Heads up: Our Ideas Factory has been refreshed, levelled up, and grown-up into Alphero Intelligence. Some of our old posts are pretty cool tho'. Check this one out.
- Not just anyone can create an Apple Carplay app.
- Due to the restrictive nature of in-car apps you can stand one up pretty fast.
- The app was initially rejected by the Google Play store.
The beauty of the Ideas Factory is it allows our people the freedom to investigate emerging tech as it surfaces, it doesn’t need to be tied into client work. Clients then benefit from access to emerging tech learnings without needing to pay for the R&D - RNZ Apple CarPlay/Android Auto is a perfect example.
The dev team earmarked Android Auto/Apple CarPlay as an area they wanted to look into further. You need to have an existing app that has features such as audio or navigation that meet the Apple and Google guidelines. The RNZ (Radio New Zealand) app seemed like a great fit, so we gave Vlad two days to experiment and report back.
The user interface is super restrictive due to driver distraction risk, apps are generally focused on simplified audio or map functionality. So there was little opportunity for UX designer Neve to put her stamp on it visually, but by conducting user interviews she was able to discern which features to prioritise.
You need approval from Apple to create a CarPlay version of your app. We are one of the only agencies in NZ who have permission to create Apple CarPlay apps.
We were surprised that within two days Vlad was able to create something that could stand on its own legs (it had a few holes, but the guts were there). The classic sales vs delivery debate ensued: “It looks like a bought one” Caroline Dewe, CEO. “IT’S NOT FINISHED” Vlad, Mobile Developer. We then took it to RNZ who loved it and were happy to commit to developing further so it was market ready. Without this POC we never would have known how quickly we could get one of these out the door.
It was actually the first Android app we’ve ever had declined by the Google Play store. But in Vlad’s defence, it was such new tech that they changed the requirements last minute to require voice recognition as a default (which Vlad then added in a day).