Does anyone know how to send map destinations to the gps using Siri handsfree? When I ask Siri for directions through the steering wheel siri button, the phone gives me directions as usual, with audio coming through the car speakers (only if audio system set to bluetooth, which is lame) but there is no visual directions except on the phone itself.

I want my car's nav to know where I'm going, otherwise I may as well just put my phone up on the dashboard and look at that instead. Any ideas?

 

You cannot use Siri Eyes Free to forward destinations to the car's built-in nav, though I believe that it can use Apple's nav to give you voice (but not visual) directions.

If you want to send destinations to the built-in nav, you must either use a PC or the AcuraLink Connect app on your device. That app is not tied to Siri Eyes Free though.

 

That's a shame. The audio-only option is basically nothing more than piping the phone's sound into the cabin. Is that what most people do then? Or using the app? I've been disappointed by the built in nav. The CPU is so slow that you can only input addresses at a pace of like one letter per second. It is like writing in slow m...o...t...i...o...n...

What have people found to be the most efficient way to use the nav (aside from just not using it, or relying on their smartphone's nav)?

 

Nav by voice. You can enter the entire address all at once. It takes a few seconds for the Nav to process the address and show it on the screen, but not overly slow. I greatly prefer this method to input by typing.

I was hoping for a little more in terms of the Siri Eyes Free integration and the Nav itself. Some of the pitfalls I've noticed (to include some already mentioned)

- Can't address search via siri eyes free and then route it through the Nav.

- Nav only recognizes generic "find nearest" searches (ex: grocery store, gas station, etc.) rather than specific places (ex: Applebee's, Exxon, Wal Mart, etc.)

- I've yet to get text/emails to display on-screen (using iPhone 5), nor is there any notification when I receive new messages. Double-checked the settings to make sure everything was correct, however I am not even able to select the "add email account/messages" function for some reason.

- Aha (the app and audio feature) is very basic. Number of channels is lacking, as is variety. You can use it to hear facebook/twitter status updates, but it lacks any sort of configuration flexibility.

- Pandora works well so long as I've already started the app on my iPhone. Otherwise the Acura display says it cannot connect/there's a connection error. GUI wise (on the acura display) I love it. Very intuitive and easy to navigate.

- Still futzing around with the Bluetooth connection and the iPhone. Easy enough to use iPhone's music app, however it will only play songs that are already on the phone (does not give the option to/nor allows you to play iCloud songs, even with the "download using cellular data" for Music function turned on). Navigating through folders was not intuitive, though I tried without reading up on it first. I've since read up on navigating using the wheel button and on-screen controls but have not had a chance to try navigating through songs/playlists again, so jury is still out.

That all said, i still like the features of the audio/nav. The ELS system is phenomenal and blows away my old car (coming from a 2007 Acura TSX Tech). Navigation does just enough to be useful and all the other bells and whistles (Siri Eyes Free, Pandora, Bluetooth) are nice additions.

Though, I wouldn't be sad if Acura released software updates to address some of the above issues, but am not expecting it.

 

I have come across a connector that uses the AirPlay capabilities of iphones to wirelessly duplicate the iphone screen on OEM monitors. Not sure of connectivity, I am investigating because I am interested in this too. It is called kivic-one.com.

 

I've also tried and failed to get the text/email integration to work on an iPhone 5. I'm not sure what I'm missing.


I, too, am not anticipating any extra features through software update. Cars are traditionally far behind the tech curve compared to things like cellphones, that's just how it is. It's just a shame that even today, buying a tech-focused car, from NEXT YEAR's model range, I still don't have what I consider basic smartphone feature integration. "Maybe next year," I guess...


It wouldn't bother me so much, except when I read the marketing materials that cited "Siri Eyes-Free," and "send maps data from your phone to your car" I assumed all this would work, and it does not. Siri Eyes-Free in reality is little more than amplifying the phone's speaker via Bluetooth, and the phone-based nav thing is only available via a premium (paid subscription) Acura Connect plan, which even then would likely be cumbersome and awkward compared to just holding the darn phone in your hand and using the legitimate Google Maps app.

 

Very interesting! My only concern with this is that Acura's CPU and touch screen resolution is probably too weak to really reflect an iPhone's features reasonably.

 

Fyi, the texting feature does require your settings in the phone to be adjusted.

Settings, bluetooth, handsfree link info, turn show notifications to on.

All it does is read texts aloud, but it's something.