2018 prime advanced software updates

What specifically are you trying to do?

 

There is no software update that adds CarPlay to a 2018 Prime. You would either need to trade up to a newer model (2020+) or install a 3rd party device to add CarPlay to that car.

You can get newer maps for the navigation system, that's usually just a quick call to your local dealer's parts counter.

 

Leadfoot is 100% correct, theres no software to get carplay if you don't already have it, the MFD hardware in 2020+ models is a bit different. Best bet, though costly, is to upgrade to a 2020+ MFD. Other option is a kit from "NAVIKS" though from videos it seems a bit clunky.

 

Am I the only one who thinks this it’s absolutely insane that Toyota has no option, NONE, to add CarPlay to one their most advanced Prius models? I’ve been researching an absurd amount about this and I’m going batshit crazy. I just can’t believe there are abosolutely no options. The worst part is, the big nice person screen was a UPGRADE to begin with…supposed to be this amazing feature in the Prius Prime Advance…yet that big 11.6” screen is the bane of my existence now. Not only is there no retrofit software update/upgrade of any kind, I can’t even swap out the head unit because there’s nothing anywhere to fit that giant area. The only semi options are some clunky add on part from Naviks the doesn’t even work with the a touch screen…or a separate CarPlay third party screen, but there no place on the dash to put it without blocking some kind of other screen/instrument. Not to mention, it would just look like shit. There’s no real options out there. Nothing. Toyota completely and totally screwed us on this one.

The worst part is, the car has the technology and hardware there to do it. Toyota could easily add CarPlay to the Prius Prime Advanced. But Toyota is CHOOSING not to offer any kind of update. At this point, I’d gladly pay the damn fee to add CarPlay. Just let me do it! It’s making me, a loyal Toyota and Prius owner, begin to hate Toyota with a passion. It’s just insane for Toyota to throw us to the wayside.

You’re loosing customers Toyota. You’re losing us over this. There are way more people out there upset about this than you realize. Case in point, there’s a 3 year supply of Prius Primes right now in the market because of this. No one wants to buy your damn car anymore. Please please PLEASE just fix this.

 

Yes, quite clunky to say the least.

 

Toyotas are WYSIWYG cars. What you see is what you get.

If you want an improvement, you trade in what you've got for what you want. Toyota's been using that business model for decades, so it isn't like they're sneaking something on you.

Heck, the Japanese government has been pushing them to operate like this for ages so it is culturally ingrained at this point.

They can't lose customers on a 2018 Prius because they no longer sell the 2018 Prius.

And to put a finer point on it, they don't actually lose you until you buy something else- and there aren't very many automakers doing anything different from Toyota in this regard.

 

You missed the broader point. I’m not the only one leaving. There are plenty of customers upset about this. Plenty of people are avoiding buying these cars for this exact reason.

Beyond that, it absolutely has not been their business model. I’ve owned numerous Toyotas and been able to update/upgrade and even change out the radio on every single one. But not this one. There are literally no options to replace the radio because of the screen. Toyotas goal with this screen was to be some form of advanced, top tier technology, but it backfired. And now customers are left screwed even though it is quite easy for them to release an update to include CarPlay…especially consider they did so in other countries for the exact same car.

 

That's sort of up to you to figure out before you buy the car. There's lots of cars out there that don't have a useful upgrade path for this stuff, Toyota is hardly an outlier with that situation.

One of the things I made sure of before we bought ours was that I'd be able to replace the system with something that did CarPlay.

And then we bought the car, and then I replaced the head unit.

Toyota doesn't care if we don't like old Toyotas. They only care about our feelings towards the current new model.

 

To be fair most options for upgrades aren't OEM products. And as of right now, most aftermarket manufacturers don't seem to see a high enough demand to create such a specialized product. I can see where they're coming from with it being for made for a few years of one car's submodel. Keep in mind, from what I've seen the MFD firmware is very locked down. So you'd have to develop an entirely hardware based solution, think of a single board computer, with custom software, and custom PCBs to intercept the MFD controller video and touch screen signal.