Hi guys,

 

Just wanted to pick some experienced Skoda brains over the Colombus & CarPlay combo. I currently have a BMW 3 Series with the full iDrive / Connected Drive suite, including the Online Entertainment package, which basically gives you integrated Deezer using the car’s data, which you can properly browse and search using the iDrive rotary knob and voice control at the same time as charging / using a phone and the car’s satnav. Overall, it’s a very slick package and arguably the best in the business.

 

I’m thinking of buying a Superb L&K or Sportline Plus next year, so would be entering the world of Colombus & CarPlay, which obviously works very differently. I have an iPhone with plenty of data, so I can continue to have ‘integrated’ music (whether by Apple Music, Deezer or whichever). However, I have two phones (work phone and personal phone), and by day I want the work phone to be connected for voice calls. However, I believe if I’m using the other phone for accessing music and nav services with CarPlay, I’m not able to use the Skoda’s own Bluetooth phone functions simultaneously.

 

Is that right? Is there any way I can either run the iPhone just for music & have the other phone connected for voice calls, OR can you switch between phones if the other one rings? When I sat in and played with one recently, the only way I could find to do this was to pull the plug on the iPhone & terminate the CarPlay connection, but this didn’t then automatically (or quickly) reconnect the other Bluetooth phone. Very frustrating, and I hate how CarPlay takes over everything (as it’s actually not either anywhere near as good as it should be, nor anywhere near as good as Audi MMI or BMW iDrive, even if you only have an iPhone as your only phone). Not that I have one, but is Android Auto any different in this regard?

 

Is there any way I could get around this and use the car’s phone and nav, plus CarPlay just for music? I tried disabling apps in CarPlay, but you can’t disable the Phone app or most of the Apple apps (of course)!

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Cheers

 

Rob

I think if you use USB port for CarPlay on the phone where your music files and music apps are stored on one side; and connect the other phone via BT for profesionnal call, IMHO it may comply to your expectations... Needs to be tested. 🤔

AFAIK you cannot use bluetooth while using CarPlay, don't know about Android Auto or Mirror Link.

 

You can connect both phones via bluetooth simultaneously and use one as a bluetooth player.

 

You could get an eSim for one of the numbers, newer iPhones support two phone numbers using eSim and Nano Sim.

 

There are other possible options with the built in sim slot, etc but not ideal I suspect.

@MaddicIrl It may depend on the MY.

Since MY19, I know that BT connection has changed and possibilities have changed too.

I´ll check on my MY17...

14 minutes ago, Bap33 said:

@MaddicIrl It may depend on the MY.

Since MY19, I know that BT connection has changed and possibilities have changed too.

I´ll check on my MY17...

You could be right there actually re: MY versions.

For clarification, I have a MY18 with Amundsen but the same seems to apply to the Columbus according to the manual at least.

1 hour ago, MaddicIrl said:

AFAIK you cannot use bluetooth while using CarPlay, don't know about Android Auto or Mirror Link.

 

You can connect both phones via bluetooth simultaneously and use one as a bluetooth player.

 

You could get an eSim for one of the numbers, newer iPhones support two phone numbers using eSim and Nano Sim.

 

There are other possible options with the built in sim slot, etc but not ideal I suspect.

Yeah, I think you could do 2x Bluetooth connections (like the Audi Phone Box thing) but the minute you plug in an iPhone, CarPlay takes over everything. 

 

Yet to understand how the SIM slot could help, but again as the car lacks its own versions of the entertainment apps such as Deezer built in, I don’t think it would. 

 

I’ve also wondered about tethering one phone to the other as a wifi hot spot, but I can’t make it work in my head quite how I want it to or quite as my current car does because the Superb will rely on the phone to do the heavy lifting rather than using any of its own integrated apps. 
 

Rob

4 minutes ago, sula_rob said:

Yeah, I think you could do 2x Bluetooth connections (like the Audi Phone Box thing) but the minute you plug in an iPhone, CarPlay takes over everything. 

 

Yet to understand how the SIM slot could help, but again as the car lacks its own versions of the entertainment apps such as Deezer built in, I don’t think it would. 

 

I’ve also wondered about tethering one phone to the other as a wifi hot spot, but I can’t make it work in my head quite how I want it to or quite as my current car does because the Superb will rely on the phone to do the heavy lifting rather than using any of its own integrated apps. 
 

Rob

The built in sim works independently to CarPlay so it would be possible to put the work sim in for calls and use your own phone for CarPlay but a PIA swapping the sim in and out.

 

You are correct, once connected to the USB (which is not necessary to use as bluetooth player) it will automatically start CarPlay but you can manually disconnect it through the infotainment and leave the phone plugged in. Some models now come with a second USB which is not connected to the infotainment afaik.

 

Would the eSim be an option for you? one phone, problem solved?

I don’t think so as I have two distinct phones I want to keep separate... I can’t think of a way either of doing it the other way, as a data sim for music would work but you need CarPlay to get it up on the screen. Shame they can’t get something integrated into Colombus to make the Infotainment subscriptions a bit more worthwhile than just weather, traffic & news nobody needs...

 

Rob