So THAT'S what that thing is for!?!
I live in a hands free State and it requires the phone to be mounted somewhere in the dash area.
Even if you are using apple car play or the android equivalent? I could see that law applying to cars that pre-date Bluetooth in the stereo (still seems a little overreaching) but you can't just plug it in to the USB cable and let the phone free range in the tray under the AC controls?
I think you misunderstand the law, or have been poorly advised by someone who misunderstands the law. There is no requirement to mount a phone anywhere in the car. There is, however, specific language that clarifies the legality of using a hands-free device for navigation that is mounted in or on the dash.
I work in Mass so I need to abide both. Mass requires the phones to be securely mounted to the dash, windshield or center console. I suppose center console could mean the armrest area but I'm not sure. Either way, it can't be sitting in a cup holder unless it's sddcurely mounted. I guess the question is, what is considered the center console? I assumed it was the are where the radio and a.c./ heat controls are so maybe I'm wrong there.
You are correct. I can't find anything about mounting of the phone in the new Hampshire law....mass does call it out though.
Nice!Here's my solution for other's that have an iPhone. I wanted a solution that utilized the MagSafe feature of the new generation of iPhones instead of a clamp or an elaborate arm. I bought a mount on amazon that would hold the phone as high as possible away from blocking the vent. Mount Link Here.
Then I routed the cable behind the vent and down through the dash. The cable perfectly pokes out down below next to the 12v outlet so I can plug it in to an 18w fast charging port. Yes - I still have to plug into USB when I want to use CarPlay. But I plan on getting a wireless CarPlay adapter that I can just leave plugged in down near the USB tray so I won't have any wires. It's not perfect - you can see the cable routing creates a mm or so of extra panel gap in the vent. And it does block a few slats of vent air. But the Apple MagSafe charger holds the phone perfectly, and has not fallen off under any driving conditions.
No, I don't use a case. I use an iPhone 12 case-less so that my MagSafe accessories work better. You can get cases that have the MagSafe built into them from Apple (and soon other 3rd parties too). Or you could do something like THIS inside your existing case maybe?
I couldn't really nail it down to a science. Sometimes the phone would randomly "PING" and I'd look up and the screen showed the fullscreen charging ring as if I had just plugged it in for the first time. The weird thing was that my phone usually showed the charging indicator as if it was successfully charging whenever I checked. But we took a road trip a few weeks back, and I would stop every few hours and check, and the phone had dropped by almost 10% every time. Almost as if the charger was draining battery even when mounted.
vent mounts are just a BAD idea period. i don't want ice cold or hot air blowing on my deviceHere's my solution for other's that have an iPhone. I wanted a solution that utilized the MagSafe feature of the new generation of iPhones instead of a clamp or an elaborate arm. I bought a mount on amazon that would hold the phone as high as possible away from blocking the vent. Mount Link Here.
Then I routed the cable behind the vent and down through the dash. The cable perfectly pokes out down below next to the 12v outlet so I can plug it in to an 18w fast charging port. Yes - I still have to plug into USB when I want to use CarPlay. But I plan on getting a wireless CarPlay adapter that I can just leave plugged in down near the USB tray so I won't have any wires. It's not perfect - you can see the cable routing creates a mm or so of extra panel gap in the vent. And it does block a few slats of vent air. But the Apple MagSafe charger holds the phone perfectly, and has not fallen off under any driving conditions.
