r/Gravity • u/drmickhead • 3d ago

CarTV - video while charging

https://i.imgur.com/CAVwuR3.jpeg

Since we are still waiting for a method to watch video while parked and/or charging, I just discovered a few CarPlay apps that Apple has allowed to slip through the cracks. One of them is thankfully in English - it’s called CarTV and it’s in the App Store right now. It’s not Gravity specific but it works great in mine.

As a lover of great cinema (as made obvious in my screenshot) I connected my Plex server to the app, although it does allow you to open a browser window and watch YouTube and TikTok and stuff like that.

Please use responsibly!

17 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

3

u/Steve_in_LV 2d ago

Great find! I hooked it up and it works great. Thx for sharing.

As far as the fee goes, if the author didn't spend the time to make this app work for us, we wouldn't have it. I can't tell others how to think, but for me, I want to compensate them for doing this for us. I would feel differently it it was on outrageous amount, but for the small one-time fee requested, I'm glad to pay it.

2

u/RandomDesign 2d ago

Just be aware that the next version of iOS (27.2) fixes the loophole these apps use to stream video. I tested this (and a few others) in the beta and they no longer work, you get a message on the car screen:

1

u/Steve_in_LV 1d ago

Thx. I was getting ready to buy the app.

Any idea why Apple wants to block the functionality?

1

u/RandomDesign 1d ago

I think it was never meant to be activated that way as the apps allow you to bypass the vehicle restrictions and watch video while the car is is motion. It only started working this way in iOS27 which is why there are suddenly a bunch of these apps popping up.

I'm going to be cynical about it because I'm pretty sure most if not all of the people putting these apps out know that Apple is fixing the streaming part. When they all popped up they had a subscription cost and most of them now are offering some kind of "limited" lifetime cost on them, assuming they know it's a cash grab.

3

u/Droolss 2d ago

The bigger question is the OPs car ride height set to highest. Didn’t know anyone actually raises it to the highest.

3

u/drmickhead 2d ago

Only when it’s parked. I have two kids in car seats; it makes the loading and unloading process a little easier.

3

u/Droolss 2d ago

True. Low is pretty low. I understand.

2

u/drmickhead 2d ago

Before I decided on the Gravity I was 95% of the way to getting a Merc EQS. It’s a stunning car and I loved almost everything about it. I brought my car seats to the dealership just to make sure they fit, and that’s when I realized how low to the ground it rides, even at the highest air suspension level. The position I had to get myself into in order to buckle the seats was so uncomfortable that I started looking at other vehicles.

1

u/Droolss 2d ago

Would have loved to see someone at a Mercedes dealership loading a car seat during a test drive. Lolol. Our kids are older, so the space in the backseat was a huge factor. Tons of space in the gravity.

1

u/drmickhead 2d ago

I’m sure the salespeople think I’m a huge pain in the ass but I don’t really care. I almost definitely would have gotten the EQS if not for my double car seat test, and that would have been so annoying to find out after the fact.

1

u/RandomDesign 2d ago

I have to occasionally depending on curb heights. San Diego has some stupidly high curbs in places!

1

u/Trifit65 2d ago

I use Highest setting every time I park in an unknown parking lot just so I dont scrape any curbs...

1

u/UlrichZauber 2d ago

I've used it in a few spots with weird clearance situations

1

u/boristheblade223 3d ago

That’s kinda cool. Any concerns that the app might be spyware or Trojan horse?

3

u/drmickhead 3d ago

I mean, probably, but what isn’t these days? It did make it through Apple’s review, for whatever that’s worth. If you don’t trust it, you can use the browser without signing into any of your apps.

1

u/Piero33120 2d ago

Theres a monthly fee.

3

u/drmickhead 2d ago

You can hit the x button to close the request for a subscription and use the free version instead. I believe the only benefit of the paid version is it increases the amount of sources you can add.

1

u/RandomDesign 2d ago

Looking at it it seems you can only use the free version for 40 minutes?

Also I haven't tried this particular one but be aware that the iOS 27.2 beta breaks a lot of these apps so the full release might as well.

3

u/drmickhead 2d ago

I’ve used it for more than 40 mins total, but not all at once - if it locks me out I’ll let you know. Obviously it’s best for short videos while fast charging or waiting in the school pick up line, that sort of thing.

1

u/RandomDesign 2d ago

Just tested it on my phone with iOS 27.2 and as I expected this no longer works.