Subaru Owners Are Ticked About In-Car Pop-Up Ads For SiriusXM (thedrive.com) 155
Subaru owners are reporting full-screen SiriusXM pop-up ads appearing on their infotainment systems while driving -- sometimes even overriding Apple CarPlay. Subaru says the ads appear only twice a year, but frustrated drivers argue the practice is distracting, unsafe, and a sign of an industry trend that's likely to get worse. The Drive reports: At least one 2024 Crosstrek owner reported that the pop-up took over their screen even though they were using Apple CarPlay. To force-close an application that's in use, solely for the sake of in-car advertising, is especially egregious. [The following Subaru owner complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reiterate that point...]
The Drive reached out to Subaru for comment on the marketing tactics. A company spokesperson responded, "We will discuss those messages in an upcoming meeting and will always consider customer feedback. This is the first we've heard of any issue. Those messages occur only twice a year, around Memorial Day and Thanksgiving, to alert customers that all channels are available to them for about two weeks." Reddit posts dating back as far as 2023 show owners complaining about in-car notifications.
The Drive reached out to Subaru for comment on the marketing tactics. A company spokesperson responded, "We will discuss those messages in an upcoming meeting and will always consider customer feedback. This is the first we've heard of any issue. Those messages occur only twice a year, around Memorial Day and Thanksgiving, to alert customers that all channels are available to them for about two weeks." Reddit posts dating back as far as 2023 show owners complaining about in-car notifications.
Hugs my 2000s car... (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Hugs my 2000s car... (Score:5, Interesting)
No giant screen, just an AUX-IN so I can plug in an MP3 player
What I did on my 2008-era car (which I no longer have) was to replace the standard stereo unit with a new android-based one - had all the conveniences of a modern setup (screen, maps/navigation, bluetooth, CarPay/AndroidAuto, optional tire monitor, even 4G (at the time) for wifi if I wanted), etc.) without all the tie-ins and less than 1/2 the price of equivalent name brand devices (think Pioneer, etc.). Got it from AliExpress back then.
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I wonder if one can still do this with all the technology integration.
The same telematics are involved with the adverts for optional features as are needed for collecting the monthly fees allowing your car to start.
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I wonder if one can still do this with all the technology integration.
I've done a cursory look a while back and it seems like there's some level of integration still possible of these third-party units for newer vehicles that come with their own integrated infotainment systems, but wouldn't be surprised if there was some loss of functionality (and for sure the car manufacturer would refuse any warranty due to custom install/replacement of such).
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My car has climate integrated with the head unit, though, so this can't be cheaply done -
Although my car at the time only had manual controls for climate, I do remember the unit having various settings for controlling settings like climate, etc. for various manufactures - just had to configure it for your vehicle. I believed it all used the CAMBUS (or whatever name it is) for those functions.
Unsure how newer vehicles integrate their functionality across the whole vehicle.
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Mine isn't multiplexed so it can't talk over CAN Bus - you know because if you flip the turn signal switch, it turns on immediately vs waiting for the body control module to graciously do its thing. Also, if you use the signal momentarily, it doesn't automatically blink 3 times - you can even use the lever to blink out patterns.
Also, I do -NOT- want my car's HVAC to be touchscreened. Good 'ol dials for me, yes SIR, none of that new fangled stuff.
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Also, if you use the signal momentarily, it doesn't automatically blink 3 times - you can even use the lever to blink out patterns.
Of all the things I hate about our Honda, that behaviour is near the top of the list. Occasionally I either flip the lever the wrong way, or change my mind based on new data about what's going on around me or on the realization that I'm not yet at the turn I thought I was at. So the "blink three times" so-called "safety" feature is in fact a "danger feature".
Every time I drive that car, I swear at the oblivious fucktards who designed the "user experience". It's as though they've never driven a car at all, n
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Honda is showing the beginning of the end by selling cars not designed by them, so maybe you won't have to wait too long for their come-uppance. Their only full sized EV is a GM product and they didn't even bother making any interior changes so it doesn't even look or feel like a Honda inside. It sounds like this can only be an improvement at this point.
It's so weird given that Honda was the undisputed champ of making a good simple reliable car in the 1990s. How did they get here? Did they hire execs from S
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p>Also, I do -NOT- want my car's HVAC to be touchscreened. Good 'ol dials for me, yes SIR, none of that new fangled stuff.
Agreed on that - when I got my unit, I wanted it to be all slick and modern, so went with a touch-only flat screen, no buttons or volume knob for functions. I regretted it a bit as it wasn't as easy to use (like doing volume up/down).
In hindsight I would've gotten the unit with the 4-5 physical side buttons + volume knob.
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I have one of those cheap Chinese Android head units in my older ICE vehicle. I received it free as a review sample and TBH, it's just okay. CarPlay is a little laggy compared against how it works in my Chevy Bolt, and the built-in amplifier is rather anemic.
I really wouldn't consider it an upgrade from modern(ish) infotainment systems. For an older vehicle with a factory tape deck or CD player head unit, or something like the Slate truck (which for some crazy reason won't include a radio), sure, why not
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https://www.jalopnik.com/the-story-behind-one-of-the-funniest-craigslist-car-ads-1825571462/
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2010 Elantra Blue has an AUX-IN. Never used it, but I know it exists. Also has a USB-A connection. And a CD player which I regularly use.
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Get the European entertainment system since Sirius XM isn't provided in Europe.
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I like my SiriusXM. I listen on the road, on my mobile EVERYWHERE else. 300+ stations that I can listen to knowing that the artists are actually getting a piece of my $$$, unlike any other modern platform. SiriusXM is better for the musicians than anything but buying CD's and merch from a show. It also has artist based stations for ANYONE I can think of. I also found that I actually enjoy a curated selection by someone else who knows music. It is hard to hear new stuff from my MP3 collection. Many of the XM
Re:Hugs my 2000s car... (Score:5, Informative)
It is not cheap but I derive an enormous amount of pleasure from SiriusXM.
You're quite literally the only happy Sirius subscriber I've ever heard of.
Re:Hugs my 2000s car... (Score:5, Insightful)
I tried it once many years ago. I could never get past how bad the music all sounded due to the excessive amount of data compression.
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I tried it once many years ago. I could never get past how bad the music all sounded due to the excessive amount of data compression.
Voice-heavy channels sounded like 16Kbps streams to me, and the music ones were basically AM quality; there were a few that sounded decent, but I think those were only available in higher-priced tier.
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Re: Hugs my 2000s car... (Score:2)
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A (proper) truck GPS will avoid roads that would be unsuitable for trucks, but would be fine for a regular car. This could inconvenience you at times.
Drivenshitification? (Score:2)
Seems automakers are hell-bent on making driving a worse experience now?
Re:Drivenshitification? (Score:5, Insightful)
They are hell-bend on extracting as much after-sale money as they can by turning features into "services" with monthly subscription fees.
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It's just a popup notice indicating you have free Sirius for two weeks. There isn't even a "Subscribe" button. I don't see why people are so worked up over this.
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They are worked up because it covers the screen that provides car controls and navigation.
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Re: Drivenshitification? (Score:2)
Itâ(TM)s also a violation of the license agreement with Apple.
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Complaining is communism and therefor treason.
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Pretend to be a customer for a new Subaru (Score:5, Informative)
Have a long conversation with a salesman
Ask him about this feature
Inform him that it has lost him his sale
Rinse and repeat at another Subaru dealer
Re:Pretend to be a customer for a new Subaru (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Pretend to be a customer for a new Subaru (Score:5, Insightful)
It is easier to just avoid considering a Subaru purchase.
It is easier, but then Subaru/salesguy wouldn't explicitly know the reason why they never had the chance to even make that sale.
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It is easier, but then Subaru/salesguy wouldn't explicitly know the reason why they never had the chance to even make that sale.
The exec that needs to hear it will never hear it. Information travels FROM the "most important" person TO the least important person. If you are not the most important person, you are utterly useless and have no input.
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That would require effort and I am not sure there is a ROI. It is easier to just avoid considering a Subaru purchase.
If even three in sales reported this in their weekly updates, it would be a rather obvious increase from zero in front of the monthly sales reports, if they give a shit about why people didn't buy.
At the end of the year, it's just a bloodbath anyway. Wouldn't be surprised if some dealers are still trying to get late 2024s pushed off the lot at a loss. Only took an entire influencer industry dedicated to new car price mocking and overflowing lots to get them to come below MSRP.
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What happens when all car manufacturers are displaying ads?
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Widespread doom.
Re:Pretend to be a customer for a new Subaru (Score:4, Interesting)
Right now it's vaporware, but that Slate electric pick-up truck is really attractive to me as a second, utility vehicle for two reasons.
1.) It's a normal sized vehicle, not a freaking Peterbilt like most...nay, ALL pickups are today. Gimmer and old school Ford Ranger, S10, 90's Tacoma, etc
2.) No screens
It seems petty to put a big chunk of car buying into the dashboard, but it really does affect the driving experience and safety.
My slightly older Subaru, does have an infotainment center, and it sucks bad. Just turning up the volume on the radio blanks the screen and includes a 1-2 second lag. So thankfully it has a dial (and up/down control on steering wheel) but for some reason the signal to change volume needs to bounce off the moon and return. And honestly the screen is not only useless, its a net-negative. The slate idea of bring your own screen is what I want. Slap a 9 inch tablet on a armature for navigation maps, and mp3 playlist and that's it. Done.
Unrelated quibble on Subaru...there is almost zero grace given on the seatbelt nanny. That thing goes off even under 5 mph within seconds and is loud as eff. I'll put my belt on...just gimme a minute. Geez.
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What happens when all car manufacturers are displaying ads?
Consumers stop buying their products.
I'm serious. I don't fucking pay for ads. Ever.
I've cancelled my AppleTV+ service a while back because they kept pre-rolling "previews" or "teasers" (or whatever the fuck they want to pass it off as) for their other shows, which I consider as ads since I didn't care or ask about those other shows, whenever I was trying to watch an episode of another show I was interested in.
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I'm serious. I don't fucking pay for ads. Ever.
Good for you! Unfortunately, for a lot of people, having no car isn't really an option, so the answer to what happens next with your strategy is really that all of those people get an inferior product because there's no effective competition or regulation in the market to prevent that, while people like you don't get any product at all.
What should happen is that governments recognise a failure of the market to maintain adequate standards for customers and introduce regulation to enforce minimum acceptable s
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The question [slashdot.org] was literally, "What happens when all car manufacturers are displaying ads?"
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I don't think having long conversations with salesmen is actually a waste of THEIR time as much as your own. If you're in a dealership talking to a salesman, you've already lost.
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Have a long conversation with a salesman
Ask him about this feature
Inform him that it has lost him his sale
Rinse and repeat at another Subaru dealer
Many times I've fantasized about doing that. But I realized that unless at least many hundreds of people also did the same thing, it would have precisely zero impact beyond wasting my own time while making the salesperson's day worse.
Big companies have gone to great lengths to ensure that they are invulnerable to all but large class-action suits and huge waves of negative public sentiment, and then they use propaganda and distractions to minimize the likelihood of those things happening. Short of managing t
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an individual consumer is pretty much powerless to effect change in a large corporation.
One thing that I think might actually get their attention is the user complaints posted on the NHTSA site. It's now part of the public record and they can't deny in the future that it was an issue for consumers.
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I assume you are joking, but ... (Score:4, Insightful)
... these days (and for the past few decades or more) you don't want to make jokes like that. We are only a year out from the murder of a health-insurance executive, so the police are more on edge than usual. If you are in the USA, the feds can probably track you down unless you went out of your way to hide (throwaway device, overseas proxy/TOR/similar, mooching off a public WiFi with no security cameras around, etc.). Same if you are in a country that takes jokes like this as if they were serious threats and that country is able to get subpoenas from US courts.
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Hmmm, yes, Slashdot is certainly a hotbed of terrorist activity and I'm sure the CIA, FBI, ICE & SS are constantly monitoring the tens of posts by the tens of users that are active on a daily basis....
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I don't think this minor annoyance that applies only to certain Subaru owners warrants murder.
2007 Outback (Score:2)
I have only owned one subaru, and it is a 2007 that I've had for a year. I bought it with 243k miles, specifically because it was cheap, so my daughter can drive herself to school and all her activities.
I've spent more on fixing it than I spent on the car itself. I have needed replace tons of parts. It was basically a lemon (with no rust). However... it does not flash ads. I would rather have this lemon than a new computer on wheels that shows ads.
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You bought an old car with 243k miles and you're calling it a "lemon (with no rust)"? What did you expect?
The only thing that typically really kills a car is rust - anything else, if well maintained, will either last longer than the body/frame, or can simply be replaced/repaired.
I have similar problem on my GMC! (Score:5, Insightful)
It started 3 years ago. I contacted Sirius two years in a row. The first time they walked me through the menus to turn it off, and it worked. The second year they said it couldn't be turned off and that I'd have to wait for the promotional period to end (see below), so I filed a formal safety notice at nhtsa.gov, but never received feedback.
The alert pop-ups keep blocking part of the navigation map until I press the damned Dismiss button while driving in order to see the full map. Repeatedly pushing the Dismiss button distracts from driving, and so is a safety hazard.
I was told that every November Sirius gave out a few weeks of free service to help promote the service. But that caused the useless and repetitious wind alerts. I live in a naturally windy place such that wind alerts are superfluous; it would be comparable a North Pole freeze alert.
It happened again this year, but I was fortunately able to switch it off via settings menus. I don't know why deactivation is different per year. I suspect they do it to get people to poke around in the menus and see the different genres of music & talk channels they have, hoping to entice sales. It's probably stealth advertising disguised as a defect, or a defect they leave in place that happened to improve sales, so is ignored.
F$CK YOU SIRIUS!
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Accident = lawsuit (Score:2)
The first time someone is found to be "at fault" in an accident because they were dealing with this ad, you can bet everyone on the other side will be suing Subaru and SiriusXM.
If Subaru's and SiriusXM's lawyers are smart, they will want to have these ads turned off, or at least turned off while the car isn't in "Park." Whether they actually speak up or not I have no idea - they may choose to stay silent as long as possible to avoid creating a legally-dangerous paper trail.
Clarification needed (Score:2)
Hi,
So are these adds only when one has SiriusXM subscription - or only when not?
Are they general adds or specifically to subscribe for SiriusXM?
Do they show up when using other apps, not even when touching SiriusXM (this seems like true, but wanted to make sure)?
Anyway, that is a pretty disturbing trend, however I think a more important is to address "subscription based hardware features" (like e.g. seat heating) first.
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Do they show up when using other apps, not even when touching SiriusXM (this seems like true, but wanted to make sure)?
One user said the ad covered the entire screen while using CarPlay (and preventing its use), until they manually dismissed the ad (using what I'm sure is a minuscule, hard to reach faint "X" at some non conventional location), so the answer seems like "Yes".
Disabled (Score:2)
Just wait for the new operating system (Score:2)
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I don't remember who first pointed this out to me but these things are now computers on wheels
Donald Trump? [x.com]
Doesn't sound too bad, but... (Score:2)
Other than that I would want an anti-enshittification law: the number and timing of ads on owned equipment and any online servces required to enjoy the equipment, and the available
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I'd say a reasonable compromise would be that they're allowed to show ads, so long as I'm allowed to completely delete their app from my radio (which of course, should then prevent any future ads). So, they can be annoying at their own peril.
I have two Subarus from 1998 (Score:2)
Nowadays cars are smartphones crossed with xboxes crossed with ankle monitoring devices.
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Alas, the Subaru WRX didn't make it to the United States until 2002, so I wasn't that lucky.
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Lemon Law (Score:4, Insightful)
Steve Lehto has a good video about this.
In Michigan the Lemon Law applies to problems that 'reduce the value to the consumer'.
Some people are attempting to return their cars over these popup ads. IIRC it was GM that was much more aggressive but I might have that detail wrong.
If you read the article...OMG (Score:2)
One of the Suburu drivers complained, "something on my infotainment system changed and I swerved and nearly crashed my car." Holy $4|7 how did that driver get a license ?
I'd worry more about whose behind the wheel and what they are thinking about besides driving.
2010 Toyota Camry XM Radio = Same Thing (Score:2)
The same thing happens in my car but once a month when the radio automatically switches to the XM input mode and the advertising XM1 channel after I've canceled my subscription over 12 years ago. Even though the car is always on Bluetooth mode playing audio from my phone that I have saved as actual MP3 and AAC files.
I can guarantee that this is being pushed by XM radio and they give a kickback for any subscriptions back to the car manufacturer and it is not done by Subaru. They just go along with this adve
Fuck this. (Score:2)
Fuck them all.
I have a 2013 car that I"m trying to keep up as best as I can, and I think I do an above-average job when compared to the average car owner. But one can never totally protect against falling airliners, falling airliner bits, and the retards around me reading, on the phone, putting on makeup, eating, etc while driving.
All this monetization, always-on connectivity, OTA updates, etc.. ads.. all this bullshit.. is gonna push me to have my next car be points-and-condenser, with coil, distributor,
Gotta pay for the ads somehow (Score:2)
It's not just Subaru drivers (Score:3)
It's not just Subaru drivers who should be concerned about the safety problems this causes. All the drivers on the road with those Subarus should be concerned as well.
That's the problem with distracted driving. The distracted driver usually also takes somebody else out when they have an accident.
Liability (Score:5, Interesting)
Car companies being OK with anything flashing up on the screen that isn't absolutely critical to driving is mind boggling. All it takes is one diver glancing down for a split second to look at an ad, hitting someone walking out from between parked cars, and you have a slam-dunk lawsuit that will evaporate any money made from the advertising. Lawyers salivate at this kind of thing. Standing in front of a jury with a client all bandaged up "This callous car company thought it was more important to make money while distracting this driver by selling ads than to make sure the driver was paying attention to the road..."
As a Subaru owner (Score:2)
There's no way a full-screen ad should appear on a display that is used to replace once-physical buttons/controls. Unless the ad says "we've extended your subscription one month for free in exchange for being annoyed with this ad" it shouldn't ever show on a critical vehicle interface.
This should be a NHTSA rule that vehicle displays can't be used for ad-pushing.
The baseline question should be... (Score:2)
If it's illegal to have a TV in the front of the cabin as it's too distracting, how is it legal to play advertisements on the car screen?
My 2025 Forester Hybrid (Score:2)
Eff you, Subaru (Score:2)
Sirius is like cancer (Score:2)
Twice a year (Score:2)
Twice a year, for six months each time.
This is why I'm waiting (Score:2)
This is why I'm waiting for someone to make a dual-DIN Android head unit with the source available so we can rebuild it free of nonsense like unwelcome ads. They don't have to warranty it. Just make some decent hardware and gimme the source, and I'll handle the rest (and sing their praises endlessly).
I could build one but I literally don't want to.
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They tried this when I cancelled the 1-year discounted trial I had, and they tried to offer up a special cheap price for just the 2 channels I said I only ever listed to, but still didn't go for it - overall those channels repeated the same stuff ad infinitum (might as well just have a USB stick with the same stuff on repeat), but mostly I was never impressed with the sound quality of it all (most spoken-heavy channels sounded like a 16Kbps stream) for a "digital radio channels" that were all really no bett
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That's what I do for in-car music. Of course, the flash drive has, at the moment, 252 different pieces of music on it, so it doesn't exactly repeat very often.
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but mostly I was never impressed with the sound quality of it all (most spoken-heavy channels sounded like a 16Kbps stream)
Yeah, in some vehicles the quality of the sound from SiriusXM is quite bad. It is better in my current vehicle, for some reason (or maybe it is just the channels I use that are better?). You can also stream your subscribed channels through your phone via your data plan, which has a much higher bitrate and better quality sound. But, unless you really love some specific channels, live sports, or having a DJ pick songs, you might as well just do that with Apple Music or Spotify.
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I am. Trapped in the body of a man.
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I'll take Antique Jokes for $100, Alex.
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My wife drove a Subaru before we met. One of her long time friends is a lesbian. Oh hell.
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A co-worker of mine owned a Subaru Outback - he was kind of a hippy with long hair.
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A co-worker of mine owned a Subaru Outback - he was kind of a hippy with long hair.
Dammit, I wonder gave their target demographic away.
I mean sure, not every car comes with your choice of patchouli dispenser or roll-your-own tampon maker, but still..
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AWD wagons are useful regardless of your sexual orientation.
Are you implying that Subaru owners awesomely climb over more than curbs in parking lots?
Looking over at the $75K truck crowd who assumes dirt on the tires of their 4WD is grounds for taking the plastic off the seats and trading it in at a less-than-mint loss, I'm just a tad skeptical.
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They're very aggressive with their marketing and clearly have some agreements with car manufacturers.
That's bad news for new car buyers.
I remember after buying my last new car, Sirius started calling me to subscribe well before the new vehicle trial period was over. Thank goodness for call number blocking/dropping (they were calling several times a day!).
Re:SiriusXM is crazy aggressive (Score:4, Insightful)
Ads on a desktop are one thing, but ads that block one's navigation map while driving are another [slashdot.org]. Thus, Sirius found a way to be even more evil than MS. Quite a feat.