I think Baidu Carlife is the Chinese equivalent to Android Auto- as Google services aren't available in China. Very odd to see it on the software version for the European market!

 

Another bug for the list

 

If it hasn't happened to anyone else, next time it pops up I'll tap the Baidu Carlife button and see what happens. Though, if my car starts talking to me in Mandarin from then on I will regret my choices!

 

Exciting times!

 

This happened to me the other night parked outside a supermarket.

I did think it was strange that it was listing a phone other than those connected via bluetooth/wifi/cable. I assume pressing it would just trigger an alert on whoever's phone saying do you want to connect? Though they might say yes?

 

Well that was my assumption too, as it also tends to happen in supermarket car parks for me. But after Googling it, I'm fairly sure it only exists on phones in China (or at least, is in Mandarin) as their local rival to Android Auto. So it seems like an odd service for phones passing by my car in a supermarket in Gloucestershire to have on them.

I think the only way to solve the mystery is going to be selecting it the next time it comes up to see what happens. When I do I will keep my eyes peeled for anyone in the carpark looking in confusion at a weird notification about an ID.3 that has suddenly popped up on their phone

 

I'm sure there's plenty of phones around the UK running it, be interesting to see when I run into an Amazon/Echo auto one.

 

Well, it appeared today so I pressed it and... (pauses to create suspense)... nothing happened It just loaded CarPlay from my phone as (kind of) normal. I say kind of because it loaded it in a bit of a glitchy way where it didn't go properly full screen, so I had to press the home button and go back into CarPlay to fix that.

Also, it happened in my driveway, with no neighbours around (unless they were hiding behind a tree!), so doesn't appear to be trying to go to other people's phones when it does it.

So, looks like one for the bug fix team for the next update! Bit disappointed by the anticlimax... I was waiting for the People's Liberation Army to appear suddenly and take control of my car. No such excitement.