Android Auto has been available for almost five years, and most automakers have gotten on board. BMW was a notable holdout, but that’ll change next year. The company has announced Android Auto support for many of its vehicles, and it’ll have wireless mode.

BMW will support Android Auto on all vehicles running the company’s iDrive 7.0 software including the 3, 5, 7, and 8 Series sedans and X3, X5, and X7 SUVs. BMW says the feature will be available in its cars starting in July 2020. New vehicles will have Android Auto going forward as well.

Interestingly, BMW really stresses wireless Android Auto connectivity, which is still rare in vehicles. With wireless AA, you can link your device without plugging anything in, but it only works on a few Nexus, Pixel, and Samsung phones. BMW doesn’t mention wired Android Auto as an option at all—it would be weird not to support wired connections. We’ve reached out for clarification.


No wired Android Auto

We’ve gotten confirmation from BMW that, yes, its cars will only support wireless Android Auto. That means you’ll need one of the Nexus, Pixel, and Samsung phones that support wireless Android Auto to use it in BMW cars. These cars do have USB ports for charging while using wireless AA. It’s a strange decision to say the least.

https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/12/11/android-auto-will-finally-come-to-bmw-cars-in-2020-and-itll-support-wireless-mode/

Leave a Reply