Guide to Automotive Interoperability Testing

Connectivity and interoperability features are becoming increasingly prevalent in cars. Interoperability refers to a system’s ability to work with or use another system’s parts or equipment. For example, when talking about vehicles, interoperability may begin with a user’s smartphone and its ability to work with the car’s infotainment system. Additionally, automotive interoperability may include alarms, remote starting, mileage and warning indicators, or interoperable services specifically for electric vehicles.

Today’s consumers expect seamless two-way communication between devices. While ideal when connectivity happens flawlessly, connection failures are also relatively common. Failure to connect to a wide range of devices and technology can damage consumer trust and loyalty, as it can potentially put consumers in danger while operating their vehicles.

Mobile device connections

The span of UL Solutions’ relationships with mobile phone manufacturers offers you the widest breadth of testing services. We work with a variety of Bluetooth^® and Wi-Fi chipset vendors and infotainment system suppliers. These trusted relationships provide access to:

• A wide range of the most popular models of U.S. mobile devices.
• Facilities around the world with large device libraries to support your global needs.
• Extensive inventory of older phones to help extend broader coverage of infotainment compatibility.
• Pre-release device testing for future planning.
• Pre-release and pre-update for major mobile operating systems.
• Forward and backward compatibility testing.
• Mobile app user experience and validation.
• Infotainment system app user experience and validation.

Our interoperability services

For automotive component and device manufacturers, success may depend on having a third-party certification body such as UL Solutions certify that their mobile and connected vehicle systems work by meeting relevant IoP and/or IoT requirements consistently and securely — and that they work with products from other manufacturers.

You can leverage our expertise to evaluate whether your product works as expected with all other relevant devices and conforms to all appropriate standards and technology platforms. Our interoperability services include testing automotive projection services — proprietary systems that connect a phone to a car — as well as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC and wireless charging platforms. Additionally, we check for any wireless connectivity concerns between select models of smartphones and infotainment systems and search for update problems that often plague their operating systems.

As technology evolves and advances, we help manufacturers look backward as well as forward to maintain compatibility. Our worldwide network of MFi authorized test laboratories provides interoperability test services for CarPlay and Android Auto projection technologies.

Ultimately, through our testing services, we aim to help automotive component and device manufacturers reduce problems and provide a positive end-user experience. We help protect brand reputation and drive consumer confidence and trust by confirming that products perform according to a manufacturer’s claims or to specified requirements.

Download our comprehensive guide and explore our interoperability testing services and expertise.