Wireless CarPlay for BMW: built in, or do you need an adapter?

Most BMWs with Apple CarPlay already connect wirelessly from the factory: BMW was the first carmaker with wireless CarPlay, and Android Auto in BMWs is wireless too. In that case you do not need an adapter. A wireless adapter only helps if your BMW shows CarPlay or Android Auto with a cable: it then makes that connection wireless, so it starts by itself and your phone stays in your pocket. You can check which applies to your BMW in one minute below.

View the 2-in-1 wireless CarPlay and Android Auto adapter

1. What the adapter does in your BMW

• Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto in one adapter: iPhone and Android.
• Plugs into the existing USB port your BMW uses for CarPlay or Android Auto.
• Pair once, then the phone connects by itself.
• No installation, no tools: nothing changes in the car.
• Your BMW's own screen and controls keep working: screen, steering-wheel buttons, speakers and microphone.

2. Does your BMW qualify? The 1-minute test

1. Start the car and wait until the screen is fully on.
2. Connect your phone to a USB port with a cable: an iPhone for CarPlay, an Android phone for Android Auto.

• CarPlay or Android Auto appears: your BMW has the wired connection the adapter needs. The adapter goes into exactly that USB port.
• Nothing appears: try the other USB ports and a good cable, because some ports only charge. Still nothing? Then check whether your phone already connects without a cable (on an iPhone under Settings > General > CarPlay). If it does, your BMW already has wireless CarPlay and you do not need the adapter. If neither works, your BMW most likely has no CarPlay or Android Auto, and the adapter will not add it.

Passed the test? Then your BMW has what the adapter needs. Order the adapter and enter your BMW model and year in the order field.

3. Which BMW models have CarPlay, and how it connects

BMW announced wireless Apple CarPlay in October 2016 for the new 5 Series, on sale from February 2017, as the first car on the market with wireless CarPlay. In BMW's own system CarPlay runs over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi; in a 2018 review of a car with iDrive 6, MacRumors noted that wired CarPlay is not supported in BMWs at all. BMW initially charged for CarPlay, but dropped its CarPlay subscription fee in December 2019.

Android Auto came to BMW from July 2020 on cars with iDrive 7, such as the 3 Series (2019 and later, with Live Cockpit Professional), X5, Z4 and 8 Series, and only in its wireless version. Newer BMWs, such as the i4, also connect CarPlay and Android Auto without a cable.

In short: a BMW that shows CarPlay or Android Auto usually has it wirelessly already, and the adapter adds nothing. A BMW without CarPlay from the factory does not get it from the adapter either. Equipment differs by model, year and market, so the cable test is decisive: only if your BMW shows CarPlay or Android Auto with a cable is the adapter worth it.

4. Set it up in your BMW in 3 steps

1. Plug in: start the car, unplug the phone cable and plug the adapter into the USB port that worked in the test.
2. Pair once: switch on Bluetooth and Wi-Fi on your phone, choose the adapter in the Bluetooth list (not the car) and follow the manual.
3. Confirm: accept the CarPlay or Android Auto prompt on your phone. After that, the phone should connect by itself every time you get in.

5. Questions from BMW drivers

• My BMW already connects CarPlay wirelessly. Will the adapter improve it? No. Your BMW already does what the adapter does. The adapter only turns a wired connection into a wireless one; it does not replace or improve BMW's built-in wireless CarPlay or Android Auto.
• My BMW has iDrive but no CarPlay. Will the adapter add it? No. The adapter needs CarPlay or Android Auto that already works in the car. It cannot add CarPlay to a BMW that does not have it.
• Will the steering-wheel buttons and Siri or Google Assistant still work? Yes. If the voice button starts Siri or the Google Assistant with the cable, it does the same with the adapter. Calls use the car's speakers and microphone.
• Lag and battery? Wireless can respond slightly slower than a cable, mostly with audio, such as a short delay when you skip a track. Your phone no longer charges via the USB port and uses more battery, so use a charger on long drives.

6. Order the adapter for your BMW

Does your BMW show CarPlay or Android Auto with a cable? Then order the 2-in-1 wireless adapter. Enter your BMW model and year in the order field; we check it before we ship. If in doubt, you can always send us a photo of your USB ports or ask us before ordering.

Ships within 24 hours · 30-day returns · Free shipping until 30 November

Further reading

Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto adapter: does it work in my car? · 2-in-1 wireless CarPlay and Android Auto adapter · All accessories · Frequently asked questions · Contact us

Sources: 9to5Mac, on the BMW 5 Series as the first car with wireless CarPlay (October 2016); MacRumors, review of wireless CarPlay in BMW (May 2018); Paul Tan, on BMW dropping the Apple CarPlay subscription fee (December 2019); 9to5Google, on wireless Android Auto in BMWs with iDrive 7 (July 2020); Auto Zeitung, connectivity test of the BMW i4; Apple Support, article HT203412 on CarPlay.