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IOS Apple

iOS 17 Will Decode Your Car's Dashboard Symbols and Warning Lights (gizmodo.com) 85

Posted by BeauHD from the new-and-improved dept.
According to a Reddit user, Apple's Visual Look Up feature has been expanded in iOS 17 to include all of the various symbols on a vehicle's dashboard -- "everything from the labels used for HVAC controls, to the warning lights that only turn on when there's a problem," reports Gizmodo. From the report: Apple introduced a feature with iOS 15 called Visual Look Up that uses AI to analyze photos taken with the iPhone's camera and attempt to decipher them, providing more information about what's in the shot. It gave the iPhone the power to determine the breed of the dog you snapped at the park, or what type of flower was growing in your neighbor's garden.

Reddit user yahlover shared several screenshots of the iOS 17 beta successfully recognizing and showing explanations for symbols like the double triangle labelling the button that turns on a car's hazard lights, and even the setting that defrosts the windshield.

Although these symbols are now nearly universal across all vehicles, they can still be cryptic, especially to newer drivers. And while eventually vehicle dashboards will all just be giant screens with the ability to provide more descriptive information about controls and warnings, it's going to be decades before the standard dashboard iconography used today disappears forever.
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iOS 17 Will Decode Your Car's Dashboard Symbols and Warning Lights More

iOS 17 Will Decode Your Car's Dashboard Symbols and Warning Lights

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  • Alright, when is the Apple Car coming out?

  • wow what a stupid fucking feature (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    The reason your own phone gets slower and slower with each "upgrade" is they dream up ways to waste your RAM with crap like this, leaving less room for applications to run.

    Know what I want? To disable that idiotic feature that lets other people delete iMessages from your own phone. That's just fucking great when your boss or your ex-husband sends you, then deletes, a message that would land them in legal hot water if you could keep a copy of it. There is literally no good reason to have this. If you make a

  • Much needed (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Zontar_Thing_From_Ve ( 949321 ) on Tuesday June 20, 2023 @09:06PM (#63619680)
    Let me share my experience with these weird symbols. About 4 years ago I had one show up on my car while about 2 miles from my house. I had no idea what it meant. It looked to me like an exclamation point between 2 brackets. There is actually part of the symbol at the bottom connecting the brackets, but at the time this wasn't apparent to me. In desperation I tried to figure out just what the hell the car was trying to tell me. I noticed that I was actually able to drive the car so I guessed that it probably wasn't something that would prevent me from just driving home. So I went home and parked the car and read the owners manual. The car was trying to tell me that my air pressure in one tire was low. All I can tell you is that if I designed a symbol to indicate low air pressure, that is absolutely not what I would come up with. So a program that interpret those insanely designed symbols that only make sense to the designer would be most welcome.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by cruff ( 171569 )
      It's supposed to represent a cross section of a tire. But obviously that isn't always clear to everyone, especially as you are trying to drive. You'd think they could give you an audio prompt these days...

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sjames ( 1099 )

      I've also seen that one described as a butt. I always thought the hi-temp light looked more like a candle in an old candle holder.

      I think part of it is that the designers never look at it at actual size while distracted by minor things like making sure not to hit something while driving.

    • And you were able to get a drivers license?

      The symbols are there because they are language neutral instead of having some text that's not possible to understand for anyone not speaking that language.

      • wrong headed thinking, simple text in native language is the answer and illiterates shouldn't be driving.

        you dont know what all the icons mean either, and manufacturers make up unique ones.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Z00L00K ( 682162 )

          Not everyone speaks or is able to understand English.

        • If you are using someone else's car sure, but if you own a car it is your duty as a responsible driver to understand the idiot lights on the dashboard. They still come with manuals that describe these things - and are usually all shown on one or two pages so you can familiarize yourself with YOUR OWN CAR.

          • Re: (Score:1)

            by Anonymous Coward

            They still come with manuals that describe these things

            I see someone hasn't bought a care lately. Paper manuals are optional, at best, on most cars these days. You need to fumble about in the infotainment system, in the automaker's app, or find and download a PDF copy. And they suck. My current car's manual doesn't have a page with all the symbols on it. You have to scroll through it to find the section the topic the symbol is from, and if you don't know that, you need to search the entire damn manual.

            • 2020 model, complete paper owner's manual in the glovebox. Any car that doesn't have one has a digital manual in the 'infotainment' screen. These are not optional they are safety features. If one is not included then you might start asking yourself where else the car manufacturer cut on safety equipment.

              If your manual sucks blame the manufacturer.
        • Hence the manual, too much trouble to learn about a dozen or so symbols for the potentially dangerous piece of equipment your driving?

        • you don't understand "Natives language"

    • Have you tried reviewing the manual? Or just learning the ISO symbols, since they're industry standard worldwide?
    • How about you pull over and consult your manual that literally comes with every one? Or better yet know enough about your vehicle before you drive it like you should do with most equipment especially the potentially dangerous ones. I swear technology is just making people more lazy or more stupid, pick one.

    • Re:Much needed (Score:5, Informative)

      by tlhIngan ( 30335 ) <[ten.frow] [ta] [todhsals]> on Wednesday June 21, 2023 @12:45PM (#63621226)

      The symbology in cars is pretty well standardized by law to ensure everyone uses the same symbols.

      The symbology is for both the lights (officially known as telltales), as well as symbols used to label switches and other things. (Audio cues are known as chimes, but aren't standard).

      FIrst, you need to understand the color of the telltale is very important - if it's green or blue, it means it's fine if it's on - it's just indicating something about the vehicle is not "normal" but is just a setting and you can proceed with driving. This would be things like the turn signal and headlights - they indicate some status on the vehicle that's not dangerous to your current driving condition.

      Second, yellow lights indicate some cautionary thing - something bad happened, and you should have it looked at, but you can continue with your trip. Things like low tire pressure, your ABS failed or traction control is off, etc. Your car's performance may be compromised, but you can still safely continue to your destination. Some lights may mean serious things, but are given yellow because they can indicate less serious matters as well - things like the "check engine" light are yellow because most of the time, it's not a serious problem.

      Red lights (or blinking yellow ones) indicate serious faults and basically mean "pull over immediately". These indicate complete faults that could compromise your safety. This would be faults like low oil/low oil pressure, brake failure, brake is applied (e.g., parking brake). Many can be resolved (e.g., if the brake is on, often the fix is to release the parking brake, or if there's low oil, to top off the oil).

      Since many cars these days come with LCD displays in the instrument cluster, there is no reason why they can't also display explanatory text of what's going on - mine can light the "low tire pressure" light, but it can also display "Low tire pressure - left rear" on its LCD display telling the user what the light means as well as making it easier to find where the fault is.

      Sources - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]

      US Regulations - https://www.govinfo.gov/conten... [govinfo.gov]

      Canadian Regulations (with images of what they need to look like - both on the switch and on the dashboard) - https://laws-lois.justice.gc.c... [justice.gc.ca]

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by vux984 ( 928602 )

        That's great and all,
        but the 2 regulations links don't mention or include symbols for tire pressure, and the wikipedia link mentions it but doesn't include a symbol.

        So ...not much help really for the actual case at hand.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

          but the 2 regulations links don't mention or include symbols for tire pressure, and the wikipedia link mentions it but doesn't include a symbol.

          So ...not much help really for the actual case at hand.

          True, that one is actually not mandated by law, oddly enough given TPMS is actually mandated by law. I'm wondering if it's inappropriately in a different section of the legislation.

          However, the TPMS light is yellow, indicating you can proceed safely to your destination if it pops up during your travels. Of cours

    • Read the manual.
      Get your driving licence.

  • Running lights are non of Apple's business so I will disable that feature

    • Running lights are non of Apple's business so I will disable that feature

      Tell us you have no idea what TFS is talking about without saying you have no idea what TFS is talking about.

  • You mean like Google Lens? (Score:3)

    by surfdaddy ( 930829 ) on Wednesday June 21, 2023 @01:10AM (#63620012)

    Google Lens has been standard on Android for years now. You can photographically identify plants, objects, locations, and even live translate signs or menus that are in other languages.

    • Apple's idea of innovation is to wait for Android to do it for years, then claim its a new and novel feature.

      Apple stopped being market leaders after Steve Jobs, and became followers.

      Aside from their M.# processors, everything else is playing catch up.

      Anything an iPhone can do an Android can do better.

      • Apple has only ever been the market leader at one thing. Extracting cash from their sheep. They didn't make the 1st "smart phone" I had windows mobile phones for years before the iphone came out. Nor do they lead at anything on the software side either. The fucking iphone couldn't even copy and paste when it 1st came out lol

  • If you need this (Score:3, Insightful)

    by thegarbz ( 1787294 ) on Wednesday June 21, 2023 @04:01AM (#63620162)

    You should not be driving a car. The dashboard warning signals on a car are to instruct the operator about the operating state of the vehicle. If you don't understand what they mean then you lack the basic competence required to operate the machine and should get the fuck off the road.

    • you are spewing in ignorance, many icons are badly designed. The solution is text in native language and knuckle dragging illiterates shouldn't drive.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        In Europe the icons are standardized and manufacturers must use them. You learn them once and they are the same in every car.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Ormy ( 1430821 )

          This. The problem (in this case) isn't the users, it's the designers. The symbols could easily be standardised worldwide, just do that.

          Pretty much every web browser, file browser, office software suite, etc uses a standard set of symbols for common functions. Even if the symbol itself is very dated (e.g. a floppy disk for 'save' even though most people under 25 have never seen or used one) it's still perfectly understandable to everyone. There's no good reason why the automotive industry can't do the

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by redback ( 15527 )

            they already do?

            the symbols are the same in every car I have ever been in

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Ormy ( 1430821 )
              I'm in the UK, as AmiMoJo says the symbols are standardised across the EU. I guess some manufacturers in the US or elsewhere may have agreed on similar standards but obviously some haven't or Apple wouldn't have bothered creating this functionality.

          • The problem (in this case) isn't the users, it's the designers.

            ...aaaaand NO.

            The problem is Apple's consumer base.

          • If you can't take 5 minutes to learn the dozen or so symbols in your car you're the problem, sorry.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Ormy ( 1430821 )

              If you can't take 5 minutes to learn the dozen or so symbols in your car you're the problem, sorry.

              Way to make it obvious you haven't a clue what this thread is about. If it was only learning a dozen or so symbols that were used by every manufacturer you'd be right. But obviously (well, obvious to everyone except you) some manufacturers are using different symbols to others for the same thing, so in order to understand the symbols on different vehicles you potentially have to learn hundreds, that is the fault of the manufacturers using non-standard symbols, not the drivers for failing to learn hundreds

              • So you drive a dozen different cars on a regular basis or just one or two for a 5 to 10 year period? Thought so, learn your equipment to operate it correctly, it's incredibly simple. It's not me that does not have a clue.

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by Ormy ( 1430821 )

                  So you drive a dozen different cars on a regular basis...

                  No I don't but some people do and for those people this apple feature is legitimately useful. Not because those drivers are lazy, but because car manufacturers can't agree on standard symbols. There's your clue.

                  • We are now a world filled with lowest common denominators who have never learned critical thinking, we are doomed.

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by Ormy ( 1430821 )
                      At least you are aware of your deficit.
                    • I'm not the one that can't figure out a simple symbol without an app, good luck with complex logic.

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by Ormy ( 1430821 )
                      The fact that you can't grasp that illegible symbols designed by morons are a thing speaks volumes about your logic skills.
      • And in what "native" language. Some countries have more than one "native" language either officially or unofficially.

        • Great news for you, this is 2023, we can trivially have *every* native language in the car driving world in a car's ROM. Take your pick. We can even include Latin and Esperanto and even ancient Mayan if that gets you off.

      • you are spewing in ignorance, many icons are badly designed.

        No they are industry standard. Regardless of what you think of the iconography if you don't understand what they mean you shouldn't be on the fucking road. If you are worried about being unable to understand what your dashboard tells you RTFM and until then stay off the fucking road. Cars aren't kids toys, they are for trained operators.

    • Re:If you need this (Score:5, Interesting)

      by NoMoreACs ( 6161580 ) on Wednesday June 21, 2023 @04:24AM (#63620208)

      You should not be driving a car. The dashboard warning signals on a car are to instruct the operator about the operating state of the vehicle. If you don't understand what they mean then you lack the basic competence required to operate the machine and should get the fuck off the road.

      And who studies the Owner's Manual of a Rental Car?

      I rented part a newish GMC SUV for a cross-country business trip. It had so many strange controls with entirely-incomprehensible iconography (especially at night!) that it was nearly two days into the trip before I figured out the final 25% of controls such as "Turn on/off Lane Detection".

      This is far from a silly feature.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by laxguy ( 1179231 )

        at no point did you decide to look for the manual or google it? please turn in your techie card.

        • no it's more fun to guess. My wife's car has a button on the dash labeled with what could either be a duck or a gun turret.

        • at no point did you decide to look for the manual or google it? please turn in your techie card.

          I did, actually, within a few hours of being on the road.

          Now, having the time to read it was quite another matter!

      • So your saying you were too lazy to take a quick look at the owners manual before you operated a piece of potentially dangerous heavy equipment, feel safer with you on the street.

        • So your saying you were too lazy to take a quick look at the owners manual before you operated a piece of potentially dangerous heavy equipment, feel safer with you on the street.

          Not too lazy; too busy with trip-preparation matters.

          I downloaded the manual (there wasn't a hardcopy manual) a few hours after starting out; but it took a while before I had a chance to find the proper section; then figure-out which of like four different instrument configurations actually applied. Very poorly-indexed manual, with a lot of similar-sounding sections. Seriously, it was a horrible example of "one manual for all the models, you figure it out!".

      • And who studies the Owner's Manual of a Rental Car?

        So because it's a rental suddenly your incompetence and (potentially dangerously) using a motor vehicle is excused?

        If you don't understand what your car's dash is telling you you should not be on the fucking road. That's really the end of it. It doesn't matter if you're new, old, if your car is a Tesla, or a 70s Chevy, if it is yours, a rental, or even fucking stolen. You have a responsibility to fully understand how your vehicle works.

        • And who studies the Owner's Manual of a Rental Car?

          So because it's a rental suddenly your incompetence and (potentially dangerously) using a motor vehicle is excused?

          If you don't understand what your car's dash is telling you you should not be on the fucking road. That's really the end of it. It doesn't matter if you're new, old, if your car is a Tesla, or a 70s Chevy, if it is yours, a rental, or even fucking stolen. You have a responsibility to fully understand how your vehicle works.

          Oh, give it a rest, Karen!

    • Tire pressure lights are hardly the most essential ones to memorize. I've never owned a car that even had them.

  • ...if it doesn't also reach back to the manufacturer and tell them "79% of drivers can't figure out this stupid icon, fix it"?

  • All listed. Still the glove box 24 years later.
    Do new car not come with them? I cant afford them and seem to have really good luck picking up $1500 cars.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Junta ( 36770 )

      Still have manuals, almost no one cracks them open, but they still have them.

      Judging from a recent recall where Ford had to 'recall' one million vehicles because the manual didn't explain how to adjust the headrests, it seems that the manual is mandated as a safety matter. The fix is to get an addendum documenting the headrest adjustment. Took 5 years before anyone noticed the headrest adjustment wasn't in the manual.

  • I understand the iconography, but the real problem is when the car is vague.

    The good old 'check engine light' is uselessly vague. Which was understandable in the days of analog gauges with only a limited set of lights to indicate information. It is insane in a car that has an LCD in the instrument panel capable of displaying arbitrary content.

    There is an engineering mode frequently available which you would *think* would show the codes at least, but at least in my vehicle, still no.

    Even my OBD reader coul

    • The check engine light has always been pretty useless. Very rarely does it light for something that's going to leave you stranded on the side of the road. Most of the checks that it will illuminate for are emissions related which you can still continue to perfectly drive. You're just going to be poluting more or get reduced MPG. It's why you see many older cars being driven around with always on check engine lights.
  • "eventually vehicle dashboards will all just be giant screens" No, god no. Tacticle feedback is important! I also thought "giant screen good" untill I got a subaru with one and I have to dig into menus to just adjust the damn air conditioner. Trying to glance down and see what the hell I'm typing while also trying to drive is terrible. Just give me buttons that I can feel and know when I press them what their doing.
  • So Apple designed an entire app because people are too lazy to RTFM? Got it. Idiocracy, here we come!
  • What the F*** is it with the auto industry's obsession with weird hieroglyphics instead fo language? I mean, shit, use OLED modules and internationalize the UI like any other piece of software. (I'm disappointed my truck didn't dispense bacon when I press the bacon button.)

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