Has anyone escaped BRP-GO mandatory Apps successfully?

[mikecronis]

So.. thinking about a new RT-L and I've noticed it's packaged with BRP-GO which has its proprietary Apps no one's heard of (ie., no Waze, Google Maps, Pandora, etc.). The ones it does come with, which looks like DashRadio, AccuWeather, and 2 no-name GPS apps from 1997 do not seem savory.

I believe I can still connect my Google Pixel (Android OS) with the charging USB cable in the "glovebox" and I suppose pop-on Bluetooth to connect, and then the tank controls should be able to skip songs playing through.

Does anything display on the screen though? I'm guessing screen-size prohibiting any Android Auto functionality. Say I chose Pandora or Sirius XM, would the song title appear on the right?

Curious if anyone's escaped the BRP-GO mandatory Apps with good effect.

[GeorgeXP700]

You download to your phone then the BRP GO accesses them. Many have said it needs much improvement to be really useful. Even the dealerships will tell you to use a standalone GPS.

[GeorgeXP700]

If the navigation used full screen it would an improvement. It covers about 1/3rd screen.

[FloridaSTS]

I Bluetooth my Pixel 5a to play Amazon Music and Sirius/XM. Music track and artist are displayed below RPM. Play/pause/skip functions work using audio controls. I don’t bother with the charging cable due to phone’s high capacity battery.

[mikecronis]

Thanks! So you just run straight Bluetooth? Pixels have a USB-C cable port that doubles as an audio port. Can't use Android Auto then, I suppose. I'm familiar with BRP-GO that sort of replaces Carplay/Android Auto features (fruits n' robots), with it's own 3rd party list of .. well.. loser-apps that the other two didn't want to onbaord.

Of those BRP-GO Apps, which are any good and/or free? I mean, WAZE is fantastic, "Object on road ahead.." is a great notification, but I doubt the 2 GPS Apps have anything like that.

[Peteoz]

Just as an aside, Sygic is definitely not a “no-name” GPS app, mikecronis. It has been around since 2004 and is constantly providing app updates. Along with TomTom, it is, and has been for some time, one of the leading edge GPS apps out there. I have been using it via Car Play in my car for years.

As a ‘21 RT owner, I have chosen to connect my phone and helmet to my Garmin XT rather than BRP Go. One thing to remember is that you will need to install a data blocker plug between your glove box usb charger and your phone if you wish to use that particular plug to charge your phone, but don’t wish to use BRP Go. Otherwise, BRP Go will take control of, and lock, your phone.
You can indeed BT your phone and helmet to the RT (not via BRP Go), and you can skip tracks and control volume via the tank controls….but you MUST start your music from your phone first. They did have a great music collection controller, but for some inexplicable reason they removed it when the moved from BRP Connect to Go, and have not yet reinstalled it.

Pete

[FloridaSTS]

Thanks! So you just run straight Bluetooth? Pixels have a USB-C cable port that doubles as an audio port. Can't use Android Auto then, I suppose. I'm familiar with BRP-GO that sort of replaces Carplay/Android Auto features (fruits n' robots), with it's own 3rd party list of .. well.. loser-apps that the other two didn't want to onbaord.

Of those BRP-GO Apps, which are any good and/or free? I mean, WAZE is fantastic, "Object on road ahead.." is a great notification, but I doubt the 2 GPS Apps have anything like that.

I don’t use the BRP app. I mount the Pixel on the handlebars if I need navigation. Otherwise, I toss it into the glovebox.

[Flamewinger]

Both Genius Maps and Sygic are a few of the latest GPS apps available. Genius is more stable. I use Apple Music as I often find myself in areas with no cell service. Rever can also be used for navigation but an update makes it greyed out so only the tracking part works. FOBO II is great to check tire pressure and see warnings if there is one. It's so easy to use I fail to understand why you'd want to spend $$$ more on old technology like Garmin. I love that I can use one for my main navigation and when I need a gas station I can open the other one and find a local Station without reconfiguring the main trip.

https://www.mireo.hr/genius-maps

https://www.sygic.com

[Peteoz]

Both Genius Maps and Sygic are a few of the latest GPS apps available. Genius is more stable. I use Apple Music as I often find myself in areas with no cell service. Rever can also be used for navigation but an update makes it greyed out so only the tracking part works. FOBO II is great to check tire pressure and see warnings if there is one. It's so easy to use I fail to understand why you'd want to spend $$$ more on old technology like Garmin. I love that I can use one for my main navigation and when I need a gas station I can open the other one and find a local Station without reconfiguring the main trip.

I would just like to set the record straight on a couple of points of which you appear unaware, but keep raising as issues with the Garmin XT, Flamewinger……..

The Garmin XT is not “old technology”, but brand spanking new technology. It does everything BRP Go does, with the exception of scrolling through to see a real time FOBO display, and since FOBO automatically informs you of any drop in pressure, via your phone, that real time display is only another distraction while riding.

The Garmin XT displays nearest rest stops and gas stations in real time on the screen, if you select that option, so there is no need to open another app…..the XT screen is large enough to support that, unlike the small Sygic display in the console.

Anything you can do regarding music using the Spyder joystick and tank controls, now that BRP have removed full music library control from BRP Go, can easily be done via a button press on your helmet.

There is no “initiation sequence” on the XT to connect to your phone, like there is between your phone and BRP Go. Turn on your Spyder, and ride off, and the XT automatically and quickly connects to your phone and helmet.

The XT also does not experience the occasional BRP Go dropout, which requires a Spyder shutdown and restart, and does not lock your phone, meaning it is a very simple matter to pull off the road and access any app.

There are some benefits to either system, but to claim the Garmin is older technology, and therefore implying it is not as smart as the current BRP Go is an uninformed and therefore unjustly biased, view.

Pete

[Flamewinger]

I would just like to set the record straight on a couple of points of which you appear unaware, but keep raising as issues with the Garmin XT, Flamewinger……..

The Garmin XT is not “old technology”, but brand spanking new technology. It does everything BRP Go does, with the exception of scrolling through to see a real time FOBO display, and since FOBO automatically informs you of any drop in pressure, via your phone, that real time display is only another distraction while riding.

The Garmin XT displays nearest rest stops and gas stations in real time on the screen, if you select that option, so there is no need to open another app…..the XT screen is large enough to support that, unlike the small Sygic display in the console.

Anything you can do regarding music using the Spyder joystick and tank controls, now that BRP have removed full music library control from BRP Go, can easily be done via a button press on your helmet.

There is no “initiation sequence” on the XT to connect to your phone, like there is between your phone and BRP Go. Turn on your Spyder, and ride off, and the XT automatically and quickly connects to your phone and helmet.

The XT also does not experience the occasional BRP Go dropout, which requires a Spyder shutdown and restart, and does not lock your phone, meaning it is a very simple matter to pull off the road and access any app.

There are some benefits to either system, but to claim the Garmin is older technology, and therefore implying it is not as smart as the current BRP Go is an uninformed and therefore unjustly biased, view.

Pete

One BIG problem is I paid $125 for BOTH Genius Maps & Sygic, FOBO II, Rever, and the other apps are free. I can use the joystick to manipulate the apps and dash. Touching/playing with the Garmin while even stopped at a light can get you a conversation with a LEO if not a distracted driving ticket.

[Peteoz]

One BIG problem is I paid $125 for BOTH Genius Maps & Sygic, FOBO II, Rever, and the other apps are free. I can use the joystick to manipulate the apps and dash. Touching/playing with the Garmin while even stopped at a light can get you a conversation with a LEO if not a distracted driving ticket.

I can’t speak for others, but the extra cost of the Garmin is worth it to me for for its ease of use, Flamewinger. Plus the XT features are so comprehensive that you really don’t need to do any fiddling on the move, apart from using your helmet buttons to skip tracks or adjust volume. As I said, there are benefits to both. I was simply adding an alternate viewpoint to some of your earlier statements re the competency of the XT.

Pete