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BMW Confirms It Has No Plans to Offer CarPlay Ultra
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Sounds like the issue is the manufacturer. I had the same issue with wireless CarPlay on my Hyundai. Manufacturer blamed apple and apple blamed manufacturer. Hyundai released an update a year later and solved all my issues.
My add-on CarPlay for my 2010 Toyota Corolla is better than Honda's built in. No care company should be able to restrict what I do with their car after I've paid for it.
Also not really true; only the most elaborate RTTI is paid - basic traffic info remains free.
I have an i5 xDrive40 and I find their system very nice -- particularly the GPS map. I don't even use Google or Apple Maps any longer. And CarPlay can be used to feed music and podcast apps alongside the BMW system, which is all I need.
Maybe it’s just BMW’s implementation that sucks? Never had any issue with CarPlay in GM, Volkswagen, Dodge, or Ford vehicles.
Apple CarPlay “Ultra” will never gain a foothold. Maybe with no-name manufacturers, but not with well-known brands. You can forget it.
Because what is the basic premise?
Apple says: “We get the vehicle data, we have access to all systems, and everything looks exactly the way we want it to – but you, the manufacturer, are responsible for the vehicle and all problems.”
Now think about it: as a manufacturer would you want to do that?
Be the scapegoat for everything while another company reaps the rewards and collects all the data?
It was clear from the start that CarPlay Ultra was a stillborn product. No major manufacturer would give Apple full access without getting something in return.
Because what is the basic premise?
Apple says: “We get the vehicle data, we have access to all systems, and everything looks exactly the way we want it to – but you, the manufacturer, are responsible for the vehicle and all problems.”
Now think about it: as a manufacturer would you want to do that?
Be the scapegoat for everything while another company reaps the rewards and collects all the data?
It was clear from the start that CarPlay Ultra was a stillborn product. No major manufacturer would give Apple full access without getting something in return.
This is the real answer.
Anyone who has CarPlay and doesn’t experience these things is immediately going to point at BMW for this issue. The point isn’t that you’d need to buy a new car for CarPlay Ultra, it’s that if you’re buying a new car, you won’t have the option.
That’s not even true…that’s not how CarPlay Ultra even works.
They used to require a subscription. Other manufacturers also used to charge for the installation of the software, sometimes as much as $1k.
Everyone likes different stuff, but my new car has full digial dashboard and it great. Having Apple Maps where the speed is nice when navigating. But being able to change the display based on where I am driving is game changer.
I use Carplay everyday and wouldn't buy a car without it
But honestly, Ultra looks like something ideal for low-production exotic/luxury cars. Targeting high-end brands, like Aston Martin, that notoriously have awful infotainment (because its not worth spending years coding a system for a car driven <1000 miles/yr) seems to make the most sense for now. Mass manufactured brands who have their own mature software are not going to let you take over every screen.
But honestly, Ultra looks like something ideal for low-production exotic/luxury cars. Targeting high-end brands, like Aston Martin, that notoriously have awful infotainment (because its not worth spending years coding a system for a car driven <1000 miles/yr) seems to make the most sense for now. Mass manufactured brands who have their own mature software are not going to let you take over every screen.
I been using CarPlay for years and never have issues. I couldn't own a car without carplay at this point.
Oh I totally agree. I wouldn't buy a vehicle without it. But I wouldn't want a vehicle that has Ultra if im honest
I currently don't have a BMW but had 2 different ones from 2005 to 2024 and always liked iDrive.
Very nice, quite intuitive and well thought out from a car POV (for exemple zooming with the wheel is much better in a car than using fingers on a screen).
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What a stupid decision. This, combined with the fact that the accounting department has been running the show over at BMW with their ugly, plastic-filled interiors means I likely won't return to them whenever I sell my X3. I'll be looking to replace it with something comparable that does offer CarPlay Ultra.
I used to have the same problems with my car but it worked fine with my wife's BMW. I mentioned it to my dealer and they couldn't find a problem. Problem went away when I upgraded my phone from an X to a 14. Works fine with both cars now.
Never had any problems with iDrive. BMW navigation is an order of magnitude better than Apple Maps which still has navigation errors and has a cartoon like interface.
Other than music and podcasts everything about CarPlay is useless. Navigation is useless and still makes navigation errors.
I've had the exact opposite experience with my wife's BMW. Interface is terrible and non-intuititive, navigation is laggy, and the system can't remember what should be very basic settings.
he probably not even own an bmw..or is just an bmw fanatic..bmw and even my eqs has UI issues if you use them a lot..not just very basic...i bought last month A6 PPC platform and their MMI, while is not as config as the idrive and mbux, its 2 classes ahead in terms of issues free and processing power