The IT Nerd

Seeing as some progres is being made for Canadian Hyundai owners to get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in their cars, I’m going to focus on Australian Hyundai owerns to get the same in their cars.

The people behind this in Australia have set up a Facebook page which is only 4 months old and already has attracted 133 members. That’s a signifcant jump from when this page was set up last October. On top of that, 121 members have now signed a petition to asking Hyundai Australia to implement Apple CarPlay/Android Auto in the Hyundai Tucson. But the most striking thing is the comments on the Facebook page. Here’s some examples: 

Clearly Hyundai Australia has a major perception problem. In my opinion, it would be smart if Hyundai Australia got out in front of this before it really spirals out of control because of negative press. The person behind this Facebook page is going to e-mail the CEO of Hyundai Australia to see that will generate some action. I’m also going to try and see if there’s any chance to get a word with Hyundai Australia to see if I can get their side of the story as well. Thus watch this space. 

Hyundai Canada just launched the site www.hyundaisoftwareupgrade.ca where owners of the 2017 Elantra sedan, 2017 Santa Fe Sport, and 2017 Santa Fe XL vehicles that are currently equipped only with Android Auto can now download and update their vehicle’s headunit so that it includes Apple CarPlay.

PLEASE NOTE that the three vehicles that I have listed are the only ones that will accept the software and allow all vehicle navigation/entertainment/application systems to continue functioning as designed. It is not compatible with other Hyundai vehicles or 2016 or prior model year vehicles.

Customers can do the update themselves free of charge (if they have a USB stick or SD card reader/writer, depending on the model) or they can pay a service charge for a dealer to do it. Customers will be required to enter their VIN (vehicle identification number) to ensure vehicle-to-software compatibility, access to the appropriate software version, and vehicle-specific installation instructions. It takes about an hour and the vehicle’s engine has to be running.

With this update, both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are compatible with the Elantra sedan, Elantra GT, Sonata (except hybrid), Tucson, Santa Fe Sport, and Santa Fe XL vehicles for the 2017 model year in the Canadian market.I should mention that Hyundai Canada’s priority has been 2017 model year vehicles that had Android Auto but were lacking Apple CarPlay. Any decisions about expanding this campaign to other vehicles or other model years will be made at a later date as per the story that I posted yesterday.

I have received numerous e-mails and comments on the blog from owners of Hyundai Canada vehicles today tipping me off to the fact that Hyundai Canada will be rolling out updates to give 2017 vehicles Apple CarPlay in January. Several of them forwarded an e-mail response from Hyundai Canada which I have printed below:

Thank you for your email on Apple Car Play with Hyundai vehicles.

Hyundai Auto Canada does not have control over what programs are included in the Navigation updates on Canadian vehicles. At present we are aware that the 2016-2017 Elantra GT and Tucson which have onboard Navigation can obtain Apple Car Play and Google Android through the purchase of most current map/software update.

The only vehicle at this time that has factory installed Apple Car Play is the 2017 Tucson.
Please also note that Apple Car Play will be available for retrofit on 2017 vehicles which originally came with Google Android and have 7” or 8” screens in early 2017.

The download will be available on this website (http://www.hyundaicanada.com/pages/Apple-Car-Play/index.aspx) for free.

Now the comments that have been posted on the blog have started to generate some negative reactions from 2016 owners of Hyundai Canada vehicles. This despite the fact that Hyundai Canada has been clear about this upgrade program being for 2017 vehicles. At least at this point in time. It’s also generating negative reaction from Android Auto fans who have been looking for a upgrade to give them that piece of software, and this not doing anything to clear that up. So in the interest of trying to quiet this, I will reach out to Hyundai Canada to see if I can get any sort of clarification that will hopefully calm the waters.

Watch this space for updates.

UPDATE: Here’s a statement from Hyundai Canada. Please read it carefully as it is extremely detailed (and kudos to them for being that detailed):

Three 2017 Hyundai vehicles – Tucson, Sonata (non-hybrid), and Elantra GT – come from the factory with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. We are working extremely hard and very quickly to deliver a free, online, self-serve update so 2017 model year Elantra Sedan, Santa Fe Sport, and Santa Fe XL customers can have Apple CarPlay on their vehicles. Those three, specific vehicles have been sold this year with only Android Auto. That disparity has to be addressed; it’s our top priority.

For clarity: An update with Apple CarPlay is forthcoming, but only for 2017 Elantra sedan, Santa Fe Sport, and Santa Fe XL vehicles. No other Hyundai vehicles – for any model year – will be receiving a software update with Apple CarPlay in January.

Any decisions about 2016 model year Hyundai vehicles or prior will be made at a later date and we currently do not have a timeline to make that decision. The plan for Hyundai Auto Canada has been to introduce both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for the 2017 model year. The US, with different hardware and software, was able to introduce the applications in Hyundai vehicles earlier than we were. Hyundai in the US made numerous commitments to American customers about making the software available to them and these statements were erroneously picked-up by Canadian media. We have been working to educate Canadian media on the differences between countries and companies the best that we can.

All of our attempts to install Android Auto and Apple CarPlay on 2016 model year and prior Canadian vehicles has led to errors in the navigation/display software and broader incompatibility with display systems. Both the hardware and software on Canadian vehicles is structurally and operationally different than US vehicles. The earliest that Apple and Google could deliver CarPlay and Android Auto (respectively) for Canadian customers is the 2017 model year.

UPDATE #2: Hyundai Canada has launched an update site to allow owners of 2017 model year Elantra Sedan, Santa Fe Sport, and Santa Fe XL cars to get a free update to Apple CarPlay. Details available here. 

For those Hyundai owners in Canada who have been waiting for MnSOFT to deliver Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to their Hyundai vehicles, it seems that it didn’t happen when version 10.5 was released in the last 24 hours. I just checked the link for Canadian owners of the Hyundai Tucson and found this:

You will note the highlighted. The only two cars that have Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support are the Tucson and the Elantra GT. This seems to go against what I have heard and others were promised by MnSOFT. I am currently looking at the MnSoft site now to confirm that this is accurate as it appears that the site is in a state of flux at the moment. But if this is accurate, a lot of people will not be happy.

Update to come.

UPDATE: I have looked at their entire site and it appears that no model other than the Elantra GT and the Tucson has Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support. I have just reached out to MnSOFT to get their side of the story. If they respond, you’ll see an update here.

UPDATE #2: Out of interest, I went to the US version of the MnSOFT site and discovered that American vehicles will get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Examples include the 2016 Sonata and the 2016 Genesis to name two models. While the standard reason that I have been given for this difference is that the infotainment hardware is different in Canada versus the US, it really creates a really bad optics issue for Hyundai if for whatever reason they cannot provide Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to their customers in Canada seeing as those in the US have this feature set given to them for free or via an update.

By the way, if you need to get up to speed on how we got here, this link will give you an overview.

UPDATE #3: Here is a statement from MnSOFT:

The Apple CarPlay software would come from Hyundai Canada. We did not add it to any new vehicles in our map update I’m sorry. In the US it was released separately by Hyundai before it was added to our update. I am assuming that it will be similar in Canada. I would recommend checking with Hyundai head office in Canada they would have this information before we do.

So in short, they’re pointing people back to Hyundai Canada. I’ve reached out to them to see if I can get some clarification on this. Stay tuned!

UPDATE #4: I got some info from Hyundai Canada and here’s what I know so far. Expect an announcement that will detail how to get a software update in early December that is aimed at owners at 2017 model year vehicles. Specifically the 2017 Elantra, 2017 Santa Fe Sport and 2017 Santa Fe XL. The reason why I say so far is because I specifically asked if this would be expanded to other vehicles, be it from the 2017 model year or earlier. While I am fully expecting to get something along the lines of “there are no plans at this time” or words to that effect, it does not hurt to ask. I will post another update when I get a response.

UPDATE #5: The response to if this would be expanded to other vehicles was “no comment” which is exactly the response that I expected to get.

UPDATE #6: This morning I got a second response from MnSOFT which I find strange. But ignoring that, here’s what it said:

Thank you for your inquiry. We haven’t added Android Auto or Apple CarPlay software to any new vehicles in our v10.5 update for Hyundai Canada. The software would have to be approved and provided to us by Hyundai Canada before we can add it to any new updates. I would recommend contacting Hyundai Canada regarding Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. They will be the only ones that can provide you the information you are looking for.

It’s similar to what I got from them in update #3. I wonder why they felt the need to send me a second statement?

It appears that things are heating up down under in terms of owners of Hyundai vehicles in Australia wanting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in their cars. There’s now an online petition that has only been online for about a day or so which already has 29 signatures on it. It’s a safe bet that this will grow as Australian owners of Hyundai products seem to be a very vocal bunch. That’s something that the carmaker might want to take into account.

Meanwhile back in North America, there has been one development in regards to Canadian Hyundai owners wanting to get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in their cars. MnSOFT wich is the infotainment division of Hyundai has a date of November 10 to release version 10.5 of their software as per this screenshot from their webisite:

At this point I have no idea what vehicles will get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support. But I am sure it will all become clear on the tenth of November. I am also still waiting for feedback from Hyundai Canada on what their plans are to get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in their cars. One thing that I do have to say is that I continue to get lots of e-mail and the like from Hyundai owners in Canada who want Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in their cars preferably for free as that is what other carmakers are doing. Thus for Hyundai Canada’s sake, I hope that whatever plan that they have is one that fully takes this feeling into account. Related to this, if you’re new to this and want to see what’s got us to where we are now, here’s a quick primer that will get you up to speed.

I will continue to post updates on this story as they become available.

UPDATE 11/10: It’s been delayed as per a comment that a reader left me below. It should be  out next week according to the information that was posted.

This part weekend, I was on the Greg Carrasco Show on AM640 radio talking about living with the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited over the past year. You can hear the audio from that show here and you can read about my first year with the Hyundai Tucson here. But if you scroll to an hour into the show, you’ll hear someone with a Hyundai Santa Fe complain about not being able to get an update to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for free to his vehicle. You’ll recall that I’ve covered this at length. Here’s a quick recap:

• This story started when Hyundai USA started offering free upgrades to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and Canadians were left out of the loop.

• Then Hyundai Canada kind of threw cold water on Canadians ever getting these upgrades.

• This was followed by a tip from a user on the Hyundai Forums that MnSOFT which is the part of Hyundai that makes the software for their infotainment systems had an paid update to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay that was rolling out. That of course set off a firestorm among Hyundai owners in Canada who wanted a free update just like the Americans, not to mention Ford and FCA owners in Canada among others who get functionality like this for free.

• That led me to speak with Chad Heard who is the Sr. Manager for PR at Hyundai Canada to get the facts. At the time I spoke to him, he came across as being very forthright. For example he admitted that what MnSOFT did in terms of releasing updates that brought Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to some Hyundai vehicles caught Hyundai Canada off guard. He also expressed that they were working on bringing this functionality to vehicles somehow as well.

• At the end of August, changes were made to the Hyundai Canada website that indicated that Apple CarPlay was coming to 2017 Hyundai vehicles and there appeared to  be an update path being developed. When I reached out to Chad Heard who is the Sr. Manager for PR at Hyundai Canada, he said that Hyundai Canada has in dealer showrooms today six 2017 models (Elantra sedan, Santa Fe Sport, Santa Fe XL, Elantra GT, Sonata (not hybrid), and Tucson) that are built from the factory with Android Auto. Three of those (Elantra GT, Sonata (not hybrid), and Tucson) are also equipped with Apple CarPlay. They are prioritizing 2017 model year vehicles. Within that a software update for existing, sold, 2017 model year Android Auto-only models (Elantra sedan, Santa Fe Sport, Santa Fe XL) currently with customers to bring them Apple CarPlay functionality is something that is being worked on. But there was no timeline that he could speak to. 

Earlier today, I reached out to Mr. Heard again. Here’s part of what he said:

Our priority remains 2017 model year Hyundai vehicles and that has to be our singular focus for now. Google, Apple, and Hyundai needed more time to modify and verify the software for Canadian market vehicles relative to the U.S., so the introduction of the technology was implemented for 2017 model year vehicles. It’s looking increasingly likely that we’ll have an announcement involving an update/patch for previously sold 2017 model year vehicles before the end of the year and I should know more about this in early November.

So at this point, it looks like there might be some sort of announcement coming in the next few weeks for owners of 2017 vehicles. That’s positive for owners of those vehicles. If you own a Hyundai vehicle made earlier than model year 2017, you’ll have to see if there’s an upgrade path for you. I will continue to monitor this to see what is announced and report it on this blog as soon as I get it.

UPDATE: MnSOFT which is the option that that some Hyundai owners have gone to to get Android Auto and Apple CarPlay if they are willing to pay for it has let it slip that they will have an update that will add Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to more Hyundai vehicles this November.

It seems that customers of Hyundai in Canada are not the only ones who have issues getting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay updates in their vehiles. I got an e-mail from a customer in Australia who is frustrated by the inablity of Hyundai to provide updates to both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay:

We are in the same boat in Australia & came across you posts which have been great & very informative. In Australia we have been told by the head of PR that for our top spec models the headunit is “not compatible”. This didn’t make alot of sense as it seemed to contradict what others had found, been told or came across.

We emailed the maker / provider of the headunit & was told it is compatible, however the software has not been developed. They also told us:

– there is no hardware issues with CarPlay

– Motex developed a test update but due to it being buggy Hyundai did not proceed with further developments to fix the bugs.

– Motrex and Hyundai Australia are gathering requests for CarPlay and feedback and report back to Hyundai Korea for further investigation. 

From the surface, this inablity to provide updates looks like more of a corporate issue than a country specific issue. Plus, some of what this person has reported sounds similar to what Canadians have heard. But here’s the flipside to this argument, the Americans have had no problem getting this update. That opens up more questions as surely the Americans can’t possibly be the only ones who seem to be able to roll out these updates. These questions are ones that Hyundai will need to address as clearly this is a situation that is one where Hyundai is quickly losing contol of.

Over to you Hyundai.

UPDATE: There’s a Facebook group dedicated to Australian Hyundai owners who want Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in their vehicles.

I’ve been tracking a story where Hyundai Canada has had a bit of a PR nightmare on its hands which started when Hyundai USA started offering free upgrades to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and Canadians were left out of the loop. Then Hyundai Canada kind of threw cold water on Canadians ever getting these upgrades. This was followed by a tip from a user on the Hyundai Forums that MnSOFT which is the part of Hyundai that makes the software for their infotainment systems had an paid update to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay that was rolling out. That of course set off a firestorm among Hyundai owners in Canada who wanted a free update just like the Americans, not to mention Ford and FCA owners in Canada among others who get functionality like this for free. That led me to speak with Chad Heard who is the Sr. Manager for PR at Hyundai Canada to get the facts. At the time I spoke to him, he came across as being very forthright. For example he admitted that what MnSOFT did in terms of releasing updates that brought Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to some Hyundai vehicles caught Hyundai Canada off guard. He also expressed that they were working on bringing this functionality to vehicles somehow as well. Now of course because I’m an IT Nerd, I paid up to get the update myself and others have as well. But Some readers of my blog expressed their doubts about whether this upgrade would ever come and expressed their frustrations about not being able to get it for free. But it appears that Hyundai was telling the truth and some sort of update is coming. If you go to the Hyundai Canada website, you will see this at the bottom:

The Android Auto link was always there. But the Apple CarPlay link is new. It was likely added in the last week. If you click it, you will see that the 2017 Tucson is listed as vehicle that comes with CarPlay. But the real news is found when you scroll down to the bottom of the page and read the FAQ:

Note these words: We will announce availability on other models soon, including plans for updating existing customer vehicles.

That implies that there is going to be some sort of upgrade plan for existing owners. What that plan is, is still in progress. Thus I will be reaching out to Hyundai Canada see if I can find out any information. If I do, I will update this post.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: I heard back from Chad Heard who is the Sr. Manager for PR at Hyundai Canada with the background of what is on the Hyundai Canada website. In short, Hyundai Canada has in dealer showrooms today six 2017 models (Elantra sedan, Santa Fe Sport, Santa Fe XL, Elantra GT, Sonata (not hybrid), and Tucson) that are built from the factory with Android Auto. Three of those (Elantra GT, Sonata (not hybrid), and Tucson) are also equipped with Apple CarPlay. They are prioritizing 2017 model year vehicles. Within that a software update for existing, sold, 2017 model year Android Auto-only models (Elantra sedan, Santa Fe Sport, Santa Fe XL) currently with customers to bring them Apple CarPlay functionality is something that is being worked on. But if or when it will happen is still in flux. I emphasized the fact that this relates to 2017 model year vehicles as I want to be clear as to what the facts are at present so that there is no misunderstanding. As I get additional details, I will post an update.

I’ve just had the 2016 Hyundai Tucson Limited AWD in for the 24,000 KM service even though it has just over 20,000 KMs. Why so early? My wife and I are going to go on a bit of a road trip soon. Thus we figured that it would be better to get the service done early so that there would be no issues on the road trip.

Now the service that we were scheduled for was for the following:

• Oil Change
• Front Brake Service

I also had the windshield wiper inserts replaced as those should be replaced yearly. But two more items were added to the list. One was a recall to address a hood latch issue. The key details on this recall are on this link at Transport Canada, but in short, if you don’t close the hood properly, it may pop up without warning. The fix is to replace the secondary hood latch catch with a revised component that does the job better. There’s also a software update to change the logic of how the car detects that the hood is open or not. The full details on what they do are here [Warning: PDF]. To me, that sounds like someone needs to be taught how to close the hood on a car. But that may just be the cynic in me looking at things in a glass half empty manner. Seeing as this is a recall, it’s likely should be viewed by me more seriously. 

The second thing was a service campaign. That’s automotive industry speak for things that a car company should fix, but don’t qualify as a recall. This one was for a software upgrade for the dual clutch transmission that the Tucson uses. Now there have been a lot of complaints about it such as a massive thread on the Hyundai Forums. But I have not had any issues with it personally. However my wife had a hard time adjusting to it until I took her out to an empty parking lot and taught her about the unique aspects of a dual clutch transmission. Before I did that, she would complain that the Tucson lacked power off the line. Let me touch on that for a moment by talking about what a dual clutch transmission is. That way I can frame the rest of the discussion.

A dual clutch transmission is basically a pair of manual transmissions in the same body. One handles the odd numbered gears (in this case, 1-3-5-7) and the other handles the even gears (in this case 2-4-6). Technically it’s not an automatic transmission. But the whole thing is run by software which does the shifting for you, so it is considered to be “automatically shifting manual” transmission. Having said that you can shift it yourself in most cases and it doesn’t require a clutch pedal to do so. The upshot to such a setup is that the shifts should be lightning quick which means that you can often get better performance from the car, better fuel economy or both depending on the application because it doesn’t rely on a torque converter like traditional automatic transmissions do. The downside is that drivers can find that the shifting is not as smooth as they expected. Additionally, there can be some slowness in the selection of the next gear, especially when trying to accelerate at lower speeds. Those are the “unique aspects” of the transmission that I spoke of earlier. When it comes to what people have reported about the Hyundai transmission, they have reported the following: 

• Hesitation off the line.
• Vibration when slowly rolling off the line.
• The transmission would overheat forcing you to pull over and stop until it cools down. Typically this exhibits itself in stop and go traffic.
• In some circumstances, the shifts would be less than smooth.
• In some circumstances, the vehicle will not move at all off the line.

I have only been able to replicate a vibration at extremely slow speeds (like 2 KM/H). I’ve also been able to replicate with other cars with dual clutch transmissions. But for the record, if you’ve driven a manual you’d see this as well. Neither my wife or I have seen the other issues.

Now issues with dual clutch transmissions is not a unique problem to Hyundai. Ford had this problem with the Focus. In fact I trashed the Ford Focus when I reviewed it a few years ago for that reason. VW also have had to deal with this issue to the point that there are even Facebook groups like this one that speak to this. So it’s no shock that Hyundai is dealing with issues too. And they are dealing with it via the software update that I spoke of. It will change the behavior of the transmission so that it mitigates some of the more “unique” aspects that it can exhibit. Keep in mind that there’s only so much that the software can do. So owners of these cars will have to adapt to their behavior as it’s never, ever going to act like a traditional automatic transmission. My early impressions of this update are that there’s less vibration and it’s more responsive. Having said that, it wasn’t a bad transmission before and I found its performance to be just fine. But I’ve only driven it on the highway and on city streets with no traffic. Let me try it in rush hour traffic where the “unique aspects” of this transmission can appear, as well as on our road trip and we’ll see what difference the update makes. When I do, I will post an update. 

I’ll also address the elephant in the room. Why is it that I have had no issues, but my wife has had issues until I took her to a parking lot to help her adjust to the transmission, but we both drive the same car? I attribute this to two things: 

• I have driven cars with this type of transmission before and I am used to how they operate. As well as how “unique” they can be.
• I have also driven a manual and since this type of transmission operates in a similar manner and I am used to how they operate.

Both allow me to adapt easily to this transmission. My wife has never done either of the above so she had issues. Once I gave he the inside scoop on how a dual clutch transmission works, she has had no issues either.

One unexpected surprise that I came across this week is the fact that Sirius XM Traffic which never worked for me and attempts to get this remedied were unsuccessful at the time. It started working as evidenced by this picture:  

The green, yellow and red lines are traffic flows on the highways in and around Toronto. If you look to the right of the Maximum 80 KM/h sign, you will see a construction icon. Plus when I entered a destination, it took traffic into account. It actually worked very well. If this was working when we first got the Tucson, we might have signed on for it and paid for this functionality. Now it’s likely that this is active because Sirius XM is having a free preview until September 6th, and Sirius XM has finally sorted their issues in terms of providing this service. But if this disappears, we won’t miss it as we have Apple CarPlay which displays traffic for free and accurately on both highways and city streets. I say that because it seems that Sirius XM only displays traffic on major highways. That’s a bit of a #fail.

My next update will be after my wife and I go on a road trip. We will have stuff to carry including my bike as I plan on doing some riding in the area that we are going to. We’ll be documenting where we are going and how the Tucson performs. Stay tuned!

UPDATE: Two more data points on the dual clutch transmission update:

1. I drove in rush hour traffic, and the sorts of things that I know will cause the DCT to hang up and not do anything for a few seconds are not present anymore.
2. My wife has driven the Tucson three times. She notes that it has a bit more “punch” off the line and crisper shifts.

I think I can now conclude that this update works.