Phone-based connectivity trumps inbuilt multimedia systems

To run your favourite apps, smartphone-savvy cars just need a decent screen, good sound — and a USB cable.

Car companies want to get in on the connection we have with our mobile phones — and that involves a lot more than making hands-free calls.

Android and Apple are working with car brands to integrate smartphones with vehicle tech, though they need to be physically connected via cable rather than paired using Bluetooth.

Yet the gen Y buyers car companies are chasing are those most deterred by in-car technology, according to a survey of 4200 owners in the US by industry analyst JD Power. The study found more than 20 per cent of younger buyers weren't interested in in-built apps, specifically those relating to entertainment and connectivity.

Owners simply prefer to use their smartphone or tablet

The least desired items included in-car concierge, mobile routers, automated parking, head-up display and in-built apps.

JD Power spokesman Kristin Kolodge says the unused tech represents lost value for a car's maker and owner alike.

"In many cases, owners simply prefer to use their smartphone or tablet because it meets their needs. They're familiar with the device and it's accurate," Kolodge says.

That's also why the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay maps mirror the original smartphone screen look and operation.

The theory goes that owners win by not having to learn a new regime or spend time working out how to wade through the menus. Makers win because they don't risk their vehicles' software becoming obsolete every time there's an update for maps or someone launches a new music streaming service.

Equally, the vehicle hardware — updated only during a facelift every three or four years — isn't as adversely affected by changes in technology, given owners will happily upgrade their phones every 18 months. All car makers need to do is provide a decent screen and sound setup and let the phones do the rest.

Security and safety concerns mean the number and type of apps available on either platform are limited. Jeep for example recalled 1.4 million vehicles after researchers discovered they could bridge from the multimedia to the car's management software.

Beyond the standard phone access, the Android and Apple tech alike use voice activation to control the satnav, read out text messages, take dictation and respond to readout messages or simply request a song/channel from the list of music apps.

They'll also leverage their respective internet browsers to search for answers to spoken questions: "Siri, who is the president of...", or "where is the nearest Thai restaurant" and if required apply that data to re-route the satnav to get you there.

Android Auto only works with phones running Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or better. Apple's CarPlay is restricted to the iPhone 5 or 6.

Most car makers have committed to support both, recognising that their customers don't want to be constrained to using one or the other. The marques are also continuing to develop their own apps — there's not much point chewing through your phone's data allowance if the car itself can handle satnav and music streaming, especially when the phone's apps won't work when you lose signal.

BMW has taken a slightly different approach by embedding a SIM card in the car. Customers pay an upfront fee to gain access to similar tools to the Android/Apple apps (in the case of the concierge, it is a call-centre connection to a human being who will provide the required advice).

There are more than 30,400 users in Australia and the average monthly data use is just 300 gigabytes, or about 10 megabytes per user.

It doesn't do music streaming, although the feature will be activated in European cars when the EU does away with country-based roaming on January 1 next year.

Australia is still some time away from the same level of functionality.

VW Group vehicles and Mitsubishi's new Pajero also will be among the first in dealerships with such setups.

Hyundai's new Tucson SUV is equipped to handle the Apple and Android tech. Spokesman Bill Thomas says including smartphone-linked apps is yet another way to establish a connection with the customer.

"It's a great selling tool. The fact you are so used to how your phone operates means it is basically part of your bio-system," he says. "Connecting it to the car makes those functions intuitive.

"Giving customers that familiar interface makes sense from a comfort and operating perspective."

Thomas says the rate of data use will be an issue for customers to monitor.

Then there's the data plan

Using maps won't put much of a dent in the average data cap but streaming the likes of Spotify, iHeart Radio and Stitcher will be a case of how long and at what quality.

Connecting your phone to the car won't use data any faster. However, a one-hour drive with Google Play Music or Apple's Beats Music running at the top-quality 320 kbps will use about 115MB.

Do that five times a week for four weeks and you'll be up for about 2.3GB — and that's before you've streamed music at home, browsed Facebook, Snapchat etc. Drop the rate down to the lowest 64kpbs rate, data use falls to about 400MB but the sound quality will fall away just as quickly.

Data allowances on a SIM-only plan with Optus range from 1GB for $30 a month to 8GB for $50. Pre-paid plans have data allowances ranging from 1.5GB for $30 to 6GB for $60. Power users can opt to spend $4 a day to get a 1GB daily limit.

Telstra's monthly SIM plans start at $35 for 500MB and rise to $70 for 6GB.

The pre-paid Freedom plans bundle 1.3GB a month for $30 up to 2.5GB for $50.

Vodafone charges $30 for a casual monthly SIM-only plan with 500MB of data. Spend $80 a month and the allowance rises to 10GB. Pre-paid users will get 1.5GB for $30/month, extending to 6GB for $60.

Note that Telstra and Vodafone's prepaid plans are valid for 28 days. Optus lasts for a calendar month.