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InControl 10.2 Touch Pro - text messaging

14K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  mahscoop 
#1 ·
Is text messaging supported on the InControl 10.2 Touch Pro system? Are messages and notifications displayed? Can you read, and reply to, messages on screen? It seems like this functionality is somewhat available in the Evoque. Can't find reference to it for the '17 RRS.

What about using the InControl Apps? Is the native Messaging app available in this manner?

For those of you on iPhone, are you able to send/receive text messages using Siri over the Bluetooth handsfree system? How do you initiate a new text message this way, while driving?


I've ordered a '17 RRS, but am currently on a Windows 10 mobile device. Text messaging doesn't work, nor does Cortana over the Bluetooth system. Land Rover Remote Apps are not available in the Windows Store. So I'm considering switching. Just want to know what I should expect before I decide to switch.
 
#2 ·
Hi Matt,

My RRS is only a 2014, but I do know for a fact that the 2017s currently do not support Siri Eyes Free (SEF), which is the function that allows you to press and hold the voice button to activate Siri. I had that functionality in my Ford Explorer and it is amazing how easy it makes it to send/receive text messages (and anything else that Siri does for that matter). I have read a few reports that question why LR has not introduced support for it where most manufacturers have retrofitted their infotainment systems with it all they way back to 2011 model years, but that's another post for another time.

Native messaging app is not available in InControl. Here's a link to the InControl apps page on the LR website: http://www.landroverusa.com/ownership/incontrol/incontrol-apps.html.

There's an easy way to see if LR supports text alerts. If anyone with an iPhone wants to chime in, the way to find out is through your phone's Bluetooth pairing with the car. The feature is called "Show Notifications" or something like it. Go to Bluetooth, find your RRS pairing, touch it to bring up settings. If it's supported, you'll see it there. Turn show notifications on. It will take a drive or two before you start to see text alerts pop up on the screen. Some manufacturers will let you press the voice button and say something like "read message" (Ford, BMW) some others don't have the read function and force you to go through the system's menu to find the notification and see it on the screen (Mercedes). It'll be interesting to see if LR supports it and how it interacts with the car's infotainment.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that Canadian cars and US cars at least, have slightly different functionality. My RRS is originally Canadian (I live in the US) and I recently found out that my car doesn't come with HD Radio, where US models do. Even the 2017s (Canadian) don't have it. So, the fact that we might find out from someone in the US that text alerts work here, they might not work up there. The best thing you can do is go to your dealer. Someone there is bound to have an iPhone they can pair to a car in the showroom and find out.

Hope this helps a little. Please keep us updated!

Jose
 
#3 ·
So it seems to me that InControl is more of a common look/feel "wrapper" for specific 3rd party apps to maintain a specific "Land Rover Experience." No messaging apps have been brought inside their walled garden yet - I downloaded the app and took a look at what they offer. It's not much for the US region. I doubt CarPlay will happen any time soon, since that requires hardware specially approved by Apple in order to integrate in the vehicle. Not sure about Siri Eyes-Free, seems like that's a more open interface. I'm an Android guy, so I'd like to see Android Auto to be able to integrate voice controlled messaging, or at least Google Maps and/or Waze. Maybe OpenTable. Feedback through the app or in the Play Store, plus engagement with the dealers will likely be the only way to get them to add new stuff.
 
#4 ·
Wow, I'm really surprised. Especially since the manual for the 2016 Evoque mentions receiving text message notifications on-screen, along with the ability to send a standard reply like; "Thanks", "Yes/no", "Will call you back" etc.

You would have thought that the first app they would integrate with InControl Apps would be messaging.

Overall fairly disappointed as well since my Jeep's Uconnect 8.4 system has had all of this functionality since 2013, and it even fully supported my Windows Phone. I get all my text messages on the Uconnect system, and my phone's digital assistant (Cortana) works perfectly over the Bluetooth hands free to read incoming and voice dictate reply messages.

I feel like stepping up to the RRS is actually going to be a step down in my every day tech. Also sounds like switching smartphone platforms isn't going to improve the situation (except to use Remote Climate).

Has anyone else had any varying degrees of success?
 
#5 ·
Truth be told, as much as I was hoping Land Rover would bring Apple CarPlay to the 2017 models, I'm not too unhappy with the level of functionality I have with the ICTP system and the (limited) apps - the biggest use for me is music from the phone and while some would disagree with me, I'm VERY happy with the interface for the music through the InControl app (playlists, etc. work drastically better/easier than my A6). Now that I bought the center console cooler cover/tray per the suggestion of others on the board, it provides a very nice spot to place my iPhone without it flopping around inside the massive black hole, while keeping it neatly out of the way (and plugged in). This weekend I was on a lengthy road trip and on a couple occasions, ended up with people calling to say "didn't you read my text??" and I just said nope, sorry... been driving and the phone is tucked away.

Point being, if it was urgent/important (at least in my case) people tend to dial the phone for a voice call rather than texting me and as such, one of the "side effects" to how the ICTP works with the phone (needing it plugged in with the app open, where it pretty much takes control of the phone and likewise the hassle of having to reconnect/reopen the app if one tries to use the phone for something else), it made it much easier to just leave the phone alone while I was driving. I'll admit in other vehicles, I've had a bad habit of glancing at incoming texts, faffing around with my iPhone, etc. when I really shouldn't be... so it's been a welcomed and unexpected change to be less inclined to do that now.

So at the risk of making myself sound like an old man, I'd have to say in this particular instance, sometimes less is more - when on a long drive, I can easily catch up on emails and texts when I stop for gas, a break, etc. rather than being tempted and distracted while on the highway (plus I've yet to encounter a voice based system in any vehicle yet that is reliable enough to not end up at least 50% of the time, grabbing the phone to fix a text reply, etc.)
 
#7 ·
I agree with you and I'm a millennial (an older one, but still a millennial). Text messaging, even with voice, is a major distraction. CarPlay is one more gadget people are fidgeting with instead of concentrating on driving. No wonder automotive fatalities are up despite cars being safer than ever mechanically - they've gotten less safe because of built in distractions and mobile phone brackets.

As far as CarPlay from a functionality standpoint, I find it just so so in the Porsches. It's kind of annoying to have to plug the phone in every time rather than just have it in your pocket, and it's kind of buggy at times. To me it doesn't offer much better functionality than the standard Porsche satnav and media other than Spotify. I almost never use the CarPlay in the Porsche on a short ride.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the feedback. I hear what you're saying. I'm not interested in interacting directly with my phone, only in the hands free methods.

What version iOS are you on? Do you have your phone configured for message notifications over Bluetooth (sorry, I don't use iOS so I don't know the exact setting)? Does Siri usually give you a voice notification on other Bluetooth devices, and allow you to interact with just voice commands hands-free? It's possible you just haven't enabled the functionality, as opposed to the InControl not supporting it. That's what I'm trying to determine.
 
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