I had to actually make my used-to-be-daily commute this morning after 2+ years of not having to. I can't believe i did that for so long!

Anyway, I had to make another stop first and I'd only been there once, so loaded up the address in Apple Maps, plugged in the iPhone to my car''s USB port (no, it's not wireless) and started up CarPlay. Well I'd forgotten that I'd set up Apple Maps to avoid highways, as the only time I usually use Maps is when I prefer back roads on the bike.

Well, I couldn't find a way using CarPlay to get the maps to show a highway route. It would show me there was a faster way, but when I hit that button it just told me the difference in time; NOT how to take it. Is there some stupid menu setting i just couldn't see? I was driving, so didn't do a full exploration, but I didn't see anything obvious. Google Maps doesn't do turn-by-turn voice commands using CarPlay, so I went back and forth with Apple maps and the car's built-in navigation.

That seems like something you would have to change on the phone, in settings. It might be too complicated to do in CarPlay.

I am not an Apple Maps user, but it looks like it has different activity settings: Driving, Walking, Transit and Cycling. It seems like you could just leave highways on, since it wouldn't route you that way if you are cycling. And it appears you can choose cycling as your method when you get directions, thus avoiding highways via that method, and then you're not toggling the settings which are so effectively hidden that I had to use the search to find them!

Yep, you have to turn off “avoid highways” in Maps on your phone
CarPlay just transmits what’s on your phone through the car’s speakers/display. The phone is the brains of the operation

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

Give Waze a try

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Thanks, folks.

I know people love Waze but I tried it and deleted a couple of years ago. It seemed to keep bugging me to share and be part of the "community", when all I wanted was to know what the traffic was.

I was driving, so didn't do a full exploration, but I didn't see anything obvious.

Many features are disabled when you actually drive. You're not supposed to mess with Maps when you drive. Same for voice messages, CarPlay will read one to you (sounds strange if it is in a foreign language) and it will allow you to dictate one, but you cannot read/type while you drive.

I stopped using Waze soon after Google bought it out. Became buggy and had a bad habit of detour routing thru some really bad neighborhoods.

Apple Maps has been rock solid for me for several years. Much better than Waze when I was in Germany and Italy.

It seems like you could just leave highways on, since it wouldn't route you that way if you are cycling.

Should have clarified: bike=motorcycle

I use Apple Maps/Car Play exclusively when driving. Gave up on both Wayze and Google maps.
The best improvement I noticed Apple has made in maps is the more detailed verbal directions, like "make a right at the second light". Nothing sneaks up on you, and I haven't missed a turn since they added that.

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richorlin



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/08/2022 10:05PM by richorlin.

Quote
wurm
I couldn't find a way using CarPlay to get the maps to show a highway route.

Settings: Maps: Directions --> disable Avoid Highways in the Driving section.

Hmmm, I usually map it out on a desktop Mac (preference and route choice intact) and send it to my iPhone via Text ahead of time.