Like Dacia / Renault in the most difficult times, BMW made the decision to deliver the cars already ordered according to the chosen configuration without an expressly specified equipment being effectively functional. Thus, future BMW car owners will pick up their cars without Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support. However, the situation may not be as bad as it seems.
Apparently, BMW has inadvertently changed the suppliers of essential semiconductors, without first ensuring that the select hardware is fully compatible with the cars produced. That’s why customer-ordered cars theoretically support Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It’s just that nothing really works right now. Essential on the list of non-functional features is the Wi-Fi support, which means in fact that the entertainment system on board the cars only works in offline mode, any capabilities that require an internet connection remain unavailable for the time being.
“Instead of postponing the production / delivery of these machines until the software update is complete, we have delivered the cars to customers with information that Apple / Android and Wi-Fi will be available through an update by the end of June, horse earlier . ”
However, what about the functionality of the cars paid for with a lot of money by BMW customers. Apparently the timetable announced without a precise deadline could extend beyond what is currently anticipated. The availability of the promised online update could be assured by the end of June. BMW did not specify exactly which car models are affected or how many, but said that vehicles with “6P1” in their production code will not come with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay. It is unclear whether only certain regions are affected by the problem. Automotive News Europe states that BMW cars from the USA, Great Britain, Italy, Spain and France are targeted.
This is not the first compromise accepted by BMW due to the chip deficit. In November 2021, BMW confirmed that it had stopped delivering some of the vehicles without including a touch screen and a selected driver assistance feature as an option, compensating customers with $ 500 of the value of the car paid for.