Apple Car Play download initially failed! NOW Finally available....

[jfischer]

I got a simple Bluetooth adapter that runs on USB power to "fake out" the Spyder into thinking I have my headset connected. It sees a BT microphone so it turns on ACP. Figured this might be handy for short trips where I don't want to fool with the headset, or if I'm riding solo and don't really need or want the headset.

So I take off, music is playing fine through Spyder speakers. Notice I am not getting navigation prompts, but audio is cutting out on the Spyder when it's trying to. Finally I think to myself, "Self, what if the navigation is playing through the headset speakers?" The next time I know it's trying to read navigation prompts, I hit the audio selector button and sure enough, it's set to headset. So I switch it to Spyder speakers, and lo and behold, I have navigation instructions now through the bike speakers as well. Woo Hoo!

Until the next time it is reading instructions, silence again. Hit the selector and it's back on the headset audio. I switch it again to bike speakers and it works for the set of instructions. After that, it constantly reverts to the headset for output. So I gave up.

I had music at least through the bike speakers and navigation on the screen, just without any audio. Wasn't perfect, but at least I could navigate to where I wanted to go.

At least ACP stayed up the entire time with the dummy BT microphone connected in the trunk. I got tons of text messages for some reason, which of course I couldn't listen to but at least it didn't cause ACP to start rebooting every 30 seconds like it did last weekend.

I think it's obvious at this point that the current release of ACP is just too buggy to be of any real use unless you're willing to compromise a lot to use it

 

[Dafoumanchew]

So I have used this thread extensively to try and work out what could be the issue with ACP working well, minus no sound and voice commands. Obviously while riding, the use of Siri is the only way to operate things in ACP outside of 38 + clicks through the screens/menus etc with the handlebar controls. After testing with my Cardo Packtalk Bold (which I discovered is only 4.0 Bluetooth) then instead pairing two versions of Apple Air Pods (both 5.0+ Bluetooth) I was able to use Siri, voice controls, and receive a call. Only major issue with the Air Pods is that on a phone call, there is a significant 5-7 second delay when having a phone call. Wondering with anyone using a communication device such as Sena/Cardo that has 5.0 Bluetooth, making a phone call is there a significant delay when you speak (I can hear fine and clear it’s when I speak, they just don’t hear what I say for 5-7 seconds) causing it to be a difficult conversation. I'm trying to determine if this is Air Pod specific, or a BRP issue etc. And whether or not upgrading my unit to a Cardo 5.0 would solve the issues? Thanks!

 

[700wolvy]

So I have used this thread extensively to try and work out what could be the issue with ACP working well, minus no sound and voice commands. Obviously while riding, the use of Siri is the only way to operate things in ACP outside of 38 + clicks through the screens/menus etc with the handlebar controls. After testing with my Cardo Packtalk Bold (which I discovered is only 4.0 Bluetooth) then instead pairing two versions of Apple Air Pods (both 5.0+ Bluetooth) I was able to use Siri, voice controls, and receive a call. Only major issue with the Air Pods is that on a phone call, there is a significant 5-7 second delay when having a phone call. Wondering with anyone using a communication device such as Sena/Cardo that has 5.0 Bluetooth, making a phone call is there a significant delay when you speak (I can hear fine and clear it’s when I speak, they just don’t hear what I say for 5-7 seconds) causing it to be a difficult conversation. I'm trying to determine if this is Air Pod specific, or a BRP issue etc. And whether or not upgrading my unit to a Cardo 5.0 would solve the issues? Thanks!

When the bluetooth worked, I made calls on my Sena. Calls were clear and no delays. BT 5.1

 

[Johndeeredoo]

Well, I did some testing with my '24 Spyder RT. I was using a Cardo Packtalk Bold headset, and I found out the Spyder software glitched with the BT 4.1 on the Packtalk Bold. Some things worked and some didn't, so just making sure it was not a BRP thing and not wanting to spend $300 for a Cardo or Sena headset, I purchased another brand to test out.

I purchased a Gearelec GX12 combo for about $70.00. BRP stated use the brands listed since they were tested by them to work with the Spyder and ACP. Gearelec was not on their list of approved headsets. Well guess what, it worked, everything I have tested so far works, and the sound is good enough and loud enough.

I don't need all the fancy things that my Cardo could do, since I can control all of it with ACP and the handlebar control.

 

[jfischer]

Well, I did some testing with my '24 Spyder RT. I was using a Cardo Packtalk Bold headset, and I found out the Spyder software glitched with the BT 4.1 on the Packtalk Bold. Some things worked and some didn't, so just making sure it was not a BRP thing and not wanting to spend $300 for a Cardo or Sena headset, I purchased another brand to test out.

I purchased a Gearelec GX12 combo for about $70.00. BRP stated use the brands listed since they were tested by them to work with the Spyder and ACP. Gearelec was not on their list of approved headsets. Well guess what, it worked, everything I have tested so far works, and the sound is good enough and loud enough.

I don't need all the fancy things that my Cardo could do, since I can control all of it with ACP and the handlebar control.

Interesting. I still haven't replaced my Cardo Freecom 4+ that are BT 4.1. Was going to get one of their newer models with 5.x but like you we don't really use any of the advanced features on the Cardo. Maybe getting some cheapies is the way to go for us. We don't do group rides, don't need mesh. Just solid connectivity and ability to talk to the passenger once in a while.


EDIT: Since these things are only about $80, I went ahead and ordered a GX12 also to play with. Seems to get good reviews.

@Johndeeredoo, do you have 2 of these and ride with someone else on the bike? Curious how they work in intercom mode. That never worked worth a crap with my Cardo Freecom 4+ either.

 

[Johndeeredoo]

Interesting. I still haven't replaced my Cardo Freecom 4+ that are BT 4.1. Was going to get one of their newer models with 5.x but like you we don't really use any of the advanced features on the Cardo. Maybe getting some cheapies is the way to go for us. We don't do group rides, don't need mesh. Just solid connectivity and ability to talk to the passenger once in a while.


EDIT: Since these things are only about $80, I went ahead and ordered a GX12 also to play with. Seems to get good reviews.

@Johndeeredoo, do you have 2 of these and ride with someone else on the bike? Curious how they work in intercom mode. That never worked worth a crap with my Cardo Freecom 4+ either.

Thank you for reading my post.
As of my testing, I just used one GX12 unit.
I bought a combo unit so I could install the second unit on my girlfriend's helmet, if everything works correctly.
With my Cardo Packtalk Bold, I purchased a combo unit, and the girlfriend's helmet had the second unit. We could ride together or on separate Spyders and it did work well, but we never used mesh with more than us/two riders.
Now back to the GX12 testing.
Right now, I have not installed the second GX12 on her helmet yet.
Then comes the testing about pairing the second GX12 to the Spyder to see what it can do; and then pair both units to each other to see how they work.
I was able to contact Gearelec and they sent me a PDF of the manual for the GX12 since it is not on their web page.

EDIT:
My set up:
My iPhone is paired to the Spyder.
The GX12 is paired to the Spyder.
My GX12 is NOT paired to my iPhone.
Make sure the iPhone is unlocked and plugged in before you turn on the Spyder.
Make sure your headset, (GX12) is turned on before you turn on the Spyder.

If not, it will not show the ACP icon on your iPhone; it will show BT device not connected; and it will not connect on its own.
You must turn off the Spyder and turn it back on after the splash screen goes off.
I wait for the ACP icon to show on my iPhone before I twist the throttle backwards.

 

[jfischer]

Thanks for your configuration. When I get it, I'll try pairing it up like you did. The reviews make it sound easy to pair a second headset up using the "mesh" mode. It was always so hit or miss with my Cardo and the intercom rarely worked anyway. And if it did, the music wouldn't normally come back on (this was all pre-ACP working anyway).

Does this unit come with an actual mounting bracket for your headset that clips onto the helmet, or is it just held on with tape or velcro? I couldn't tell from the Amazon listing. Not that it matters, but that was one nice thing about the Cardo - it had a solid mounting base that it snaps into.

If I can get the basics working for $80 a headset vs $500+ for a pair of new Cardos, I'll be happy. I was not impressed at all with the Freecom 4+ units I have even before the ACP disaster. They were basically good for listening to music and that's it. The main reason we bought them was to be able to talk to each other on a ride and that just never worked worth a hoot.

In the meantime, the little $15 USB powered BT adapter at least lets ACP work reliably for navigation, even if I can't hear the audio instructions. When paired to the Cardo, if I got any text messages or phone calls, the system would go haywire after that, even if I didn't attempt to respond to them and let them time out naturally. With the cheap BT thing, at least ACP continues to work fine after a message or phone call times out and goes off on the display. My primary desire for ACP was navigation, since I just moved across the country, and once I'm out of the local area I have no idea where I'm going. Thankfully, that works now at least!

 

[Johndeeredoo]

Thank you for the question, and the reply, jfischer.

As for the GX12 unit, it comes with a sticky pad that connects the helmet to a mounting plate, or you can use the spring clip that slides behind and connects to the mounting plate. I am using the spring clip.

It will be different than the Cardo set up. When you want to charge the GX12, you need to remove it from the helmet (slide the unit up) and unplug the USB-C cable to the speakers and mic. I guess you could just leave it plugged in and take your helmet close to a USB power source and plug it in that way.

I did purchase another brand Q58-max, (less than $27.00) it worked correctly, the sound was good, and the Spyder saw it as a BT headset, but when you were playing music and had Siri do something, it would drop the BT connection and would not reconnect correctly.

When ACP works correctly, (so far, I have ridden a half dozen times using the GX12 headset), everything worked correctly.

 

[jfischer]

So the Gearelec GX12 that @johndeeredoo found works perfectly for me too so far.

I tested it off-bike first, was weird, I got no sound, no beeps, no nothing. Then I paired it to my phone to test it and it worked fine. After that it worked fine being paired only to the Spyder and I have un-paired it from my phone.

So the GX12 is paired to bike, and iPhone is paired via BT to the bike and then also by USB cable. This seems to work fine.

I have tested it multiple times, used navigation with voice directions, did some test text messages, and it all works! I do not lose music now, "Hey Siri" works, no robotic sounding voice. I did some short trips with nav on just so I'd get tons of navigation prompts, and they all came through fine. It seems to need to adjust itself a bit after each nav prompt (the volume in the music changes a bit) but this is so minor I don't care.

So maybe there is something to ACP needing a BT 5.x headset. These claim to be BT 5.2. My Cardos were 4.1 and they didn't work worth a crap with the Spyder's ACP. This cheap headset so far works far better and does everything I care about. I will get a 2nd one to see if we can talk between me and my wife, the Cardo intercom never worked very well doing that either.

Only 2 minor gripes with this headset.

1) you cannot use different earpieces, as they are hardwired into the plug. The Cardo used a standard 1/8" plug for the earpieces so you could replace/upgrade them if you wanted to. The sound seems OK to me, I don't usually have it blasting really loud anyway when I'm riding.

2) You cannot remove the headset unit from the helmet without also having to unplug the wires to the earpieces/microphone. The Cardo mounting bracket had the wires leading into it, so it was easier to remove it from the helmet. Not sure if unplugging the wires every time I use it will wear out that socket. To work around this minor issue, I can just get a longer USB-C cable and charge it in-situ on the helmet, I guess.

But for $80 I'm thrilled with this thing. ACP finally seems to work correctly without crashing/dropping out/loss of music etc. We'll see on some more rides, but my first impression is solid.

EDIT: Ordered a 2nd one so I can try the intercom feature with the wife. Will update with results after I get it and we get a chance to try it out for real.

 

[racoon]

So I've been thinking that it's the volume control on the left handgrip that's causing the issue of not hearing the directions in my headset, even though the Spyder is saying it's paired to the headset.
My problem was that I had initially programmed a couple of local radio stations into the Spyder, but if the volume is above zero the radio station plays through the headset ALL THE TIME!
And I couldn't figure out how to set a radio station to "zeroes".

So I tried to delete each of the radio stations I had programmed. Apparently you can't do that. You can re-program each one with a different station, but not delete it.
Then I ran across a posting about resetting the display. It was from 2015 so obviously I don't want to reopen that thread, so I poked around a bit in the Spyder Preferences, and found the menu option to RESET the display. Yes, the RESET button on the display is bright red and hard to miss.

So I reset my Spyder.

All of the radio stations that I had added are gone!
Of course so were all the bluetooth pairings, and the WiFi configuration for my home WiFi network.

So I reconnected to WiFi, and repaired my iPhone and my SENA headset.

When I turned up the volume using the left handgrip controls there was no radio playing in the headset.

Since Apple CarPlay is still there, it didn't appear to have reset the downloaded updates, although I think I should go check that.

It's getting late here and I haven't had dinner, and my eyes are tired, so I'll test everything tomorrow morning and post another update.

 

[racoon]

Took the Spyder on a grocery trip this morning, made sure everything was connected via BlueTooth, and my iPhone was plugged into the USB cable in the glove box. No joy.

And the stupid USB connection irritates me every, single, time.
If I plug the cable from the iPhone into the USB cable on the Spyder _before_ I turn the Spyder on then the Spyder does not recognize that the iPhone is connected.
You have to turn the Spyder on, and then plug the iPhone cable into the USB cable in the glove box.

The maps display correctly, they give the correct on screen directions, but no sound in my helmet.
Not even turning up the audio control on the left handgrip had any affect.

Oh, but the heat did have some affect. It's currently over 90 F here.

25 minutes ride to the store.
I parked, stowed my helmet in the top case along with my jacket and gloves, disconnected the phone and put it in my back pocket.
Did my shopping, about 45 minutes in the store.
Took my gear out of the top case and put it on the seat.
Loaded my groceries into the top case.

Started the bike, plugged the iPhone cable in, and turned on my headset.
Got the connection messages of the iPhone and headset, and CarPlay map became active.
Told it to navigate to home.

Same situation, maps are working, no sound.

And then about 1/2 way home I hear a beep in my headset and got excited that maybe the gremlins were working for me and it was working!

Nope. The iPhone overheated and shut down. The beep was to tell me it had disconnected from my headset.
And yes, the phone was warm to the touch when I pulled into the garage.

The good news is that while I was taking the groceries into the house the iPhone powered back on.


So I think I'm going to take the Garmin Zumo XT out of the box, and swap the phone claw back to the Garmin backplate mount for my Arkon handlebar mount.

Before I started typing this I connected the Zumo XT to my computer and download some map updates.

 

[WRCLVR]

Wow, just wow! We don't have iPhones, so having ACP is just redundant for us. Now if the bloody ACP worked with AA wired or wireless, then I would be trying all those things that seem hit or miss too.

Grabs popcorn and beer and sits down to watch and follow. opcorn: :cheers:

 

[racoon]

What's most annoying to me is my 2023 Honda Ridgeline also supports Apple CarPlay.

When I plug the same iPhone into the front USB port on the Ridgeline the only thing I have to do is unlock the iPhone, and the maps automatically come up.
It "speaks" the navigation directions through the speaker mounted in the cab next to the driver's left foot.


Do you know what annoys me even more at the moment?
The Can-Am Apple CarPlay Compensation program. I got the letter from CAN-AM saying that because Apple CarPlay was advertised, but not delivered, we could claim compensation through selecting up to US $500 of accessories and gear.
So I did, and worked with one of the parts guys at the dealer, and after a couple of rounds of some items no longer being available, came up with a final list, which the parts guy confirmed he could order for me. He did say that it would take a week or so to order the things he didn't have on hand.
And I waited.
And I made a trip up to see him to see how things were going.
He had my stuff, and he showed me the "pile" of my stuff on a shelf in the parts department.

But he couldn't let me have anything, as he hadn't receive final sign off from his manager.
He said he'd call me when he got the approval.
I'm still waiting for the phone to ring.

 

[CassND]

I can’t seem to get my Bose headset paired to Spyder.

CarPlay shows phone is connected but, the CarPlay icon is blacked out and when I push it, it says no headset is connected. But, it won’t connect the headset no matter what I do.

Edit to add….
I was just out on Spyder and tried again. I got it to connect for several seconds and CarPlay showed on the screen. I wasn’t able to get a good look at it in those few seconds but, it looked like it does in my truck.

So basically, It seems to be in the headset connection that I’m having trouble.

 

[jfischer]

@racoon, mine doesn't seem to care when I plug my iPhone in to the USB, it's working well for me now every time.

Here's what finally works for me:

1) A BT 5.2 headset
2) Pair the Spyder to the Headset
3) Headset is NOT paired to my phone

I have phone paired to Spyder via BT, but once you get CarPlay going that seems to disconnect regardless. But if I don't want to use ACP for a short trip (like to the gas station) I can still stream music to the Spyder from iPhone over BT.


I can use the handlebar controls to swap audio from the Spyder speakers and back to my Headset at will, and the volume controls work on the handlebars.

 

[jfischer]

I can’t seem to get my Bose headset paired to Spyder.

CarPlay shows phone is connected but, the CarPlay icon is blacked out and when I push it, it says no headset is connected. But, it won’t connect the headset no matter what I do.

Edit to add….
I was just out on Spyder and tried again. I got it to connect for several seconds and CarPlay showed on the screen. I wasn’t able to get a good look at it in those few seconds but, it looked like it does in my truck.

So basically, It seems to be in the headset connection that I’m having trouble.

Is your Bose headset Bluetooth 5.1 or better? I had terrible luck with my Cardo that was a 4.x Bluetooth unit. Got a cheap Chinese headset that uses BT 5.2, and it works flawlessly.

 

[racoon]

@racoon, mine doesn't seem to care when I plug my iPhone in to the USB, it's working well for me now every time.

Here's what finally works for me:

1) A BT 5.2 headset
2) Pair the Spyder to the Headset
3) Headset is NOT paired to my phone

My headset is BT 5.1, but it looks like the BT 5.2 update has to do with increased data transmission rates and increased transmission distances, so probably not something that would cause a problem while I'm sitting in the driver's seat.
My headset is paired to both my phone and my Spyder, so maybe I'll remove the BT phone pairing to the headset. I might need to reset the headset and re-pair it to the Spyder. Again.

 

[CassND]

Is your Bose headset Bluetooth 5.1 or better? I had terrible luck with my Cardo that was a 4.x Bluetooth unit. Got a cheap Chinese headset that uses BT 5.2, and it works flawlessly.

I don’t think it is. I’m now waiting for my SENA to arrive. Hopefully that’s it.

Thank you.

 

[jfischer]

My headset is BT 5.1, but it looks like the BT 5.2 update has to do with increased data transmission rates and increased transmission distances, so probably not something that would cause a problem while I'm sitting in the driver's seat.
My headset is paired to both my phone and my Spyder, so maybe I'll remove the BT phone pairing to the headset. I might need to reset the headset and re-pair it to the Spyder. Again.

Definitely try unpairing your headset and your phone. I think that may cause a conflict when your phone is talking to the Spyder via CarPlay, and also trying to communicate directly to the headset via BT.

 

[Hancop]

My connection is always flaky at best. Recently, I turned off Bluetooth on my phone, and that has seemed to work so far. So unpairing Bluetooth from the bike may work too, as I think everyone is correct in that Bluetooth and a direct USB connection to the phone at the same time causes issues...