I moved to a new state recently and I wanted better GPS to help me get around, so I purchased the new BimmerTech CarPlay MMI unit.
The main features of the product: Adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to BMW Entertainment systems. As a bonus, you can add a rear view (reverse) camera, if you don’t have one, and you can add a forward-facing camera as well. My car already has a backup camera and I didn’t install the forward camera, so I can’t review those.
My car is a 2014, so CarPlay activation was not possible and I needed this hardware unit. Installation was fairly straightforward and went as expected. I don’t need to describe installation, because Kies Motorsports has a great YouTube video which steps you through the install. His video doesn’t show placement of the MMI unit, so I want to add that if you need to remove the glovebox to install the unit next to your radio, as I did, the MMI unit needs to be installed fairly high to allow the panel beneath the glovebox to fit. In my case, there’s a cigarette lighter socket in that panel, it was blocked by the MMI unit, and I had to remove the glovebox again and move the MMI unit higher in order to fit everything back together.
Once that’s all done: It works! It displays CarPlay across the full 8” screen in my car, and it looks beautiful. I can make calls, use Apple Maps and Waze, play Apple Music, and more. It controls through the iDrive rotary controller and also using the steering wheel control.
The phone needs to be attached with a USB cable. My car originally came with a “snap-in adapter” in the center console. I removed that and replaced it with a rubber tray (BMW OEM from ECS). I routed the USB Lightning cable into the console easily and it pokes out of the rubber tray. I get in the car, plug in the phone and close the console. So I don’t have any phone cradle or wires visible. Totally stock. You can choose to route the USB cable anywhere you wish. A USB female cable is supplied and you provide whatever USB charging cable you need for your phone, whether it’s Android or Apple. You cannot use a wireless charger, because the physical USB connection is needed to send the video to the display.
The way it works is very clever and about 90% as good as a stock solution. (And since you aren’t paying BMW $80/year for the feature, maybe it’s really 150% as good!)
The different BMW headunits vary somewhat, so I’ll describe how it works in my car:
CarPlay is a “Source,” just like XM, CD or Nav. To switch to it, you can either press end hold the Menu button on the iDrive controller, or press the 8 button on the radio. These produce slightly different results:
Pressing the iDrive Menu button switches the video display to CarPlay, while pressing 8 switches both audio and video to CarPlay. Since I love Satellite radio, this means I can listen to satellite radio (or FM, or CD, etc) while using CarPlay navigation. Pretty cool!
This integration isn’t 100% perfect, but it works very well once you get used to it. For example, I can use the 1-7 preset buttons on the radio unit as usual, to switch to any radio station or audio source I wish, while still seeing CarPlay on the screen. Or, I can press the Radio button on the iDrive controller to see the usual iDrive information on the video screen, like radio stations, etc.
One thing is that to make a call, play Apple Music, hear turn-by-turn driving instructions, or to hear Siri, you need to press the 8 button to switch audio. If you get an incoming call while listening to satellite radio, you need to press 8 and then answer your phone, using the iDrive button or the steering wheel button. It’s not very difficult, but it is an extra step. If you’re listening to AppleMusic, then you can more easily answer calls and get turn by turn audio guidance. But if you’re listening to any other audio, such as CD or satellite radio, you cannot hear turn by turn directions, you can only see them. In other words, the MMI unit can only overlay sounds when MMI CarPlay is the sound source. I don’t mind this much; it is what it is and BimmerTech’s engineers did an outstanding job considering the limits.
Another thing is that, on my car, I can change radio stations using the steering wheel controller and my HUD. But the steering wheel control clicks are also sent to the MMI unit, so if you change stations with the steering wheel, you might cancel guidance or do some other unwanted thing to your phone. Nothing bad, but maybe unwanted.
I have had a few glitches. The first was that the CarPlay display wasn’t returning after putting the car into reverse, unless I manually switched input back to CarPlay. But BimmerTech’s support was outstanding, and they explained that it was a menu setting related to the front-view camera, which I don’t use. After making the setting change to their directions, the problem was solved. I’ve also had the CarPlay lock up twice, and the only remedy was to power down the car. They sent me a software patch intended to fix this problem, but I haven’t been able to test it yet. I also haven’t been able to test the Android Auto features at all. Mail me your phone and I’ll let you know how it goes.
I have just one issue remaining: GPS performance is sometimes bad, with the phone losing GPS signal. However, this is a phone problem, not a BimmerTech problem. I haven’t isolated the cause: It could be that keeping the phone in the console is reducing reception. Maybe I need to keep the phone closer to the windshield. Or it may be a problem in the latest 12.4 iOS update from Apple, which had a “fix” for GPS. Or, perhaps the USB cable becoming an antenna. I’m going to get a ferrite bead to install into the Lightning cable, and we’ll see if that helps. Otherwise, I’ll move the Lightning cable and mount the phone on the dash, probably to the left of the steering wheel.
Summary: I highly recommend this product if you want CarPlay, Android Auto, and especially if you want to add a backup and/or front-facing camera. It’s been a very pleasurable addition to my car, and BimmerTech support has been so responsive that they definitely deserve my strongest recommendation.
The main features of the product: Adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to BMW Entertainment systems. As a bonus, you can add a rear view (reverse) camera, if you don’t have one, and you can add a forward-facing camera as well. My car already has a backup camera and I didn’t install the forward camera, so I can’t review those.
My car is a 2014, so CarPlay activation was not possible and I needed this hardware unit. Installation was fairly straightforward and went as expected. I don’t need to describe installation, because Kies Motorsports has a great YouTube video which steps you through the install. His video doesn’t show placement of the MMI unit, so I want to add that if you need to remove the glovebox to install the unit next to your radio, as I did, the MMI unit needs to be installed fairly high to allow the panel beneath the glovebox to fit. In my case, there’s a cigarette lighter socket in that panel, it was blocked by the MMI unit, and I had to remove the glovebox again and move the MMI unit higher in order to fit everything back together.
Once that’s all done: It works! It displays CarPlay across the full 8” screen in my car, and it looks beautiful. I can make calls, use Apple Maps and Waze, play Apple Music, and more. It controls through the iDrive rotary controller and also using the steering wheel control.
The phone needs to be attached with a USB cable. My car originally came with a “snap-in adapter” in the center console. I removed that and replaced it with a rubber tray (BMW OEM from ECS). I routed the USB Lightning cable into the console easily and it pokes out of the rubber tray. I get in the car, plug in the phone and close the console. So I don’t have any phone cradle or wires visible. Totally stock. You can choose to route the USB cable anywhere you wish. A USB female cable is supplied and you provide whatever USB charging cable you need for your phone, whether it’s Android or Apple. You cannot use a wireless charger, because the physical USB connection is needed to send the video to the display.
The way it works is very clever and about 90% as good as a stock solution. (And since you aren’t paying BMW $80/year for the feature, maybe it’s really 150% as good!)
The different BMW headunits vary somewhat, so I’ll describe how it works in my car:
CarPlay is a “Source,” just like XM, CD or Nav. To switch to it, you can either press end hold the Menu button on the iDrive controller, or press the 8 button on the radio. These produce slightly different results:
Pressing the iDrive Menu button switches the video display to CarPlay, while pressing 8 switches both audio and video to CarPlay. Since I love Satellite radio, this means I can listen to satellite radio (or FM, or CD, etc) while using CarPlay navigation. Pretty cool!
This integration isn’t 100% perfect, but it works very well once you get used to it. For example, I can use the 1-7 preset buttons on the radio unit as usual, to switch to any radio station or audio source I wish, while still seeing CarPlay on the screen. Or, I can press the Radio button on the iDrive controller to see the usual iDrive information on the video screen, like radio stations, etc.
One thing is that to make a call, play Apple Music, hear turn-by-turn driving instructions, or to hear Siri, you need to press the 8 button to switch audio. If you get an incoming call while listening to satellite radio, you need to press 8 and then answer your phone, using the iDrive button or the steering wheel button. It’s not very difficult, but it is an extra step. If you’re listening to AppleMusic, then you can more easily answer calls and get turn by turn audio guidance. But if you’re listening to any other audio, such as CD or satellite radio, you cannot hear turn by turn directions, you can only see them. In other words, the MMI unit can only overlay sounds when MMI CarPlay is the sound source. I don’t mind this much; it is what it is and BimmerTech’s engineers did an outstanding job considering the limits.
Another thing is that, on my car, I can change radio stations using the steering wheel controller and my HUD. But the steering wheel control clicks are also sent to the MMI unit, so if you change stations with the steering wheel, you might cancel guidance or do some other unwanted thing to your phone. Nothing bad, but maybe unwanted.
I have had a few glitches. The first was that the CarPlay display wasn’t returning after putting the car into reverse, unless I manually switched input back to CarPlay. But BimmerTech’s support was outstanding, and they explained that it was a menu setting related to the front-view camera, which I don’t use. After making the setting change to their directions, the problem was solved. I’ve also had the CarPlay lock up twice, and the only remedy was to power down the car. They sent me a software patch intended to fix this problem, but I haven’t been able to test it yet. I also haven’t been able to test the Android Auto features at all. Mail me your phone and I’ll let you know how it goes.
I have just one issue remaining: GPS performance is sometimes bad, with the phone losing GPS signal. However, this is a phone problem, not a BimmerTech problem. I haven’t isolated the cause: It could be that keeping the phone in the console is reducing reception. Maybe I need to keep the phone closer to the windshield. Or it may be a problem in the latest 12.4 iOS update from Apple, which had a “fix” for GPS. Or, perhaps the USB cable becoming an antenna. I’m going to get a ferrite bead to install into the Lightning cable, and we’ll see if that helps. Otherwise, I’ll move the Lightning cable and mount the phone on the dash, probably to the left of the steering wheel.
Summary: I highly recommend this product if you want CarPlay, Android Auto, and especially if you want to add a backup and/or front-facing camera. It’s been a very pleasurable addition to my car, and BimmerTech support has been so responsive that they definitely deserve my strongest recommendation.
