[drfiroz]

Hello everyone,

I have recently purchased a BMW X1 20dxLine.

I am overall quite happy with the car and love to drive it. However there is one issue that is bothering me. The car doesn't have Android Auto.

Is there any way to fully utilize my Android phone?

How are people getting around this?

Any tips will be highly appreciated.

Thanks

[GTO]

Due to whatever stupid reasons, cheap hatchbacks have Android Auto & Apple Carplay, but the overpriced German luxury cars don't. I'm currently testing the 5-lakh rupee S-Presso and it has a touchscreen + Android Auto + Apple CarPlay. Cheap thinking BMW actually wants to charge its owners for what Maruti + Hyundai + Tata give away free - link (Cheap-thinking BMW wants to charge owners an annual fee for Apple CarPlay).

Your best bet is Bluetooth for now. It sucks how some idiotic manufacturers keep their own priorities higher than that of customer's. Remember, BMW also made its customers pay extra $$$ for a spare tyre - link (Pics: BMW's incredibly stupid spare tyre solution), something a Tata Nano or Maruti Omni offer for free.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by drfiroz

there is one issue that is bothering me. The car doesn't have Android Auto.

Is there any way to fully utilize my Android phone?

Buy an iPhone I can tell you, the wireless AppleCar play that BMW has given is one of the best. Regarding the Android device your best bet will be the bluetooth.

[graaja]

If your phone supports screen mirroring, then there is an option to mirror the screen to iDrive. Check out the below video.

https://youtu.be/CJ-XN0Hmy0Q

I think this is only possible if your car comes with Apple CarPlay as this requires the WiFi antenna hardware to work.

[drfiroz]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Buy an iPhone I can tell you, the wireless AppleCar play that BMW has given is one of the best. Regarding the Android device your best bet will be the bluetooth.

I am considering that option too

But I think it's a deficiency on BMW'S part. Still I am trying to find a workaround.

On a lighter note, I think BMW can bundle an iPhone with the car during the sale

[Dr.AD]

Originally Posted by drfiroz

Is there any way to fully utilize my Android phone?
How are people getting around this?
Thanks

My suggestion is to use the Android phone with Bluetooth and the standalone Android Auto app on the phone, as an additional device in the car. Just mount it on a good phone mount. This way you get to enjoy the best of the both worlds - the Android Auto on the phone, and the numerous other useful features in the iDrive (Offline maps if required, Sports Displays, FE Graphs, Efficient Dynamics Displays, Driving Style Analysis and many more).

In fact, I am doing exactly that in my 320s, and I am very happy about this setup. The 320d has an ideal position for phone mount - the right hand side vent, and this gives me a great view of both the phone and the iDrive without any obstruction, and without any obstruction in the front view as well. I have done the phone charging cable routing from behind the dashboard, so that there are no dangling cables. I think a similar arrangement in X1 should also be possible.

Here is a picture of my setup:

[viana]

Hi All,

I just purchased a F30 2014 car in bangalore. I love the car but I need the Android auto and Car play to work on the car. I did read about bimmertech and the support they provide which is good. I did come across Evo Blr in Cambridge layout who have advertised for the complete upgrade including screen size. Any one used their services before for this kindly let me know if i am in safe hands for the same.

[nigr]

Originally Posted by viana

Hi All,

I just purchased a F30 2014 car in bangalore. I love the car but I need the Android auto and Car play to work on the car. I did read about bimmertech and the support they provide which is good. I did come across Evo Blr in Cambridge layout who have advertised for the complete upgrade including screen size. Any one used their services before for this kindly let me know if i am in safe hands for the same.

Don’t go the bimmertech route, most of the stuff they sell is just rebranded Chinese ones. I’m guessing yours is the one with 6.5” screen. I’d suggest you to get an OEM looking android screen off AliExpress. You can get a 10.25” one which can switch between iDrive and Android 9, pretty slick with AA/Carplay addition on the android side.
Read up: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1639676

[viana]

Hi,

I did install the 10.25" touch screen with android 9 running with an independent data sim. Works with wired AA and wireless Carplay. Seems like a good fit though for the current upgrade. Will post pictures soon

[akshar890]

Hi guys,
I recently picked up at pre-owned Mercedes C class w205 from the Mercedes Showroom in Bangalore.
My first foray into the world of Luxury Preowned vehicles.
The car was manufactured in the year 2017.
For the most part the vehicle is lovely except for a very small gripe that the 2017 version of this car does not have Android Auto or Apple CarPlay.
I’ve asked Mercedes a Million times if there is any software update that could help me with this , even if there was a hardware upgrade that I could do to sort this issue out. However they say it’s not possible.
So I just wanted to throw this question out there , if anyone has managed to get AA or Apple CarPlay enabled on their car ?

Thanks in Advance.

[tictactoe]

Friends,

Does anyone have any news on availablity of Android Auto for cars manufactured before Nov '20? Any way to get the update?

[Sid9306]

Hi everyone, I own a 2016 W205 C200 and have been on a lookout for an infotainment unit upgrade. Im vary of the aftermarket units and feel most of them are laggy or poor in quality, fit and finish. Someone told me that I can retrofit the 2018 facelift's unit into the pre facelift model and I wanted to confirm if that is true. My main motive for the unit upgrade is to use apple carplay (wired or wireless doesn't matter). Plus I'll have the quality of the mbux UI.
Thanks in advance.