Apple CarPlay has turn out to be a non-negotiable characteristic for many consumers, and BMW helps it throughout practically all the lineup. However when you dig into the main points—particularly on the brand new iDrive X system—there are nonetheless some gaps in how deeply CarPlay integrates with the automobile. That was a recurring matter throughout BMW’s technical discussions on the iX3 media launch, and the engineers defined among the selections behind the combination with Apple CarPlay.
Solely Apple Maps and BMW Maps Present Up within the Panoramic Imaginative and prescient Show
BMW’s new Panoramic Imaginative and prescient show stretches throughout the bottom of the windshield and is supposed to combine key data from the automobile’s techniques, navigation, and driver help tech. And there are additionally a couple of CarPlay apps that work together with it. In keeping with BMW engineers, the Apple Maps can mission turn-by-turn data into Panoramic Imaginative and prescient. However not Google Maps or Waze. That limitation issues, particularly within the U.S., the place Waze stays massively in style. Many American drivers depend on Waze for crowd-sourced site visitors updates, police alerts, accidents, and routing accuracy. BMW engineers acknowledged this, however apparently it’s a limitation by Apple not handing over the knowledge of these apps like they do with Apple Maps.
What Can You Show within the Panoramic Imaginative and prescient?
BMW engineers identified one refined benefit of the brand new CarPlay setup. Regardless that third-party navigation apps can’t mission instructions into Panoramic Imaginative and prescient —> solely true for apps aside from AppleMaps, the system does allow you to mix data from BMW Maps within the Panoramic Show whereas operating Apple CarPlay on the primary middle display. The engineer defined you can have charging data and route knowledge proven throughout the Panoramic Imaginative and prescient show, whereas CarPlay handles media or different apps on the primary display. You may even match the CarPlay wallpaper to the inside’s ambient lighting by adjusting the colour wheel, making a constant look throughout each shows.
No Waze or Google Maps Steerage in Head-Up Show Both
The identical limitation carries over to the Head-Up Show. BMW homeowners can’t get turn-by-turn instructions from Waze, Google Maps, or different navigation apps projected within the HUD. The one exception once more is Apple Maps.
Charging and Route Planning Nonetheless Depend on BMW Maps
BMW’s personal navigation system stays the one option to get full EV route planning, together with charging preconditioning. Apple Maps can present chargers, but it surely can’t but inform a BMW to precondition the battery. BMW engineers didn’t affirm whether or not deeper CarPlay-to-car communication is coming, however they hinted that the key hurdle is knowledge possession. Apple desires buyer knowledge. BMW desires buyer knowledge. Neither desires to surrender routing logic or vehicle-state management.
Till that adjustments, the one means to make sure the battery heats up earlier than a quick charger is to route the journey by BMW Maps, not Apple Maps, not Google Maps, and never Waze.
Total, CarPlay runs easily, masses immediately, and works very well in iDrive X. However that’s the baseline expectation in 2025. The true differentiator is how deeply it integrates with the automobile’s native show surfaces, navigation stack, and voice assistant. So we have now to see if additional integrations will come to life.
Wake Phrase Issues Add Friction For Some Customers
A shocking ache level, at the very least for us, is the “Hey BMW” voice set off. House owners usually flip it off as a result of simply saying “BMW” in dialog prompts the assistant. That’s an issue for anybody filming evaluations within the automobile and even casually speaking about BMWs, and in iDrive X, you may’t customise the wake phrase. BMW says a context-based voice mannequin is coming to cut back false triggers.
