During last week’s CES event, BMW introduced a significant overhaul of its iDrive infotainment system, now featuring the new “BMW Operating System X.” This redesign includes a cutting-edge “BMW Panoramic Vision” interface, aiming to merge advanced technology with user-friendly operation.
The positive aspect is that the upgraded iDrive system remains compatible with Apple CarPlay. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks as BMW has only minimally enhanced its CarPlay integration, resulting in a reduction in some features.
When BMW revealed the new iDrive X system at CES, they were tight-lipped about the specifics of CarPlay integration. This left many BMW owners anxious, fearing the company might follow GM’s lead in dropping CarPlay support entirely.
The latest BMW iDrive system revolves around four main components. As noted by Edmunds:
The updated iDrive consists of four essential elements: the panoramic display integrated into the lower windshield, the head-up display, an all-new steering wheel, and a 17.9-inch center display on the dashboard.
According to Edmunds, BMW has confirmed that the primary “center display” will still support CarPlay. This is reassuring for BMW owners. However, the downside is that this support is limited to just the center display; neither the panoramic display nor the head-up display will feature CarPlay capabilities.
Previous iterations of the iDrive infotainment system allowed for dual-screen CarPlay, as illustrated above. This feature extended the CarPlay interface to a second display in the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel, allowing users to see Apple Maps with directions and other pertinent information.
This gave BMW’s CarPlay offering a distinct advantage, as few manufacturers provide dual-screen CarPlay support, with only Volvo, Polestar, and Land Rover among them. Sadly, with the new “Panoramic Vision” design of iDrive, BMW has lost this competitive advantage.
Returning to Edmunds:
Nonetheless, CarPlay apps will not be fully functional unless they transmit metadata to iDrive. This means you may see playing songs and album covers, but other CarPlay features such as native maps, calendar events, charging station locators, and others will not be available on the panoramic display. This limitation is primarily due to the display’s design intent; consider it a reflection of the car’s system rather than a fully functional display capable of all tasks.
Next-generation CarPlay
The significant concern at this point is next-gen CarPlay.
It’s not surprising that BMW chose not to include next-gen CarPlay in its iDrive infotainment update. The company is notably absent from Apple’s roster of automakers committed to supporting this new version. Furthermore, Apple failed to meet its 2024 target for launching next-gen CarPlay vehicles and has not provided updates on the rollout status.
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