Using AppConnect for external Sat Nav

[Martin Batt]

Our new Cali was delivered in late June after exactly 5 months wait, and we've been really impressed with it on initial trips to the Irish west coast and the Yorkshire east coast. The roof, awning, cooker, fridge, beds and general interior design are ingenious, although I have added the Inka seat covers and black carpets to reduce risk of spillages etc!
One thing that has been bugging me is the apparent inability of the AppConnect function to mirror the TomTom satnav app that I've downloaded on my Samsung S5 phone. There's 6.5Gb of data sitting there that I haven't been able to link up to. The phone has Android Auto and the vehicle is using its GPS and finding Google Maps just fine - but I wanted to use TomTom without incurring data roaming charges on long journeys....
Any ideas? The very cheerful Mark at VW Manchester said they all use Apple in the dealership, but only for Google Maps with data roaming... "Why not try another app?" was his suggestion.

 

[Blubus]

Sadly you can't. iOS - Apple Maps and Android - Google Maps only. This is not a VW limitation.

 

[Martin Batt]

Sadly you can't. iOS - Apple Maps and Android - Google Maps only. This is not a VW limitation.

Cheers Blubus - that's not quite how they sell this optional extra: "allows you to operate special apps" without specifying which ones! Then later on it talks about special VW apps... which seem to be everything that satnav does without actually guiding you on a route...

 

[Old Sid]

I had hoped to use Google Maps as an app from iOS but Apple Maps only. Nevertheless, very impressed with the App Connect thing.

 

[RoB5urf]

We've ordered a Beach without SatNav (only App-connect and the 6.33" screen) intending to rely on Google Maps on my Android phone connected with Android Auto. This is based on our experience in Spain this summer where my phone proved better all round than the the SatNav built into our rented Astra.

To avoid data roaming charges I downloaded a map of our intended route when connected to wi-fi and saved it for offline use. Agreed it's not as handy as having all maps already loaded as with TomTom but I found it hard to justify paying the price for the VW Sat Nav option.

 

[Martin Batt]

We've ordered a Beach without SatNav (only App-connect and the 6.33" screen) intending to rely on Google Maps on my Android phone connected with Android Auto. This is based on our experience in Spain this summer where my phone proved better all round than the the SatNav built into our rented Astra.

To avoid data roaming charges I downloaded a map of our intended route when connected to wi-fi and saved it for offline use. Agreed it's not as handy as having all maps already loaded as with TomTom but I found it hard to justify paying the price for the VW Sat Nav option.

Great stuff Rob. I totally agree about VW satnav costs and capabilities. Good idea to download your intended route, too. I'll give it a try here in Spain to find our ferry in Santander on Sunday. Hope you enjoyed your trip as much as we have in our new Cali....