Motoring Discussion > Apple Car Play Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Bobby Replies: 9
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 Tue 28 Oct 25 22:23 
 Apple Car Play - Bobby
My 2016 BMW X1 doesnt have Apple car play - you can get various aftermarket android units or alternatively, pay for a genuine BMW upgraded screen and idrive unit. I like my gadgets so often get tempted to upgrade.

However - my question is - what does it actually do and what do folk use it for?

I can stream my spotify, BBC Sounds or any other music through my existing system. I can use google maps on my phone on its holder on the windscreen and see it easily.

What are its benefits?
Last edited by: Bobby on Tue 28 Oct 25 at 22:23
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 Tue 28 Oct 25 22:27 
 Apple Car Play - Zero
none really, mine does not have it, dont miss it. hers does, dont see any advantage
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 Tue 28 Oct 25 22:54 
 Apple Car Play - Bobby
Yeah BMW seemed to be late, maybe deliberately so, to the party.
Mine is 2016 and my daughters previous 2017 Corsa had it as standard.
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 Tue 28 Oct 25 23:32 
 Apple Car Play - smokie
I have the Android flavour. Navigation using phone app (Google maps, Waze or whatever) on your screen and voice thru your ICE (that's in car entertainment not infernal combustion engine!)

A range of apps I can use on the car screen but I've never really investigated it much. Decent music player for stuff stored on my phone. I can't even remember what else.

I know you like a gadget Bobby but this is one maybe not worth worrying about. Though I do like having the nav on my car screen rather than faffing with a phone holder.
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 Wed 29 Oct 25 05:30 
 Apple Car Play - ORB>>
I had some issues with android auto in the ssangyong (usb socket) and sometimes it works sometimes not. Wanted to fit a WiFi dongle but using the phone without connecting.
Too many widgets I don't need so didn't bother.
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 Wed 29 Oct 25 08:45 
 Apple Car Play - Zero
>> Yeah BMW seemed to be late, maybe deliberately so, to the party.
>> Mine is 2016 and my daughters previous 2017 Corsa had it as standard.

There was a period when mine was built, (2017/18) where BMW announced that Android was irrelevant, and only offered Apple airplay as an option. Being a rabid anti Iphone user, I didnt spec it.

Mine has a relatively short lived I-Drive - iDrive Professional NBT EVO 6.0, android auto option came in with Live Cockpit series [iDrive 7.0]
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 Wed 29 Oct 25 12:18 
 Apple Car Play - BigJohn
I use wireless Android Auto with my Swace and it works well except the odd app that seem to have a phone memory leak. Google Maps looks way better on the bigger screen especially with the satellite view. If I wished I could use Waze or Tomtom apps instead for navigation. You also receive messages on the go, be it Whats App, Signal etc and it i invites you to send back basic responses. Various music app are useful such as Spotify, Amazon Music (this can memory leak at the mo!) and things like VLC or Media Monkey to play music stored on your phone - although in my car I also have stored my cd back catalogue on a thumbnail usb c memory stick (controllable by steering wheel buttons). Another app we use is Borrowbox to play e-audiobooks available from our local library. You can run various radio apps such as BBC sounds, Magic, Tunein but I tend to use the DAB radio for this instead.
Last edited by: BigJohn on Wed 29 Oct 25 at 12:20
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 Wed 29 Oct 25 12:54 
 Apple Car Play - Robin O'Reliant
I think I must be seriously out of touch, I barely understood a word of any of these posts.

The most up to date tech I have in my car is the wireless. It does also have one of these new fangled CD players, but it doesn't work.

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 Wed 29 Oct 25 13:40 
 Apple Car Play - Zero
>> Borrowbox to play e-audiobooks available from our local library. You can run various radio apps
>> such as BBC sounds, Magic, Tunein but I tend to use the DAB radio for
>> this instead.

Can run and control all those on my idrive (inc voice commands) via wireless bluetooth on my Beemer, all it wont do is mirror the phone display. It also has a 30gb hard drive for music that you just add via a usb thumb drive, complete with all the id tags and album art.
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 Wed 29 Oct 25 13:50 
 Apple Car Play - Bromptonaut
The Superb has all singing/all dancing wireless connections from either of our phones via Android Auto.

As others say it really helps to have the navigation on a big screen where both of us can see it. The facility for it to read Whats App family chat is also good though I wonder if people's indiscretions have come to light when the 'other woman' messages!!

Finally got it to play my Amazon playlist with well over a hundred tunes that appeal to my eclectic taste ranging from the hymn O Valiant Hearts to the Stones.
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