Unlike the majority of other car manufacturers, until this
moment there is no confirmation that Toyota plans to adopt the Apple CarPlay or
Android Auto. In recent news, one of the most popular car brands in the world
is actually being looked at the open-source software made by Ford,
SmartDeviceLink or SDL.
For information, SmartDeviceLink is the foundation of
AppLink feature on the Ford's SYNC infotainment system. Simply put, both
SmartDeviceLink and AppLink allow car owners to control a variety of smartphone
applications directly through the dashboard, via buttons on the steering wheel,
touch screen or voice commands.
One of the SDL advantages compared to Apple CarPlay or
Android Auto is the freedom in designing the user interface. Thus, Toyota will
also implement a similar feature with AppLink, but with some modifications to
fit with their own infotainment system, Enform.
SDL actually also brings benefits to the application
developers. Simply put, they just need to design applications for smartphones,
and SDL will optimize the appearance when accessed via car dashboard. Unlike
CarPlay and Android Auto, SDL is also available globally - the only limitation
is simply the availability of the application in each country.
Unfortunately, until now there has been no official
confirmation whether Toyota will really adopt the SmartDeviceLink technology on
their infotainment system, including those that are contained in the Lexus cars.
Toyota representative only explains that they are studying the potential of SDL
and its chances to be integrated into the Toyota's infotainment system.