CARS.COM — With some Hyundai Sonata owners reportedly steaming over the delayed introduction of Apple CarPlay, Hyundai now says it plans a free retrofit of CarPlay into certain 2015 Sonatas, as well as into early 2016 Sonatas that missed it, though it still may be “months” away, according to a spokesman.

To get the best experience out of your navigation system, it’s important to regularly update your map. Roads and points of interest across North America, change about 15% every year. With the latest maps, you’ll save time taking the best routes which may include new roads.

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Hyundai will offer a free software update to retrofit Apple CarPlay into all 2015 Sonatas equipped with the optional 8-inch screen with navigation system, as well as into all 2016s built before CarPlay was added with an assembly-line change on Jan. 15, spokesman Miles Johnson told Cars.com. CarPlay now is standard on the 2016 Sonata, which has a new, 7-inch touch-screen as its base multimedia system (an 8-inch screen with navigation still is optional). (You can typically find the month a car was built on a sticker in the doorjamb.)

When the retrofit finally happens, it will consummate Hyundai’s announcement more than a year ago that the Sonata would be its first car to support CarPlay.

The latest delay stems from a required upgrade to the navigation system’s mapping software. Hyundai decided to package the Apple CarPlay software with the required map update and make the bundle available for free. The map upgrade originally was going to cost around $150 per owner, Johnson said. It’s also an apparent reversal from December 2015, when Hyundai told the Detroit Free Press that the CarPlay upgrade itself would cost extra.

“We looked at it and said, ‘Wait a second, let’s delay this [map update] and package it together so that when they do the download, they get both the CarPlay software and the updated navigation map software in one load,’ ” Johnson said.

But that decision delayed the rollout.

“Most recently, we said [the CarPlay upgrade] would be out at the end of the first quarter” of 2016, Johnson said. “The reason why we didn’t make the first-quarter deadline was that issue with the map software.”

Asked if Hyundai would provide a timeframe for when anyone with an early-2016 Sonata or navigation-equipped 2015 car would be able to get Apple CarPlay, Johnson only said it would be months, not weeks, down the road.

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“I know why these customers are upset – it’s because CarPlay and Android Auto are outstanding systems, and people want them,” he said. “We’re going to do this.”

When the update finally comes for navigation-equipped 2015 models, it will via an update for the multimedia system’s SD card. Johnson said you’ll have to eject the card from the car, insert it into a computer, download the online update to the card, insert the card back into the car system and stay parked with car on for “about half an hour” for the update install. The update will be on Hyundai’s owner website, myhyundai.com, and owners can sign up to be notified of its availability at hyundaiusa.com/phoneintegration.

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Johnson said to expect a “similar” process for owners of 2016 Sonatas built before January, but those with the 7-inch touchscreen will get the update via USB stick, while those with the 8-inch navigation system will have an SD card update. The 2016 Sonatas missing CarPlay amount to a significant population, given Hyundai began production of the sedan’s 2016 model year last July. But the automaker won’t provide a timeframe for when those updates will come, as they’re part of a broader series of updates to retrofit various Hyundai models — not just the Sonata — to accept Apple CarPlay.

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For Android smartphone users, Hyundai added Android Auto to all navigation-equipped 2015 Sonatas in mid-2015; the feature is standard on all 2016 Sonatas regardless of production date.

Hyundai Canada Updates Software Update Site To Support More Hyundai Canada Vehicles [UPDATED]

Much as the leak that I came across last week when I was in India implied, Hyundai Canada has updated their software update site to cover a very wide amount of vehicles. Here’s a list:

• 2017 Elantra (With 7-inch touchscreen without navigation and 8-inch navigation)
• 2016 Elantra GT (With navigation system)
• 2015 Sonata (3.8L Premium / 3.8L Luxury / 3.8L Technology)
• 2016 Sonata (3.8L Premium / 3.8L Luxury / 3.8L Technology)
• 2016 Sonata Hybrid (With navigation system)
• 2017 Sonata Hybrid (With navigation system)
• 2016 Sonata Plug-in Hybrid (With navigation system)
• 2017 Sonata Plug-in Hybrid (With navigation system)
• 2015 Genesis (3.8L Premium / 3.8L Luxury / 3.8L Technology)
• 2016 Genesis (3.8L Premium / 3.8L Luxury / 3.8L Technology)
• 2016 Tucson (With navigation system)
• 2017 Santa Fe Sport (With navigation system)
• 2017 Santa Fe XL (With navigation system)

That a healthy amount of cars that now get access to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Excellent! Simply head to https://www.hyundaisoftwareupgrade.ca with your VIN number and follow the directions to get your update. Just make sure you have a SD card and about of hour of time to finish the update. Oh yeah, you should read the documentation carefully to ensure that you don’t run into any trouble.

Now, I want to say a something in regards to this story. When I started to report on this story back in 2016, I tried to see things from both sides of the fence. Both from the owner’s side of the fence, and from Hyundai Canada’s side of the fence. The reason being that while Hyundai Canada owners were frustrated, I was aware of facts that they were not. Because of that, I wanted to ensure that those facts were brought to the table. In the process of trying to do that, I crossed paths with Chad Heard who is the Senior Public Relations Manager for Hyundai Canada. From day one he was a straight shooter and didn’t try to spin or BS me in any way. That’s important to me because I spend a lot of my time trying to cut through that sort of stuff from people in his position to get to the truth. That made reporting the facts easier even if some Hyundai Canada owners didn’t like what I had to say. I’d like to publicly thank Chad for making this story easier. If Don Romano who is the President and CEO of Hyundai Canada reads this, you need to make sure he doesn’t go anywhere because he’s a real asset to Hyundai Canada when someone like me needs help to do a story or a review.

UPDATE: Hyundai Canada just put out a press release in relation to this that covers off all the points that I mentioned in this story. However, one key point in terms of what is in the press release is that owners who are not comfortable doing this update can get their dealers to do it for them for a fee.

UPDATE 4/8/2019: This program seems to have come to an end as the URL associated with this website errors out. Also, attempts to reach Hyundai Canada for comment have gone unanswered.

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UPDATE 4/9/2019: I finally heard back from Hyundai. The program has indeed come to an end.