the other features don't seem to benefit me too much.

DJA123

I understand this is mostly a quest for knowledge, but as a practical matter is this feature a significant benefit? What is the scenario where this is preferable to entering the destination via voice command once inside the car? Are you sending a location that is a plotted point and not a typical address?

hans471

OH, this is not just a quest for knowledge. The ability to put locations in the Nav system via "Sharing" on my phone or tablet is quite important to me. As I have stated, the RDX is our "travel" car. We have taken it across the country both East and West more than once. When in our hotel for the evening we will search for spots we might want to stop during the next day's travel and like to mark them and have them go to the Nav system in the RDX the next morning when we leave. This worked when we first got the car, it does not now. We miss that feature a lot. When I get up in the morning and start to leave for an all day drive I don't want to set there in the car for an extended period loading way points or attractions one at a time.

Acura Link's web site says you can share locations with the basic (free) package but gives no details as to the conditions to make that happen. When new the operation was wonderful, but its functionality has been demised greatly since then either by the App updates or the Acura Link paid features. The information that actually confirms which package, if any, will allow the operation to work as it did a year ago just isn't out there.

NooYawkuh

Yeah, that's the problem. The only two locations on the list are a titty bar and a crack den.

DJA123

I learned something. Thanks.

DrWoo

I have the remote service, and the send to does not work with the car off. I did call about it after my security trial expired (about 18 months ago) and I lost the feature, and was told at that time it was part of the security package, which I don't have. I will admit it is a nice feature, and I used to use this a lot before Apple Carplay got enabled in the RDX. But now I find it much easier to create favorites in Apple Maps. I almost never use the car nav any longer.

hans471

I don't use Apple anything so Caar Play is a non-issue for me. I have Android Auto but don't use it that much.
What I have figured out so far is that Acura link doesn't like to work with every function of Google Maps. For example: If I "share" one location at a time Acura Link allows it. If I make a list, like "Favorites" and try to send the entire list to Nav it gives me "That application does work" or something like that. What I have to do is put together my list of locations on Google Maps in a folder there, "Favorites or whatever" Then while Google Maps is running I take one of the locations at a time, pull them up on Google Maps and then one at a time share them with Acura Link. That method works fine, so long as you only do one location at a time. It slows down the process but at least it works.
Next I guess I need to try learning how to do a list of points in Android Auto I guess. I am use to the RDX's nav so Android Auto has a learning curve for me.

Madd Dog

IMO, the different nav systems have different strengths. I find Google maps to have the best overall routing through trafficy areas, for example driving through DC, or to a New York airport. Waze is best for road conditions, like when you are staying on a highway, but watching out for cops or road debris. I am liking Apple Maps better because Siri works well with it, and it shows traffic lights.

To me, the only thing the Acura Nav is good at is as a rolling map. At which it is pretty good.

ELIN

I think only WAZE tells you were the speed cameras are. You really need that in NYC. Could save you a few bucks...

TheLevelOne

I agree. When traveling down to SC in July, I used the following which has since become my GoTo setup for long trips:

RDX using my android phone/AA with Google maps
A spare work iPhone running Waze
Uniden R7 radar

On the way down in NC it saved me. Google maps reported the speed trap about two seconds before Waze did. I slowed and moved right just as NC highway patrol perched on an overpass ahead hit me with his laser which the R7 picked up. Right after that I spotted about a dozen customers that were being processed.

Like you I generally use the Acura nav for normal drives. It was the first time the Google maps reported a trap for me. One thing I like about maps is when crossing state lines it announces Welcome to .....

Regards -----------

hans471

I should explain, we use 3 nav systems on our trips....I monitor the Acura Nav display for a "quick look" and arrive times. My navigator...er....wife....has a nice 7" Garmin unit and we have Google maps going. When spending hours on end in the car it gives her something to do as she compares the various routing options.. Also, all three of these give traffic with Google Maps being the most up-to-date. Also, its quick and easy for her to search for restaurants, gas stations, whatever, on her tablet or phone or the Garmin without disturbing the Acura screen on the dash. She's a good navigator, a skilled she honed while flying with me for years. (Her Dad was also a pilot and her background is mathematics and mainframe computer system programing. Navigation is pretty easy for her and gives her something interesting to do to pass the time.