Terrible UX that is a distraction when driving – Aha Radio Review

Was excited to get this working in our then brand new 2017 Subaru Outback. The car has a great tech package so surely this app would be. Two years later, I still can’t get it to work properly, and it has one of the worst UI/UX I’ve ever seen. It offers a disappointingly small number of random presets that are hardly customizable. The fact they advertise it as a full solution to your listening needs while connected is laughable at best and false advertising at best. Customizing the selections requires understanding terrible UI practices the app makes you go through just to move a simple selection. You are forced to keep lame widgets like “nearest gas stations” and “restaurants” that connect to an even more lame database of outdated area vendors. It’s far easier and faster to switch out of the app and use Yelp or Google for suggestions. Or simply stream Spotify from your phone using Bluetooth. Which the Subaru can do standard without Aha. But if you are connected via USB to the Subaru USB ports you can’t switch out of the Aha app! So then you have to disconnect the USB cable to free up your phone. This is both dangerous and frustrating to do while the car is in motion. And if I were Subaru I would think twice about baking in Aha to the console out of safety concerns for driver distraction. Good UX does not make the driver frustrated. Good UX does not endanger the driver because he got locked into an audio component that works on occasion and then bugs out. That is irresponsible UX and Subaru and Aha per it to owners who put their trust in them to fix this terrible partnership.
Review by macdaddy system one on Aha Radio.