2018 Mazda6 Joins Integration Age With Android Auto, Apple CarPlay Add
Mazda is finally joining the ranks of automakers that offer Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity in their vehicles, beginning with the 2018 Mazda6. About time, too. (Maybe, next, Mazda can get parents the world over to stop signing text messages?)
Related: 2018 Mazda6 Held Back by Headlights in IIHS Crash Ratings
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Shop the 2018 Mazda Mazda6 near you
For current owners of the 2018 Mazda6, as long as your car is a Touring, Grand Touring, Grand Touring Reserve or Signature model, you’ll be able get the functionality added at a dealership at no cost. The software update also includes an update to the latest version of Mazda Connect and a hardware update adding a more powerful, faster-charging 2.1-amp USB port. Mazda estimates the service will take about two hours to complete; service opportunities will start in September.
If you’re considering the Mazda6 but are willing to wait until these features are original equipment, you’ll have to wait until November. I recommend listening to some Wyclef Jean to prepare yourself for the wait … and just in general, really.
The integration of either system will be controlled by the controller knob and buttons that are part of the multimedia interface. Mazda says this is part of its desire to “lessen cognitive distraction.”
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
Road Test Editor Brian Normile joined the automotive industry and Cars.com in 2013, and he became part of the Editorial staff in 2014. Brian spent his childhood devouring every car magazine he got his hands on — not literally, eventually — and now reviews and tests vehicles to help consumers make informed choices. Someday, Brian hopes to learn what to do with his hands when he’s reviewing a car on camera. He would daily-drive an Alfa Romeo 4C if he could.
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