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BMW Shipping New Cars Temporarily Without Apple CarPlay

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BMW is temporarily shipping new cars without Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality due to the automaker changing its chip supplier (via Automotive News Europe).

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The new chips built into many BMWs manufactured this year require updated software to be able to run Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. BMW customers who receive a new car without CarPlay are being asked by dealerships to wait for an over-the-air update that will enable the functionality "by the end of June at the latest."

It is not clear how many BMW models are affected, but a large number of customers in the U.S., Italy, Spain, the UK, and France have posted online about their new vehicles being delivered without CarPlay. Affected models include the code "6P1" in their specification.

While some BMW owners will have to miss out on CarPlay functionality for a temporary period, BMW is switching chip suppliers to strengthen its supply chain in the long term amid the continued impact of the global chip shortage, which could reduce component shortages in the second half of the year.

BMW offers one of the most integrated experiences with Apple's ecosystem, with support for Digital Key, Ultra Wideband Digital Key Plus, and a feature-rich dual-screen wireless CarPlay experience. BMW only started offering CarPlay in 2016 and came under fire for charging a $80 per year fee for access to it, before reneging on the subscription following negative feedback.

Article Link: BMW Shipping New Cars Temporarily Without Apple CarPlay
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/05/09/bmw-temporarily-shipping-cars-without-carplay/
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TheYayAreaLiving ? said:
Well, that is annoying. It’s 2022, why would anyone want to buy a vehicle without CarPlay.

Also, what's the guarantee that it will be available to the customers by end of June?
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Like with everything until you have the product or feature in hand, you can't expect anything.

Would be very frustrating if expecting a car to turn up with CarPlay and then get told this!
 
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tann said:
Like with everything until you have the product or feature in hand, you can't expect anything.

Would be very frustrating if expecting a car to turn up with CarPlay and then get told this!
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I agree. I feel bad for the car salesmen people. Because they have to inform the customers that the vehicle comes with no CarPlay or it does not have a chip. It makes it so difficult for them to sell the car.
 
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I'd much rather get my car now and wait for this functionality to be enabled that having to wait to get the whole car. Unfortunately this is a situation beyond the control of BMW and all auto makers, and they're trying to make the best of a challenging situation.
 
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TheYayAreaLiving ? said:
Well, that is annoying. It’s 2022, why would anyone want to buy a vehicle without CarPlay.

Also, what's the guarantee that it will be available to the customers by end of June?
Click to expand...

It won't be available by the end of June, that's for certain. They say June because they still want people to buy their cars. I doubt they will push the update out before end of the year.
 
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No need to be so dramatic, it's not missing forever, it'll come as a OTA update.
I've received my letter that invites me to the dealer for the first on-site software upgrade. It brings, among other things, WiFi hostpot. Once that's done, the OTA can happen and my dealer also said delivered in June at the latest.

It's been impacting most Europeans BMW orders (at least) since at around December 2021 (yours truly impacted). But for a few months of waiting, and coming from a car without CarPlay anyway, that definitely didn't change my purchase decision.
The only hardware-related thing that's missing altogether in most new BMWs as well is the wireless phone charging tray. And that, I regret not having. But again, not to the point of cancelling a vehicle purchase. Still got 4 wheels and an engine...
 

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arnoz said:
No need to be so dramatic, it's not missing forever, it'll come as a OTA update.
I've received my letter that invites me to the dealer for the first on-site software upgrade. It brings, among other things, WiFi hostpot. Once that's done, the OTA can happen and my dealer also said delivered in June at the latest.

It's been impacting most Europeans BMW orders (at least) since at around December 2021 (yours truly impacted). But for a few months of waiting, and coming from a car without CarPlay anyway, that definitely didn't change my purchase decision.
The only hardware-related thing that's missing altogether in most new BMWs as well is the wireless phone charging tray. And that, I regret not having. But again, not to the point of cancelling a vehicle purchase. Still got 4 wheels and an engine...
Click to expand...
Wonder if they’ll paywall it behind a monthly subscription… again. ;)
 
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dantracht said:
Sorry but that would tick me off to no end.
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How dare BMW solve a global supply chain issue by sourcing alternative chips so they can continue building cars that will eventually have the same function as before! Much like the wise and sage dantracht, I would rather be forced to wait even longer for the car I ordered months ago than to have that car right now and wait for BMW to finish developing the CarPlay compatibility for these new chips.

Dude it's CarPlay. It's not like they are short on trunk mat liners and are giving you an IOU for the trunk mat. THAT would be a deal breaker.
 
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I can't understand why a change in hardware providers requires a software update to enable CarPlay.



And I find CarPlay wireless to drain too much battery.
 
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BMW will be doing better than Polestar if they stick to their word. Polestar 2 launched with the promise of wireless CarPlay to follow. Two years on and we're still waiting after numerous delays, plus it's now apparently going to be wired. And this isn't even anything to do with chip shortages, just technical, despite wireless CarPlay already running on other systems that also use Android Automotive (not Android Auto).
 
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