They aren't pushing it, and it's not at all necessary. It's a helpful supplement. You can use all of the radios features just using the in dash display, but doing things like time alignment and adjusting crossovers is certainly easier with a smart phone screen. I'm no fan of things requiring apps to work, and there are plenty of times I get in my jeep and don't even take my phone out of my pocket, but it's really nice to have a quality touch screen on my dash sometimes.