Credit: BMW
Update, August 3, 2020 (3:35 a.m. ET): BMW owners can expect an OTA update to bring Android Auto to their travels this fall. According to Android Police, drivers will receive a notification of the update via the app of their BMW smartphone or the car’s iDrive system. And even if you don’t get it either, taking the car to a dealership for a manual upgrade is also an option. Read on for the full story.
Original article, July 29, 2020 (12:00 p.m. ET): BMW has been a long time since the days of Android Auto.
Android police have shown that, as promised in December, BMW will deploy Android Auto in compatible cars (more on this in a moment) in July. While the onboard smartphone interface turned out to have arrived earlier in the month, as for some 3 Series owners in Europe, obviously it will be held in the US, AP’s Richard Gao received his Z4 2020 after a firmware update.
We ask BMW if it can only comment on availability, adding a calendar for when all eligible cars will get assistance.
There are some caveats. Most importantly, Android Auto on BMWs is wireless only. That limits compatibility to Google Pixel phones (plus a few Nexus devices) and some Samsung models. Also, only certain BMW vehicles support the feature. You’ll need at least iDrive 7.0, and then only on the 3, 5, 7, 8, X3, X5, and X7 model lines. If you’re driving a different model or can’t get the latest firmware, you’re out of luck.
Read more: Android Auto apps
Possibly also delight in hiccups, at least at this early stage. Gao stated that he was given “every few minutes” music reading stutters, not to mention all the disconnections that required manually resetting the link.
Still, it’s a big step forward. BMW is one of the few major delays for Android Auto, as it has been exclusively compatible with Apple CarPlay for years. Brands like Chevy, Honda and Jaguar Land Rover have been supporting the generation for years, if not regularly through stressful connections. While this doesn’t make Google’s infotaining software ubiquitous, it’s now at the point where you don’t have to be too selective in your driving choice.