While our Prius Prime is in for body work, we are driving a 2025 Camery. We noticed that the navigation map function is not available "see your Toyota dealer to activate". The rental agency says they do not activate it unless the renter wants to pay the full year premium (may/ may not be true) I understand that if we got a new Prime that we have to pay a yearly nav fee as they do not have those SD map chip cards anymore. Does this mean if fee is NOT paid, Toyota disables the nav mapping until re-activated? Or does the mapping continue but no updating until yearly fee paid?
I don't know about the workings of a gen5, but on the gen4 that option needs to be purchased or comes with the upgraded model. The map will only update when you purchase a new update SD card. You'll need to speak to the dealer's informatics sales person. When I purchased mine, she tried to sign me up for all the bells & whistles monthly/annual fee plan. I pulled out my dad's old flip phone and told her - 'only if you can pair it with this'; she ran away - never to be seen again.
So I think you have to "pay to play" each year. Unlike the older cars where you could buy the SD card and go for several years before springing for a new one. Thank goodness I have a Garmin as a backup!
I keep my Garmin in the center console - usually out of cell range in the mountains. Much more reliable in the mountains and back woods.
For the 2025 Camry, the navigation is a subscription service. My XLE came with 1 year free but I will not likely renew since I tend to use Apple Maps with CarPlay.
The real question is do you want to use any of the free apps on your phone that are updated in real time and will find you the fastest route based on current traffic conditions, or do you want to use something that's rarely updated and will likely get you stuck in a traffic jam that you don't know the extent of while you think about how you're paying Toyota a huge amount cumulatively over the years for a service that doesn't navigate based on real time road construction and traffic issues.
The 2025 Camry is a subscription and likely updated as often as other apps. I strongly suspect the road speed detection make some use of incorrect navigation data. On one 60 mph road near here, it has designated sections at 45 mph. There are no signs and they have never had that lower limit except, possibly. for road construction. Parking lot speed limits detected are strange too. On one Walmart lot, a 2 lane path is 15 mph and the rest of the lot is 5 mph. Who knows where that information came from?
What auto makers don't have is a contract with phone apps with access to systems like Waze that can not only detect traffic congestion in real time based on when you show up at that location and then it calculates alternative routes to let you see how much time is saved, but it also crowd sources road information so a cop with a radar gun is monitored by questions displayed by drivers passing by so you know when the cop with the radar gun is no longer there. That goes way beyond "updating the app as often as other apps" to the point its a real time interaction. And funniest part its free, whereas Toyota is charging an exorbitant monthly fee for a product without those features. That's nonsense by every measure!
Yeah, that was just one example/feature... Both Apple and Google buy up all the best 3rd party innovations and integrate it into their systems. 3rd party navigation apps don't have any market share here because they get assimilated if they do. Automakers only have market share here to the extent their captive audience doesn't have experience with superiors systems, as well as doesn't know how to integrate those systems into the dash and those people are aging out. Hopefully everyone buying a new car realizes that when it comes to the "entertainment system and navigation" features the less that the car comes with the more options you'll have to get your own tablet installed so you have way more control over the car's systems as well as your ability to enjoy the road trip without missing a single exit.
So where do you find out how to integrate your flip fone into the entertainment system? Sorry at my age all I know how to dowith my smart phone is make and receive calls. There are no local courses teaching how to use android phones but several about iphones and tablets. So guess I am in the stupid old geezer class. And please don't say "play around with phone", I remember the window 3 crashes and blue screens of death
Meanwhile, kids growing up in past 15 years learned how to use a tablet computer (same OS as apple or android phone) before they learned how to brush their teeth or wipe their butt... Not only that but most parents main way of getting their kid to behave these days is based on how much iPad time the kid gets every day. I see it all the time when parents get upset and they say "that's it no more ipad for rest of the day" and then the kid will have a huge meltdown and regret their behavior.
A flip phone is not a smart phone so will not work. you need an iPhone or an Android phone to integrate,
I was being facetious about flip fone though did have one back in the stone age . I do have 4G smart phone that I use for occasional phone calls but mostly to adjust my hearing aid modes. There is google and I think google maps loaded but I have never played around with them. Only one person knows my phone # + the carrier, no spam texts or robocalls!! So therefore I would have no clue how to link my smartphone googlemaps app to the 2018 Prime info-system and the car manuals provided no clue that I found.
I don't think you can. I believe that the 2018 was only able to talk to Apple Carplay. Think 2020 or 2021 was first model year that offered Android Auto and only in their base trim.
Here is what I used, along with a phone mount, before I bought my latest Camry. Links are br0ken again, so replace hrrps with https "hrrps://http://www.amazon.com/Instrument-Compatible-DriveSmart-Drivetrack-Navigator/dp/B0DHLCCVQJ"
