# Integrating FaceTime



## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

I don't recall seeing this discussed before, but a recent FaceTime call from my grandsons made me think that Facetime displayed on the car's display would be awful nice. As it is now, if my grandsons FaceTime, I engage autopilot(TACC) and pick up my phone. Sure would be nicer(and safer) if I could answer and talk to the display. 

Is this something that is reasonably easy with a software update? Or would it require some kind of cooperation from Apple? Is it doable? Useful? Helpful?


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## jmaddr (Apr 10, 2019)

I cant believe this is a serious post.
That being said, I do seem to remember Elon tweeting about conferencing support while parked.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

This is a serious post.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

In my jurisdiction, hands-free calling is legal. I don't see hands-free FaceTime in a significantly different light. No need to stare at the display during a call, just an occasional glance as driving duties allow. No different than glancing at the screen for other information. And, hey, how nice would it be in a few weeks when L4 autopilot is initiated [He said, tongue firmly planted in cheek].


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## iChris93 (Feb 3, 2017)

FRC said:


> In my jurisdiction, hands-free calling is legal. I don't see hands-free FaceTime in a significantly different light. No need to stare at the display during a call, just an occasional glance as driving duties allow. No different than glancing at the screen for other information. And, hey, how nice would it be in a few weeks when L4 autopilot is initiated [He said, tongue firmly planted in cheek].


I think it's way different. If I have a passenger messing with the display, I find it very distracting. I can't imagine having people trying to talk to me from the display.

But to your question, there may be a way for Tesla to implement this now (with iOS 15 beta) that you can join a FaceTime call from any device.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

iChris93 said:


> I think it's way different. If I have a passenger messing with the display, I find it very distracting. I can't imagine having people trying to talk to me from the display.
> 
> But to your question, there may be a way for Tesla to implement this now (with iOS 15 beta) that you can join a FaceTime call from any device.


I agree that a passenger(my wife) messing with the display is VERY distracting. But I think that's because it's generally someone(my wife, did I mention that already) messing with my settings and/or I want to be sure that they(you know who) aren't trying to reset something vital.

I don't see FaceTime as distracting in that way at all. Just like a hands-free call, FaceTime is as distracting as the driver allows it to be.


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## canadiandriver (Sep 17, 2019)

Perhaps these scenarios can be considered by Tesla in the future:

if in motion, have FaceTime audio coming in the cabin and full FaceTime going out and using the interior wide-angle selfie camera
if parked, have full FaceTime experience on the Tesla screen coupled with interior wide-angle selfie cam sent to the other party


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## NR4P (Jul 14, 2018)

FT while driving? And no different than a conference call? The purpose of FT is to SEE the other person. Watch something, live. Like a baby taking first steps. Show off a school play. It is VERY different than an audio call. There are too too many distracted drivers out there. How about Elon deliver Autonomous Driving first then we can watch things on the screen while behind the wheel?


BTW Apple is not the dominant force, Android has 73% of global market share. iOS leads in USA but Tesla is a global company.


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## TomT (Apr 1, 2019)

FRC said:


> In my jurisdiction, hands-free calling is legal. I don't see hands-free FaceTime in a significantly different light. No need to stare at the display during a call, just an occasional glance as driving duties allow. No different than glancing at the screen for other information. And, hey, how nice would it be in a few weeks when L4 autopilot is initiated [He said, tongue firmly planted in cheek].


If it isn't illegal it should be!


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## TomT (Apr 1, 2019)

NR4P said:


> FT while driving? And no different than a conference call? The purpose of FT is to SEE the other person. Watch something, live. Like a baby taking first steps. Show off a school play. It is VERY different than an audio call. There are too too many distracted drivers out there. How about Elon deliver Autonomous Driving first then we can watch things on the screen while behind the wheel?
> 
> BTW Apple is not the dominant force, Android has 73% of global market share. iOS leads in USA but Tesla is a global company.


Actually even in the U.S. Apple is not dominant. Android has a slightly higher share...


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

TomT said:


> Actually even in the U.S. Apple is not dominant. Android has a slightly higher share...


Per statista.com, in the US ios is 54%, android 46%. Worldwide the numbers a WAY in favor of android.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

FRC said:


> This is a serious post.


Moving video visible from the driver's seat is illegal.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Ed Woodrick said:


> Moving video visible from the driver's seat is illegal.


Where? In Georgia? Nationwide? Continentwide? Source?


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

FRC said:


> I don't recall seeing this discussed before, but a recent FaceTime call from my grandsons made me think that Facetime displayed on the car's display would be awful nice. As it is now, if my grandsons FaceTime, I engage autopilot(TACC) and pick up my phone. Sure would be nicer(and safer) if I could answer and talk to the display.
> 
> Is this something that is reasonably easy with a software update? Or would it require some kind of cooperation from Apple? Is it doable? Useful? Helpful?


You can just get one of these:


I have my phone paired to my 3 and can answer FT calls when they come in.

Now I'm not condoning this as in my locale it would be 100% illegal. Just as it would be illegal to have ANY video playing within eye sight of the driver while the vehicle is in motion.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

I don't know for certain, because I've never tried, nor do I want to; but, isn't it possible to surf the web while underway?


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

Really? You going to question it? Try looking it up on your own or maybe realize that there is no car with an entertainment system that the driver can see. Tons of vehicles with entertainment systems in the back seat. But you've never seen one that even the front seat passenger can see. 

And the simple fact that Tesla disables the CODEC when the car moves should be enough for you. Why can't you watch Netflix driving down the road?


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Just asking for a cite, Ed. Don't have a cow, please.


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

FRC said:


> In my jurisdiction, hands-free calling is legal. I don't see hands-free FaceTime in a significantly different light. No need to stare at the display during a call, just an occasional glance as driving duties allow. No different than glancing at the screen for other information. And, hey, how nice would it be in a few weeks when L4 autopilot is initiated [He said, tongue firmly planted in cheek].


I'm almost 100% certain every state has laws against having videos viewable by the driver while the vehicle is in motion. Handsfree != eyes free. You're expect to maintain your visuals on the road. I get the premise that cars these days (and for the past couple decades) have so many gadgets built in that it's nearly impossible to keep your eyes on the road only, but laws will absolutely prevent any non-builtin features from being a distraction on top of the vehicle itself.

Most vehicles won't even let you enter a navigation address, at least in our Teslas we still have full browser and navigation/keyboard access.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Ed Woodrick said:


> Really? You going to question it? Try looking it up on your own or maybe realize that there is no car with an entertainment system that the driver can see. Tons of vehicles with entertainment systems in the back seat. But you've never seen one that even the front seat passenger can see.
> 
> And the simple fact that Tesla disables the CODEC when the car moves should be enough for you. Why can't you watch Netflix driving down the road?


So, I took your advice, Ed. According to drivingslaws.aaa.com, the laws in the US vary widely state-to-state. Some states prohibit it, some say that the screen must not obscure the driver's vision, some do not prohibit it in any way. Likely, as time passes more states will prohibit it, until we achieve L3/L4. All that aside, the OP(me) never asked if it should be allowed. The question was can it be achieved with a software update.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

FRC said:


> So, I took your advice, Ed. According to drivingslaws.aaa.com, the laws in the US vary widely state-to-state. Some states prohibit it, some say that the screen must not obscure the driver's vision, some do not prohibit it in any way. Likely, as time passes more states will prohibit it, until we achieve L3/L4. All that aside, the OP(me) never asked if it should be allowed. The question was can it be achieved with a software update.


And just a FYI, as you may know, it is illegal in GA to be holding the phone when driving.

But most importantly, it's unsafe, even when using FSD.

And the reason why the no moving video laws were written many years ago, well before cellphones existed.


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## FRC (Aug 4, 2018)

Ed Woodrick said:


> And the reason why the no moving video laws were written many years ago, well before cellphones existed.


Patently untrue. As best I can determine, Washington state was the first to pass such a law in January, 2018. Followed by Georgia in July, 2018. As indicated above, many states have yet to pass such a law as of 7/19/21.


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## shareef777 (Mar 10, 2019)

FRC said:


> Patently untrue. As best I can determine, Washington state was the first to pass such a law in January, 2018. Followed by Georgia in July, 2018. As indicated above, many states have yet to pass such a law as of 7/19/21.


IL passed a law a little over a year ago making streaming video to the driver illegal.

Regardless, you'd be hard pressed to find ANY auto manufacturer that'll add that feature to any of their vehicles. They'd be opening themselves up to lawsuits.

Look no more then what's going on with Tesla. People are watching videos of their own accord (not from the Tesla screen) and they STILL sue Tesla because they want to blame someone else for their recklessness. Can you imagine what would happen if they allowed FT!!!?

"Your honor I'd like to sue Tesla for my car accident. No, I wasn't watching the game on the screen, I was FaceTiming my brother who was watching the game!"


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## garsh (Apr 4, 2016)

FRC said:


> isn't it possible to surf the web while underway?


I've had abetterrouteplanner.com open in the car's web browser while driving.


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## Madmolecule (Oct 8, 2018)

All the laws are outdated, even the hands-free laws, have more loopholes and less teeth then most people think. I don’t know why they don’t use the current Tesla model and just have a beta button or a button that says it the passenger using it, none of the laws were written for a single display shared by both the driver and the passenger. The video can easily only be on the right side of the screen intended for the passenger. It’s just more excuses, to provide less functionality to the user.

Also the currents messaging sucks. No images, if you reply to a group text it only replies to one person, and after driving a long text Stream, When I put my car in park it replays all the messages. Texting has been around for a while, Tesla must have their dial-up team working on it


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

Regardless of what the laws say, do you know how many people have caused serious crashes because they were trying to adjust the radio, or dropped their phone, or looked down for just a second? It's not how much total attention you're giving to a distraction, it's _timing_. Even a split second of distraction at the wrong time can cause your death or someone else's.

From a personal point of view, though, I would say having Facetime conversations while driving is about the same level of distraction as people who livestream (and read the chat) while driving.


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## Madmolecule (Oct 8, 2018)

All distractions are dangerous, even setting your climate control, or selecting music.

oh yeah, this is one of the main reasons I pay 10 grand for FSD. I actually believed the hype, and thought it would take over some of the driving responsibility for me. Now to find out it’s just vaporware that I have to manage, and still be responsible for every aspect of the vehicle safety. Yes I thought I’d be FaceTimeing by now, Watching videos, sitting in the backseat having sex while drinking. That was the fantasy I bought into. The reality we’re just a bunch of sheeples waiting for the download button. Distractions while driving is common place and only becoming more prevalent. We need to figure out how we can manage this as safe as possible. We also have to figure out what we can and cannot believe from manufactures, that sell products that aren’t even developed, or tested. You also can’t believe the reviews on the Internet. Tesla marketing is only through compensated shills, Threw promises of future rewards, Or maybe being added to the beta team. what other company can have a rollout a new vehicle, that is the greatest thing ever produced, and they only made 25? Was it a release or just more marketing?

I guess it was just stupid “pure vision“ on my part. Still waiting to cash in on my investment. Just to let you guys get first crack at it, I’ll let my 2018 model 3 go for the first person with 80K cash. Don’t worry it has FSD and you can start making money for you immediately. You just have to summon it!

elon electrify Cuba!
is phantom drain Bitcoin mining?

my scorecard

fun driving 10/10 (Other than the leaf, I think this is true for all currently produce Evs)
supercharging network (8/10) Recent Electrify America videos look pretty good and very available. Tesla needs to add trash cans, car washes, and air at the superchargers.
infotainment 4/10
messaging 1/10
navigation 3/10
summon 1/10
autopilot 4/10
FSD 0/10
interior 4/10
road noise 1/10
windsield wipers 1/10
HVAC 4/10
dog mode 4/10
Reliability 9/10
tesla customer support 2/10
Tesla focus on existing customer base 1/10
Investment 0/10 A big loser like every other vehicle ever produced.

Why have all other features remain stagnant while we’ve been waiting on this big FSD roll out. Why can’t they release it in stages so we get advanced summon working first, before whatever city streets are? When are we going to get deep rain, or how about a damn moisture sensor, humidity sensor, radar, big data. How people believe that if they couldn’t make it work with radar, removing radar is the key to success. Like that was the problem. A complete rewrite due to the removal of radar, please pass over whatever you’re smoking. Even though Tesla has gotten the checkbox for providing advance summon, they also had made is just a party trick, and the real one will be coming out in the future, we just have to have faith. And as soon as you can drive your car on a city street, they will check that box also. Since they haven’t defined what the product will do or will be capable of, they are the lone ones to say that it is complete and you got what you paid for.


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## lance.bailey (Apr 1, 2019)

FRC said:


> I don't know for certain, because I've never tried, nor do I want to; but, isn't it possible to surf the web while underway?


yes it is. you can be in motion and surf the web. I have had a passenger do it while I was driving and in motion.


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## lance.bailey (Apr 1, 2019)

Madmolecule said:


> The reality we're just a bunch of sheeples waiting for the download button.


This.


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## JasonF (Oct 26, 2018)

lance.bailey said:


> yes it is. you can be in motion and surf the web. I have had a passenger do it while I was driving and in motion.


What's funny is, you can do that, but when I got a message from Tesla service in the app while driving and decided to read it at a stoplight, I got a loading error that said something like ERR_INMOTION.


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## Camarograna2 (Apr 24, 2021)

FRC said:


> I don't recall seeing this discussed before, but a recent FaceTime call from my grandsons made me think that Facetime displayed on the car's display would be awful nice. As it is now, if my grandsons FaceTime, I engage autopilot(TACC) and pick up my phone. Sure would be nicer(and safer) if I could answer and talk to the display.
> 
> Is this something that is reasonably easy with a software update? Or would it require some kind of cooperation from Apple? Is it doable? Useful? Helpful?


we dont even have apple music bruh


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## TomT (Apr 1, 2019)

FRC said:


> Per statista.com, in the US ios is 54%, android 46%. Worldwide the numbers are WAY in favor of android.


Old data. It's nearly 50-50 now in the U.S.. Regardless, what is much more important is that what he is suggesting is illegal anywhere in the U.S., as well it should be! We have enough distracted driving already! And don't try to tell me that it is safe on Autopilot. You are supposed to be paying attention to the road when you are on autopilot... I would hope that the NHTSA would say not only no, but hell no! It's likely irrelevant though as I don't see Tesla and Apple EVER cooperating on anything!


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## NR4P (Jul 14, 2018)

TomT said:


> Old data. It's nearly 50-50 now in the U.S.. Regardless, what is much more important is that what he is suggesting is illegal anywhere in the U.S., as well it should be! We have enough distracted driving already! And don't try to tell me that it is safe on Autopilot. You are supposed to be paying attention to the road when you are on autopilot... I would hope that the NHTSA would say not only no, but hell no! It's likely irrelevant though as I don't see Tesla and Apple EVER cooperating on anything!


I would be happy with Carplay and Android Auto to start. But that will not happen, so FT, no way.


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

FRC said:


> Patently untrue. As best I can determine, Washington state was the first to pass such a law in January, 2018. Followed by Georgia in July, 2018. As indicated above, many states have yet to pass such a law as of 7/19/21.


I took a little time to search. Of course finding laws is one of the hardest thing to do unless you want to pay big money.

AAA info
https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/video-screens/
California
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=VEH&sectionNum=27602
And if I'm reading the CA info correctly, it was enacted in 1959. I believe that was the period back when lawmakers were worried about watching TVs in their car (and probably paid for by the radio station lobbies).

So I tend to stand by my statement.


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## Klaus-rf (Mar 6, 2019)

Ed Woodrick said:


> And just a FYI, as you may know, it is illegal in GA to be holding the phone when driving.
> 
> But most importantly, it's unsafe, even when using FSD.
> 
> And the reason why the no moving video laws were written many years ago, well before cellphones existed.


I doubt it. Cell phones existed in he early 80's and the first [factory] DVD-playing video/ entertainment screens in autocars that I recall wasn't until maybe 1998?


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## Ed Woodrick (May 26, 2018)

Klaus-rf said:


> I doubt it. Cell phones existed in he early 80's and the first [factory] DVD-playing video/ entertainment screens in autocars that I recall wasn't until maybe 1998?


So 1959 was after the 80's? 
Many of the laws have been on the books for many years, well before the 80's. They were for televisions. 
In the last 20 or so years, the "don't hold cellphones" laws were added. They may have increased the restrictions, but their primary purpose was for people talking on the phone.


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