I got a iKross 2-in-1 Tablet and Cellphone Adjustable Swing Extended Cup Mount Holder Car Kit from Amazon. It works well, but using the 10" one as they show blocks access to the buttons below the infotainment screen. I turned it around and lift the arm only part way. It works great!

I got this because I signed up with Lyft to give me an excuse to drive my Bolt. Their app doesn't work with Car Play, so I needed access to the phone while driving.

Voice turn by turn instructions in Google Maps don't work very well with the phone plugged in to a USB port. The voice cuts out a lot. I have to watch the screen way too much.

Ed

 

I drive for lyft and the cup holder is too dangerous as you have to take your eyes off the road too much. Your phone needs to be just below screen level. I'm going to try vent mounts that have an extension.

 

I honestly never knew they had cupholder phone mounts... yes I've been under a rock. I thought the only thing was really a vent mount but I was worried it may block the infotainment screen... I must look into this now.

 

If you don't want to look down too much when accessing your phone, try an air vent mount. Just can't really crank up the head when you're using it but they keep things at around eye level.

I personally use the RANVOO Air Vent Aluminium Magnetic Holder, you stick a magnetic piece to the back of your phone case and it'll stick to the vent magnet.
https://www.amazon.com/RANVOO-Aluminium-Magnetic-Rotation-Motorola/dp/B01HQ12396

 

If you don't want to look down too much when accessing your phone, try an air vent mount. Just can't really crank up the head when you're using it but they keep things at around eye level.

I personally use the RANVOO Air Vent Aluminium Magnetic Holder, you stick a magnetic piece to the back of your phone case and it'll stick to the vent magnet.

I recently bought the "AUKEY" version of this. While it doesn't have the cool Aluminum look of the RANVOO, it was a few dollars cheaper. I noticed it worked real well in a new 2017 Chevy Equinox we have in our work fleet, but not nearly as well in my old Jeep. It seems that the vents really needs to have some tension to them and not be too loose (or easily adjustable, if you know what I mean).

Thanks for the link, I need to get a second one for our other car and may splurge for this one. Then it won't matter which vehicle I'm in that day; I'll have one available at all times.

Joe

 

I went with the MOD Armor MobNetic Pro holder, mounted to the right side of the infotainment screen. Works great - I like to use Waze so this was a must have!

http://mobarmor.com/mobnetic-pro/

 

I'm trying a WizGear vent-mounted magnetic unit - but if the magnetic plate is inside the phone case then the magnet's not strong enough for a swift turn, and if the magnet's outside the phone case it tends to pull the base from the vent, argh. So, I'm trying an iOttie extended arm unit on the dash, to the left of the steering wheel

 

Not sure about WizGear, but the one i use is pretty good and the phone hasn't been flung off yet even when I make sharp turns and it hasn't pulled the magnet off the vent either when I detach it. At least these things are generally pretty cheap so you can test out a few before you find one that works best for you.

 

After going back and forth, I decided to really invest some time to scour the internet for a better solution to the Bolt's lack of an ideal location for a phone mount.

With all the recommendations for magnetic mounts, I ended up with this:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0DUVZV/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I stuck it onto the blank buttons under the infotainment screen on the right side.

Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

Looks good. The size and color makes it practically invisible without the phone.

I'm going to give this a try. No more Apple Maps for me (hopefully).

 

Maybe I am too much of an Apple Fan Boi, but I find Apple Maps and Siri's voice through Apple Play works quite well. I like to load the destination before jumping the the car and then it works well. Took me a while to figure out how to get her voice at the right audio level, but seems fine now. When I take a different route, it recalculates quickly. I suppose someday, I will drive into a lagoon, but until then I am happy.

 

I'm glad it works for you. I find it slower than other apps and not as good in terms of giving me a "head's up" as to what lane I should be in, etc, when I'm in new locales. The voice directions could also come sooner as I find that with traffic, I'm always in the wrong lane when the app wants me to turn.

Then again being a city boy, I get lost a lot. When it comes down to it, I'd rather keep my eye on the road than on the map.

Here's the magnetic mount without the phone attached.

Untitled by tk_1971, on Flickr

 

My problem with google maps is that the infotainment system takes too long to switch over to the phone. An instruction like, "in half a mile, turn left," comes out as, "turn left." This happens whether I have the phone connected through USB or Bluetooth. I don't have this problem with Apple CarPlay and Apple maps.

Unfortunately, the Lyft app doesn't work with CarPlay or Apple maps. I must disconnect both USB and Bluetooth when giving Lyft rides.

Ed

 

Here is the Boltphone. Made by the same guy that makes the Boltshelf.

 

'

Where can I order those parts?

 

I stopped using this magnetic solution when I started to go through pixel phones in alarming quantity. My current mount is magnetic free and so far has not been anything other than awesome. Actually as I use Android Auto there is no need to mount the phone, I usually whack it into the wifi fast charger slot upside down so the cable can get plugged in.

Android Auto does need more call management work though, it is this aspect that makes me unplug and use the phone while driving.

It needs to be easier to operate calls and calendars with webex and such audio conferencing tools. I spend a lot of time on the road so taking calls is important.

 

I stopped using this magnetic solution when I started to go through pixel phones in alarming quantity.

What were the symptoms you experienced?

 

the voice part stopped working, ie the phone part of a smartphone, eventually i could not make or get phone calls but for some reason it was great as a computer, that all worked fine. I was told there were solder flow issues on pixels that was recently fixed but I am not chancing it again, they seem rather delicate to electromagnetic pulses as well as strong magnets and such.

my high voltage lab antics also don't help, i keep my cell phone well out of the way locked up in a lead lined drawer in my desk.

 

Super strong neodymium magnets are not a great idea next to electronics in general. I also would avoid theses type of mounts.

 

the one I'm using has Neodymium magnet. Granted it goes in the vent, but would this damage my phone?
Car Mount

 

RE: safety of magnetic phone mounts

I found this article that goes over the possible issues using a magnetic phone mount: https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/how-magnets-really-affect-phones-hard-drives/

Seems the worst that will happen with any modern smartphone is the compass may be jacked up.

 

Does anyone know how to get another one of the rubber inserts the Bolt has in its phone charger slot? I’m sure I can modify the one that’s there to suit my needs. But if I screw it up, my spouse will not be pleased. So I’d like to do it on a spare. What I plan to do is to cut out the two humps that are supposed to press the phone tight in the slot. If those were gone, the iPhone 7, case and all would sit nicely in that slot. Add a 4-inch right angle USB to lightning cable and I’m done. It irritates me that we can’t use that slot for anything since it’s the perfect position to charge the phone and connect it to AirPlay. I’ve tried searching for the numbers on the insert, but no luck. Anyone know a part number or where to order a replacement?

I tried to contact Chevy via chat, but they said I should contact the dealership. I’m loathed to do that because they knew nothing about the car when they sold it (we’d educated ourselves) and when you go in, their attitude isn’t friendly.

Does anyone know what this is called? It’s hard to search for something when you have no idea what vocabulary to use.

 

i just took it out and made a little sock out of neoprene to replace it. my iphone 7+ (with case) fits a little better now.

 

Glad that works for you. I’d like a more finished end result. Spousal approval is a factor.

 

I?ve installed IOS11 beta and so far so good. Maps now have the much needed lane info. Not having it was my pet peeve with Apple Maps.

 

So, I gave it the good 'ole college try. I've been using Apple CarPlay since I got the car. It works.

Slide the phone in the designated slot, plug it in using the extra short 6" lightning cable I bought for this specific purpose... still I can't use Google Maps. Worst of all, with the phone tucked into that slot, I've actually forgotten and left it in the car several times.

I can relearn retrieving my phone from the slot, but I just can't use Apple Maps. Address voice dictation is horrible. I can't say: "1-1-3-4-0 Main Street", instead I have to say "eleven thousand three forty Main Street". Can't get used to that.

In my previous car/setup, I have a phone holder with the phone connected to the car via Bluetooth only. In that car, the holder is permanently attached to the dash.

I have this spare Macally cup holder phone mount.

Do you have the link to that cup holder? I drive for Lyft and REALLY need it.

 

Do you have the link to that cup holder? I drive for Lyft and REALLY need it.

Go for one of these instead:

[ame]https://www.amazon.com/aLLreLi-Universal-Magnetic-Holder-Smartphones/dp/B01GZT68IM/ref=sr_1_13?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1507917562&sr=1-13&keywords=magnetic+phone+mount[/ame]

I ended up putting a magnetic phone mount on the black smooth bezel immediately to the right of the screen at the widest part.

Works good.

 

If you’re like me and need a phone holder that accommodates a variety of phone types and sizes, then check this out.

Super clean install accomplished by MacGyvering three separate components.

ProClip Center Dash Mount (Item: 855346)
https://www.proclipusa.com/product/855346-proclip-center-dash-mount

iBOLT AMPS Adapter Plate
https://ibolt.co/amps-plate-1187

BE Universal Smartphones Car Air Vent Mount Holder Cradle
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073R68TSH

Handles just about any phone and case combination. For example my wife has a iPhone 7 wrapped in a leather Zover wallet which rules out magnets. While I have the larger iPhone XS Max.

Not a problem for this rig. Doesn’t block access to vents or controls. Spins 360° and didn’t require any tools to assemble or mount. (The 3M VHB™ tape included worked just fine to affix the mounting plate to the AMPS adapter.) And, of course, you retain use of both cup holders.

Add an Apple-certified retractable Lightning to USB cable and you’re in business.

Rock solid and a breeze to release.

Bonus: The cradle’s two-tone color scheme coordinates with the Bolt’s dash.

Price out the door including shipping and tax from Amazon and ProClip was $53.84.

Shout out to timeToy on the chevybolt.org forum for providing inspiration.

 

This looks perfect. Any chance of your offering step-by-step instructions for dummies?

 

Proclip has instructions on how to install their dash mount. Link below.

http://docs.proclipusa.com/instructions/855346

Then just fasten the AMPS plate to the Proclip mount. Last step attach the phone holder to the ball stub on the AMPS plate as shown in the photo attached from the Beam mount Amazon listing.

If you would rather have an all black mount they are also available here ...

[ame]https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FD1HS3Y[/ame]

P.S. Thanks to Dougdawirs for posting the details.

 

This is what I bought at Wally World, before my EA adventure. The Discover card worked there.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tuff-Tech-Black-Tablet-Holder-Universal/332848238

The suction cup is a perfect fit in the bottom of the cup holder. Didn't need to even use the suction feature. The phone sits right above the console, angled towards the driver, with the USB cable plugged in the bottom.