I’m an Android guy. Have a Note 8.

Car has Apple Play.

Apparently, the Apply Play will allow me to do things I can’t with my Note 8.

What version of iPhone, and what sort of plan should I consider?

I just want the phone to live in my car, and let me run waze, through the car, show me emails and text messages.

I’m leaning towards a used iPhone of some sort. Looking to spend the least on the phone, and whatever plan there is to minimize my spending.

Thanks in advance for all your help and suggestions.

Jake

Try woot.com for a used iPhone.

I'd get an iPhone 7 or 8

Then it will be safe for quite a while as far as updates compatible with it.

There is no location in your profile. You need to look at the coverage maps for the big four network carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon, to see if any of those offers a clear advantage in terms of service in the areas you will spend most of your time.

If T-Mobile or Sprint will give you the coverage that you need, I suggest that you look at ting. They do not offer a "plan" in the sense that you sign up for a predetermined amount of usage each month. They charge you for what you use. Six bucks / month to be "connected," and very reasonable amounts for voice, text, and data (each is metered separately). They re-sell service on both the Sprint CDMA and T-Mobile GSM networks, you pick the one that will give you better coverage, and if you need to switch they will accommodate you at no cost.

They have the best customer service people of any cell service that I have dealt with. They act as if they actually want your business, not only for the initial sign-up, but for ongoing service as well.

We have two iPhones served by ting, and our total monthly bill for both phones runs around $40 go $45.

They do sell phones, but you can also bring your own. I would look at their offerings, and also at swappa to buy a phone. Yup, you can get one on WOOT! but most of the offerings that I have seen there are either scratch-and-dent, or refurbished by third parties (not Apple).

If you want to be on solid ground with respect to a refurbished phone, check Apple's re-furb offerings. They all have Apple's new phone warranty.

I've got an iPhone 6 / Model MG4W2LL/A.

Pairs and works perfectly with all 3 of our carplay vehicles.

Good Luck

quote:

Originally posted by imadat:
I’m an Android guy. Have a Note 8.

Car has Apple Play.

Apparently, the Apply Play will allow me to do things I can’t with my Note 8.

What version of iPhone, and what sort of plan should I consider?

I just want the phone to live in my car, and let me run waze, through the car, show me emails and text messages.

I’m leaning towards a used iPhone of some sort. Looking to spend the least on the phone, and whatever plan there is to minimize my spending.

Thanks in advance for all your help and suggestions.

Jake

What’s your location?
If you have Comcast for internet, then you can get their cell service (Verizon towers) for $12 per gig. No line access fees or anything else. It’s the most affordable phone plan out there

iPhone 7 or 8 will be good for car use and will be okay for updates for a long while.

You know Android has an equal version called Android Auto .
My Alpine head unit in my car supports both Apple Car Play or Android Auto comparable software.
YMMW

What make model and year is your car?

As already suggested iPhone 7 or 8. You can find used and refurbs. The 8 is going to be a tad more $ than the 7 but offers a few worthwhile benefits such as wireless charging, a slightly faster processor and a better camera. As to the service, you'll need to shop that in your area. In my parts, T-Mobile offers good coverage and some low end plans w/o contract. May be different where you live.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
You know Android has an equal version called Android Auto .
My Alpine head unit in my car supports both Apple Car Play or Android Auto comparable software.
YMMW

This. Tell me what car you have, and I'll tell you if it's economically feasible to change out the radio. If you're a committed Android user, it would be better to change the radio if possible than to buy an iPhone and pay a monthly fee in perpetuity.

Thanks for all your replies….

PowerSurge – I’ll look at woot.

PASig – I’ll look for one of the phones you suggested.

V-Tail. I’m in Western KY. My Note 8 is on ATT. I go back to Cingular. I don’t know if there is a ting retailer near me. I though of going through one of the pay as you go Walmart sold plans.

Beancooker – I do have Comcast for my internet.

Smschulz & sig2392 – I’ve got a 2018 BMW X5. Apparently, BMW only does the Apple stuff.

NavyGuy – Car has a wireless charging port, so an 8 may be the way to go.

Honestlou – See above for my car information. I saw this website https://www.bimmer-tech.net/bl...ndroid-auto-best-bmw

And found these nuggets…
Getting more apps in your vehicle
Despite this, there are still a lot of apps for iOS and Android that can't be used with CarPlay and Android Auto. Furthermore, although BMW has now begun to offer CarPlay-compatible head units (and these can be retrofitted in some older models), it maintains that Android Auto will not be made available in BMWs. With that in mind, going aftermarket is your only choice, unless you're willing to make do with the native iDrive system.
And this…
On the other hand, if you're happy with the more limited range of apps available through CarPlay and Android Auto—though this range still covers most of the mainstream apps you're likely to use in your car—an aftermarket CarPlay or Android Auto head unit is likely to offer better integration with your BMW. In the case of BimmerTech's CarPlay MMI PLUS, you don't even have to choose between CarPlay and Android Auto; both come preinstalled and ready to use.

And (finally)
https://www.bimmer-tech.net/sh...ndroid-auto-mmi-plus

Which seems to do the job, but appears to require adding/removing/changing too many parts in my vehicle.

Thanks for all your help. I look forward to your continued help.

Best,

Jake

If you are 55 and up, dont forget to check out the 55 and up cell phone plans. Saves a lot of money.

https://www.t-mobile.com/cell-...enior-discount-plans

https://www.verizonwireless.com/plans/55plus/

https://www.sprint.com/en/shop...ns/55-unlimited.html

bubbatime,

Thanks. I've got a few years before I hit 55.

Best,

Jake

Check swappa as well.
I bought a refurb SE from 1sale? for $100 to specifically use for iphone aps and my car. Phone looked new.

Android Audio sucks, I'm guessing icarplay does too. I uninstalled it after five minutes. I just use the Bluetooth instead. For those not aware of permissions required for Android Audio, it's pretty much everything. Your location, access to your contacts, call history, and more. You're also "anonymously" tracked as well. I don't like all this tracking, collecting, and analyzing.

The Bluetooth in my car actually works better than Android Audio too. Can use the buttons on stereo and wheel to change tracks and answer calls, couldn't do that with AA. The only benefit to AA is projecting the map on the car display. I'm not willing to trade all those permissions for a slightly larger map.

I too would look for a 7 or an 8. If this is a long term thing, I would lean towards the 8 if the price is right. The chance of support dropping out from under you is less, and Apple is all about planned obsolescence. The wireless charging ability with the 8’s and above is great and you can find charging bases for less than the cost of a new Apple lightning cable.

quote:

Originally posted by imadat:

V-Tail. I’m in Western KY. My Note 8 is on ATT. I go back to Cingular. I don’t know if there is a ting retailer near me. I though of going through one of the pay as you go Walmart sold plans.

As far as I know, ting does not have a physical presence for retail sales. You can reach them online at ting.com, I found the chat facility to be very responsive, both to pre-sales questions and to support questions. You can also call them. Phone numbers are listed on their website.

As far as plans sold by Walmart, tread carefully. Cost is decent, everything is fine until you have a problem, but Lord help you if you ever need their off-shore based support. They combine the terrible attitude of many cell service providers with a language and culture barrier that guarantees that you will want to crawl through the internet, find them, and strangle them slowly and thoroughly.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Android Audio sucks, I'm guessing icarplay does too. I uninstalled it after five minutes. I just use the Bluetooth instead. For those not aware of permissions required for Android Audio, it's pretty much everything. Your location, access to your contacts, call history, and more. You're also "anonymously" tracked as well. I don't like all this tracking, collecting, and analyzing.

The Bluetooth in my car actually works better than Android Audio too. Can use the buttons on stereo and wheel to change tracks and answer calls, couldn't do that with AA. The only benefit to AA is projecting the map on the car display. I'm not willing to trade all those permissions for a slightly larger map.

My Chevy Colorado was my first vehicle with CarPlay and I'll never get a car without it. It has it's niggles but it but overall I'm very happy with the performance.

Siri works well but struggles occasionally with connection and comprehension of voice commands. Usually if I repeat a command with a clearer pronunciation it works. The audio works great, I plug my phone in so I can't speak for Bluetooth issues. Siri works very for for requesting Artists or genres.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend CarPlay to anyone with an iPhone.

Good to hear, wife is an Apple gal and she's looking for a new car. Her iPhone X currently works flawlessly by just plugging it in her USB. I think pretty much at this point you are stuck using AA and carplay with any new car.

Google BMW Android auto screen mirroring.

There are some solutions out there, including allowing you to cast apps on to your vehicle screen or retrofitting the head unit internally with hardware and software to get Android auto on to car.