HondaLink App. via iPhone

[MartinL]

Has anybody used the HondaLink app. on an iPhone in their new model Honda?

What is your opinion of it? I'm specially interested in the navigation aspect but general comments would be welcome.

Are the maps any good? Is it easy to enter a destination? Does it send you on a longer route where a shorter one is available? Is the out-of-town coverage adequate? If you've previously had Garmin etc., how do the two compare?

I don't have a smartphone of any description and am reluctant to get one but if the HondaLink app. is any good, I might buy one just for the car. Otherwise, maybe a Garmin or similar would be a better option.

Thanks.

[Ace of Pop]

You can see the whole thing set up for you on You Tube.Too many wires for me. I just use the Hands Free auto connect via blue tooth.

[richardt1808]

Hi,

The music functions and radio all work great - just plug in your ipod. For phonecalls, you can connect your phone via bluetooth and it will also use Siri's voice commands. However, according to the US Honda website, the navigation function only works in the US. I'm loathe to fork out 60 $ to check whether it does, in fact, work here.

Cheers

[Ace of Pop]

It works here with the Apple GPS , so im told. Before it didn't U had to pay. The U Tube vid confirms this in the Civic demo.

[MartinL]

When I bought my Honda HRV a year ago, I also bought the HondaLink navigator for use with the Display Audio - it was OK but nothing spectacular.

In January, Honda Thailand told users that the navigator would not be available for use after 31st. March but didn't say what, if anything would be replacing it - this withdrawal was worldwide, not just Thailand. Not very happy - a system that can use an iPhone app as navigator but no suitable app. to use.

My questions to Honda Thailand got no useful responses, which wasn't a surprise.

I searched the web & found that HondaLink was involved with Sygic to produce a replacement for the HondaLink navigator and that it was already available for, among others, Oz, NZ & South Africa.

http://telematicsnews.info/2014/09/29/sygic-forms-strategic-navi-partnership-with-carmaker_s5293/

Sygic told me that the HondaLink App. Launcher was essential for the use of their maps with Honda's Display Audio and should be available on Apple AppStore BUT it wasn't available on AppStore Thailand or UK, only USA as far as I could see and i couldn't get from there, not having a USA account. The only app. launcher available from Appstore Thailand was Honda SmartPhone Connection, which I downloaded for free and set the location to 'Thailand'.

I also bought Sygic Car Navigation and hoped it'd work with the SmartPhone Connection app. It didn't . But it was fine as a stand-alone navigator when out on my bike. The SmartPhone Connection app. wouldn't recognise the Sygic navigator.

I then looked at HondaLink/Sygic in Oz - it needed the Hondalink App. Launcher so no good.

However, HondaLink/Sygic for NZ specified the use of the SmartPhone Connection. I thought that looked promising.

http://www.honda.co.nz/technology/beyond-cars/sygic-navigation/

I changed the SmartPhone Connection location from 'Thailand' >>> 'New Zealand' - it immediately recognised & accepted the Sygic app. and it now appears to be fully-functional on my HRV's Display Audio.

It's very early days yet but I've encountered no problems so far.

Sygic is a great improvement over the HondaLink navigator and although others have been critical of it in other threads on here, it suits me fine.