The Lightning’s Native Nav is Worthless

[Chillguy]

Apple Car play and Android Auto with available apps like Waze, Google Maps, Apple Maps....I haven't used the Ford Nav once in over two years.

Ditto!
Why would I want to use understandably inferior product like Ford Nav vs Google maps that spent tens of billions to develop the product?.... rhetorical question obviously...

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[Rip]

Apple Car play and Android Auto with available apps like Waze, Google Maps, Apple Maps....I haven't used the Ford Nav once in over two years.

If it worked all the time (and the "Blue Oval Network" worked all the time), it wouldn't be bad. I mostly stick to Android auto, though, because I like the layers and Waze features. It does OK with chargers, but it won't tell you if they are in network and compatible.

 

[VAF84]

As a comparison. In my LER, I never used the native maps because of its limitations; always used CarPlay. In my Sierra EV that has no CarPlay and runs Android Auto. I still prefer CarPlay, but I'm okay with Android Auto enough that I don't immediately resort to my phone like I would have in the Lightning. So, I'll take Android Auto over Ford Nav, and CarPlay over both.

 

[Kev12345]

Does google maps precondition if it’s being used through apple carplay?

Or is it just Apple Maps via CarPlay and google maps via android auto?

 

[TaxmanHog]

Does google maps precondition if it’s being used through apple carplay?

Or is it just Apple Maps via CarPlay and google maps via android auto?

IIRC, for us Android users, the requirement included having a specific or newest version of Android Auto, I think that's how Google maps and the truck communicate with each other.

By extension, possibly Carplay needs further enhancements of a similar nature to make Apple Maps fully integrated.

Just speculation on my part.

 

[potato]

As a comparison. In my LER, I never used the native maps because of its limitations; always used CarPlay. In my Sierra EV that has no CarPlay and runs Android Auto. I still prefer CarPlay, but I'm okay with Android Auto enough that I don't immediately resort to my phone like I would have in the Lightning. So, I'll take Android Auto over Ford Nav, and CarPlay over both.

Just to clarify. If your Sierra does not have CarPlay, then it doesn't have Android Auto either (extension of phone screen, apps running on phone). It has Android Automotive (embedded version of Android running on hardware in the truck, phone not involved).

I wish they'd used a better name for the embedded OS product.

 

[VAF84]

Just to clarify. If your Sierra does not have CarPlay, then it doesn't have Android Auto either (extension of phone screen, apps running on phone). It has Android Automotive (embedded version of Android running on hardware in the truck, phone not involved).

I wish they'd used a better name for the embedded OS product.

Thanks for clarifying, the names are so similar!

 

[Ishkatan]

I used the Ford NAV in my Lariat on a trip from Ithaca to Maryland. It took me down some sketchy roads, including gravel roads in back of a farm in the reverse direction from the paved road I had just taken to the turn off for the farm. I still turn it on once in a while for the fun of it, when I know the rout and road I am going on regardless of the navigation.

I thought someone said Ford was going to replace it with Google Maps.

 

[jetfixr1]

I tried using it on a trip from my home to Columbus, OH a couple of weeks ago. It's only a 3.5 hour drive so it was a test to see how it compared to just using ABRP to get an idea and then relying on Google maps. I found almost everything you mentioned above and went right back to ABRP to plan and Google Maps to execute.

Same here. I sat in my truck the day before the trip for a almost a good hour to try and get a proper route. I shouldnt have to spend even 10 minutes to plan a route. I gave up and just used ABRP and Waze for traffic/ road info.

 

[Howard_Scott_Warshaw]

There's a 100 kW DCFC in Springfield VT that I've used twice in the past. There's ~1 bar of Verizon coverage in the area, not enough to make a phone call and not enough to engage Google Maps. These are a regions where the on-board NAV is key, however I found a huge glitch last year when I was here.

There's a button in the NAV that says "simulate". I thought "why the hell not, lets simulate the drive!?" The navigation system then proceeded to "drive" itself though the entire 2 hour trip to my final destination, in real time, assuming the posted speed limits. No amount of force quitting or re-booting would reset the navigation system and knock it out of this simulation. I desperately needed the navigation system, but no, it was "driving" through the entire route rendering it totally useless.

I hope they've fixed it, but that was the worst experience I've ever had with a navigation system.

 

[jetfixr1]

There's a 100 kW DCFC in Springfield VT that I've used twice in the past. There's ~1 bar of Verizon coverage in the area, not enough to make a phone call and not enough to engage Google Maps. These are a regions where the on-board NAV is key, however I found a huge glitch last year when I was here.

There's a button in the NAV that says "simulate". I thought "why the hell not, lets simulate the drive!?" The navigation system then proceeded to "drive" itself though the entire 2 hour trip to my final destination, in real time, assuming the posted speed limits. No amount of force quitting or re-booting would reset the navigation system and knock it out of this simulation. I desperately needed the navigation system, but no, it was "driving" through the entire route rendering it totally useless.

I hope they've fixed it, but that was the worst experience I've ever had with a navigation system.

Wow, Ive never seen that. Going to have to find that simulate button and see what it does.

 

[TaxmanHog]

There's a 100 kW DCFC in Springfield VT that I've used twice in the past. There's ~1 bar of Verizon coverage in the area, not enough to make a phone call and not enough to engage Google Maps. These are a regions where the on-board NAV is key, however I found a huge glitch last year when I was here.

There's a button in the NAV that says "simulate". I thought "why the hell not, lets simulate the drive!?" The navigation system then proceeded to "drive" itself though the entire 2 hour trip to my final destination, in real time, assuming the posted speed limits. No amount of force quitting or re-booting would reset the navigation system and knock it out of this simulation. I desperately needed the navigation system, but no, it was "driving" through the entire route rendering it totally useless.

I hope they've fixed it, but that was the worst experience I've ever had with a navigation system.

I think I experienced that catch 22 as well, luckily I was home just playing with the system, IIRC I did a SYNC reset to kill the roge process, have not played with it since.

 

[Zprime29]

There's a 100 kW DCFC in Springfield VT that I've used twice in the past. There's ~1 bar of Verizon coverage in the area, not enough to make a phone call and not enough to engage Google Maps. These are a regions where the on-board NAV is key, however I found a huge glitch last year when I was here.

There's a button in the NAV that says "simulate". I thought "why the hell not, lets simulate the drive!?" The navigation system then proceeded to "drive" itself though the entire 2 hour trip to my final destination, in real time, assuming the posted speed limits. No amount of force quitting or re-booting would reset the navigation system and knock it out of this simulation. I desperately needed the navigation system, but no, it was "driving" through the entire route rendering it totally useless.

I hope they've fixed it, but that was the worst experience I've ever had with a navigation system.

I bet a 12v disconnect would do the trick. I recall someone saying a 10m wrench in the truck is a necessity for us. I may splurge and get that disconnect switch mentioned in another thread. I think Mike G found it??

 

[B177y]

I bet a 12v disconnect would do the trick. I recall someone saying a 10m wrench in the truck is a necessity for us. I may splurge and get that disconnect switch mentioned in another thread. I think Mike G found it??

Yup, I got the switch that @Mike G installed. It comes in handy for sure:

https://a.co/d/2NrEcMd

 

[PrimeRisk]

Yup, I got the switch that @Mike G installed. It comes in handy for sure:

https://a.co/d/2NrEcMd

That's pretty cool! I have a vehicle I store in Myrtle Beach for when we visit, but it sits for months at a time without use, so I use a battery disconnect. I use this lower-tech solution that has been reliable for years.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085DBM4Z6

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