On 11/06/2020 at 22:31, gm73 said:

My car is a March 2015 build and just missed out on Smart Link and Android Auto. It has the Bolero unit.

Could mine get the upgrade? And does it work with iPhone?

Unfortunately not. It was introduced as a £150 option on cars built from the end of May 2015. Much better value than the built in satnav. Having read here the rumours of what was coming, I delayed placing my order from March to the end of April 2015 to ensure that I got an MY16 car.

SmartLink does include Apple CarPlay for talking to iPhones.

You talk to an iPhone? That's weird. 

On 11/06/2020 at 15:48, TheWanderer said:

Just bear in mind that you need a decent data allowance and phone tariff, plus more often than not a 4G phone signal to take full benefit of Google Maps or Waze.

It doesn't need fast data or a lot of data. My 7 year old PAYG phone doesn't even have 4G and I don't top it up very often. Unless maybe you've got satellite view enabled and you're driving around at 1000mph!

Skoda needs to sort out their firmware and software updates for the infotainment system TBQH and stop charging for things like Smartlink.

Hasn't SmartLink been included as standard for several years now?

I looked at getting it activated but couldn't really see it was worth the money myself.

 

The main thing I need it to do is make and recieve calls and play music from the phone.  It does both of those through Bluetooth without the need to plug it in.

Generally the 72 messages i may recieve from various WhatsApp group chats can wait, if somebody had something important to say, they can call me.

 

Google maps is better than the built in sat nav, however the main advantage of the sat nav is the dash display.  Having to look at the main screen isn't convenient as it's right out your view, so being restricted to that is a downgrade.  I'd rather put my phone on its holder on the windscreen (much easier to see without detracting from your driving) and just use that screen of I want to use google, it's more useful.  Or put up with the standard sat nav as it's not terrible.  

 

IF it connected without plugging the phone in and the dash directions worked I may have been persuaded.

Edited 18 June, 20205 yr by Alex-W

I have now done three long business trips (racking up around 1800 miles) since getting smartlink enabled.

 

It isn't great:

• Android auto is clunky, it takes a while to fire up every time the phone is connected, often fails to connect, and there isn't that much you can do when you're in.
• It can't be controlled from the multifunction steering wheel, you have to keep leaning over and prodding the screen and shouting at it.
• Lots of things you might want to do are locked out (maybe a good thing safety wise as removes temptation to eg check your email).
   
• The google maps display is not as good as the built in satnav (garmin) or the google maps display you get on a phone and it doesn't repeat on the multi-dot display either.
• you can't switch between built in and google satnav as if you turn on the built in sat nav it cancels the google map navigation and vice versa.  So difficult to run using the built in one then swap to google for a traffic check.
• google maps has no way to store favourite destinations .. it just lists up the last few places you have searched for (you can voice search though - but that doesn't work for "Tom's house" or "Park")
   
• as for the other functions : generally less good than you get on your phone handset (eg finding a channel on TunedIn is limited - scrolling lists of genres with no search function).  The phone connectivity is better than you get from the steering wheel but not any better than you get using the Amundsen's phone menu.  Music quality ... maybe a bit better than streaming via Bluetooth.
   
• It makes my mobile so hot, I'm worried it will melt.

On the other hand:

• You can see google maps or waze on the main display, the traffic info and re-routing are good and the maps are always up to date.  You can tell it to find a supermarket (or petrol, or pizza) and it just does it.
• It doesn't do the Garmin thing of taking you off the motorway, round a roundabout and back on the motorway to avoid "slow motorway traffic" (it once took me through a huge snarl up in the middle of Bristol to avoid a slow moving M5)
• It does keep your hands off your phone when driving
• The voice recognition actually works.
• It will read out your texts and whatsapps messages (but not let you read them!) - why you'd want that beats me though.

Worth the money?

 

Hmm, I think, kind of useful, sometimes, but not worth £179.  

 

on the other hand the car cost me £13000 and its had a new clutch (£1000) and three new tyres (£225) since bought, so £179 is immaterial really - and Android Auto is likely to develop, so maybe will improve some.

6 hours ago, nicka62 said:

I have now done three long business trips (racking up around 1800 miles) since getting smartlink enabled.

 

It isn't great:

• Android auto is clunky, it takes a while to fire up every time the phone is connected, often fails to connect, and there isn't that much you can do when you're in.
• It can't be controlled from the multifunction steering wheel, you have to keep leaning over and prodding the screen and shouting at it.
• Lots of things you might want to do are locked out (maybe a good thing safety wise as removes temptation to eg check your email).
   
• The google maps display is not as good as the built in satnav (garmin) or the google maps display you get on a phone and it doesn't repeat on the multi-dot display either.
• you can't switch between built in and google satnav as if you turn on the built in sat nav it cancels the google map navigation and vice versa.  So difficult to run using the built in one then swap to google for a traffic check.
• google maps has no way to store favourite destinations .. it just lists up the last few places you have searched for (you can voice search though - but that doesn't work for "Tom's house" or "Park")
   
• as for the other functions : generally less good than you get on your phone handset (eg finding a channel on TunedIn is limited - scrolling lists of genres with no search function).  The phone connectivity is better than you get from the steering wheel but not any better than you get using the Amundsen's phone menu.  Music quality ... maybe a bit better than streaming via Bluetooth.
   
• It makes my mobile so hot, I'm worried it will melt.

 

Sounds like your phone is either a low spec model or is a bit old if it's overheating that much.

In order:

- yes it takes some time to load. That's the price for remote software. And that's the point.

- what is it you want to control from the wheel? Voice control is activated via a long press of the voice button.

- again that's the point. Stops you doing unsafe things.

- that's subjective. I really like Waze.

- why would you need to switch between them? Just use Google or Waze. Or stick to onboard nav.

- you can actually save favourites and name them which then can be searched for via text or voice. Or just save favourites as normal in waze.

- yeah this may be true but if you have spent the time setting it up out of the car then you don't get issues with this.

I had Smartlink enabled a couple of weeks ago for £145. My feedback so far is

 

1. I initially had general connectivity issues but after trying two cables (inc a VW one) found a genuine sony cable solved most of then (expect point 8 )

2. Sometimes had sound through the phone rather than the car but was solved with the cable.

3. Had to change Google Assistant settings to get the voice to work properly. So much better than the Skoda one.

4. Multi function steering wheel works but the voice button still activates Skoda voice assistant. However I haven't tried a long hold, thanks MarkyG82.

5. I can send messages via WhatsApp but don't get a notification when a message is received. SMS messaging is fine and I can control via voice.

6. Spotify is great and so much better than the bluetooth connection.

7. Waze give better town driving information than the Skoda maps.

8. I still have an initial connectivity issue when first plugging into the car which I think is to do with Android Auto load time on the phone. Still working on resolving that one.

 

So overall happy but still a few issues to iron out.

 

 

Edited 2 July, 20205 yr by durhamfisher

No official Android Auto in this country. I use here and BT and apart from occasional wierdness with not restarting playback when I get back in the car, it's good.

 

I can't say I miss Android Auto. I've sideloaded it onto my personal phone, only to find I can't use here - which is where all my saved places are. So it's gone again. Here will interrupt Spotify to announce stuff and announcements are blocked during calls. That's as much integration as I need. Plus I get to use it offline, which is important when I'm in strange places with insane data rates.

Spotify is the more annoying one with the obviously not-random "random". 

 

 - Bret

Yes my phone is old (relatively speaking).. I keep them as long as possible so as not to trash the world with discarded electronics (three years old, android 7.1.2); gets hot when running too many apps and android auto starts up a whole batch of apps in the background.  It does the job - doubtless a new Android 10 octacore processor mega handset would do better but I have no other need for one.

 

It would be good to be able to use the multi-function steering wheel buttons to scroll around in Android Auto (eg to select destinations from the drop down list of recent places, choose internet radio stations etc), but I can see why that would be hard to implement.  I shall have to try the "long press" on the voice control button - so far it just turned on the Skoda voice control functions (which rarely work for me).

 

Will also try Waze to see if I like the display better.  TBH the google one is fine - clear and informative - just less good than it looks on my phone and less info than the garmin one (also less distracting as a result); partly this is the aspect ratio, it was designed for portrait and with no output to the multi-dot display it needs to reserve a biggish panel for directions.

 

Saved destinations:  Ah yes.  If you save something in one of the "saved" folders, then select that first, THEN ask for directions to that place, it does the job.  Good one.

 

One thing I DO like, is the ability to set up google maps outside the car, start navigation and then connect to the car to show it on the main screen - like on my old TomTom (now abandoned in the back of a cupboard ... it was really good as a nav device, but can't do traffic and has to stick to the windscreen ... from which it falls off from time to time).

15 hours ago, nicka62 said:

• ... it once took me through a huge snarl up in the middle of Bristol to avoid a slow moving M5...

 

 🤣  🤣

tried the long hold on the voice control and it does indeed activate the google assistant, so thanks again to MarkyG82 for pointing this out.

 

I also seemed to have improved the start up issue by enabling start android auto when it detects the cars blue tooth.

 

Still have to sort the Whatsapp notifications though.

On 30/05/2020 at 16:20, SashaGrace said:

You also get full control of music streaming, google assistant or siri, text support and WhatsApp etc with it. I use it all the time as the ability to pick the material I want to listen to on Spotify on the move alone is worth it to me.

 

Isn't that just android auto? Thats what I use with voice commanfds for google maps/spotify/whatsapp

3 hours ago, DC04R said:

 

Isn't that just android auto? Thats what I use with voice commanfds for google maps/spotify/whatsapp

 

I don't fully understand the question but the voice control when using AA is Google assistant. Likewise it's probably Siri for CP. If set up correctly you should be able to do anything you can on a Google home device.

On 02/07/2020 at 12:23, durhamfisher said:

tried the long hold on the voice control and it does indeed activate the google assistant, so thanks again to MarkyG82 for pointing this out.

 

I also seemed to have improved the start up issue by enabling start android auto when it detects the cars blue tooth.

 

Still have to sort the Whatsapp notifications though.

 

You're welcome. Not sure how I discovered it I must have just tried it one day. Use it nearly daily now. 

 

For connecting: unplug my phone in before inserting the key. The phone picks up the usb much quicker that way.

5 hours ago, DC04R said:

 

Isn't that just android auto? Thats what I use with voice commanfds for google maps/spotify/whatsapp

Yeah it is, but you need SmartLink to get AA on the radio screen and unlike AA, CarPlay on iPhone isn’t native on the screen at all, you need a radio for it. One thing I wish they would change so if you have a single din radio or older car you can have CarPlay on the phone screen!!!