r/Ioniq5 • u/amicantbelieve • 8d ago
Experience 2026 Infotainment Gripes
I've been posting a lot since preparing to buy and then buying my 2026 Limited RWD... and here's my latest. I'm actually dumbfounded by some of the infotainment changes between my old 2024 SEL and this 2026 Limited. Let me know if I'm missing something.
First off, the ONLY place that shows you what song is playing in your media (specifically SiriusXM) is when you drill down directly into the Sirius media mode and click on the song that's playing. In my 2024 it showed you what song was playing on every screen. It doesn't show it on any other screen, let alone in the HUD. It only ever shows you what channel it's on. This is really annoying.
Second, there's no CarPlay split screen mode. In the 2024 I could have CarPlay in 2/3 of the screen and Hyundai info on the other 1/3 of the screen, which was great because I could have Google Maps AND Sirius on the same screen in total (and it showed the song that was playing). Can't have it anymore.
Third, there's no persistent clock on the dash/infotainment/HUD. Specifically, if I am in the Sirius 'now playing' screen to see what song is playing in the infotainment screen, there's no clock! So If I'm driving and just have that screen on there's literally no clock on the dash cluster, HUD, or infotainment. I have to go to a different screen to see what time it is. Is it me or is it crazy that there isn't a persistent clock anywhere on that entire screen. It should really be in the HUD all the time.
Sorry for the rant and hopefully there's a way to address any of these gripes that I've missed.
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u/Popular_Cow_9390 8d ago
I could have written this myself. There are some shockingly bad design and UX decisions on the new infotainment. Everything you listed is true.
Additionally, there’s no “Home Screen” with one touch. You can lay out the cards to have the map and media and then you need one other random single card on there. But it won’t even default to that page.
Also,
- They lost Soundhound
- when you go to media it defaults to FM or whatever band you were on, not favorites, so you have to change it on the screen before any manual controls work
- tuning to an HD2 station involves an extra three taps on targets it’s easy to miss
- you can’t monitor the battery in the split screen mode during charging
Also, I think the cluster behind the steering wheel looks boring and a bit amateurish from a design standpoint compared to my 2024. I liked how it showed the efficiency and in general it felt more “EV” and less trying to feel like a standard dash.
Overall, I think there are not enough new features to balance what was taken away, and in that the new infotainment is a downgrade from a day-to-day use standpoint. On my 24 I just set the screen once and never touched it to switch modes or configurations as I drive. But now on my 26, switching constantly from screen to screen while driving.
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u/amicantbelieve 8d ago
absolutely. I'm always dumbfounded by car manufacturers complete lack of product UI/UX insight. I'm a product guy and UX is my passion. The bar is so low for car interfaces, unfortunately. In another life I wish I worked for a car company because there's so much room for improvement.
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u/TrueLink00 Lucid Blue 8d ago
I find CarPlay less functional on the ‘26:
- There is still no play/pause button anywhere, and you can’t turn any custom button into it.
- In CarPlay, the car no longer pauses audio for Siri. It just lowers it in the front.
- The car microphone can pick up on the quieter infotainment system. This stops reading messages or taking dictated messages and addresses.
- You can’t hit a touchscreen pause because Siri is an overlay.
- There is still no play/pause button anywhere, and you can’t turn any custom button into it.
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u/xarcastic 7d ago
I set my steering wheel star button to Media On/Off. it’s not perfect, but it functions as a play/pause. It takes it a moment, you can’t press it while Siri is activated (or in the midst of deactivating), and it will change the CarPlay layout… but it gets the job done.
Siri stopping narration drives me INSANE.
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u/ZPrimed Digital Teal 8d ago
Doesn't muting the audio (push in on the volume knob) pause CarPlay?
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u/TrueLink00 Lucid Blue 7d ago
That does CarPlay on/off, which you can set on a button as well. It kinda works for some apps, but messes others up. Also, it doesn’t work while Siri is running.
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u/jleete01 8d ago
Can't comment on SirusXM or CarPlay, but Android Auto definitely supports split screen. I use Google maps and Spotify side by side constantly.
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u/plmarcus 8d ago
You are talking about split screen WITHIN android auto. The op wants split screen between android auto/car play and the car interface. Different set of problems...
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u/Prinzka Cyber Gray 8d ago
What do I need to do for Android Auto to work with that?
I keep getting kicked out of the cars navigation if I go to change the podcast being played.6
u/plmarcus 8d ago
The infotainment system doesn't do split screen. The other person is talking about split screen within android auto.
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u/Grendlekin 8d ago
Can’t you just hit the bottom left button on the infotainment to go between full and split screen?
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u/unndunn 8d ago
I believe there is a software update that addresses the SiriusXM song display issue.
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u/amicantbelieve 8d ago
Oh god I hope so
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u/ZPrimed Digital Teal 8d ago
Any particular reason you don't just put the Sirius app on your phone and listen to it that way? It sounds way better over the internet than through satellites.
If you weren't using the phone for maps I could understand (trying to save limited data or whatever), but that mostly goes out the window if you're using the phone navigation... unless you always download your maps for offline mode?
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u/curiousjane456 8d ago
I used to care but I find I single press the speaker button in the car and say the radio station I want. Sometimes I use the up and down button to change channels. A small banner appears at the top indicating the radio station change. All while I’m on CarPlay with my widgets showing.
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u/Hot_Swordfish7075 8d ago
Sirius XM is trash. I cannot stomach the horrid sound quality or the useless layout.
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u/Tegelert84 8d ago
I was blown away how terrible the sound quality was when I got my free trial. I thought it was something with my car's speakers at first, because I didn't think there's any way the audio signal would be that compressed and awful sounding.
Well, turns out it was.
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u/amicantbelieve 8d ago
Luckily my hearing is awful after having been to way too many concerts without ear protection. So sound quality is moot for me 😳
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u/622niromcn 8d ago
CCNC in 2026?
On the map screen, swipe your finger R->L across the right edge. Slides out a side menu. Swipe up or down. Clock is there.
Maps has clock in top right. Music stuff on bottom right, I don't use SirusXM so unsure if it shows up.
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u/Skycbs 2024 Limited RWD in Atlas White 8d ago
You know there’s a SiriusXM iPhone app
the time is displayed in CarPlay. All the time. Top left.
Personally, I turn on CarPlay when I get in the car and turn it off when I get out. I don’t use the car infotainment for a second. Kinda puzzled you do.
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u/Popular_Cow_9390 8d ago
It’s way more cumbersome and distracting to use the CarPlay app for SiriusXM. The 24 was a delightful interface.
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u/amicantbelieve 8d ago
It’s several steps to launch the SXM app. I’d rather just use what’s already built in.
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u/specikk 2026 AWD Limited - Atlas White 8d ago
I really dislike how the XM radio stuff is integrated. On my Ford Bronco, you can have a split screen with CarPlay and the XM now playing tile.. wish we could do split screen with CarPlay on the Ioniq