Clarity Audio and Infotainment Options and Tricks.

This car has quite a few options for audio (and maybe many newer cars do), but still I'd be curious what favorite tricks people do and enjoy while on their road trips with Clarity.

For sources you get AM/FM of course with HD subchannel, CarPlay, Bluetooth, Android Auto, Serius XM (if you subscribe), Pandora, Live sports alert, weather alert. iPod/USB Flash Drive and Voice-control operation includes SBV (songs by voice).

Three years in and I just discovered in FM mode that one can select "stations view" the RDS search of stations for the city I'm in, and of course with digital HD audio, you can several sub-stations; i.e. 92.3-1, and 92.3-2.

For quite awhile I used Serius XM and liked that the car's recorder could replay the current song (back arrow). It appears from the manual that one can also replay FM content (just current selection for 30 or 60 minutes of broadcast).

Anyway, kind of curious how you use these systems (or don't-- i.e. too cumbersome, etc.).

For me since I let XM lapse, it's been HD Radio over the air including now the 'stations' selection on-screen (which if you haven't done, do it-- you have to click the up-carrots when in FM mode to see this), the built in maps sometimes, sometimes Waze via Carplay and coupled with IRadio for streaming radio. I also bought a cheap echo auto (with mixed peformance) for easier voice control of subscribed music content (i.e Amazon Prime or Apple Music). Anyway, the car has a lot of options, nice to hear what you use...

And not really audio (per se) but I love that the car offers to read and respond to my text messages when in bluetooth mode or CarPlay mode.

(FYI I have touring model. I know this effects ability to see built-in maps, but I assume nothing else-- at least audio/infotainment wise).

 

Like others too, my use case for Serius XM is greatly diminished by my ability to stream audio content. i.e. iRadio or whatever. It gets me past losing a radio station as I drive if I have a cellular signal. Nothing against satellite radio if you have and use, but it's nice to have a lower-cost option. i.e. some of us are already paying for some form of unlimited data on cellular, so for us, streaming audio is no additional cost. That being said, I sometimes drive a long distance in remote places where satellite would work, and there's no cellular service (think rural, western states).

 

It would of been nice to have a 3.5 or 2.5 mm audio connector for "aux" input. I'd be curious if anyone has had success getting an adapter (i.e. via USB or bluetooth-- seems like a long shot though). I've never owned any car/truck with aux input unfortunately...

 

The OP mentioned trying to connect a laptop to the car's audio as the specific application. I sometimes travel with my wife and she goes into a shop and I choose to wait for her in the car, so I could see how that could be useful. I don't think it's a big deal that we don't have aux port, but getting the audio from a laptop to the car was the stated scenario.

 

Well, in that event I'd agree, it's easy to move the audio file (less so on an iOS device). But I use my laptop in the car to watch streaming video/audio -- obviously not while driving. But yeah, if you watch netflix or disney plus or whatever, it might be nice to use the car's speakers. Anyway, that's what I thought the OP meant. If just audio files, one can place on a USB thumb drive, and attach to the car directly.

 

I find all the companies that make you renegotiate pricing at regular intervals obnoxious. Things like Sirius and Cable. One can get the $5/mo deal but as you note really costs $6/mo with fees, but then every 12 months you have to remember to call or be put on their default rate which is higher (I think its like $21 per month). You have to say you're quitting like 3 times to get the $6/mo rate. Then, when you've decided no amount of money is worth the BS, these people email, call you and snail mail you over and over again. No thanks.