Update Your DashCommand To 2.9.1

DashCommand Update 2.9.1

The developers of DashCommand have pushed an update to their iOS app. The new version 2.9.1 promises a variety of bug fixes. I haven't encountered any of the bugs reported in the update but I have already updated the app. Hopefully this update fixes the AppRadio freezing issue I had a couple of days ago. As always, the update is free for current app owners. Happy updating!

Extend Your AppRadio Cable

Do you find the iPhone/iPod Touch connector cable attached to your AppRadio to be too short? I did. The way my AppRadio was connected in my car the cable extends from the center arm rest between the driver and passenger seats. It is about a foot long at best. As we all know, one needs access to the iPhone/iPod Touch at all times while using it with the AppRadio. This is an issue for discussion in a separate post altogether. I think Pioneer needs to make it easier to use the AppRadio without ever having to touch the iPhone/iPod Touch.

So how do you extend this short cable? There are cable extenders available on eBay and Amazon, for example, which will extend the cable but don't essentially work. They will charge your iOS device but other functions will not work (iPod, DashCommand, Rdio etc.). This is because these cheaper cables do not pass all iPhone/iPod Touch functionality through them. They only provide connections for the power ports in the 30-pin connector.

The solution?

DashCommand Hits A Snag!

I'm learning new things about my car through DashCommand every day. So I was playing around with it yesterday and hit a snag. DashCommand became unresponsive on the AppRadio. I haven't found out what triggered it but the app refused to take touch commands on the stereo. Other functions like iPod, radio and apps like Rdio and Pandora seemed to work without issues.

The DashCommand app worked fine on the iPhone. When I connected the cable to the AppRadio though it was unusable. Basically nothing would click on tapping. Pressing the home button on the AppRadio brought me to the main screen. The volume buttons worked too. But none of the DashCommand menu icons on the AppRadio were clickable.

FIX:

DashCommand for AppRadio: Initial Thoughts

I've been waiting quite a while for more apps to be available for the AppRadio since I bought it this past summer. Initially only four third-party apps were compatible: Rdio, MotionX GPS Drive, INRIX Traffic and Pandora. Eventually I figured out that Netflix and YouTube could also be used with the AppRadio, albeit using the neat double-DIN screen of the car stereo as an external display. Of course, the iPod app was compatible too.

Then came the sort of second wave of apps that had included AppRadio functionality. These included StreamS HiFi Radio, AUPEO! and DashCommand. While the other two are apps used for streaming music over the internet, DashCommand is totally different. It is an OBD-II vehicle instrumentation application. It basically gives car specific data and gauges that are obtained directly from the engine (using OBD-II hardware which needs to be bought separately). The app itself costs $49.99 in the iOS App Store.

The DashCommand app interface.

AppRadio Posts Start Here...

COMING SOON!

Here's a little flavor of what to expect…

Pioneer AppRadio - What this blog is all about!