On a whim I drove by the Honda dealer today to check out the 2015 Fit. Got a chance to drive and sit with the CVT EX. I am quite impressed with it. I was looking at the Versa Note SL, but I don't think there is much comparison.

My question is about the HondaLink. Is there a list of the Honda-approved 3rd-party apps? I was able to use Pandora, Bluetooth audio, etc and was impressed I could browse my playlists/music without needing a cable. I really want to be able to use/control the SiriusXM app on the head unit instead of having to use Bluetooth audio, take my eyes off the road, etc.

Do I need the Honda cable? I already have an HDMI-to-Lightning cable.

I am really impressed though. The HondaLink seems like the closest thing anyone is going to get to actual CarPlay in the Fit.

Oh....and they were going to give me a 2015 Black EX for $1500 off sticker. Guess they will deal on these. Little shocked by that.

 

You do not need the cable to use siri, she works off bluetooth. If you already have the lightening to hdmi i think you are set

 

Correct. When I stopped by the dealer to check out a 2015 EX, the sales person actually told me to just buy the HDMI to lightning adapter and HDMI cables off amazon since it was way cheaper than buying it through the dealership.

 

With the honda kit you get the lightening to hdmi, a 12" HDMI cable and a 12" usb to lightening cable. You will most likely have to use the usb to lightening to keep your phone charged while using it, especially if using the nav app

 

i think something like this would work from amazon. would be nice to see how much people have using android devises. and with which standard MHL or slimport

 

Thanks for that input, but I'm mostly curious about other apps that work with HondaLink.

Is there a list of the Honda-approved 3rd-party apps? I really want to be able to use/control the SiriusXM app on the head unit instead of having to use Bluetooth audio, take my eyes off the road, etc.

Does anyone with an iPhone 5/5S/5C use HondaLink and seen other apps besides the Honda apps show up?

 

Other than Honda, so far no, I have not seen any.

 

May have to run down to the dealership with a cable and give it a shot. Or maybe ask on a Civic forum since they have that Next Gen HondaLink on the 2014 Civics.

 

Read a few Civic HondaLink posts and no one has had a third party app loaded as of yet. Honda has to approve this and so far they have not.

 

Guess we'll just need to give it some time until the apps are updated, Honda approves apps, etc.

 

I wonder if they even will. I'm thinking that Honda will just switch to supporting Apple's Carplay and/or Android Auto in next year's model. The 2014 Civic with Hondalink has been out for quite a while and there still hasn't been anything approved.

 

I would be fine with that. Then the question is when are some of the music apps going to be CarPlay certified! LOL

 

Are the content that honda link provides like Aha and other contents only accessed with a iphone or can I use my android to access them via bluetooth without any cables?

Also, I called Honda customer service to ask which version of bluetooth they were using in their next gen honda link? I was very surprised to hear bluetooth 2.0. My android is old, so no worries there, but how can the new iphones work with the bluetooth 2.0 I asked. I thought all the iphone 5s are bluetooth 4.0. I heard of backward comatibility, but nothing about forward compatibility. The rep explained it's because the ios firmware that makes it possible. I'm still confused....

 

I'm sure it is just a matter of time before many of these apps are CarPlay certified. I love my SiriusXM but the thought of using Bluetooth audio to stream it sounds like a bad idea since I would need to look at the phone in order to change channels.

With the steering wheel controls I can just change it from there....hopefully to presets.

 

Well, it looks like as of right now, Beats Music, iHeartRadio, and Stitcher are already CarPlay certified (you can see them toward the end of the video below). The main reason I want CarPlay is because I want to use Apple or Google's maps for my navigation, not Honda's app which doesn't even give you street names for turns. I doubt Honda would approve Apple or Google Maps for Hondalink because it'll take away from them selling their $60 app. Also CarPlay just looks to have a much simpler and easy to use interface and would be less distracting I think.

 

Right now, that stuff is iPhone only, but Honda has said that Android support for it is coming soon. As far as Bluetooth compatibility goes, this is backwards compatibility, not forwards compatibility. iPhones have bluetooth 4.0, which is backwards compatible all the way to 1.1 with some features. This chart should help: Is bluetooth 4.0 backwards compatible with bluetooth 2.0+EDR? - Super User

 

I see, now it makes sense. The Honda rep didn't explain it all to well. So whatever is bluetooth 4.0 it's backward compatible to any device that is lower. I wonder if Honda link can keep up with technology advancement just by a software update when new phones in the future goes up to bluetooth 5.0 or even 6.0 Thanks for the link by the way.

 

Does anyone know what the OEM Hondalink kit looks like?

 

Not sure why quote reply isn't working right now (also, post reply button not working), but here's what the Hondalink kit includes: PageletCatalog - WelcomePage - HondaLink iOS Cable Kit -

Instead of paying $100 for it, you can get all the components separately off Amazon for $66.26

http://www.amazon.com/Apple-MD826ZM-...lightning+hdmi

Amazon.com: Apple Lightning to USB Cable: MP3 Players & Accessories

http://www.amazon.com/White-Speed-Ca...hite+hdmi+3+ft

 

StudyKat, I have the kit, it includes a DVD cord that is made to match the length of the Lightening to DVD adapter which they are both about 12" long. It also includes the normal USB to Lightening cord which is short. So the kit contains 3 cables.