BMW, this week, announced that they will be bringing Apple CarPlay as well as Android Auto to their future vehicles, although they did not mention which models would be getting the update. It’s pretty fair to assume that all of their cars will be getting these features as part of their infotainment system though. BMW’s CEO Harald Kr¼ger confirmed this last week during their quarterly earnings conference call. Stating, “We want our customers to be able to make full use of their smartphone’s features in the car as well.” Which explains the move to offer both Apple and Google’s services in upcoming models. He also went on to say that it’s not in their customers interest to give third-party provides access to their data, and they are making sure that data protection for their customers are a “top priority”.
Recently, there was a report out that Google was wanting a full system dump from cars that have Android Auto. Although Google came out and denied it, also stating what information they are taking away from Android Auto. Which is mostly all data to make the Android Auto experience better. Like knowing the state of the headlights, to see if Android Auto should be in daytime or nighttime mode. Google is a company that collects a ton of data, so this shouldn’t be too surprising.
As of now, there’s no time table for when Android Auto nor Apple CarPlay will be integrated into BMW’s fleet, but we’re looking at either the 2016 or 2017 model year. Technically, that’s not too far away, to be honest. Especially when it comes to the auto industry. Android Auto is already in a slew of 2016 model vehicles, including some from Audi, Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Hyundai, Honda, Volkswagen, Volvo and a few others. And BMW will be adding to that group pretty soon as well. Android Auto essentially mimics your smartphone’s display onto a larger display in the car. Everything can be controlled with your voice or with steering wheel controls. Making sure that your eyes stay on the road, where they should be.
We should have more information on BMW’s rollout plans for both infotainment systems in the coming months. And as soon as we do, we’ll be sure to pass it along.