TomTom Go saved routes in CarPlay

[abowen]

Hello Friends,

I'm wondering if it's possible to retrieve previously synced/saved routes via CarPlay? I see my routes in the app when not connected to CarPlay, but am unsure how to retrieve them when I use CarPlay. Thanks.

-Alan

 

[Willy875]

Hi
Normally, once connected to CarPlay, touch menu then my destinations.

 

[abowen]

Okay, thanks, I’m not seeing any of my routes in that menu.

 

[brianwatts99]

G'day ABowen,

I have previously contacted TomTom Customer Service (or whatever they call themselves) about this exact question and was told that when approving of an app to be able to be used with CarPlay, it is CarPlay themselves that decides how that app configures on the CarPlay screen and what features are available. It is apparently out of TomTom's hands, they are just pleased that their app was approved when so many others aren't.

However, your saved Routes and Track are available, it is just that there is no select button for them on the CarPlay screen. You can select MyPlaces, but there is no My Routes button. All you gotta do is select a route from My Routes on your phone first, and then that route will appear on the CarPlay with no problems with full functionality.

It annoyed me at first (for about 10 minutes), but now I am used to jumping in the car, selecting a route on the phone, then putting the phone away and the route is there on the CarPlay screen, no problems.

Brian

 

[abowen]

G'day ABowen,

I have previously contacted TomTom Customer Service (or whatever they call themselves) about this exact question and was told that when approving of an app to be able to be used with CarPlay, it is CarPlay themselves that decides how that app configures on the CarPlay screen and what features are available. It is apparently out of TomTom's hands, they are just pleased that their app was approved when so many others aren't.

However, your saved Routes and Track are available, it is just that there is no select button for them on the CarPlay screen. You can select MyPlaces, but there is no My Routes button. All you gotta do is select a route from My Routes on your phone first, and then that route will appear on the CarPlay with no problems with full functionality.

It annoyed me at first (for about 10 minutes), but now I am used to jumping in the car, selecting a route on the phone, then putting the phone away and the route is there on the CarPlay screen, no problems.

Brian

Thanks for your reply Brian. I have tried this on my iPhone with CarPlay in the car and what you mention does work. However, if I go off route and need to restart my trip, I have to retrieve my phone. That's not optimal. I also want to use TomTom with CarPlay on my motorcycle and handling my phone in the middle of a trip isn't possible without stopping first.

TomTom can fix this. Saying it's Apple or a CarPlay limitation is not true and is an excuse on TomTom's behalf. I have used two other navigation apps with CarPlay that have solved this, namely Scenic and Rever, that allow interaction with previously saved/synced routes directly within the CarPlay interface.

 

[JuergenAMS]

There is only a limited number of menu options we can show in Apple CarPlay so we need to make a choice. See also this article: https://help.tomtom.com/hc/articles/360013959339

If I connect my iPhone to the CarPlay Simulator app I can still see the routes in the app on my iPhone. It's just that the option is missing in CarPlay.

 

[abowen]

There is only a limited number of menu options we can show in Apple CarPlay so we need to make a choice. See also this article: https://help.tomtom.com/hc/articles/360013959339

If I connect my iPhone to the CarPlay Simulator app I can still see the routes in the app on my iPhone. It's just that the option is missing in CarPlay.

Thanks for your reply JuergenAMS. I understand that templates limit what can be shown on the main CarPlay screen, but the secondary menus are not subject to the same restriction. I believe TomTom can develop a creative, if not, simple solution to this which is to simply add the "My Routes" option to the menu that appears in CarPlay. If memory serves, there are at least half a dozen choices on this menu and includes things like Search, My Places, Route to Home, Route to Work, etc. Again, if I recall, that menu has blank space available on it for more icons/menu choices.

This is what competing products, such as Scenic and Rever, have done. I want to continue using TomTom because of the web based planner, but I'd prefer not to have to retrieve my phone while driving and am unable to do so when using CarPlay on my motorcycle.

I'll try to post some pics of what I'm referring to. Here is the TomTom secondary menu, there is an open slot for "My Routes". Or, Parking Lot, Gas Station are redundant and already available in the Search menu so a change could be made. A friend who uses Android Auto with TomTom tells me that "My Routes" are available in that system.

Here is a pic of Scenic's secondary menu with similar choices, but one of which is "Routes" which is what I'm looking for in TomTom Go.

 

[Willy875]

I don't know about you,
When I plan a route I do it at the stop before leaving.
In my opinion you can take your phone very well and plan the route you have saved and then read it on your car screen.

 

[abowen]

I don't know about you,
When I plan a route I do it at the stop before leaving.
In my opinion you can take your phone very well and plan the route you have saved and then read it on your car screen.

I do that as well, but when I'm planning a multi-day trip I want to use the big screen on my computer and have routes planned for each day, and maybe a few optional side trips for sight-seeing. When I'm riding my motorcycle, I want to ride specific roads and usually "curate" my routes for curvy roads or less traveled roads.

Another example, with the recent bridge collapse in Baltimore Harbor, I want to take specific roads through DC and Baltimore to avoid as much traffic and construction as possible. I need to plan these out carefully in advance and since I live 100+ miles away from the area, my use case is different and want to use my computer screen for planning.

 

[brianwatts99]

I do that as well, but when I'm planning a multi-day trip I want to use the big screen on my computer and have routes planned for each day, and maybe a few optional side trips for sight-seeing.

I know exactly what you mean. I do an overseas trip every year or so and spend about 20 days on the road. This usually involves about 50 pre-planned routes, each going on self selected roads of specific interest, and these can only be planned efficiently at home on my big screen computer using the plan.tomtom.com web planner in conjunction with copy and pasting co-ordinates from Google Maps. I still wish the old MyDrive web planner was still available, it was so much easier to use. And that's speaking from experience, having planned about 200 routes in the last 5 years. Trying to do meaningful route planning using the TomTom GO app is a nightmare.

Abowen, just a comment about spare room on your CarPlay screen. The TomTom GO app CarPlay screen has availability for 8 items. On my screen the Menu has a 4 x 2 grid which fills up the screen. And that is the way it is on all the CarPlay screens I have seen. The example you show with a 3 x 3 grid with a spare 9th space, that space is not really free, it is a blank to enable your 3 x 3 layout to work. There are still only 8 items.

 

[abowen]

I know exactly what you mean. I do an overseas trip every year or so and spend about 20 days on the road. This usually involves about 50 pre-planned routes, each going on self selected roads of specific interest, and these can only be planned efficiently at home on my big screen computer using the plan.tomtom.com web planner in conjunction with copy and pasting co-ordinates from Google Maps. I still wish the old MyDrive web planner was still available, it was so much easier to use. And that's speaking from experience, having planned about 200 routes in the last 5 years. Trying to do meaningful route planning using the TomTom GO app is a nightmare.

Abowen, just a comment about spare room on your CarPlay screen. The TomTom GO app CarPlay screen has availability for 8 items. On my screen the Menu has a 4 x 2 grid which fills up the screen. And that is the way it is on all the CarPlay screens I have seen. The example you show with a 3 x 3 grid with a spare 9th space, that space is not really free, it is a blank to enable your 3 x 3 layout to work. There are still only 8 items.

I understand what you’re saying. A creative solution would be combining the parking lot and gas stations search into a POI search button or simply removing them because those specific category searches are redundant with the search option present. That would leave space for My Routes.

What I really think may be happening is a change in direction at TomTom. They no longer sell navigation devices in the US (and possibly elsewhere) and the lack of this feature on their now flagship consumer product (in the US market) makes me believe that the My Routes feature and the corresponding route planning website will be removed entirely in the near future. While the new plan.tomtom.com website recently launched, it’s not as feature filled as the previous site it replaced and TomTom seems to be catering to the Google and Apple Maps crowd who want simple point to point routing. I believe this is another part of TomTom’s exit plan from the US market, possibly elsewhere. People are cheap and without additional features over free counterparts, who would pay for something that has the same features in a free product? TomTom already has an identity crisis. It was good while it lasted TomTom. You could have been a contender. You could have owned this market.

Edit: Please keep in mind my comments are related to Go navigation with CarPlay and probably apply to Android Auto. Remember, we are nuts here in the US. There are stories of people buying a new car simply to have CarPlay or Android Auto.

 

[brianwatts99]

Yes, abowen, I get the same feeling. TomTom used to have a presence here in Australia, and we could phone up and speak to somebody and buy a new locally sold device. But for a few years now there has been no-one. Want to buy a device or have a problem or want to talk to someone? No worries, contact TomTom in the UK half a planet away.

I agree, if there is only enough room for 8 Menu items, My Routes must be one of those. Yes, get rid of something else. It is interesting that the TomTom GO app must be regionally different, in that yours shows Gas Station and mine shows Petrol Station. And yours shows Parking lot and mine shows Parking. Here in Australia (and UK), a parking lot is called a carpark.

Even though the new plan.tomtom.com website is not great, it is all we have for detailed road trip planning and as soon as TomTom removes access to pre-planning and the ability to plan, store and sync dozens of places and routes/tracks, then that's me gone from TomTom after 13 years as a loyal user of in-car devices, planning websites and now the TomTom GO app.

 

[canderson]

It is interesting that the TomTom GO app must be regionally different, in that yours shows Gas Station and mine shows Petrol Station. And yours shows Parking lot and mine shows Parking. Here in Australia (and UK), a parking lot is called a carpark.

Same app, but different language selected for use by the app. As with voices, there's different text for English (UK), English (US), English (AUS), etc.

 

[PhilJC]

I've tested it again using a MyRoute saved to my iPhone. I started CarPlay and it showed the distance, etc. OK, also the Route bar and Traffic all OK, and first turn showed OK. All good so far! However there was no sound, and the first turn was still showing 5 miles later. So saving a route to my phone still doesn't work for me in CarPlay.
I had tried it last year with the same lack of success. I thought that perhaps all the software updates would have fixed the problem!
A pity as using saved routes feature would set TomTom Go apart from the free apps, such as Google and Apple Maps.

 

[brianwatts99]

Phil, I agree that having My Routes on the ParPlay menu would be very useful. a lot more useful that having Recents or some of the others.

As for having difficulties with the saved route misbehaving on CarPlay, I have only had similar problems when tampering with the CarPlay screen by pinch zooming, swiping and stuff. I have had a frozen screen, sound problems, not being able to change from navigation view to map view, etc. But if I just select the saved route on the phone and press "Go", then put the phone away and just follow the CarPlay screen, I never have a problem.

 

[PhilJC]

Hi Brian, Thanks for the tips. Works now! Used it twice and OK.
I wasn't used to using the app directly on the phone, as had only used it in CarPlay before.
As you say don't mess with the CarPlay screen!

 

[BL_BL]

A friend who uses Android Auto with TomTom tells me that "My Routes" are available in that system.

Unfortunately - no, i it's not available. I use Android Auto, and that is one of the few disappointments that I experienced with the Android Auto version compared to phone app.
Android Auto also doesn't give us the ability to tap on Route Bar to quickly add Gas Station as Stop Point (and to remove it if we want). We need to go through Search which requires more steps/taps, and it's less safe. Also, we can't report Speed Camera on Android Auto. The mobile app has all of that.

I don't know who and how decide what is safe and what is not, but interacting with phone app on phone mount is interacting with some sort of display, so it is the same as interacting with Car Play or Android Auto screen. But somehow, one is safe and the other is not (!)

I will also like to have ability to create folders/categories for "My Places" and "My Routes". Having one flat structure with a long POI list is bad (from an organizational and safety point of view). And limit to 6 items in Android Auto (Car Play) in order to avoid scrolling is silly, other apps don't have that limitation. A few days ago I saved some location in "My Places" for my next trip. After that, I entered my car, and Android Auto was automatically started, as usual, and I started TomTom Go on Android Auto, I opened My Places to select that POI, but that PIO was not there. Reason? Only 6 items can be in the Android Auto version of the app, and those 6 are alphabetically ordered, so the location that I needed was not there!


For example, the OsmAnd app has access to Routes and to Favorites, and the ability to create (sub)folders/categories, all accessible from Android Auto.

 

[brianwatts99]

BL, I know it is a nuisance, but what happens if you select the desired POI on your phone first, does it then appear on the Android Auto screen?

 

[BL_BL]

I will try that.
My phone connects through WiFi so I will open Route before I get into the car.

It is interesting that some others app also don't have access to Routes in the Android Auto, but only to POIs ("My Places", "Favorites"). Google Maps is one of them, Mapy.cz is another. But OsmAnd somehow resolved this, thay have it all.

Someone also give that advice that starting Route prior to connecting to Android Auto will start it on Android Auto. But that is only workaround, as @abowen said on this topic "However, if I go off route and need to restart my trip, I have to retrieve my phone. That's not optimal". I agree.

 

[brianwatts99]

Yes, I saw abowen saying that, but if you go off route, the track you already have just re-routes to get you back on track. You don't have to reach for your phone to restart the trip, you just follow the instructions on the route you already have on screen.