Waze is unpredictably silent

dtccivic

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I've got a EX-L, an iPhone 6, and some headaches.

I use Waze a lot. It is a huge time save here in Silicon Valley (because so many other people use it and feed it data.)

Here's what I'd like to do: Have Waze read out driving directions/alerts while I'm listening to podcasts, listening to FM, or listening to XM - while connected via bluetooth. Honestly I'd prefer that Waze read out from the phone speakers, but the car speakers are fine too.

However, what I find is that frequently Waze is silent. What's weird is that sometimes it is not! I've tried toggling the various options inside the app - but I can't ever figure out the right sequence.

And then there's the variable of what happens if I plug the phone into the car via USB - that's another headache thanks to carplay.

Does anyone else use Waze? What settings do you use on the car and in the Waze app?
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lightthief

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I've got a EX-L, an iPhone 6, and some headaches.

I use Waze a lot. It is a huge time save here in Silicon Valley (because so many other people use it and feed it data.)

Here's what I'd like to do: Have Waze read out driving directions/alerts while I'm listening to podcasts, listening to FM, or listening to XM - while connected via bluetooth. Honestly I'd prefer that Waze read out from the phone speakers, but the car speakers are fine too.

However, what I find is that frequently Waze is silent. What's weird is that sometimes it is not! I've tried toggling the various options inside the app - but I can't ever figure out the right sequence.

And then there's the variable of what happens if I plug the phone into the car via USB - that's another headache thanks to carplay.

Does anyone else use Waze? What settings do you use on the car and in the Waze app?
If you're using XM / fm/ am/ radio as your source other audio sources won't play through.

You'd only hear waze if you had selected Bluetooth as a source or had your phone connected for CarPlay.
 
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dtccivic

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Oh. That's not what I expected having used other cars. In other cars, Waze would somehow burst through as a voice call. Which wasn't great... but was still better than silence.
 

Design

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<< Heavy Waze user as well.

As mentioned above, it will only stream through the speakers when connected over Bluetooth. Tapping into the phone line is more of a glitch lol.

It's also possible to have voice commands appear while connected to AA or Carplay. But you'd have to initiate the app/navigation prior to connecting the cable. Works on some phones and not on others - give it a shot.
 

markhu

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I think the head unit manufacturers have yet to catch up with now-common use cases as you describe. Modern-day users are no longer content with selecting a single audio source. I basically want a mix of all available sources, where I can independently stop or start them. There is an opportunity for a manufacturer to break out of the old mode.
 


lightthief

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I think the head unit manufacturers have yet to catch up with now-common use cases as you describe. Modern-day users are no longer content with selecting a single audio source. I basically want a mix of all available sources, where I can independently stop or start them. There is an opportunity for a manufacturer to break out of the old mode.
That use case is covered by just using your phone to stream everything. Every radio station has an online version now.

If actually consider all sources overlapping to be a flawed design.
Let's say you use or an iPod and you also have a Bluetooth paired phone?
Should it play both when you get in the car?
Should it start the radio too?

Should you have to pick from a list of sources you want every time you you get in?

It already does this to a certain extent with Bluetooth audio. It collapsed both phone and audio modes into one so music doesn't stop when you pick up the phone sometimes.

It's annoying rather than good.
 

markhu

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Streaming over 4G is fine in-town, but sucks in rural areas, or even in corridors between parts of Los Angeles.
 

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Most aftermarket units have an app mixing mode where the DAC can process multiple sources at once. I also think Honda should have configured HD Radio and XM to stream in the background while running AA or Carplay, using the steering wheel controls. It's a shame the automotive manufacturers haven't followed suit.
 

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Does the "Play through phone speakers" option not work on Waze while connected to Bluetooth? I've been interested in using Waze as I've heard that it can give notifications to traffic / accidents / police on the road, even when you don't have an activate navigation route selected.
 

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You have to be actively connected to Bluetooth streaming or running it in the background before connecting to AA/Carplay.

The only other option is to force Waze to broadcast all notifications over the phone's speaker.
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