Can you turn the touchscreen off ?

[ColinB]

This might be a bit of a niche question, but it puzzled me on a recent trip. I wanted to turn the system off completely, with nothing on the screen and no audio. I tried the on/off button at top right, but then you get "AUDIO POWER OFF" permanently displayed in huge letters (why ? I know it's off, there's no noise coming out, I don't need to be permanently reminded about it !). Best I've found is to ignore the start-up splash screen so it goes out eventually and then turn the volume down. Radio's still working, you just can't hear it. You still get interrupted by traffic announcements so you then have to turn them down as well. All a bit of a faff, and you have to explain the screen messages to uninitiated passengers. So, has anyone discovered how to have no unnecessary visual or audio distraction from this thing ?

[Downsizer]

If you turn the audio off, and then ignore the warning sign when you next start up, there is no sound and no vision. Success, though personally I rather like the analogue clock!

[ColinB]

Thanks Downsizer, but not really what I was looking for. Your solution - and the one I suggested - requires you to know before you start the car that you want the system off so that you can ignore the splash screen. If you've already OK'd that when you set off, there seems to be no way to get back to it so you can ignore it. So there will always be something on the display, it will either continue to show the radio selection or the annoying "AUDIO POWER OFF". I was really hoping for some way to blank the screen if, when driving along, you decide you don't want it at that time.

You mention an analogue clock, I'd be happy with that on the display rather than the audio stuff, but I've not found how to get it - how do you set that up ?

[Sidot]

Go into info.
Clock settings.
Select analogue clock and background ( I like the stars ).
Although it asks you to select further just leave it a couple of minutes and the clock and background stay on without anything else on the screen.
I like it and often rest my screen with the clock.

[Downsizer]

Thanks Downsizer, but not really what I was looking for. Your solution - and the one I suggested - requires you to know before you start the car that you want the system off so that you can ignore the splash screen. If you've already OK'd that when you set off, there seems to be no way to get back to it so you can ignore it. So there will always be something on the display, it will either continue to show the radio selection or the annoying "AUDIO POWER OFF". I was really hoping for some way to blank the screen if, when driving along, you decide you don't want it at that time.

You mention an analogue clock, I'd be happy with that on the display rather than the audio stuff, but I've not found how to get it - how do you set that up ?

After further trials, I see your problem.  I hadn't met it because I either switch to the clock or ignore the initial warning sign so that the screen goes off.  I was able to find the analogue clock as suggested by Sidot, but only after "changing the skin", one of the options under settings.  Something in the handbook shows that options are slightly different depending on which skin you're wearing.  Bizarre!

[Graham Dicker]

Surely if you press the brightness button a couple times until you reach the 'off' setting then the screen is blank except for the clock isn't it. Or have I misunderstood something?

[ColinS]

Surely if you press the brightness button a couple times until you reach the 'off' setting then the screen is blank except for the clock isn't it. Or have I misunderstood something?

That is true for the EX but I think it is different on the lower spec models.

[Downsizer]

Surely if you press the brightness button a couple times until you reach the 'off' setting then the screen is blank except for the clock isn't it. Or have I misunderstood something?

You're right!  Thank you. It works as you say on my SE.  I must read the handbook........

[ColinB]

Thanks Graham, that's the "easy screen off" option I was looking for. Who'd have thought that a button labelled "on/off" doesn't actually switch the screen off, but a button labelled "brightness" does ?!

However, I'm still interested in the analogue clock idea. I can find the settings signposted by Sidot, but how do you actually display the clock ? How do you switch between clock and audio display ?

[Graham Dicker]

Who'd have thought that a button labelled "on/off" doesn't actually switch the screen off

That reminds me of a computer program I worked on many years ago where at a certain point a message popped up saying 'Press STOP to continue'. Bizarre but In the context of what the program was doing it made perfect sense. Similarly, I think the on/off button is specific to turning the radio on/off and it only makes the screen light up because that's how the radio works.

[Downsizer]

However, I'm still interested in the analogue clock idea. I can find the settings signposted by Sidot, but how do you actually display the clock ? How do you switch between clock and audio display ?

Go to the "Home" screen, and then click on the clock picture.  At least, that's how it works in the alternative skin display I'm using.  If you've already selected the analogue clock, that's what appears.

[ColinB]

Go to the "Home" screen, and then click on the clock picture.  At least, that's how it works in the alternative skin display I'm using.  If you've already selected the analogue clock, that's what appears.

OK, think I've got it now ..., sheesh, this thing is complicated and non-intuitive !

If you have the vanilla interface display (ie you haven't changed the skin), then you do not get a clock button on the home screen so Downsizer's instructions are a tad puzzling. You can however put the clock app onto the home screen (go to the apps screen, press & hold the clock icon) which gives you a little picture of a clock alongside the other big buttons, and if you tap this the screen changes to a clock. Except that you only seem to be able to get a digital clock even if you've selected analogue in the settings.

If you change the skin (whatever that is), then you DO get a clock button and tapping this switches the display to a full-screen analogue clock if that's what's selected in the settings. Not sure though what else is affected by changing the skin.

So between this and the trick with the brightness control I think I now know how to get a less distracting display on the screen when I want it which satisfies my original query. Thanks to everyone who's chipped in. Now all I need is for Honda to fix the bug that causes it to stop working randomly (three months now and counting ...)

[Ricardo]

What I find really frustrating is that once you have sucessfully found a clock display setting you like, once you go into reverse and the rear view camera fires up, the disply then reverts to something different (in my case the fuel usage screen).
This software must've been written by somebody who never drives the car.
Who knows - maybe it will be improved with subsequent software updates. (Yeah, right I hear you all say)
If there ever was a phrase that strikes fear in the heart of a computer user it is hearing that your system is going to be "Enhanced". When I was working they enhanced the bejesus out of a system that everybody used all the time, and it became less and less useful and harder & more limited to use.

[andruec]

Go into info.
Clock settings.
Select analogue clock and background ( I like the stars ).
Although it asks you to select further just leave it a couple of minutes and the clock and background stay on without anything else on the screen.
I like it and often rest my screen with the clock.

Really? I'll have to give that a try. It doesn't seem to work for the digital clock. That remains displayed (very faintly) in the top right for me.

[ColinB]

Go into info.
Clock settings.
Select analogue clock and background ( I like the stars ).
Although it asks you to select further just leave it a couple of minutes and the clock and background stay on without anything else on the screen.
I like it and often rest my screen with the clock.

Really? I'll have to give that a try. It doesn't seem to work for the digital clock. That remains displayed (very faintly) in the top right for me.

In my experience, you can't display the analogue clock unless you first activate the alternative skin. This gives you an icon to select the clock, which'll then display according to whatever option you select using Sidot's instructions. Unless anyone knows how else to do it ?