Testing Apple Carplay with always-connected Iphone.

Because the Bolt does not come with navigation built-in, I wanted to enable navigation to always be available no matter who was driving. If someone with an older android phone or a flip phone drives the car, I wanted navigation to still work for them in the Bolt.

For this reason, I am testing out how to have a permanently connected iPhone in the car.

I have noticed that with Apple Carplay, if you connect the Apple phone in low-power mode it will fully support carplay so you can take/get calls, messages, and navigate, all just fine.

As it is standard, the car will not provide power through the USB when it is parked-off. So, if you put your Iphone in low-power mode, the phone can still stay on for several days, such as over a weekend, until you use the car again.

The one issue I have found is if you navigate to a destination through carplay, even if you turn off route guidance through carplay, the phone will stay in full-power mapping mode [background app?] and keep drawing a lot of energy. Because of this, if you then turn off the car, the permanent-iphone will be drained in just a few hours, even in low power mode.

I think this is a limitation or defect in the way the Apple carplay architecture works and carplay should be able to shut the app down or not continue to draw full-power when not navigating/routing; just like during a phone call, after the call, the phone is not drawing much power after the call.

Perhaps there is a setting in the iphone for reducing the navigation-app power draw when not providing route guidance, but I have not found it.

Interesting observations.

Having a spare iPhone 5 with an active SIM and disliking having to remember to take my iPhone 6+ in and out (my past MO in my Volt was to just use it with Bluetooth from my pocket). Now I find myself having to return to the car some nights to retrieve the phone.

So I linked the 5 to the 6+ in both Messages and apps in the hopes of keeping the 5 in the car permanently and talking over the 6+ with Bluetooth. That is where I ran into problems: a conflict between Bluetooth and Apple Carplay.

Have you tried anything like this with success?

I was actually also thinking of having two devices connected at once, one for the mapping system through an old Apple phone, and a second device just for Bluetooth phone calls.

I have not tried this yet, but it appears that your observations would indicate that this is not possible. The car does have the ability of connecting more than one Bluetooth device, but it appears that only one of them can be used at once.

So, just to confirm, are you able to force the infotainment system to just do apple carplay with your iPhone 5 via of the lightning connector, and then connect a single Bluetooth device, your second phone , to make phone calls?

In other words, are you able to not use Bluetooth for the Apple carplay device.?

OK: you've inspired me to do more testing! This time in Low Power mode.

Cool, I will also do some testing tomorrow and see how far I get. I have an iPhone 5 that I will use for carplay, and a little cheap flip phone that I will attempt to use just for phone calls.

My testing will be delayed. My daughter and her family return from England tomorrow and I have to go to LAX to pick them up in their 4-Runner!

I spoke at length with the GM Connection Center's Apple Carplay specialist and he claims that once one iPhone is connection by USB to activate Carplay, Bluetooth on the Bolt EV is deactivated, so that we will NOT be able to use 2 iPhones at the same time in the way we hope.

He acknowledged that Apple Carplay as implemented on the Bolt EV requires a wired connection, although some cars implement it wirelessly, which would also solve our problem.

Two thoughts:

1. He suggested when a call comes in to the wireless phone on the Home Screen, activate it as the Bluetooth phone (and presumably deactivate Carplay) and take the call (and presumably reactivate Carplay after the call). I have not tried this and I certainly have not tried this in traffic!!

2. I wonder what happens if I connect my 2nd iPhone by USB also? Also this defeats the purpose of what we are attempting to do, inquiring minds wants to know what will happen!

Wonder if we can connect a second Android phone via USB.

Kinda related, but when the phone is actively on a call, Apple Maps error message comes up saying it can update when I try to switch to Maps.

I wonder if Maps would update while a call is in progress if I connect the phone to the OnStar wifi. I don't really intend on keeping the trial data plan, so I've never even connected my phone up to the wifi service.

tk1971 said:

Kinda related, but when the phone is actively on a call, Apple Maps error message comes up saying it can update when I try to switch to Maps.

I wonder if Maps would update while a call is in progress if I connect the phone to the OnStar wifi. I don't really intend on keeping the trial data plan, so I've never even connected my phone up to the wifi service.

Click to expand...

Good to know.

Speaking of Apple Maps, have you noticed the 'long...' amount of time the map becomes out-of-view when it tries to suggest a re-route due to heavy traffic? I almost missed an exit last time cuz the map would not automatically return into the main map view in time.... I wonder if you can decline the re-route suggestion with the 'X' on the steering wheel.... hmmm... need to test.

PS:

I went to these two pages below to update my iphone settings to reduce their data/power usage to the minimum so the phone can stay on in the car, hopefully for more than just a few days:

http://newatlas.com/how-reduce-iphone-data-usage-guide/47685/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=c098ba8c85-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_65b67362bd-c098ba8c85-92149569

http://newatlas.com/how-increase-iphone-battery-life-guide/47639/

hopefully Apple Maps will stop trying to draw so much power when it is not routing.

I will attempt more testing after I return from Santa Cruz next week.

Have any of you tried using a USB hub ( IE 3 way splitter) and powered the phone from an external battery while being plugged into the car? Asuuming the car will recharge both the phone and the external battery at the same time when on? ( And the external battery boosting the standby time of the iPhone.)

On the Chevy offical accessories web page they even sell a Bolt EV branded external USB battery pack for $28 IIRC.

gpsman said:

Have any of you tried using a USB hub ( IE 3 way splitter) and powered the phone from an external battery while being plugged into the car? Asuuming the car will recharge both the phone and the external battery at the same time when on? ( And the external battery boosting the standby time of the iPhone.)

Click to expand...

You're not going to get any more power out of the car's USB port by running it into what's essentially a splitter and trying to power multiple devices from it. You'd be better off plugging the phone into one of the car's USB ports and the battery pack into the other port so that both could charge or operate at the same time.

gpsman said:

Have any of you tried using a USB hub ( IE 3 way splitter) and powered the phone from an external battery while being plugged into the car? Asuuming the car will recharge both the phone and the external battery at the same time when on? ( And the external battery boosting the standby time of the iPhone.)

On the Chevy offical accessories web page they even sell a Bolt EV branded external USB battery pack for $28 IIRC.

Click to expand...

I've been thinking of doing something like this, but I'm not exactly sure how to connect everything. Is this something you have tried specifically, and how are you able to provide external Power and a data feed to the phone that needs to be physically connected to a USB port on the car?


I have even looked at multiple iPhone battery cases and all of them can only function as either data or power via the lightning or USB connector, but not both at the same time. There is usually a little button on the iPhone battery case to switch from one function or the other.

Inteteresting about the switch on the cases with built in battery. When connected to a computer your iPhone gets both power (charging) and data, so the archatecture supports this.

The 3-way adapter (I have not tried) is not to get more power, or even to charge two devices. Its purpose would be to keep the iPhone alive over a couple days of parking.

I too like the idea of having one "always connected" as I like to have NAV up and going even if I know where I'm going (in general). For example: I know my way around the major landmarks in SF but I don't know all the one-way streets. I like to have NAV up and going all the time for situational awareness. It would be nice to never have to swap cables or wait for an iPhone to boot up every time.