Test drive BMW Group with Android Auto from 2020

The first public demonstration will take place at the CES in Las Vegas.

After hearing enough complaints from customers about the lack of Android Auto support, concern BMW officially promised in July 2020 to connect Google's interface to its vehicles in twenty countries (list not shown). The interface requires BMW operating system 7.0 for wireless operation. The first public demonstration will take place at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas from January 7-10, 2020.

The Android Auto interface is integrated into the BMW digital cockpit, so information is displayed not only on the central touchscreen, but also on the instrument cluster and head-up display.

“We look forward to working with BMW,” said Google vice president Patrick Brady. “Connecting smartphones wirelessly to BMW vehicles will allow customers to get off the road faster while still accessing all their favorite apps and services in a safer way.”

Interestingly, until recently, Apple's wireless CarPlay service cost US BMW owners $ 80 a year (or $ 300 for a 20-year subscription), although Apple does not charge car manufacturers to use the system. The Bavarians explained their requests by the fact that updates to the CarPlay interface can harm conventional media systems, so the test is necessary for their smooth operation. As a result, the company made the service free of charge for all vehicles from the 2019-2020 model years equipped with the new ConnectedDrive complex.

2020-08-30