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BMW Confirms It Has No Plans to Offer CarPlay Ultra

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BMW has confirmed it will not support Apple's next-generation CarPlay Ultra platform in any of its upcoming vehicles.

carplay-next-gen-hero.jpg

This is the first unequivocal public rejection of CarPlay Ultra by BMW since the system's announcement. The automaker had previously issued a neutral position in 2022 following Apple's unveiling, stating:

Currently, we have placed a clear focus on further enhancing our iDrive user interface system and, as part of this development, will continue the seamless integration of Apple's ecosystem. Integral to these efforts will be an evaluation of how the latest innovations announced at WWDC can be integrated into our solutions.
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Now, a BMW AG spokesperson has told BMW Blog that "BMW currently has no plans to integrate Apple CarPlay Ultra."

BMW's new iDrive X platform is set to launch later this year on the BMW iX3, serving as the digital foundation for all Neue Klasse models going forward. iDrive X features what BMW calls the "Panoramic Display," which projects contextual information across the lower edge of the windshield. BMW will continue to support standard CarPlay and Android Auto functionality, but only on the main infotainment screen.

Apple first previewed CarPlay Ultra at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2022, showcasing a significantly more immersive and integrated in-car interface. Unlike the standard version of CarPlay, which is largely confined to the central infotainment display, CarPlay Ultra fully expands across all of a vehicle's displays. It also allows drivers to access and control core vehicle functions such as climate control and cameras through Apple's single system.

BMW's decision follows similar announcements from other major manufacturers who have opted against adopting CarPlay Ultra, including Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Polestar, and Renault. All four companies were previously seen as potential adopters but have since withdrawn support. Porsche, Ford, Hyundai, Genesis, Kia, Honda, Acura, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, and Nissan are all still expected to offer CarPlay Ultra in the future.

The timeline for adoption of CarPlay Ultra remains unclear, with only Aston Martin having shipped vehicles with the system to date. The pace of rollout from other confirmed partners is currently unknown.

CarPlay Ultra effectively displaces the automaker's native user interface with Apple's design language and system logic. As a result, manufacturers that prioritize brand differentiation, software control, and even a simpler development burden, especially in the premium segment, have expressed reluctance to adopt CarPlay Ultra.

Article Link: BMW Confirms It Has No Plans to Offer CarPlay Ultra
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/07/24/bmw-confirms-no-plans-to-offer-carplay-ultra/
maybe it’s my fault for not being a car person, I’m endlessly confused by this. what led companies to go over time from supporting CarPlay (particularly hypothetically supporting Ultra) to just being like “nah nvm” ?
 
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phenste said:
maybe it’s my fault for not being a car person, I’m endlessly confused by this. what led companies to go over time from supporting CarPlay (particularly hypothetically supporting Ultra) to just being like “nah nvm” ?
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CarPlay isn't free for them, and cedes control of some of the car functionality to Apple.

However, most car manufacturers will continue to support CarPlay. It's CarPlay Ultra that they won't be supporting.
 
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Makes sense. Keep carplay in a window but don't let it overtake the whole dashboard. I just wished that carmakers had a way to feed telemetry to carplay so apps could use it (i guess they probably have or could do it via bluetooth, but afaik there's no standard API for the CAN bus of a car (which seems to be a security nightmare anyway))
 
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phenste said:
maybe it’s my fault for not being a car person, I’m endlessly confused by this. what led companies to go over time from supporting CarPlay (particularly hypothetically supporting Ultra) to just being like “nah nvm” ?
Click to expand...
they are looking for revenue streams through unlocking features via subscriptions. somehow CarPlay Ultra gets in the way of that.
 
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IT Easy said:
That's too bad. I drive a BMW and iDrive is terrible. It's super buggy and poorly designed. CarPlay Ultra would have gone a long way towards enhancing the BMW experience.
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I also have a BMW (the most expensive model) and CarPlay is terrible, constantly dropping the connection, not resuming things where they stopped, or freezing altogether.
Not to mention that, even if BMW were to support that train wreck, you’d basically have to buy a new car to use it.
So in all, just another piece of irrelevant news for 99% of people out there.
 
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phenste said:
maybe it’s my fault for not being a car person, I’m endlessly confused by this. what led companies to go over time from supporting CarPlay (particularly hypothetically supporting Ultra) to just being like “nah nvm” ?
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Apple’s overall goal of controlling the whole interface as opposed to just being an efficient way of integrating with your iDevice; that’s what.
 
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phenste said:
maybe it’s my fault for not being a car person, I’m endlessly confused by this. what led companies to go over time from supporting CarPlay (particularly hypothetically supporting Ultra) to just being like “nah nvm” ?
Click to expand...
Think a lot of car companies are hoping to use their own software so they can monetize it charging subscriptions now or in the future. Rarely if ever will work out for them, but it’s a way they can try to impress shareholders.
 
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I think BMW charge people for CarPlay after three years or thereabouts. So to them it’s a money maker. I really like CarPlay in my Peugeot- hired a Mercedes GLE recently and found the MBUX a little fiddly and counter intuitive compared with CarPlay. But as long as they support regular CarPlay I will be happy for now.

I stand corrected - BMW used to charge but now allow it for free. There was a time that they did - certainly in the UK.
 
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Carmakers cant make proper software UIs. From what I have seen they can only offer horrible solutions.

On the other hand, CarPlay Ultra touches the systems a few levels deep. Then Apple will of course charge premium and at the moment there some proper issues selling new cars too looking at inflation alone. Android Automotive OS is a worthy competitor as well.

For now seemingly CarPlay will suffice.
 
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Unami said:
Makes sense. Keep carplay in a window but don't let it overtake the whole dashboard. I just wished that carmakers had a way to feed telemetry to carplay so apps could use it (i guess they probably have or could do it via bluetooth, but afaik there's no standard API for the CAN bus of a car (which seems to be a security nightmare anyway))
Click to expand...

This is all I want also.

Just getting battery/consumption status telemetry out of my EV and into my phone Apps is all I need.

I currently get this via an ODB dongle + ABRP
 
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Two Appleseeds said:
Think a lot of car companies are hoping to use their own software so they can monetize it charging subscriptions now or in the future. Rarely if ever will work out for them, but it’s a way they can try to impress shareholders.
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So when Apple tries to monetize things it’s all good, but others can’t?
By the way, when will I be able to search for non-IAP apps on the App Store?
 
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ZeebUK said:
I think BMW charge people for CarPlay after three years or thereabouts. So to them it’s a money maker. I really like CarPlay in my Peugeot- hired a Mercedes GLE recently and found the MBUX a little fiddly and counter intuitive compared with CarPlay. But as long as they support regular CarPlay I will be happy for now.
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No, they don’t - CP is free on BMWs and doesn’t require a subscription.
 
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I have a new car with carplay now, and honestly I only ever use it to play my music and podcasts through which reside on my iPhone. I can't remember the last time I used any app on it, it's just a higher quality Bluetooth audio for my daily use. I really also detest all the huge LCD screens going into all the new cars, and this image of the edge to edge screen going all the way across the cabin in the car is insane. I'm tired of touchscreens and huge bright screens blinding me at night. Bring back real mechanical gauges, buttons and switches.
I was fortunate that my new car still has real guages and buttons, and just has a smallish screen for carplay, but I had to really look for this.
 
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mthomas184 said:
So you were cool with BMW wanting to charge $18 a month for heated seats at one point?
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No, because I don’t have that limitation in my BMW anyway - yet most people here love the software subscription model that so many developers push nowadays - it’s all about supply and demand - if enough gullible consumers accept this pay-as-you-go crap, makers will surely impose it - but if they don’t, such fees will quickly disappear.
 
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