Does using Carplay make a BIG difference over not using it ?

Yes you can do all of that through the built in bluetooth. Android auto would add full screen GPS with traffic support that actually works well, and some auto based apps (music, podcasts, etc.. stuff you already can listen through your phone as it is). If the 2021 prime has android auto, then it'll most likely be portable... guess we'll find out in a few months time.

 

Question for US based drivers, has traffic data been available for anyone via HD Radio? There doesn't seem to be many radio stations in my area in Canada with this. That's one of my reasons for using Carplay so far.

Instead of buying a new iPhone I opted to buy a used iPhone that supported iOS 13, main rationale was that it was about the same price as a new iPod touch but larger capacity. You can also set Bluetooth preferences to use android phone for phone calls. I connect it via wifi through phone's hotspot now and then

 

iOS 13 mainly because it's the current version, so they are actively developing features for it. Split screen dashboard with light/dark mode is nice to have. Apple really narrows the range of available apps in subtle ways between versions in a way Android doesn't especially when it's a lot more cumbersome to sideload stuff on an iPhone.

iPhone 7 was in decent shape battery was 88% capacity. There's a quirky lightning adapter audio out issue (for some reason it only accepts non-apple branded lightning to headphone adapters, a genuine adapter or apple lightning headphones aren't recognized on it). Most of the time use Bluetooth anyway but Carplay works on it, and it does sync with computer properly. It was about $300 CAD for a 128 GB model which has the same internal specs as a 7th generation iPod Touch but with a better camera and also has a GPS.

 

Here in the northeast US, HD traffic is routinely available. That said, it doesn't seem to be terribly accurate. I frequently see roads I'm driving on that are moving just fine showing on the nav as having a traffic jam. Less often do I see jammed roads showing as clear. Because of this, the auto-rerouting sometimes offers to reroute you when there is really no need to do so.

Whether this is because the HD traffic data is just poor or whether it's a matter of delays in getting updates, I'm really not sure. But if I'm on a trip where my arrival time matters, I'll use Google Maps to check traffic.

 

Same here. I'd say mine is wrong at least half the time. In fact, it often shows red backups on roads where there is not a singe car in sight. I just use the maps on my phone which is WAY closer to my line of sight than the outdated maps on the car's display.