Android Auto

Some BMWs are shipping without Android Auto and CarPlay; will be added in an update

Kyle Bradshaw | May 7 2022 - 2:12 pm PT

Due to the ongoing chip shortage, BMW has begun shipping select models to customers without the usual Android Auto and CarPlay support.

Starting in 2019 and expanding in 2020, nearly every model of BMW has included full support for Android Auto. However, as reported by Automotive News Europe, some customers have found that their newly purchased BMW does not support Android Auto or CarPlay as expected.

According to a statement from BMW, the missing functionality is due to the ongoing chip shortage that has affected nearly every industry that uses electronic. In order to get the cars to their destinations on schedule, BMW changed suppliers and began using a chip that does not yet have appropriate software for Android Auto or CarPlay use.

Luckily, this is only a temporary issue for the affected car owners, as BMW has said to Automotive News Europe that these vehicles will receive an over-the-air (OTA) update “by the end of June at the latest” bringing full Android Auto and CarPlay capabilities.

To know if your newly purchased BMW is affected, check for “6P1” in the car’s production code. More broadly, the models affected were created in the first four months of this year and, according to forum posts online, have shipped to the United States, France, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

9to5Google’s Take

While far from an ideal situation, at least BMW’s customers will not be affected for long. Not to mention it’s far better to get your car on schedule and missing a few non-critical features, rather than wait four additional months to have your new purchase.

And, with BMW having done the work to get Android Auto and CarPlay functioning on these chips, there’s now one additional potential supplier in the market, which may help alleviate production pressure. With no clear end in sight for the chip shortage, customers may continue to be expected to make temporary sacrifices like this as companies work through different solutions.

Meanwhile, Automotive News Europe notes Mercedes-Benz is simply not including certain chips in their vehicles. Instead, customers are expected to have them installed when they become available at a later date. By comparison, BMW’s solution is certainly reasonable and far more convenient.