PascoClarity
New Member
So it would appear Honda is more concerned with maintaining copyright ownership of a bad app rather than resolving customer problems.
HondaLink App Update
- Thread starter vicw
- Start date
- Replies 270
- Views 94K
KentuckyKen
Well-Known Member
@Domenick, I totally agree with your actions since it’s probably hard to moderate our wonderful forum from jail. Just to make sure I’m obeying the rules, does that mean I can’t post a screen shot of what my Honda Link is doing? Or is the prohibition just about non-Honda links to HL?
Sorry, Thag not digitally savvy.
Sorry, Thag not digitally savvy.
Domenick
Well-Known Member
I believe screenshots are fair game. The pages with links to non-Honda-sourced downloads were the only ones that were highlighted. I've asked them to let me know if they have further concerns, so I'll let the Forum know if there are any other issues.
vicw
Active Member
Thanks, @Domenick for your supportive response to the letter, by removing just the app links, rather than a wholesale purge of the thread, which would have been the easy action to take. It's interesting that we are all just trying to help our fellow Clarity owners, and devotees deal with issues, real or perceived, that resulted from the recent update/s to that app. Almost all of us have a pretty large investment in the Clarity, and want it to succeed in the marketplace, and want to enjoy and share satisfaction with everything Clarity, including the app.
The crazy thing is that if Honda hadn't created the problem by arbitrarily and unnecessarily cutting off HondaLink support for older Android phones, they would never have had a reason to call in the lawyers. The company is disappointing their customers for no good reason and spending money on lawyers to ensure those disappointed customers cannot obtain an available and satisfactory remedy.
2002
Well-Known Member
Not to say the app isn't let's say, a work in progress, but it's still their software and they have a right to control distribution. Keeping in mind that this software can actually control our cars remotely, so besides legal there are also some security issues involved when the software is being downloaded from unauthorized sites. I'm sure the sites have only good intentions but Honda can't take a chance and make that assumption.
MajorAward
Active Member
June 27, 2019 update to the Android HondaLink app. Says improved reliability of remote commands, minor bug fixes, UX enhancements, and send destination fix. Let's check it out.
Last edited:
2002
Well-Known Member
Just updated to 4.0.5 on Android, for me nothing changed. First thing I tried is Schedule Climate, tapped Enable and just get the same endless spinning blue circle. I don't really need schedule climate but have just been curious to try it out. I then tried to send a destination to my car, still get the same message "Connection required" even though I know I am connected because I am getting updated charge information. But I use Google Maps on Android Auto anyway so this also isn't a feature I really need. Tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app but that didn't help.
The Start Charge and Schedule Charge features have always worked flawlessly for me as well as Turn On Climate and those are all I really need. Also the Find My Car feature has always worked anytime I have tried it.
The Start Charge and Schedule Charge features have always worked flawlessly for me as well as Turn On Climate and those are all I really need. Also the Find My Car feature has always worked anytime I have tried it.
Last edited:
MajorAward
Active Member
I tried the same steps, with the same results. I noticed when trying to send a destination the app responds with "Connection Required", then below is a "Connect to Car Guide Link". Clicking that link guides you through how to set up bluetooth. Am I understanding correctly that you must be connected to your car with bluetooth to send a destination? If so, what good is that. Has anyone been able to send a destination remotely before?
Edit: Forgot to mention using LineageOS 14.1 (Android 7.1.2) on an old Nexus 5, but works great for banking, etc., so I don't think the phone or OS is the problem.
Last edited:
Tim66
Active Member
Just tried it myself and obviously you need to be near enough to the car to have a bluetooth connection. That is silly. On my Volt you could send directions to your car from your phone from anywhere. You also got a complete diagnostic of your car to include oil life, tire pressure, charge percentage, etc. with the My Chevrolet app. I miss my Volt.
Do you miss your Volt and wish you were driving it instead of your Clarity or do you just miss the Chevrolet app? Is the Chevrolet app free? I wonder if the versions of HondaLink that non-Clarity Honda drivers pay for have more features and are more reliable?Just tried it myself and obviously you need to be near enough to the car to have a bluetooth connection. That is silly. On my Volt you could send directions to your car from your phone from anywhere. You also got a complete diagnostic of your car to include oil life, tire pressure, charge percentage, etc. with the My Chevrolet app. I miss my Volt.
2002
Well-Known Member
Except that I am connected to bluetooth, my phone works. But I still get the 'Connection required' message. And yes the handy dandy connection guide.
Apparently some have, although it's far from instantaneous, something crazy like ten minutes or an hour or something. Which negates the bluetooth requirement since presumably you are sitting in your car ready to go.
Last edited:
Fast Eddie B
Well-Known Member
Wish list:
1) A little “speedometer” display to show rate of charge in miles per hour.
2) An estimate of time remaining to full charge.
1) A little “speedometer” display to show rate of charge in miles per hour.
2) An estimate of time remaining to full charge.
Tim66
Active Member
It a real quandary. We really enjoy the Clarity and if the Volt was available next year I would stick with the Clarity just for the size alone. But the Volt was so easy to operate, no stupid detent, no paddles, no ridiculous, constant shut off of regen braking in ECON mode, no unexpected ICE operation, an oil life feature, etc. And the app for the Volt was very informative letting you know tire pressure per tire, oil life, "accurate" mileage other maintenance items. The app could find your car while it was moving. So my ideal car would be the Clarity with the Volt's motor, engine and operating system. Oh, and the MY Chevrolet type app.
MajorAward
Active Member
Please move if this should be in another thread, but since we just got the HondaLink update, thought I would test one of its features:
First, I think I misunderstood how the "Send to Car" feature works. I thought the directions would be waiting when I got to the car. No. First of all, I do have bluetooth set up, so did the following steps:
1. While out of bluetooth range, I sent a destination via HondaLink to the car.
2. App screen indicates "Connection Required", and displays selectable "Connect to car" guide.
3. Walk out get in car and turn on power(Center display on Main Screen)
4. Phone connects to car via bluetooth and app screen changes to show a grayed out "Sent to Car" button and Selectable "Send To Car Guide".
I believe at this step you have to press "Dismiss" and then tell the app you are safe.
This next step step wasn't necessary, but since we're waiting to see what happens, lets do step 5.
5. Press "Send To Car Guide" button
App screen switches to "Send to Car" Step 1 of 4
Step1: Connect to your Honda
Step2: Wait for your place to arrive
Step3: Open the notification
Step4: Select you place from the list and go
After reading in step 2 of the guide that it may take up to 5 minutes for my "place" to arrive, I wait.
3 minutes later, my destination arrives, I do what the guide says, and it works.
I don't have the greatest phone signal inside my garage, so decided to move car out into driveway to see if that would make the connection faster.
Nope. Five bars works no faster than One bar. It actually took one minute longer (4 minutes) this time.
Conclusion (for me): This feature is useless. Probably looked great when the developer was presenting it to management, but the real world doesn't work that way. We don't wait. Instead we just say "Directions to Nearest coffee shop" and Google/Siri tells us Panera bread, or whatever,is 4 miles away...here are your directions.
If anyone can tell me how this is useful, I'm still teachable.
Last edited:
2002
Well-Known Member
Where do the destinations appear? The app says it has sent two destinations from my previous attempts but I can't find them anywhere in Nav
I also tried your method but when I turn on the car it says "Connecting" for about a minute, with a dismiss option, then it returns to the screen I was on. It has always done the "Connect" bit for at least a minute whenever I launch the app in the car even though my phone is already connected via bluetooth before I launch the app
MajorAward
Active Member
Did you press "dismiss"? If yes, were you able to get to the "Send to car" guide? Step three in the guide will show you where ithe icon appears (at top op screen. There will be a "chime" or"sparkle" sound, letting you know your place arrived, then you swipe down from the top, and your place will appear. If you cant get to the "Send to car" guide, you may have other issues.
Last edited:
2002
Well-Known Member
No I never get past the "Connection Required" screen. Following what you did I was in my house, not connected to the car, I searched a destination (you can't just browse the map and point at something, you have to do a formal search). I clicked "Send to Car" and instantaneously got a message "Connection Required", I mean my finger hasn't even left the screen and I get the "Connection Required" message. It's the only fast thing I have ever seen in the app which makes me think the bug is right there, I suspect it is not actually checking for a connection but in the software code something trips mine immediately to the "Connection Required" screen without even checking for a connection. Does your "Connection Required" screen come up instantly or does it look like it at least tries for a few seconds?
Anyway while I was still on the "Connection Required" screen I walked out to the car and turned it on. On the app without me doing anything it then changed to "Connecting" with a Dismiss option and then sat there for about a minute then that screen went away and I was back where I was on the "Connection Required" screen, and that's it nothing else happens. I never see anything happen on the car display. I waited about five minutes and nothing.
As I mentioned the "Connect" screen with Dismiss option always appears whenever I open the app while in the car (with the car on) and after a minute it always returns to the screen where I was, so I don't think it's actually related to the send destination function, it's just what the app always does when the app detects that I am in the car. What it does I think is nothing because as I mentioned I can use my phone with the car, proving that I am connected (via bluetooth, not plugged in) and then launch the app and I always get the "Connecting" screen even though I know I am already connected, and since I know it does nothing instead of waiting uselessly for a minute I click Dismiss and do whatever I was going to do in the app. Although I rarely use the app in the car I am just saying what happens anytime I have used it in the car. This time of course I did not click "Dismiss" just in case but after a minute it went away like usual and nothing happened.
The things that I use the app for like schedule charge or turn on climate I know work through cellular network because they work whether I am in the car or away from the car. Sending a destination to the car however apparently uses bluetooth, but it doesn't work for me because for some reason it thinks I am not connected to bluetooth even though I am. If I go into settings on the car display I can see my phone listed as connected.
Maybe there are settings in my phone that need to be changed but no way I am going in that deep, even if I could get it to work like you said I don't see how this is any advantage. I guess the idea is if you are in your house or restaurant you can pull up the app and search your next destination, then send it to the car. But if it isn't available in Nav until several minutes after you get to your car, then what's the point. However I did think of one use, the built-in Nav database can get out of date pretty quickly, but presumably the app is connected to a current database, so maybe you can find a location in the app that you can't find in the Nav screen, s so then you could send it. Still not great having to wait several minutes though for it to show up.
Also for reference I am using a Samsung Galaxy S9+ with Android 9
Mowcowbell
Well-Known Member
If the send to car directions is that slow, I'll stick with "Ok Google, directions to blah-blah" once I fire up the car and connect to AA.
My own experience with the remote climate feature is that it never works. Good cell signal or not. Does work when I click the button on my fob, but by that time I'm already within 100 feet of the car and it ain't going to cool off that much in the 30 seconds it takes me to finish walking up to the car.
My own experience with the remote climate feature is that it never works. Good cell signal or not. Does work when I click the button on my fob, but by that time I'm already within 100 feet of the car and it ain't going to cool off that much in the 30 seconds it takes me to finish walking up to the car.