If you are looking to add Apple CarPlay to your bmw this CarPlay MMI Prime from BimmerTech is the way to go. I have a 2016 BMW 535i X Drive and CarPlay was not put in this car until 2017 so I researched how to add it to my car. The BimmerTech CarPlay MMI Prime kept coming up so I thought I'd give it a try. I am so glad I did! It was a really easy installation with minimal tools and about 20 minutes of work but I am comfortable with taking out the stereo and screen before so it may take a little longer for you. The installation of the CarPlay MMI Prime is more or less a plug and play. You just need to take off the plastic covering, then take out 6 screws and the rest is plugging in certain wires to add the CarPlay to the original stereo. The CarPlay also adds a usb to add plug in CarPlay but it can also use CarPlay through Bluetooth which is a plus because I hate having to plug in my phone every time I get in my car. Once you get everything plugged in and hide the extra wires, you screw the 6 screws back in and put the plastic covering back on and you are all done. My wife has CarPlay in her 2017 X3 and I feel like I enjoy my CarPlay MMI Prime better than the factory BMW CarPlay as it's more customizable and you can use the whole screen for CarPlay. I am very happy with my purchase and I would not hesitate to purchase this again if put in the same situation. The price of $649 is not bad at all because instead of paying for the updated maps every year from BMW, I can use google maps, Apple Maps, or Waze through my iPhone for free.
The link to this product is: CarPlay MMI Prime Retrofit for BMW | BimmerTech