[Carnette88]

Hey guys I am new to the forum so please excuse me if I have posted this question in the wrong section.

I just bought a 2016 Chevy Cruze LT and am enjoying it so far. I have read online that Chevy has said that with some 2016 models users will be able to take advantage of Android Auto. However, the sites I have seen this on are unclear on how to use this app. I do not see a way to update or include it on the MyLink system. I have downloaded it on my Samsung S6 Edge and it states to plug it in to the usb port in the vehicle. When I do this I get a message that says something along the lines of "Windows Vista Device" and nothing happens. Can someone please help me figure this out. If it will not work, que sera sera, but if it will I definitely want to use it. Hopefully someone can shed some light on this. Thanks for any responses.

 

[ChevyGuy]

There are two "2016" models. The "2016 Limited" is the last of the first generation Cruze. It's basically a 2015 with a updated birth date.

The "All-new 2016", (perhaps a "2016 1/2") is the all-new second generation Cruze.

Since I don't think the "all-new 2016" is selling just yet, I think you've got a "2016 Limited". I've seen no sign of factory upgrades for any of the first generation cars. You'd have to go with aftermarket or live without Android Auto.

 

[carbon02]

The original poster may have a 2016 Gen 2. I see a few of my dealers have ads on cars.com with Gen 2 cars information. One dealer owned by a local professional sports team members family has a window sticker on Chevrolet Cars, Trucks, SUVs, Crossovers and Vans

Original Poster if you have a Generation 2 Cruze I think your one of the first, or possibly the first one to join!

 

[Carnette88]

I see. Well I honestly did not know there were two gens for the 2016. I wonder how I could go about deciding which gen I have? Does Chevy have a list compiled with a series of VINs in reference to which gen they are? Would someone know what manufacturing date began gen 2s? Do they post that sort of publication anywhere? I am new to Chevy in general in case you can not tell.

 

[obermd]

Look at the banner on the top of CruzeTalk. Does your car look like the blue one or the red one? The red car is a Gen 1 Cruze and the blue car is a Gen 2 Cruze. The burnt orange is a Gen 2 hatchback which should be available in 2017.

 

[ChevyGuy]

I see. Well I honestly did not know there were two gens for the 2016. I wonder how I could go about deciding which gen I have? Does Chevy have a list compiled with a series of VINs in reference to which gen they are? Would someone know what manufacturing date began gen 2s? Do they post that sort of publication anywhere? I am new to Chevy in general in case you can not tell.

Visit www.chevrolet.com/cruze. Does your car look like that with a row of LEDs just under the headlight?

 

[obermd]

My other question - now that we're getting Android auto, will we finally get an answer to "Do Android Dream of Electronic Sheep?"

 

[Carnette88]

My other question - now that we're getting Android auto, will we finally get an answer to "Do Android Dream of Electronic Sheep?"

Only with new Dr. Strangelove edition.

 

[Carnette88]

Visit www.chevrolet.com/cruze. Does your car look like that with a row of LEDs just under the headlight?

And it looks like mine is a gen 1. No biggie though. I still like the interface of the MyLink. Mostly just hoping to use the Google Maps feature of Android Auto.

 

[NickD]

Google it, all kinds of BS on the 2nd generation 2016 Cruze.

"Despite the 250-pound drop in weight, the new Cruze has grown significantly. Its wheelbase is now the longest in the segment, with 106.3 inches of sheetmetal between the front and rear axles compared to 105.7 in last year's model, while the sleek new body cuts the coefficient of drag to just 0.29. The overall length increases from 181 inches to 183.7, though the new model is nearly an inch lower overall. That's both good news and bad news for interior space. Rear legroom is up from 35.4 to 36.1, but headroom is down in both the front and backseats by over half an inch.

Tech fans, meanwhile, will appreciate the new standard MyLink display. The seven-inch touchscreen is compatible with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, while an optional eight-inch display will be offered, as well. 4G LTE wi-fi, heated rear seats, a heated steering wheel, and wireless phone charging will also be offered as an optional extras. New safety features include blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert, lane keeping assist, and forward collision warning.

Wow, its a half of an inch longer! You do have to pay extra for My Link to use it, must have borrowed that phrase from Bill Gates with MY computer.

With 155 different grades of gas, don't know what in the hail you are getting. With good gas can average 46 mpg on trips with my 2012, but not sure if I can live with a half inch shorter car, but definitely can live with a half inch more of headroom.

Was just reported yesterday that Wisconsin highway death rate increased by 20% due to distractions cause by smartphones. Chevy claims my link does not do this. Ha, use to enjoy camping to get away from phones and computers, can't even do this anymore.

A real luxury for me would be manual windows, wife left the windows down in our Cruze, had to go back into the house to get the keys. And if this happened on the road with a dead battery, couldn't roll them up at all.

Another real luxury would be to store valuable code in PROM, so a glitch would never wipe it out.

 

[Snipesy]

Words of wisdom. Android Auto is quite terrible. It's literally just an app tacked on to the godawful package all these head units run. They are all based on the very old, dated, and completely worthless QNX operating system. It is far from a true Android tablet like some people think it is going to be.

Why is QNX bad? Well on its own it's hard to really grudge, but it's target audience is what you can call "Super Embedded Systems" where the only development you will ever see for your head unit is when it was first engineered. The Cruze itself has something like 15 of these embedded systems, and I highly doubt any of them will ever receive any sort of update after the vehicle has been released for about a year. They all use different operating systems, and are configured to work specifically with the Cruze, nothing more. But if you think you can just 'upgrade to Windows 10' you are very mistaken. To do such a thing usually means re-configuring everything within the software to cooperate with the new changes. Which is really only possible when the vehicle is still in development simply because it's simply too complicated to do so when all the information is shoved in a corner or even nonexistent.

That's my rant. It's dumb. In other words, GM is never going to bring AutoPlay or Android Auto to MyLink.

 

[ChevyGuy]

That's my rant. It's dumb. In other words, GM is never going to bring AutoPlay or Android Auto to MyLink.

You mean for the MyLink in the Gen1.

They seem to be following the sales model of Android phones. Expect software upgrades only to extend the sales life of the phone. After that - forget it.

At this point, I think my next phone will be a Nexus. That way Google does the updates, and they keep coming.