Does the Turbo go into dock mode when using a dock in a car?

[akatoast]

I tried using my car dock yesterday and it did not recognize that it was docked at all. Anyone?

 

[Flexia]

It actually senses that you are driving and then puts it in driving mode. it is called moto assist

 

[pbug56]

What car dock? Last I checked, Moto still had not released a car dock for Turbo, leaving you to have to pick some big, clunky generic car dock that probably blocks controls. Biggest thing stopping me from upgrading from my Droid Razr Maxx is the lack of a car dock.

 

[Brian Singleton]

Try the Kenu AirFrame. Best mount there is in my opinion. I like to keep my phone off the windshield for overheating reasons.

 

[dmark44]

Try the Kenu AirFrame. Best mount there is in my opinion. I like to keep my phone off the windshield for overheating reasons.

Kenu Airframe will not activate dock mode for any phone.

Sent from my Moto X

 

[dmark44]

Unfortunately, after years of supporting docking features and offering car and desk dock accessories for all of their major Droids/smartphones, it appears that Motorola has omitted them from their 2014 phones.

All the more reason to hang on to my 2013 Moto X for awhile along with my Griffin Powerdocks. Especially as we pay down my wife's iPhone 6 Plus...
Sent from my Moto X

 

[pbug56]

What a waste. Big use for today's phones is navigation; kind of hard to do without a viable dock. What is Moto thinking?

 

[Coronado is dead]

What a waste. Big use for today's phones is navigation; kind of hard to do without a viable dock. What is Moto thinking?

You could always get a universal dock, or make one, and then slap an NFC sticker in it.

 

[vzwuser76]

There isn't a need for a dock that will put the phone into dock mode. Since last year, any Motorola phone that had Moto Assist installed automatically switches into car/dock mode when driving. Speaker phone turns on, if a call or text comes in Touchless Control/Moto Voice announces who it's from and asks what you want to do. If it's a call it'll ask if you want to answer it, if it's a text it'll ask if you want it to read it to you, and then ask if you want to reply, and then will do so using voice to text. The voice commands also allow you to tell the phone to navigate to where ever you want, all without touching it.

The key to this is GPS and accelerometer determine that you are driving, and voice controls make it run hands free. So really all you need is a universal dock to hold the phone, everything else is taken care of internally. I plan on going with the iBOLT xProDock. The way it's designed it leaves the area in front of the rear camera open, and one model is made to work with NFC phones, if you don't trust Motorola's way if doing driving mode. Here's a link to stuff for the Droid Maxx, which is pretty similar to the Turbo size wise.

https://ibolt.co/car-docks/smartphone-mounts/droid-maxx.html

 

[doogald]

What a waste. Big use for today's phones is navigation; kind of hard to do without a viable dock. What is Moto thinking?

Does anybody else make special navigation docks anymore? Does Samsung or HTC make them for their phones? I know Apple doesn't make them. I imagine that Motorola had a pretty good idea from historical trends how well they sold and, if they're no longer making them, it's probably because not enough people were buying them to be worth it.

With the Turbo it's easy enough to use voice commands to navigate somewhere. Or, start the navigation before you leave, or pull over somewhere to start the navigation.

 

[NoahForeman]

There isn't a need for a dock that will put the phone into dock mode. Since last year, any Motorola phone that had Moto Assist installed automatically switches into car/dock mode when driving. Speaker phone turns on, if a call or text comes in Touchless Control/Moto Voice announces who it's from and asks what you want to do. If it's a call it'll ask if you want to answer it, if it's a text it'll ask if you want it to read it to you, and then ask if you want to reply, and then will do so using voice to text. The voice commands also allow you to tell the phone to navigate to where ever you want, all without touching it.

The key to this is GPS and accelerometer determine that you are driving, and voice controls make it run hands free. So really all you need is a universal dock to hold the phone, everything else is taken care of internally. I plan on going with the iBOLT xProDock. The way it's designed it leaves the area in front of the rear camera open, and one model is made to work with NFC phones, if you don't trust Motorola's way if doing driving mode. Here's a link to stuff for the Droid Maxx, which is pretty similar to the Turbo size wise.

https://ibolt.co/car-docks/smartphone-mounts/droid-maxx.html

I have always and will always need a dock mode. The stuff that motorola gives you when in vehicle mode is not enough. I need to be able to hit the home and take me to a separate kauncher with large buttons which are easy to press. I also need to be able to add quick contacts to dial. This is something that the Motorola assist does not provide.

If they had it so that entering driving mode in moto assist could launch another app, that would be fine.

Posted via the Android Central App on my Droid Turbo.

 

[doogald]

Get a third party car launcher from the play store and launch it when you get in the car, or use voice commands ("ok turbo, open car home ultra") to start it, or use tasker to start it automatically when it senses you driving.

 

[vzwuser76]

I have always and will always need a dock mode. The stuff that motorola gives you when in vehicle mode is not enough. I need to be able to hit the home and take me to a separate kauncher with large buttons which are easy to press. I also need to be able to add quick contacts to dial. This is something that the Motorola assist does not provide.

If they had it so that entering driving mode in moto assist could launch another app, that would be fine.

Posted via the Android Central App on my Droid Turbo.

You're right Motorola Assist doesn't provide those things. But you know what does and does them better? Moto Voice. You don't need to press big buttons to accomplish something, you tell it what to do. I assume you want navigation, right? Then you could say your launch phrase for Moto Voice, and say "Navigate to ... and say your address". You want quick contacts to dial? Say your launch phrase and then say "Call John Smith Mobile" or "Dial 411-555-6767" and it will call it for you. What other actions do you need from your dock mode? I would bet that Moto Voice can probably accomish them. But without knowing what commands you need from the phone while in dock mode, I can't really say that 100%.

And if they can't, the xProDock I linked to is NFC capable and they have a dock mode app you can download from the Playstore.

 

[NoahForeman]

But without knowing what commands you need from the phone while in dock mode, I can't really say that 100%.

Plus some of us roll with the windows down . And the voice assist still does weird things sometimes (like calling my old work instead of my wife, yikes), buttons do not.

Posted via the Android Central App on my Droid Turbo.

 

[vzwuser76]

Plus some of us roll with the windows down . And the voice assist still does weird things sometimes (like calling my old work instead of my wife, yikes), buttons do not.

Posted via the Android Central App on my Droid Turbo.

Which is why I mentioned xProDock with NFC as an alternative. It has a car dock app that is triggered by NFC. I havent used it so I don't know what all it entails, but I imagine any car dock app that can be triggered by NFC will work. Point is, there are options. But as far as last years Griffin mount for the Maxx, if that's what they plan to do for the future, I'd pass. That might've been the worst though out dock I've ever seen. Another option I found when looking around is Tylt, who makes the Qi charging stands, has a windshield mount Qi charger coming out in the future. I don't know if that will trigger car dock, but it may be worth looking into. Also, do we know that there is a Motorola car dock app on this phone? It's very possible that they removed it in favor of voice controls.

 

[FredBassett]

There isn't a need for a dock that will put the phone into dock mode. Since last year, any Motorola phone that had Moto Assist installed automatically switches into car/dock mode when driving. Speaker phone turns on, if a call or text comes in Touchless Control/Moto Voice announces who it's from and asks what you want to do. If it's a call it'll ask if you want to answer it, if it's a text it'll ask if you want it to read it to you, and then ask if you want to reply, and then will do so using voice to text. The voice commands also allow you to tell the phone to navigate to where ever you want, all without touching it.

The key to this is GPS and accelerometer determine that you are driving, and voice controls make it run hands free. So really all you need is a universal dock to hold the phone, everything else is taken care of internally. I plan on going with the iBOLT xProDock. The way it's designed it leaves the area in front of the rear camera open, and one model is made to work with NFC phones, if you don't trust Motorola's way if doing driving mode. Here's a link to stuff for the Droid Maxx, which is pretty similar to the Turbo size wise.

https://ibolt.co/car-docks/smartphone-mounts/droid-maxx.html

That dock looks pretty nice and more substantial than some. Do you know if the Android dock on that site will work for the turbo? I can carry on with my current usb charger thats in the car and use car home ultra so i just need something to hold it up at eye level

 

[vzwuser76]

It says it'll work for both the Droid Turbo & DNA. It's a somewhat universal mount so there shouldn't be an issue.

 

[Joshua Beale]

If you don't have the GPS turned ON all the time, then MotoAssist doesn't turn on. MotoAssist also doesn't auto rotate the phone screen if you have it laid in Landscape mode.

Also on the newest version of the Maps, they removed the Speedometer function that used to be in the lower left corner.

I'm also not a big fan of the screen always going dark when I'm plugged into the car charger. I also liked the ability to have the larger button functionality of the Vehicle Mode on my Droid Razr HD, as I could "fat finger" something and still get where I wanted to go, and I could program buttons to be shortcuts to Music, or Navigation, or Phone.

I wish they would get a good vehicle mode.

 

[doogald]

If you don't have the GPS turned ON all the time, then MotoAssist doesn't turn on.

Why wouldn't you have gps on all of the time anyway? Have you compared running the phone with gps off one day and on the next? You may be surprised...

 

[vzwuser76]

Of course you'd need GPS on for it to know when you're driving. I mentioned that earlier. That along with the accelerometer determine that it's moving faster than a human could. But like I said, a dock with NFC and a car dock app could bring the same functionality as a dedicated car dock with magnetic car mode launch. And IIRC I read somewhere that on the Turbo, the magnetic feature now launches the mode for the Flip case (the one with the window).

If you're needing the functionality that dedicated car dock software brings like large icons and landscape mode, then no Moto Assist doesn't work. But the auto rotate function and the screen powering off when plugged in aren't an issue when using voice controls.

I'm just trying to give options for people since Motorola apparently isn't planning to release a dedicated car dock. I'll stop then.