Car Play - White Washed Map Colours

[Dave J 0]

Loving the version 4.3.0 (330) and the new maps that are now available. Whilst these maps look good on the iPhone and CarPlay screenshot, they display as though washed out a bit and need more vibrancy. This is the same for both my car’s CarPlay display and the Chigee AIO-5 Play on my bike.

CarPlay screenshot:

Photo of display:

This was the same with the previous build 4.3.0 (328). Is there anything that can be done for improving the colours on the CarPlay displays?

[Corjan Meijerink]

@Dave-J-0 how do other apps look? Seems like the display simply lacks contrast

[Dave J 0]

@Corjan-Meijerink Other apps are fine. This is on both my car’s CarPlay display and the bike one in the picture.

[Jörgen]

@Dave-J-0 Can you adjust brightness?

[Dave J 0]

@Jörgen I can turn off auto and select the brightness manually. But the other apps are ok and it is the same in my car’s CarPlay. Difficult to see from the picture but the main roads are ok, it is really just the grey with fine black and white back roads. I have tried some of the other maps/colours but, again, it is the minor roads that are difficult to see.

I will have a look at other apps again for comparison.

[Jörgen]

I tried CarPlay yesterday in my SEAT Arona and it is a great improvement in visibility. Can you try another iphone?

[Tim Watson]

I feel the same about the colours. I find using MRA over Android Auto from my Samsung to a Chigee AIO-5 is like looking at a thin blue road over a pale grey, featureless desert. It's functional, but switching to something like Tomtom GO shows how exciting the map could look.

However, I did see a thread recently that suggested that some other colour options were in the pipeline so I'm hoping that there will be some alternative looks soon.

[Jörgen]

@Tim-Watson can you show this with some pictures?

[Dave J 0]

@Tim-Watson these options are the new colour options I am talking about. They are good but I appear to have a problem on the Chigee. Just wondered if others had noticed this with the new colours.

I have also raised a ticket with Chigee as they are still developing their firmware and appear to be responsive to their customers. I will see what comes back from them. As well.

[Tim Watson]

@Jörgen Will do this weekend!

[Dave J 0]

@Jörgen Unfortunately, I only have the one iPhone. I will do some more testing later with other apps for comparison. With Scenic, I can create a custom colour scheme and the palette I have used there works well.

[Tim Watson]

@Dave-J-0 I haven't seen any colour options in the app. Are you on a beta?

In general I find the Chigee display to be bright and colourful. Certainly Tomtom and Waze look great. I just think the default HERE palette is a bit bland. Not MRA's fault.

[Dave J 0]

@Tim-Watson yes, I am a beta tester. Just been providing feedback on the new schemes. They are good and look great on the iPhone but I would personally, like to see more vibrancy but the schemes are a great move forward.

[Tim Watson]

@Dave-J-0 Ah OK. I'd only seen a couple of screenshots in another thread. It's great that they are close, but a shame you don't find them bold on the Chigee screen. Have you tried some other apps for visual comparison? Tomtom GO, OsmAnd etc? I just found them so much more visually stimulating, but maybe the new palettes will be enough for me.

[Dave J 0]

Some App colour comparisons (Bike view and then screenshot from the iPhone):

• Scenic (custom):
  

• TomTom Go:
  
  

• Sygic:
  
  

• Osmand:
  
  

• Google Maps:
  
  

• Apple Maps
  
  

I am no expert but colour is quite key when on the bike. Grey works really well for the minor roads as do bold colours for everything else. Great that we have new options with some customisation but I think the current pallets could do with a vibrancy option for CarPlay/AA.

Just a suggestion/thought. Love what the team are doing.

[Peter Schiefer]

@Dave-J-0
First I use MRA with CarPlay in a car, actual on an MB SLC cabrio with open roof here at the sunny bright Bordeaux area on the 8“ radio unit in the dashboard. CarPlay has some limits too, like missing markers infos you have on the phone, but this is another story.
The new style „Wong“ is a big improvement, if you then select in addition Logistk industrial zones are more highlighted but this is more for fun than an addition.
But that is all. In Cities, lokal streets are again in white on light grey as well with smaller overland roads.

But my opinion, MRA is a navigation and routing App on which you first at all follow a created route which is in his dark blue color and (recommended) red position arrow very clear visible. In addition you receive (not every time) understable logic instructions. A need to see the other roads in a better contrast is in my point of view a bit a psygological issue than real a need.

When you compare other Apps like Sygic or TT, you have bigger contrast for the other roads, but do you need this really, when you follow the blue line of your route. I believ No.

A Sat Nav is not a paper map where you got an overview depends to the scale of 50 and more kilometers.
A popular scale in the past for biking, auto cruising in the near field was and is 1:200000. 1 cm on the paper represents 2 km and you have on a post card section A6 a squarespace of about 50 km. On the Nav you have only few 100 meters up to 3 kilometer.

If you need only a Map to see the next 2-3 kilometers, like I must do yesterday because MRA crashed by heat, I use Google maps. In addition the jams are on time an visible exact on a meter, which is not implemented in MRA. Arcachon yesterday was so crowded. the G-Maps tells me for the last 10 km an hour to drive.

[Dave J 0]

@Peter-Schiefer Thanks for your comments but what I am trying to put forward, as you have too, is that we all have different requirements from the MRA app. For me, this will depend, on where I am navigating and what I want to achieve from the route. I frequently travel into Wales from Shropshire and there, I want to see all the minor roads and features because of the road system in Wales and not always wanting to follow the blue line from what I find on route. If I am travelling through a major city, then I am not quite so bothered about the minor roads.

My settings are generally as you have but I could do with a custom option to give me a vibrant picture (like Scenic) or a vibrant Wong for Explore, Topographic and logistics.

Love that we have different maps and the options now being tried. I would just like a vibrant colour map that works well on the iPhone, particularly as the colours on my Pixel 6 Pro screen are far more intense. All screens are different, so it would be great to have that choice.

[Peter Schiefer]

@Dave-J-0

Dave, you mentioned..

For me, this will depend, on where I am navigating and what I want to achieve from the route. I frequently travel into Wales from Shropshire and there, I want to see all the minor roads and features because of the road system in Wales and not always wanting to follow the blue line from what I find on route. If I am travelling through a major city, then I am not quite so bothered about the minor roads.

I can only repeat, consider which distance you see on your samples of screenshots, It istü quite less than you expect. you see only depends on Speed ans zoomlevel automatic 300 m up to 1 kilometer in front of you and perhaps to the left and right a bit more.
I just have a sample picture on which I decide to leave my blue course.
Here on the way to Blaye we drove very close to the banks of the river Dordogne

You see the meaurement from Google only 750 m.
now the view with MRA, on CarPlay it is less.

What I like to say. It is more a random scene like here, where we decide to turn left into the Route de la Corniche to have a view on the river because it was visible on the display.
A Sat Nav cannot give you a wider overview for change discisions.

We had not select this road on our planing phase because of the size for a car. We followed the road then anyway but it was a tight road as expexted difficult to pass cars from opposite.

[Dave J 0]

@Peter-Schiefer you have your opinion and I have mine. Neither of us is right or wrong, we just have a difference of opinions. Moreover, what I have always liked about MRA is that they try and cater for all approaches to navigation and how people want to use their systems - unlike Garmin and TomTom!

You appear to have wandered off topic to make some point - I do not know why and I do not need another response stating how and why etc. this thread is purely about colouration.

My request to the MRA Team is that I would really like one of the set of three coloration options to be really bold and contrasting or a custom option. This would cater for a variety of screens/displays that render colours differently.

[Corjan Meijerink]

@Dave-J-0 Thanks for the elaborate comparison!
To be honest, I have no clue what could be the cause.
But I'll give it some thoughts!