Player Behaviour Insights Through Car Play

GeoLocation data provides considerable and fascinating insights into the behaviour and journeys the players undertake in their either daily or occasional travels. We are now seeing a growing trend of location data being derived from Connected Vehicle Systems (CVS). 

Let's explore what that means. When your mobile device is connected to either Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, the location data is now delegated to your vehicle's built-in satellite navigation system. In simple terms, your phone now gets its location from the car and not from the phone.  

What does that mean?  

From a compliance point of view, this has required adaption. The SDKs that adapt our services, the ones our clients embed into their apps and websites, must now detect CVS and allow that connection to be accepted. Normally external connections are not supported, as this is often how location subvert’s are introduced to a device, but CVS’s provide certain signatures or characteristics that we can detect and allow for. 

What are the benefits of using and detecting CVS?  

From a user's point of view, pairing their phone to their car is a simple, almost invisible action. The main perceived benefit is access to Apple or Google Maps on their vehicle's infotainment display. However, what users may not realise is their device now has a reduced power consumption, as the satellite location service are being driven by the vehicle rather than the phone itself. 

Beyond this, vehicles provide richer data than mobile devices typically can. This includes bearing (the direction of travel), speed over ground, altitude, and even acceleration and deceleration. Additionally, CVS provides insight into connection time how long a device has been connected to a vehicle, which can indicate the duration of a journey or stationary period. 

How can operators use this extended CVS Data?   

What we are seeing are clear seasonal trends of high CVS usage in North America, and to an extent in Europe. The usage of CVS occurs during key travel periods such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and end-of-summer holidays, often for extended durations. 
 
With this in mind, operators can begin to deliver content more appropriate to longer journeys and potentially collaborative games around these times of year. Longer journeys present opportunities for different types of engagement, including content suited to extended play sessions or even collaborative experiences.   

In addition, there is a great deal of static CVS behaviour, suggesting that people are parked up and wagering while they wait. Of course, what they are waiting for is difficult to ascertain without have detailed information of the site facilities. But a guess never hurt and it reasonable to assume that people are waiting to collect someone and using that wait time to for some gaming entertainment. 

Enhancing player experience through CVS integration 

GeoLocs integration to CVS solutions from Apple and Google are introducing a new layer of insight into player behaviour, one that goes beyond traditional location data. By understanding not just where players are, but how they are moving and interacting with their environment, operators can unlock new opportunities for engagement, personalisation, and retention. 

As adoption of CVS continues to grow, particularly during key travel periods, the ability to interpret and act on this data will become increasingly important. Those who begin integrating and adapting now will be better positioned to deliver more relevant, seamless, and engaging experiences in the future.