The 2019 Highlander head unit appears to be exactly the same as the 2018 and the 2017 so if it were up gradable then so would the previous years.

2019 Manual for entertainment system is the same as well which is Entune.

https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omnav-s/OM19EntuneQRG/pdf/OM19EntuneQRG.pdf

 

The 2019 Highlander head unit appears to be exactly the same as the 2018 and the 2017 so if it were up gradable then so would the previous years.

2019 Manual for entertainment system is the same as well which is Entune.

https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omnav-s/OM19EntuneQRG/pdf/OM19EntuneQRG.pdf

Hi there, I bought my 2019 Highlander from a Toyota dealer in US and shipped it to my hometown Jordan, navigation system is not working at all, software update is not possible and so.
contacted TMS”Toyota Motor Sales” in US and also TM in Japan but they were so unhelpful. So the car is almost paralyzed.
Much appreciated if you can help on this.

 

I really hope the 2019 gets it and I hope even more that its made available to the 2018s...

 

The problem that I see in having these apple and android systems in a car that one may keep for 10 years or more, is their tendency to make your hardware obsolete, you will have a system in a few years no longer compatible with the latest apple/android software and hence the latest phone that you may have.
It is yet another example of pressure being put on Toyota to put stuff in their cars that does not really enhance the car and maybe detrimental as the car ages.Other examples are LED lights and 8 and 10 speed transmissions and excessive electronic features. Owner takes their 10 yr old vehicle to get a new led headlamp unit and gets charged 1000 dollars or the safety sense gives up the ghost and costs $3000 to fix. Be careful what you wish for, the technology exists now to make a highly economical car with adequate power and almost bullet proof reliability, but that is being undermined by the consumer wanting a more sophisticated product that has the power of a race car and potentially the reliability of a race car. (Small capacity turbocharged gasoline engines lol)engine sludge, turbo failure, shortened engine life? But who cares the lease will have run its course and it will be someone else's problem right?

 

I’m old enough to remember when all these were deemed unnecessary: seat belts, automoatic transmissions, power windows, automatic transmissions with more than three gears, power steering, air-bags, ABS brakes, vehicle-stability controls, traction control, backup cameras, daytime running lights, parking sensors... Feel free to include whatever technology you deem is gimmicky and unnecessary in 2018 so we can look back in 10 years with amazement that people used to steer their vehicles and figure out for themselves what the best speed would be.

 

Looks like the earliest the HL may get it will be in 2020.


But, Mazda recently announced they are going to provide a retrofit package for $199 plus labor on vehicles 2014 and newer.


I don’t see why Toyota couldn’t do the same thing since we have had the same Entune system since at least 2014. But, doesn’t mean they will.

 

I'd guess that a software upgrade for CarPlay for earlier model years is extremely unlikely.

For one, the Entune hardware platforms are at least slightly different. 2014-2015 is different from 2016-2019 based on the applicability of Entune firmware updates. We have no idea if they have enough computing power (CPU, RAM, etc.) to run CarPlay well.

Second, Toyota would have to license CarPlay for that many more vehicles. That's probably cost prohibitive unless they sell you the update, which probably wouldn't sell well enough to justify the time spent to make it work on the older head units. Maybe they'll wait and see how it goes for Mazda. Personally, I wouldn't even think about it unless it was wireless. There's no way I'd dig out my phone every time I got in the car so that I could plug it in; CarPlay wouldn't add that much value for me.

 

Auto makers do not pay to license Android Auto or CarPlay. There are, of course, software development costs but these would largely be fixed. The reason why Toyota won't retroactively offer it is that it doesn't want companies like Google and Apple to take-over the customer interface. Ultimately, manufacturing cars is seen as capital intensive and low-margin compared to what information companies like Facebook, Uber, and Google do. Toyota will only do CarPlay as much as necessary to sell cars.

 

I did Google before I posted, but just now I Googled more extensively and found StatCoder is correct - there is no license fee for CarPlay. There are expenses for meeting minimum hardware requirements and testing/certification, but it's not cash paid to Apple and should be a fixed overall cost rather than a per unit cost.

I agree that Toyota will only go as far as they have to in order to sell cars, and retrofitting cars they've already sold still probably isn't worth the money. And again, a big question is whether or not our existing head units would meet the required hardware specs.

 

The problem that I see in having these apple and android systems in a car that one may keep for 10 years or more, is their tendency to make your hardware obsolete

It's far better to have features outside the main system then to have everything all in one. Far easier to upgrade to new features. Either way at some point the hardware is going to be obsolete.


My 05 4runner had a CD player AND Cassette. Cassettes were just being phased out around 05. I think I used it twice for the 10 years I owned it.

 

I saw someone on YouTube with a very expensive 2018 Ford vehicle expressing disappointment with car play and saying they would not connect their phone to it, so you can't make everyone happy. The main problem with these infotainment systems is the integration of info and entertainment, if you didn't like your 2005 vehicles CD cassette player you could just change it to a more modern stereo quite cheaply. There is no reason why the cars information interface would need updating in the life of a vehicle, but corrupt it with an integrated apple or android system and in less than 5 yrs the system will be outdated or even obsolete, but a basic USB or bluetooth compatible system should remain usable a lot longer. Remember 10yrs ago BlackBerry was all the rage and iPhone and Android were probably only on the drawing board, most other things in cars are still very similar to 10 yrs ago. Let the smartphone makers maintain the ability of their devices to communicate with vehicle systems while further developing their software and let the car manufacturers do what they do best and design good cars and not turn the car into and apple/android interface, a car is a much bigger investment than a phone.

 

I really don't get why everyone wants carplay. I try to never have to plug my phone into a usb connection when in the car. Get a wireless car charger that mounts to a vent and just use the bluetooth to stream anything you want. When carplay is paired it pretty much eats your phone while driving making it less useful.

 

I feel the same but in my case it’s more of a generational thing than anything else. I still put my music on usb. I don’t have a long daily commute to possibly justify having it in my HL. I do have it in my Rogue and I’ve tried it once and then took the cable out. My daughter has a new Pilot Touring and has it and although she is tethered to her phone, she doesn’t use hers either unless on a road trip. My SIL also has it in his vehicle and uses it everyday because he has a Spotify membership and listens to podcasts to and from work. To each their own. We all see things differently, thankfully.

 

I have never experienced car play and don't really use entune so it really doesn't matter to me. But I pretty much guarantee Toyota isn't retrofitting anything. They know the people who REALLY want carplay will just trade for one that has it in 2020(if it gets it).. It's called business...just like Apple itself.. holds out on features forever that other phones have and slowly adds things and people trade their phone in for 1 new feature and take a financial hit just to have the latest one new feature lol..

 

Carplay sucks!

 

Well I just found this searching the web today so it looks like Toyota's listening except right now this is just Apple carplay uncertain models but it's free!

You Won't Believe How Easy it is to Upgrade your 2018 Camry and Sienna for Apple CarPlay

I have a service appointment at my local Toyota dealership this week to add Apple CarPlay to my 2018 Toyota Camry XLE. This is really exciting news for me! Thousands of Camry and Sienna owners will be notified in the coming with the same great news.

www.torquenews.com

 

Just got carplay retrofit in my 2018 Camry le. With ios13 it works like a charm. It was a free upgrade at the dealership.

 

Well lucky you I can say I'm jealous

 

I have a 2017 Limited. This is the answer I received from Toyota Canada when I asked if the $60 Car Play upgrade available on the 2018 Sienna will be available on 2017 Highlander:

Please be advised that your 2017 Toyota Highlander is not equipped with Entune 3.0. Only certain vehicles which are equipped with Entune 3.0 are eligible for an update to include compatibility with Apple CarPlay.

We would like to advise as the Canadian Toyota distributor, we always appreciate receiving customer feedback as this is the only way we can monitor our customers' satisfaction during their experience with one of our products. We have noted your comments and have forwarded them to the appropriate departments within Toyota Canada for information purposes.

 

I have used CarPlay for a long time. Anyone who says it sucks doesn’t like having the ability to easily text with voice, run both Waze and google maps at the same time (waze routing sucks, but the alerts are fantastic), listen to my music and audiobooks directly from my phone.

Oh, and the CarPlay requires lots of bandwidth to work so it needs a hard wired connection or a wifi connection.

The result of the hardwired connection is significantly improved audio quality on music and text to speech. It also makes it much easier for Siri to understand you because your spoken words are in much higher resolution.

My Siri accuracy went from 40-50% to 95% when I tested it. It may make one mistake on a text, and it’s normally the first word. I just say the first few words a little slowly now then I can go as fast as I want and Siri normally does a good job.

The new version of CarPlay coming out in a couple months will vastly improve the capabilities. Including letting your passenger use the phone without changing the screen on your car. It will be separated finally. I can’t wait for that.

I am a power user, I am in the car 30k miles per year. So while I understand some people don’t use it, I bet they are the same people I see weaving all over the road while trying to use their phone. I rarely have to touch my phone anymore and I can text, call, and use Siri to all the normal stuff.

 

I am a power user, I am in the car 30k miles per year. So while I understand some people don’t use it, I bet they are the same people I see weaving all over the road while trying to use their phone. I rarely have to touch my phone anymore and I can text, call, and use Siri to all the normal stuff.

I'm sorry, but the notion of a "power user" of a phone while driving is really frightening. Me, I'm not weaving all over the road - I'm paying attention to driving and not even thinking about the phone or whatever it does.

I get that CarPlay takes away the need to push buttons on the phone while driving (something that's horribly dangerous), but if you're thinking about giving Siri instructions about playing and responding to texts, you're still distracted while driving and that's still scary.

 

I asked this question to Toyota here was their response a few weeks ago:


Toyota strives to offer products and services that match our customers' diverse driving needs, and we continuously evaluate emerging technologies for use in our vehicles. Currently we do not have any confirmation of a future update for your vehicle to include Apple Car Play.

We certainly appreciate your inquiry, as it is through communications such as your that Toyota learns of our customers' expectations and reactions. If you would like to receive emails from Toyota regarding new or updated products, please subscribe to our email list. You may also sign up to receive updates via our RSS Feed when articles are posted at the Toyota USA Newsroom web site.



So, keep pegging them with questions about this and they may roll out a "retrofit package" or something in the future if enough people bug them about it.

 

As mentioned in one of the many other threads on this subject, the Entune 2.0 radios are totally different from the Entune 3.0 radios. They even a different operating system at the most basic level. So it's not as easy as "just a software upgrade" as many want to hope. The only reason Toyota was able to upgrade 2018 Camry and Sienna was that they came with Entune 3.0 (those were the first models to get it) that did not have CarPlay at the time those cars were made.

 

When deciding between 2019 or waiting for 2020 Highlander the main thing keeping us on the fence was the fact that 202 will include Android Auto.

We ultimately decided to go with the 2019 SE. The Etune 2.0 may be antiquated and lack Android Auto, the savings off invoice to me are a better deal.
There seem to be some plenty of aftermarket head units that don't sacrifice factory functionality of other entertainment / hands free controls.

If we decide the 2019 Etune system will not meet our needs, then we will upgrade the head unit.
with 2019 HL we will get the SE model ( wont be offered in 2020) & rear lift gate window opens ( wont be offered in 2020).

 

If it helps any, i just purchased a '19 Highlander Limited Platinum, and still no CarPlay option. 2020 will be the first Highlander to get it...

 

I don't understand why the 2019 HL does not have Apple CarPlay when some 2019's do within the Toyota lineup. I do know, that the 2019 Sienna's have it, because my wife drives one daily for work. I have heard some Camry's already have it, and some Tundras.

 

The general consensus is that our 2019s are the end of the production life with an outdated Entune 2.0. Other models are still fresh from a new platform and were equipped with Entune 3.0 which is compatible with CarPlay. WHich is why the 2020 highlanders (now refreshed and on the new TNGA platform) are updated with Entune 3.0 and thus Carplay.

 

In reading the discussion, it's described as "rolling out" to Toyota's in 2019. I'm wondering if it will be upgraded to support it?

I'm considering buying a 2019 Highlander. But, the EnTune is, from what I can tell on my Dad's 2018, pure crap. I really don't want to be saddled to that for the next 5 years. And, I don't want to spend another $1k+ upgrading the screen just to get Carplay. Anyone have any intel?

'NO' wait for the 2020 gen4 model to arrive with entune 3.0 and carplay. It's much better looking Highlander as well, no more plantation shutters on the front grill. IMO

 

We were contemplating waiting for the 2020 for the AndroidAuto, & with hopes the space in the 3rd row would increase.
After looking at specs for interior dimensions the 3rd row will only increase by 1.3 inches in leg room & will not sit any higher, in the 2020 the lift gate window no longer opens independently of the lift gate.

In conclusion, for us, What we know of the changes in 2020 are not significant enough to justify paying almost full MSRP.

We are happy with the 2020 SE ( SE trim will not be offered in 2020, we like the blacked out grill & black Alloy rims)

As far as the navigation , yes its not the latest & greatest but it works fine for our need. The integration with Blue tooth is more than adequate. The one complaint is the angle of the nav screen sometimes is washed out by sunlight, it god be angled a little more forward aside from that we like the way it seamlessly sits in the dash , clean lines and looks good.

If Android Auto/Car Play is a deal breaker then yes wait until 2020.

Obviously my opinion (a tech savvy guy in my early 40s) 2019 is a really solid choice for the money.

 

Hopefully Apple does a better job with Carplay then other manufacturers. I do a lot of business trips and rent a lot of vehicles. Many have Apple Carplay and some manufacturers have done it right, and others haven't.

 

• I was going to wait for the 2020 models also for the Android auto however I learned many years ago to avoid first year changes and yes might look better on the outside but I got a $4,000 discount for buying a new 2019 XLE the way I see it I can buy a really nice radio to put in that vehicle for anywhere from 500 to $900 I'm still at least $3,100 a head.
• At first I was worried about losing the ability to change the settings on the vehicle through the radio but you really don't do anything with them after that and the only function that you're really going to lose is the microphone to talk to the third row passengers which I don't have any so now it's just a matter of deciding what radio I want