[Update: Now available] BMW is bringing Wireless Android Auto to select vehicles

Ben Schoon | Jul 29 2020 - 6:38 am PT

As Android Auto continues to improve, the platform has been spreading to more brands. Now, BMW has finally announced that it is adding support for Android Auto starting in 2020.

BMW has supported Apple’s CarPlay for quite some time, but the automaker actually charged users for access to the feature. That fee was removed earlier this month and now, Android Auto is incoming.

As The Verge details, BMW will support Android Auto in all vehicles which support iDrive 7.0. This includes 2019 and 2020 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, and 8 Series vehicles. 2019/2020 X3, X5, and X7 SUVs, as well as the 2020 X6, will also support Android Auto.

A spokesperson for BMW says that “Apple CarPlay was our main focus” because “a majority of our customers were using iOS mobile devices.” Customer demand led to this announcement, though.

However, there is a caveat to BMW’s Android Auto support. It will only support the Wireless version of the platform which restricts the platform to users with Pixel, Nexus, and select Samsung devices.

Update 7/29: True to its word, BMW has been rolling out Android Auto to select vehicles over the past couple of weeks. The latest firmware update for compatible vehicles delivers support for Android Auto’s wireless version. That firmware update, as Android Police learned, ~~may need to be installed by a BMW dealer rather than the built-in software update method~~. BMW has confirmed to 9to5Google that “vehicles produced before July 2020 will receive the new software via Remote Software Upgrade (OTA) later this year. The roll-out of the global upgrade campaign is scheduled for autumn this year.” A push notification will arrive when the update is available.

Apparently, iDrive versions with a date of 07/2020 and newer should deliver Android Auto.

The full list of BMW vehicles that will support Android Auto can be seen below.