Does anyone know whether the navigation on the virtual cockpit screen switches to Google Maps if you're using Android Auto?

 

If it doesn't (only visible on centre console) one of the big plus points of the virtual cockpit (navi display) is gone for me -- the inbuilt nav is useless compared to Google Maps, especially with traffic or in towns...

.......unless you're using the online RTTI! 

21 minutes ago, john999boy said:

.......unless you're using the online RTTI! 

Don't understand -- the inbuilt nav is useless for avoiding traffic, in the UK TMC only knows about big jams, information is always out of date, and it reroutes you onto other smaller roads which it thinks are clear but aren't because it doesn't have any traffic information on them (I think the RTTI (TMC pro?) in Germany is a lot better than in the UK). In comparison, Google Maps knows about every delay or slowdown of a couple of minutes, even on side roads, and its predicted TOA is far more accurate. It's also recently started warning about speed cameras which it never used to do :-)

 

Unless the RTTI has changed since the Columbus one my 2016 Superb has built in, and uses some other data source than TMC?

Edited 21 February, 20197 yr by IanJD

If you've got Skoda Connect then the real time traffic information is about on par with Google Maps. I agree that TMC is rubbish.

No, none can display Android auto maps on the virtual cockpit, I've not heard any brand that can do that. I believe even Audi's cannot.

2 hours ago, john999boy said:

If you've got Skoda Connect then the real time traffic information is about on par with Google Maps. I agree that TMC is rubbish.

 

What’s the source of the information pushed via Skoda Connect? In Croatia, I hadn’t managed to get any traffic info through Skoda Connect so Google is waaay more reliable when you need to consider traffic.

 

I use standard navigation mostly due to arrows in front of me but when I have to navigate traffic, it’s been Google Maps always.

2 hours ago, john999boy said:

If you've got Skoda Connect then the real time traffic information is about on par with Google Maps. I agree that TMC is rubbish.

There's one big snag...

 

£63 per annum for Infotainment Online.

£54 per annum for Care Connect.

 

Google Maps is free...

24 minutes ago, Zid2000 said:

What’s the source of the information pushed via Skoda Connect? In Croatia, I hadn’t managed to get any traffic info through Skoda Connect so Google is waaay more reliable when you need to consider traffic.

I don't know where Skoda Connect gets it's traffic info but if you can't get it in your country, then Google Maps is equally as good - just without being able to be shown on the Virtual Cockpit.

 

 

1 minute ago, john999boy said:

I don't know where Skoda Connect gets it's traffic info but if you can't get it in your country, then Google Maps is equally as good - just without being able to be shown on the Virtual Cockpit.

 

 

I would honestly be surprised if Skoda Connect is as good at traffic as Google Maps. Google track location and speed of millions of Android phones to build up traffic data, but I don't believe thay make this data available to third parties -- and this would only work for satnav if the mapping formats were identical, which seems unlikely. As far as I know nobody else has as good a source of traffic data as Google, simply because nobody else has so many phones to slurp up data from -- and I know some people object to Google "spying" on them like this (so turn it off...) but it's one reason why Google Maps is so good. When it brings up a red section of road in front of you and says there will be a four minute delay, it's usually correct -- I've never seen any other satnav anywhere near as good at doing this, or accurately predicting arrival time, or re-routing to avoid delays.

1 hour ago, IanJD said:

There's one big snag...

 

£63 per annum for Infotainment Online.

£54 per annum for Care Connect.

 

Google Maps is free...

 

7 hours ago, IanJD said:

Does anyone know whether the navigation on the virtual cockpit screen switches to Google Maps if you're using Android Auto?

 

If it doesn't (only visible on centre console) one of the big plus points of the virtual cockpit (navi display) is gone for me -- the inbuilt nav is useless compared to Google Maps, especially with traffic or in towns...

 

I was just pointing out an alternate way to allow you have and enjoy 'one of your big plus points' whilst still benefiting from 'proper' traffic updates. 

If you decide that the cost is prohibitive then that is your decision.

 

1 hour ago, IanJD said:

I would honestly be surprised if Skoda Connect is as good at traffic as Google Maps.

 

Obviously looking at the post I quoted above therefore allows you to be surprised - honestly!

Edited 21 February, 20197 yr by john999boy
Typo

11 hours ago, IanJD said:

Does anyone know whether the navigation on the virtual cockpit screen switches to Google Maps if you're using Android Auto?

 

If it doesn't (only visible on centre console) one of the big plus points of the virtual cockpit (navi display) is gone for me -- the inbuilt nav is useless compared to Google Maps, especially with traffic or in towns...

 

nope, and never will.

 

unless the car manufacturer relies entirely on Google running its entire infotainment system, then u'll have this.  added benefits of this is u could tell Google Assistant to set the temperature to xx, or turn on the headlights, or change the drive mode etc etc.

 

Volvo is currently working with Google, to run its infotainment system - https://group.volvocars.com/news/connectivity/2018/volvo-cars-collaborates-with-google-on-a-brand-new-infotainment-system

 

one day, it will trickle into the VWaG world........

12 hours ago, JR RS said:

 

nope, and never will.

 

unless the car manufacturer relies entirely on Google running its entire infotainment system, then u'll have this.  added benefits of this is u could tell Google Assistant to set the temperature to xx, or turn on the headlights, or change the drive mode etc etc.

 

Volvo is currently working with Google, to run its infotainment system - https://group.volvocars.com/news/connectivity/2018/volvo-cars-collaborates-with-google-on-a-brand-new-infotainment-system

 

one day, it will trickle into the VWaG world........

Don't see why this can't happen. Right now Google Maps takes over the Columbus display to use for displaying its nav data, presumably via some Android Auto API. In theory there's no reason the same API can't be used to hand over a portion of the virtual cockpit display to Google Maps, while the car UI keeps control of the rest. Of course this involves the car manufacturer building in this capability from the start, which is why it might not happen in practice...

I’ve just been watching this YouTube link that @vrskeith posted elsewhere on the forum and heard an interesting comment at 16:30 which might increase your pulse rate significantly @IanJD! 

 

 

The google maps on Audi virtual cockpit is part of the data subscription , if you don’t subscribe to their plan you loose the google maps and it reverts to normal vag looking nav, iirc the dealer I went to said it was google earth skin rather than google maps like phones have

Slightly off-topic but being in my first days with the Virtual Cockpit, I have to report there's a LOT of reasons to opt for it regardless of AA support or not. Not saying I would mind an AA-Gmaps view on the driver's dash but what you get with the VC, the ways you can customize the display, and the overall effect it has on the cabin and car feel are miles ahead of the analog dials, as simply as I can put it.

Also, something to keep in mind is that the amount of road and car information that can be displayed simultaneously in some particular modes of the VC is just not possible to be displayed on the infotainment screen at all so leaving GMaps there and using the VC screen for everything else makes a lot of sense, I should take a pic of what I mean.

Should I go for virtual cockpit on my Kodiaq or rather upgrade amundsen to Columbus? 

Taking in mind I will probably not use DVD often.

But I do plan to use googlemaps a lot.

On 21/02/2019 at 20:23, TonyTonic said:

No, none can display Android auto maps on the virtual cockpit, I've not heard any brand that can do that. I believe even Audi's cannot.

 

Looks like audi can do that:

 

 

A quirk I recently found is that if you run waze on the columbus (etc) you can still get the inbuilt maps in the vc. Not ideal, but does allow you to easily scan for speed cameras, junctions etc. If you run Google maps the vc refuses to display any map. 

As an aside I'm not (yet) a vc convert - after some playing I've left mine on the dual dial display... 

1 hour ago, JBD1974 said:

A quirk I recently found is that if you run waze on the columbus (etc) you can still get the inbuilt maps in the vc. Not ideal, but does allow you to easily scan for speed cameras, junctions etc. If you run Google maps the vc refuses to display any map. 

i can have waze running on the columbus (or google maps) and see the inbuilt maps in the vc.

BUT if I add a destination on waze or whatever i'm running on columbus, i'll no longer see maps in the vc.

Odd, my is OK with waze navigating , but not Google maps. Although I've updated android auto since then, so all bets are off... 

18 hours ago, JBD1974 said:

Odd, my is OK with waze navigating , but not Google maps.

 

Reviving this old thread with some good news for MIB 2 and 2.5 owners (confirmed for Apple CarPlay, may also work with AA).

 

PLEASE NOTE: This is potentially dangerous and could theoretically brick your MIB unit if mistakes are made or your unit is not capable of the function. Please read all the materials on the MIB toolbox page and consult your local ODIS/VCP/VCDS expert for guidance. I'm entirely unqualified to do this and did so under the supervision of someone with MIB Toolbox experience.

The MIB Toolbox has a solution for this titled "Add patch/command to ignore smartphone navigating status" located here:

 

https://github.com/jilleb/mib2-toolbox/pull/189?fbclid=IwAR11ECCMpulVlDEz4p3R0g0Lr2SB-XQ3vfVqEoPG3fCI9DtBj1IdKq3NqCY

 

This requires download of the toolbox from the latest link on the page onto a properly formatted SD card and then following the prompts through the Green service menu to the MIB Toolbox navigation folder, where the "Add patch/command to ignore smartphone navigating status" item is stored. Executing that loads java code to the MIB unit. Once executed the head unit looks like this:

 

After upload the unit reset and was tested. All 3 of my mapping apps worked and the Virtual Cockpit map stays on for all including Waze, Apple Maps and Google Maps. Apologies for the crap photos.

Waze:

 

Apple Maps:

 

Google Maps:

Bonus clip of the same destination loaded into both Google Maps and Skoda Nav with both showing simultaneously. Skoda nav destination line is pale green and not so easy to see on the video.

4 minutes ago, Frankenfurter said:

Bonus clip of the same destination loaded into both Google Maps and Skoda Nav with both showing simultaneously. Skoda nav destination line is pale green and not so easy to see on the video.

IMG_3126.MOV

Are you saying when you put a destination into Waze/Google maps, it comes up on the Virtual Cockpit also? Or just shows a plain map without any nav routing?

 

Your video doesnt currently work

32 minutes ago, ApertureS said:

Are you saying when you put a destination into Waze/Google maps, it comes up on the Virtual Cockpit also? Or just shows a plain map without any nav routing?

 

Your video doesnt currently work

Just to clarify, I had to manually enter the destination into both Google Maps and Skoda Navigation. They do not communicate the destination to each other.

 

Doing this would not really be all that helpful or necessarily result in the same route being guided.

 

This was more of a test to show that even with destinations loaded and active in both, the two would still function and show at the same time. These are the key screen shots from the clip and shows the screens separately in two images but they are indeed displaying simultaneously. I pan between them in the clip.

 

 

 

Edited 30 August, 20223 yr by Frankenfurter