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Uconnect team introduces all-new features and services for 2016 vehicles

7K views 28 replies 19 participants last post by  Northland 
#1 ·
Easy-to-Use Uconnect Systems Deliver an Array of State-of-the art, Innovative and Customizable Features for 2016 Chrysler, Jeep®, Dodge and Ram Truck Vehicles

Uconnect team introduces all-new features and services in properly equipped 2016 vehicles: Drag and Drop menu bar, Siri Eyes Free, Do Not Disturb, SiriusXM Tune Start and a Vehicle User Guide that can be viewed via the 8.4-inch touchscreen

- Improved graphics designed to incorporate individual FCA brand themes and characteristics
- Increased processing power delivers Uconnect systems overall enhanced performance

June 26, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US vehicles allow customers to stay connected to the information they want and need while remaining focused on the road. Each vehicle comes equipped with a Uconnect system, which can provide drivers with a range of available communication, navigation and entertainment features or connected services.

For 2016, Uconnect is introducing new features that include the all-new Drag and Drop menu bar, Siri Eyes Free, Do Not Disturb, SiriusXM Tune Start and a Vehicle User Guide that can be viewed via the 8.4-inch touchscreen.

In addition to several all-new innovative and customizable features, Uconnect continues to enhance the Uconnect system’s graphics that are designed to incorporate individual FCA brand themes and characteristics and to visually assist drivers with navigating through the Uconnect system in a more intuitive manner.

Drag and Drop menu bar: FCA US vehicle owners now have the ability to personalize their touchscreen controls to fit their lifestyle and have one-button access to the features and services they value most. From SiriusXM Travel Link to heated or cooled seats and Yelp Search, drivers now can simply drag their favorite feature or service icon from the apps menu and move them to their Uconnect system’s main menu bar.

Siri Eyes Free: Via the voice button on the steering wheel and compatible with an Apple iPhone 4s or later, with Siri Eyes Free, drivers can speak natural language voice commands to send text messages, play music, set reminders, place phone calls and access turn-by-turn directions. Drivers will simply push and hold the voice recognition button on the steering wheel until the Siri screen appears on the 8.4-inch touchscreen and they can hear the audible tones.

Do Not Disturb: Vehicle owners who prefer not be interrupted with phone calls or text messages while driving can choose to turn on the new “Do Not Disturb” and “Reply with Text Message” feature. Located within the Uconnect system’s phone screen, once enabled with a push of button or via voice command, the Do Not Disturb icon will route all incoming mobile calls to voicemail and suppress text messages. If the vehicle owner chooses to enable the Do Not Disturb feature, they also have the ability to send a default or customized response once a call or text message is received.

SiriusXM Tune Start: A SiriusXM feature new to FCA US customers starts songs from the beginning when switching between their favorite pre-set satellite radio channels, ensuring that drivers and passengers do not miss a beat of the songs they want to hear.

The all-new Drag and Drop menu bar, Siri Eyes Free, Do Not Disturb and SiriusXM Tune Start features are available in the following 2016 model-year vehicles properly equipped with an 8.4-inch touchscreen:

Chrysler 200 and 300
Dodge Challenger, Charger, Durango and Viper
Jeep® Cherokee and Grand Cherokee
Ram 1500, Heavy Duty and Chassis Cab

Vehicle User Guide: Debuting in the 2016 Dodge Charger, Dodge Challenger and Chrysler 300, the Vehicle User Guide allows drivers to view their owner’s manual via the 8.4-inch touchscreen and to use it as a quick reference guide for vehicle information. The Uconnect and Powertrain portions of the application are dynamic and will only present VIN and vehicle specific information. The content also can be updated over-the-air so the owner information will remain current.

Enhanced Uconnect System Performance
Uconnect systems have been fine-tuned for 2016 to deliver even better performance. New software and voice recognition algorithms have been integrated to enhance the system's performance power, including voice recognition accuracy, calculation of navigation routes, search and playing of songs and applications engagement. Integration of a new noise cancellation software helps to increase the quality and clarity of handsfree phone calls.


-Milous
 
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#2 ·
Thanks for the update, Milous!:thumbsup:

What always baffled me is that you can't see song- or radio-information on the big screen of the speedometer.

Instead of displaying this huge, useless graphic of a note, you should be able to see artist, album and song-name. Technically, this can't be to difficult to accomplish.

I have more than 10,000 titles on my SD-card and it simply bothers me that I have to look down each and every time I'm shuffling through a new track to see what's playing. This isn't safe, either.

So I'm really curious: Why can't the speedometer screen display this info?:eek:
 
#9 ·
Safe to say 2015's will not get these updates, and that updates for legacy UConnect devices will be pretty nonexistent once the 2016's come out.

They have to maintain reasons for people to want to upgrade to 2016's...

I'd be perfectly happy with my 2015 if they could just improve the damn SiriusXM audio quality, although it does suck that 2016 seems to be getting much bigger software upgrades overall (especially when you include the configurable drive modes) than the 2015 did over the 2014.
 
#14 ·
The first time I scrolled through that screen and saw that music note icon I had to laugh. Like I really needed that to tell me I was listening to music and what the source was?

:lol:

It'll be interesting to see if that's still there on the 16's. My bet is that it will be.
 
#16 ·
So will the new 2016 Uconnect system include the feature allowing you to send an address or destination from your iPhone to the Uconnect system? Seems like I read in another thread that feature was coming.
 
#17 ·
I don't mind I can't see the music info on the Speedo screen.

What bugs me is I can't see a lot of it on the 8.4" screen either.

Lot's of Titles don't fit and get chopped off and every other Radio I've seen will scroll the title.

I would not want it to constantly scroll because that can be distracting. But just scroll it once when a new track comes up. Or rescroll it when you hit the info button. The Info button chops off the title too. Scrolling it with in the pop up Info would be fine too. But there is no way to see it.

And the Voice Recognition sometimes requires words from Song Titles or Album Titles that you can't even see, anywhere.
 
#20 ·
Here's my take on all of this:

Drag and Drop- Sounds good and is welcome to a degree but just adds to more fidgeting and time wasting to customize personal preferences. Not all of our own choices are logical.

Siri Eyes Free- more hands free driving software- great in theory but to be honest I hardly use any of these features even if I had an IPhone.

Do Not Disturb- just put my phone to silent and voila- not a problem- besides the current system allows me to reply with text message and any number of options like read text or listen to text without disturbing my driving.

SiriusXM- nice feature- is it a must have? Not really but welcoming. To be honest, it would be nice to see the full title of a song or artist on the screen- quite often if a title is longer than 3 letters, the rest is cut off- ok- not 3, but you get the message. Heck, how about information about the artist and the song? Who cares ultimately for all the looks and sound bites? Just improve the actual reception and sound quality which Sirius does not really care either way. I rather prefer listening to Sirius Black from HP. Or give us better customer care and subscriptions for this product from Chrysler's own end- this applies especially to Garmin (see point #4).

Additional Notes:

1. Not much of an improvement- just more customizing but doesn't really do much more than what current UConnect owners already have. How about being able to add your own wallpaper or customize the interface and look (not talking about drag and drop) instead of viewing the same drab dark grey, Death Valley dry skin cracks, blank backdrop etc. If you really want to go crazy on customizing, how about being able to choose one's font, color of lighting etc?

2. Corporate Agenda- Hello Apple! Seems to favor certain devices over others. Enough said.

3. Couldn't care about all this voice recognition stuff- sometimes I can't even recognize my own voice! I do not enjoy talking to a non-person and would rather experience it the old-fashioned way- warts and all. More enjoyable in my opinion. If I really need to consult YELP every time, I really wouldn't have much of an opinion at all or be able to formulate one!

4. What are the improved navigation features? Seems vague. Would be nice to scrap the garbage Garmin system in the car for the real Garmin system that everyone else is getting. How about free map updates every year?

5. More features means more updates which means more difficulties getting updates which means once another refresh comes those updates are no longer there or available for current owners and thus no updates unless you simply buy a new car every 2-3 years. Wow- what a run-on sentence.

6. This is great for US customers but sucks for everyone else as some of these features are only available there and then. If Chrysler really wants to step up the international sales- then some things simply have to be done better. Granted not all countries subscribe to the laws and regulations to allow them to operate fully but Canadian consumers (no different from their neighbors south of the border) are going to cry foul.

Feel free to edit, add, agree/disagree etc. There must be plenty more.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Finally getting close to what I had in '12 (including the online user's guide and factory service manual.

For me the issue is not wanting the capability in one car, I want the same capabilty in all my cars (have upgraded all including those from the last century to hands free phone & BT & have an android tab displaying Torque Pro in the big cars and my cell phone doing same in small ones. SatNav with live traffic via LTE. One cell phone plan for all.

Am looking forward to the day when the infotainment capability is tied to the person and not the car.

ps like this ?
 

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#24 · (Edited)
Basically the only reason I get Nav on a car is to make music selection easier from an external device. And it came on the Summit I bought, so yay. I hardly ever use the car's nav system and with all the road construction around this area, the maps are usually outdated before the car is even released.

All these new functions hardly add anything to the experience. Android Auto/Apple Carplay are going to be the best things to ever come to car audio systems. Basically, Tesla is the only one doing it correctly right now with an actual tablet interface in the car.

Again, for an advanced vehicle, why can't we access more vehicle data and maintenance info on the uConnect screen? My 2007 BMW showed me the level and recommended change dates/mileage for oil, brake fluid, brake pads, light bulbs, etc, all on the nav screen. Even if the car didn't have nav, it would show you on the tiny dashboard screen.


As far as past model year updates, it's insane that a year after I buy my $50k vehicle, the nav system loses all support. Even though it's almost identical as the one in the FY15. People don't put up with that nonsense on a $200 phone! Hell, if you buy a McLaren, they give you ECU updates for years to boost the power of the engine!
 
#28 · (Edited)
I agree with you, as this looks like one of the 14's or 15's unit anyway. It's just a software update, its just another line of coding and here we go.
It might be that this can be done now on ours but why give it out...

.. I still don't understand why everyone with MY14 didn't have the update so far to at least match the MY15 software.
 
#29 ·
Why doesn't FCA just roll out head units equipped with CarPlay and Android Auto and quit with the small, incremental updates to UConnect each year? Would save them thousands of hours of software programming time and be far more beneficial to us end users than the astounding enhancement of being able to drag and drop an icon on our touchscreen.
 
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