Cachly 8.1 CarPlay Update

I’m excited to share an update on the CarPlay development planned for Cachly 8.1.

CarPlay integration is currently in active development, and over the past week, our beta testers have been hard at work identifying and reporting bugs. I’d like to take a moment to explain why this process takes time and provide some insight into what’s involved in creating this feature.

Why Does CarPlay Development Take So Long?

Here’s a breakdown of the key steps involved:

1. Obtain CarPlay Permissions: Securing Apple’s approval is the first step, granting us permission to begin development for CarPlay.
2. Build Offline Maps Compatibility: Ensuring offline maps work seamlessly with CarPlay.
3. Develop New API Calls: Writing new APIs to load geocaches dynamically as users drive or explore the map.
4. Work Within CarPlay Restrictions: Adapting to CarPlay’s limitations, such as the inability to tap on cache pins.
5. Research Turn-by-Turn Directions: Exploring options to provide audio and visual navigation to caches.
6. Overcome Cost Barriers: Discovering that commercial solutions are cost-prohibitive and exploring alternatives.
7. Adopt Open-Source Frameworks: Identifying an open-source turn-by-turn navigation framework compatible with offline maps.
8. Build a Dedicated Directions Server: Setting up a custom Cachly server to handle navigation.
9. Process Global Street Data: Using open-source software to generate spoken directions worldwide.
10. Customize Open-Source Code: Modifying the framework to meet Cachly’s unique requirements.
11. Fix Bugs in the Framework: Debugging and enhancing the open-source code to ensure reliability.
12. Beta Testing and Feedback: Collecting bug reports and feature suggestions from our beta testers.
13. Implement Fixes and Features: Addressing issues and refining the feature based on tester feedback.
14. Final Testing and Release: Performing comprehensive testing before rolling out the update to users.

The Challenges of Development

When we introduce a new feature to Cachly, the timeline for release can often be unpredictable. Development inevitably involves unexpected hurdles, and as the sole developer working on Cachly in my free time, progress sometimes takes longer than anticipated.

That said, I’m excited about the progress we’re making with CarPlay. I’m confident that this new feature will enhance your geocaching adventures, and I can’t wait to see it in the hands (and cars) of Cachly users!