[zazzau]

Originally Posted by RCtennis3811

I guess it depends on your situation. Having had a G20 with DAP since 2019, I’ve seen how the software updates have improved that system over the years. Now if I didn’t have it, I probably could care less bout software updates.

What improvements are you referring to specifically? I haven’t seen any groundbreaking updates just yet that would warrant my upgrading. The car drives and performs just fine on a 2021 version and my DAP features work great. Maybe some minor improvements there but at what cost? I agree that it totally depends on the situation: for me the downside outweighs the benefits.

[RCtennis3811]

Originally Posted by zazzau

What improvements are you referring to specifically? I haven’t seen any glass shattering updates just yet that would warrant my upgrading. Totally depends on the situation: for me the downside outweighs the benefits.

Earlier software builds had more ping-ponging when using DAP that was rectified over the years. Plus, Assist Plus has gotten significantly better with eye tracking on my 2023 M340i compared to when I got it. Same thing with the 2020 330i. It used to buzz almost immediately when you took your eyes off the front when using Traffic Jam Assistant (or whatever it’s called). Now it gives you more leeway to look left and right for a few seconds.

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by RCtennis3811

Earlier software builds had more ping-ponging when using DAP that was rectified over the years. Plus, Assist Plus has gotten significantly better with eye tracking on my 2023 M340i compared to when I got it. Same thing with the 2020 330i. It used to buzz almost immediately when you took your eyes off the front when using Traffic Jam Assistant (or whatever it’s called). Now it gives you more leeway to look left and right for a few seconds.

I’m on 03/2021 release and it has all these improvements - the system is def lenient when I take my eyes off the road momentarily while using extended traffic jam assist or ACC.

[RCtennis3811]

Originally Posted by zazzau

I’m on 03/2021 release and it has all these improvements - the system is def lenient when I take my eyes off the road momentarily while using extended traffic jam assist or ACC.

Totally get that, but trust me — it’s gotten even more lenient with the latest update. Not trying to convince you to update, but it’s definitely changed with the past 2 updates on 2 of our BMWs. I noticed it with 2023/03 software on my 25-mile work commute/way 3x/week how much more your eyes can wander before it asks you to pay attention or the system beeps at you.

[NLJ]

Originally Posted by RCtennis3811

Totally get that, but trust me — it’s gotten even more lenient with the latest update. Not trying to convince you to update, but it’s definitely changed with the past 2 updates on 2 of our BMWs. I noticed it with 2023/03 software on my 25-mile work commute/way 3x/week how much more your eyes can wander before it asks you to pay attention or the system beeps at you.

I agree. Lots of little improvements. The system used to freak out on Adaptive Cruise when driving past an intersection because the lines break. After one of the updates, it stopped doing it.

[RCtennis3811]

Originally Posted by NLJ

I agree. Lots of little improvements. The system used to freak out on Adaptive Cruise when driving past an intersection because the lines break. After one of the updates, it stopped doing it.

This. 100%. In Texas, it used to freak out when using Assisted Driving on the right lane of a highway and would disengage because there’s an exit coming up and it couldn’t figure out the lines; one update fixed it and it no longer does that.

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by RCtennis3811

Totally get that, but trust me — it’s gotten even more lenient with the latest update. Not trying to convince you to update, but it’s definitely changed with the past 2 updates on 2 of our BMWs. I noticed it with 2023/03 software on my 25-mile work commute/way 3x/week how much more your eyes can wander before it asks you to pay attention or the system beeps at you.

Good to know they improved it some more. I currently have Automatic-Start-Stop coded off — not possible on newer software. There are other issues/limitations others have been posting as well. My ability to program certain things outweigh the benefit of incremental improvements to certain features. I’m also generally not the type to jump on software updates as soon as it’s released - I let others be the guinea pig

[mermar]

Originally Posted by zazzau

I use BMW Nav mostly because it shows up in HUD. Waze is my preferred nav but I don’t use it because it is not yet supported in HUD for CarPlay. I just keep Waze running in the background to get all notifications but use iDrive Nav for navigations - and it’s not terrible IMHO. Much better than Apple Maps for sure. Technically I think they use HERE maps in the blackend.

When you run both Waze (for alerts) and Bmw Nav...do they generally agree on the route they are suggesting you take or will one often suggest something that the other is not displaying?
I agree though - having the BMW natiovve nav is great for HUD and Waze for alerts. Especially in my case with a 330e - the BMW nav tells the car how best to manage battery use. (Although apple maps also shows some info in the HUD - zero for Waze and Google maps).

[mermar]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

Let's go through these one by one because I must be missing something when I try BMW Navigation:

1. Live Re-Routing: On Google Maps, you get a pop up that says "4 minutes slower" and a different colored line indicating the route you could take alternatively and it happens right on the screen, right on the map, in real time without the need to click anything. It's just right there in your field of vision. BMW Nav doesn't have this, correct?

2. Next Turn w/Exit Name + Distance: On Google Maps, you have a dedicated space on the display that tells you "10 miles to your next turn", has an arrow showing you it's a "right turn", and says "Exit 5 - Garden State Parkway". This detail with arrows and plain English is on the screen all the time, doesn't move around, doesn't pop in and out. BMW Nav doesn't have this, correct?

3. Exit Lane Guidance: On Google Maps, you have a dedicated space on the display that shows you what lane to be in at the time of exiting the road as well as all the other lanes you will encounter. BMW Nav doesn't have this, correct?

4. Dark Mode: On Google Maps, you can set the screen to always be black all the time, no distracting light colors ever, even in daytime. BMW Nav doesn't have this, correct?

5. Overhead Map View: On Google Maps, you get a more overhead view so you can see a lot more streets and crossroads that are approaching. BMW Nav doesn't have this correct? They've got some 3D view with a blue sky and clouds as if you are flying a plane, yes?

But it still seems that Waze has the most 'active community' when it comes to reporting police/speed traps. Or is Google maps catching up?

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by mermar

When you run both Waze (for alerts) and Bmw Nav...do they generally agree on the route they are suggesting you take or will one often suggest something that the other is not displaying?
I agree though - having the BMW natiovve nav is great for HUD and Waze for alerts. Especially in my case with a 330e - the BMW nav tells the car how best to manage battery use. (Although apple maps also shows some info in the HUD - zero for Waze and Google maps).

Waze doesn’t give direction if running in the background: basically it won’t suggest any routes; it will only announce alerts on current route/road - like “accident ahead,” “police ahead,” etc. It’s helpful for those of us with heavier foot

[mermar]

Originally Posted by zazzau

Waze doesn’t give direction if running in the background: basically it won’t suggest any routes; it will only announce alerts on current route/road - like “accident ahead,” “police ahead,” etc. It’s helpful for those of us with heavier foot

Ok - so you are not setting a route in Waze - just running the app on your phone/airplay for announcements...

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by mermar

Ok - so you are not setting a route in Waze - just running the app on your phone/airplay for announcements...

Yes I have an Automator script on my phone (Apple shortcuts) that launches Waze as soon as my phone connects to CarPlay. It just runs in the background while I use iDrive Nav for navigation.

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

4. Dark Mode: On Google Maps, you can set the screen to always be black all the time, no distracting light colors ever, even in daytime. BMW Nav doesn't have this, correct?

Following up on my previous response - I played around with my settings yesterday and I stumbled on Night Mode: it is now my default setting.

In any case, iDrive Nav checks all the boxes with respect to features on Google Maps.

I also discovered that all along my route preference was set to “energy efficient” - whatever that means! I changed that to “Fastest” route, bringing it in parity with my other Nav apps like Waze.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by mermar

But it still seems that Waze has the most 'active community' when it comes to reporting police/speed traps. Or is Google maps catching up?

Google owns Waze and all the realtime user/community data is combined backend from both apps, another reason to use one/both of them and not BMW nav.

Waze announces speed traps whereas Google puts an icon on the screen, so both have it, they just inform the driver differently. Google has a more mature and less cartoonish UI than Waze plus the all-important routing pop-ups, so I use Google 100% of the time and run Waze in the CarPlay background (with no destination input) only when I take long trips on highways so I can hear the Waze voice say “police ahead” instead of just relying on a glance to the Google screen.

[toddwalton]

Originally Posted by zazzau

Following up on my previous response - I played around with my settings yesterday and I stumbled on Night Mode: it is now my default setting.

Are you saying you changed the background color of BMW nav to black all the time using iDrive settings? If so can you tell me how?

Originally Posted by zazzau

In any case, iDrive Nav checks all the boxes with respect to features on Google Maps.

This conversation has little to do with missing “features” as it does how CarPlay and Google properly displays these features. Next upcoming turn and lane guidance, for example, BMW only shows that when you are on top of a turn, not several miles ahead of the turn. And alternate routes are not live on BMW at all, nor glanceable, you have to tap on the screen. And BMW RTTI pales in comparison to the Google/Waze intelligence.

Look, you want redundant information on three displays- Nav screen, Speedo cluster, and HUD- so you are stuck with BMW nav. That’s cool, that’s fine. But you are compromising what’s important as a result- navigation integrity and driver distraction. And I can’t say that’s a positive.

[zlatko]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

Google owns Waze and all the realtime user/community data is combined backend from both apps, another reason to use one/both of them and not BMW nav...

I think BMW RTTI uses the same Google/Waze database to provide real time info.

Originally Posted by toddwalton

...Waze announces speed traps whereas Google puts an icon on the screen, so both have it, they just inform the driver differently. Google has a more mature and less cartoonish UI than Waze plus the all-important routing pop-ups, so I use Google 100% of the time and run Waze in the CarPlay background (with no destination input) only when I take long trips on highways so I can hear the Waze voice say “police ahead” instead of just relying on a glance to the Google screen.

I haven't seen GMaps displaying an icon for police speed traps in Europe, only Waze provides this information for the countries I have travelled in EU. Is it an US specific feature?

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

This conversation has little to do with missing “features” as it does how CarPlay and Google properly displays these features. Next upcoming turn and lane guidance, for example, BMW only shows that when you are on top of a turn, not several miles ahead of the turn. And alternate routes are not live on BMW at all, nor glanceable, you have to tap on the screen. And BMW RTTI pales in comparison to the Google/Waze intelligence.

Look, you want redundant information on three displays- Nav screen, Speedo cluster, and HUD- so you are stuck with BMW nav. That’s cool, that’s fine. But you are compromising what’s important as a result- navigation integrity and driver distraction. And I can’t say that’s a positive.

Yea the background is black all the time now. If you go to map settings there’s an option there - see attached photo below. You can set it to “Automatic,” “Day Mode,” or “Night Mode.”

Not sure exactly sure what you mean by “on top of a turn” - I get all the information/direction more than a mile away from my turn or exit. Further, if there are subsequent turns that are feet from each other, the map shows them both - again, miles away - that way you know what lane to be on with respect to the first turn. See sample pic attached below (I couldn’t take the pic from a mile away because I was driving - so it’s taken from stop light a few feet from the turn but you get the idea.) And like I said, alternate route pops up right in front of you as soon as 1 or more “better” routes becomes avaialable: you don’t have to go looking for one.

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by zlatko

I haven't seen GMaps displaying an icon for police speed traps in Europe, only Waze provides this information for the countries I have travelled in EU. Is it an US specific feature?

It’s the same in the U.S: no police trap on Google maps. That’s why I use Waze - it’s def better than Gmaps in terms of alerts, mostly because Waze is community-based. So yeah you can’t beat that.

[lnlyssg]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

Google owns Waze and all the realtime user/community data is combined backend from both apps, another reason to use one/both of them and not BMW nav.

The last I heard on this was in 2019 when they stated they didn't share data: https://fortune.com/2019/10/11/waze-...-how-it-works/ I've tried to find something more recent as I know they have now merged the two teams (see https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/8/2...d-productivity) but I can't find anything stating if data is now fully shared too.

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by toddwalton

Google owns Waze and all the realtime user/community data is combined backend from both apps, another reason to use one/both of them and not BMW nav.

That’s not accurate. Waze is owned by Google but remains completely independent. You can fact check. You might have also noticed that when using both Waze and Google simultaneously - they won’t always give you the same result.

I might also add that you can get red light/ speed light notifications on iDrive: costs $25 from ConnectedDrive store - it offers much more: including notifications like “crash ahead”, “objects on road,” “rough pavement,” etc. Clearly the major navigation systems pull this information from the same database because I get these red light/speed trap alerts from Waze and iDrive (HUD) at the same time. There was a red light camera installed close to me only 2 days ago and iDrive has already picked it.

At any rate, I think everyone will always have their nav preference and that’s fine; don’t think one can go wrong either way. I’ve used Google Maps and Waze many many years before iDrive nav and I don’t miss anything by using iDrive at all — it has virtually the same functionality features as the others and Waze complements with things like police traps in the background. That’s all that matters. If Waze finally has HUD integration for CarPlay that will be my nav of choice otherwise iDrive gets the job done.

[mermar]

Originally Posted by zazzau

That’s not accurate. Waze is owned by Google but remains completely independent. You can fact check. You might have also noticed that when using both Waze and Google simultaneously - they won’t always give you the same result.

I might also add that you can get red light/ speed light notifications on iDrive: costs $25 from ConnectedDrive store - it offers much more: including notifications like “crash ahead”, “objects on road,” “rough pavement,” etc. Clearly the major navigation systems pull this information from the same database because I get these red light/speed trap alerts from Waze and iDrive (HUD) at the same time. There was a red light camera installed close to me only 2 days ago and iDrive has already picked it.

At any rate, I think everyone will always have their nav preference and that’s fine; don’t think one can go wrong either way. I’ve used Google Maps and Waze many many years before iDrive nav and I don’t miss anything by using iDrive at all — it has virtually the same functionality features as the others and Waze complements with things like police traps in the background. That’s all that matters. If Waze finally has HUD integration for CarPlay that will be my nav of choice otherwise iDrive gets the job done.

I have been a waze user from the beginning of waze - but just so I am clear. Set your destination in native BMW nav system. Then open waze via carplay - but dont input a destination. This will allow speedtrap announcement while bmw nav is running.

When I messed with google maps via carplay - I noticed starting another navigation app canceled the active route I had running in the BMW Nav. Key for me is to make sure my waze is announcing laerts when not navigating. It seems that it doesnt always do this - like it is muted or something.

[zazzau]

Originally Posted by mermar

I have been a waze user from the beginning of waze - but just so I am clear. Set your destination in native BMW nav system. Then open waze via carplay - but dont input a destination. This will allow speedtrap announcement while bmw nav is running.

Correct