Support AppRadioWorld by shopping via these links...
***Shop Amazon.com*** or ***Shop eBay.com***

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Here's Our Take On iOS 8 And AppRadio Mode Compatibility [Pictures]


Earlier today, Pioneer Electronics posted a notice on its Facebook page advising AppRadio Mode users to avoid upgrading to iOS 8 due to compatibility issues. About 24 hours after testing AppRadio Mode with iOS 8, here is our take on the current issues.

We tested an AppRadio 3 (SPH-DA210) with an iPhone 5 running iOS 8.

1. iOS 8 keyboard is the problem: Any app that uses a keyboard (like EC Touch, AppRadioLIVE, CarBrowser, Waze, Extra Mile etc.) will crash when trying to type something. Apps will work as long as you don't have to input any text.

2. Screen Resizing: Remember the screen resizing issue that plagued iOS 6? Well, its back in iOS 8. When in AppRadio Mode, the display is now resized again. There is no flickering as seen in iOS 7. The display remains in a smaller resolution leaving about a quarter-inch dead space all around.


3. Bluetooth Streaming: We didn't find any issues with Bluetooth Streaming. It works as good as before which means you still can't browse your library in Bluetooth mode and Album Art still doesn't show up.


4. Other apps: Three other apps (Escort Live, My PV and MIXTRAX) crash most of the time when launched in AppRadio Mode. We tested CarMediaPlayer and found no issues with it though.


5. AppRadio app: The AppRadio app which takes you to AppRadio Mode seemed to work fine for me. I could launch other apps from there, swipe through menu screens, and view maps/calendar/photos without any issues. Display is resized to a smaller size though.


6. Mirroring: Mirroring your iPhone display onto your AppRadio still works. There is no touch functionality though.


What needs to be done: App developers need to update their apps and fix the keyboard issue which causes crashes. Screen resizing was blamed on Apple in the past so I wonder how much Pioneer can do to fix that. Apple partially fixed this issue in iOS 7 but the screen would still flicker but not resize.

The screen resolution issue will have to be fixed by Apple. It is a very annoying thing to have the 7-inch screen on your head unit look like a 6-inch display. And the flickering wasn't pleasant either but at least that's gone for now.

Check the App Store for updates to AppRadio Mode related apps that look at fixing existing issues. We will continue testing out iOS 8 and post regular updates. Stay tuned.

2 comments :

  1. i don't understand how every other app can test in preparation of iOS 8 but not pioneer, it's kind of ridiculous

    ReplyDelete
  2. How do you mirrior your iPhone using the app radio unit I also have iPhone 6

    ReplyDelete

All comments will be screened for spam. Allow up to 24 hours for comments to show up.

NO SPAM PLEASE!