mtndrew1
Well-known member
On the day Kia made the software update available for our UVO systems I downloaded and installed it, giving my car the ability to run Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The update also upgraded my mapping software from map version 7.41.43.005.001 to 8.47.44.552.004.1. If you were unaware that this update is available for free, go to http://www.myuvo.com and follow the instructions to get the sofware.
The download and install went smoothly but the updated head unit now has one major flaw in that all incoming music is glitchy, whether over bluetooth streaming, USB, or CarPlay. Several times per song the music stutters and glitches up and as these are the only ways to get music into the system, non-radio is now extremely irritating.
As for CarPlay, I find it to be fantastic. Apple Maps has apparently improved by leaps and bounds since I last used it and the projected arrival times are much more accurate than with the Kia maps. Re-routing is very smooth and there is no clutter on the screen. My favorite feature so far is the extremely fast ability to turn guidance on and off. Oftentimes I really just want directions to the best freeway to get home, then I know my way from there, but I want the predicted time of arrival and distance to remain on the screen.
Previously I mostly accomplished this with the Kia system by starting guidance to home and cancelling the route once I made it to the freeway. Of course in the Kia system you punch the tiny button to cancel the route, then confirm the cancel, then it's all done guiding and the ETA disappears. On Apple Maps, you just touch on the (large) leftmost guidance panel and the step-by-step guidance falls away leaving only the projected arrival time and distance and the route remaining on screen. If you want active guidance again for whatever reason, just touch the time/distance box and guidance resumes. I've long wished for such a feature in all my cars' GPS systems and was really happy to see Apple included it.
One thing I miss from the Kia system while using Apple Maps is the ability to direct the system to use HOV lanes whenever possible. On my particular commute the HOV on-ramps are exclusive to the HOV lane and located on different streets than typical traffic on-ramps. The Apple Maps will honor the HOV lane if you start in it, but the system by default won't direct me to those like the Kia one will.
The difference in the ability to find music I want to listen to on my phone is just exponentially better in the CarPlay interface than the stock one. Music and podcast navigation is buttery smooth, easy, and beautiful. I find myself actually listening to my music collection now whereas I gave up on the stock USB music navigation about a week after getting the car. I did bluetooth streaming before, but never felt comfortable trying to manipulate my phone while driving to choose different playlists or artists, so it was often frustrating.
I very rarely do any texting while in the car, voice or otherwise, so I haven't used that feature much. I've sent a handful of texts over voice since getting the CarPlay update and Siri has done an admirable job of taking dictation, much better than the Siri Eyes Free thing the car came with originally.
Overall the update looks promising, but I'm very upset that the update broke my ability to get music into the car's system by any means. I have opened a case with Kia and hope they resolve it, but I'm concerned it will end up on a back burner somewhere. I have re-downloaded and installed the CarPlay update, changed out my USB cord, reformatted my iPhone, and even swapped the phone at the Apple store for a new unit due to an unrelated phone issue, and none of these have resolved the problems. When the music skips the entire interface for the head unit becomes very lethargic and jittery, leading me to believe that there's an errant process somewhere gobbling up CPU cycles and that bug needs to be squashed.
In any event, CarPlay looks like a fantastic addition to the Soul EV. I'm crossing my fingers that they can fix my bug.
The download and install went smoothly but the updated head unit now has one major flaw in that all incoming music is glitchy, whether over bluetooth streaming, USB, or CarPlay. Several times per song the music stutters and glitches up and as these are the only ways to get music into the system, non-radio is now extremely irritating.
As for CarPlay, I find it to be fantastic. Apple Maps has apparently improved by leaps and bounds since I last used it and the projected arrival times are much more accurate than with the Kia maps. Re-routing is very smooth and there is no clutter on the screen. My favorite feature so far is the extremely fast ability to turn guidance on and off. Oftentimes I really just want directions to the best freeway to get home, then I know my way from there, but I want the predicted time of arrival and distance to remain on the screen.
Previously I mostly accomplished this with the Kia system by starting guidance to home and cancelling the route once I made it to the freeway. Of course in the Kia system you punch the tiny button to cancel the route, then confirm the cancel, then it's all done guiding and the ETA disappears. On Apple Maps, you just touch on the (large) leftmost guidance panel and the step-by-step guidance falls away leaving only the projected arrival time and distance and the route remaining on screen. If you want active guidance again for whatever reason, just touch the time/distance box and guidance resumes. I've long wished for such a feature in all my cars' GPS systems and was really happy to see Apple included it.
One thing I miss from the Kia system while using Apple Maps is the ability to direct the system to use HOV lanes whenever possible. On my particular commute the HOV on-ramps are exclusive to the HOV lane and located on different streets than typical traffic on-ramps. The Apple Maps will honor the HOV lane if you start in it, but the system by default won't direct me to those like the Kia one will.
The difference in the ability to find music I want to listen to on my phone is just exponentially better in the CarPlay interface than the stock one. Music and podcast navigation is buttery smooth, easy, and beautiful. I find myself actually listening to my music collection now whereas I gave up on the stock USB music navigation about a week after getting the car. I did bluetooth streaming before, but never felt comfortable trying to manipulate my phone while driving to choose different playlists or artists, so it was often frustrating.
I very rarely do any texting while in the car, voice or otherwise, so I haven't used that feature much. I've sent a handful of texts over voice since getting the CarPlay update and Siri has done an admirable job of taking dictation, much better than the Siri Eyes Free thing the car came with originally.
Overall the update looks promising, but I'm very upset that the update broke my ability to get music into the car's system by any means. I have opened a case with Kia and hope they resolve it, but I'm concerned it will end up on a back burner somewhere. I have re-downloaded and installed the CarPlay update, changed out my USB cord, reformatted my iPhone, and even swapped the phone at the Apple store for a new unit due to an unrelated phone issue, and none of these have resolved the problems. When the music skips the entire interface for the head unit becomes very lethargic and jittery, leading me to believe that there's an errant process somewhere gobbling up CPU cycles and that bug needs to be squashed.
In any event, CarPlay looks like a fantastic addition to the Soul EV. I'm crossing my fingers that they can fix my bug.
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