How to use Android Auto in your BMW car

If you own a BMW, welcome to the world of Apple. For years, the German brand opted to integrate some additions such as Siri and Apple CarPlay into the iDrive on-board system However, BMW completely forgot about Android Car. To this day there is still no (stock) BMW car that is compatible with Android Auto and BMW ConnectedDrive technology works best on iPhone phones.

Do you have an Android phone and want to use Android Auto in your BMW? BMW assures that, if you have an Android, the experience will not be entirely goodFor this firm, having an Android mobile does not seem to go with them and they have only added some apps compatible with this system. However, there is something that no one has told you. Some third-party firms have developed a way to make it possible to have Android Auto in a BMW car.

How to add Android Auto to your BMW's iDrive system?

BMW is one of the few manufacturers that does not offer a single model compatible with mobile phones that use Google's operating system. Despite this, there are several ways to use Android phones in BMW and even to integrate Android Auto in the cars of the German brand.

Change the standard radio, it is an option although not the most comfortable

On the Internet there are a lot of radios with a display, especially from the brand Kenwood or Pioneer, which can replace the audio system of your bmw car This solution is not usually liked by everyone, since they are not normally optimized for our car and sometimes we even have to give up many capabilities of the iDrive system that comes from the factory in BMW cars.

Install Android Auto on your BMW's iDrive by modifying the software

There are companies outside of BMW that have created software like BimmerTech's MMI Plus This is by far the best way to solve the problem problem. It is a kit designed to fully integrate with the BMW factory system, iDrive. This translates into the possibility of using Android Auto on the standard screen of your BMW and controlling it as if it were the default system of your BMW. With this type of modification it is possible to control Android Auto with the buttons of your BMW and even using the Google assistant. In this way, which we believe is better in every way, the iDrive system is not renounced and Android Auto is enjoyed in many BMW cars.

• Check compatibility with your BMW model here.
• If your car is compatible with this system, you can buy it here although its price is not usually cheap. However, it is the best way to use Android Auto in a BMW car.
• The system will even be updated just like normal Android Auto, although, like all kinds of unofficial developments, it will have less compatibility than if it were an original system.

Can't install the old software? There are more alternatives…

Use the Android Auto app on your phone and send it to iDrive

If your BMW does not support an Android update in the iDrive system you can use the Android Auto app on your phone and send the content to iDrive. BMW allows Screen Mirroring on some Androids and can be easily activated in cars. The drawback of this system is that you will not be able to navigate with the car's controls through this system and you will depend exclusively on the touch screen of your phone.

In case you are brave you can choose to hack Android Auto on your phone. It's a riskier solution and less likely to succeed but it exists and might work just fine on your phone.

Use BMW Connected to enjoy your Android

BMW Connected, despite not being compatible with Android Auto, allows you to connect your non-iPhone mobile with the car. Owners of BMWs manufactured after 2014 can find the BMW Connected app in the Google Play Store.

This is not an app that is easy to navigate and there may be issues depending on the device. It is a free solution that will allow you to interact from your car with your mobile, although with limited options. One of the useful things about this app is that it allows you to check if the doors are locked or even locate the car if you can't find it.You can even use this app to send text to the iDrive system

Connect the mobile via Bluetooth

With an ecosystem as fragmented as Android can be, you may come across cars or models that are not compatible with any of the above methods . In this case, it is best to connect your mobile directly to the car via Bluetooth.

Functions will be limited to making calls or listening to music (using your mobile phone to control this at all times). At least, it will be a way to connect the mobile to the car. It could be useful for listening to music or putting GPS signals at a much higher pitch than our mobile speaker.

Take advantage of the Google assistant

The good thing about BMW (if it can be said that way) is that the firm includes support for all voice assistants such as Siri from Apple, Alexa from Amazon or the Google assistantDespite this, BMW is still determined to launch its own car assistant. This is the reason why BMW does not give free rein to the integration of Android in its cars.

If we have a BMW car that is compatible with the Google assistant we can use certain voice commands to change the radio, adjust navigationand something else. It will even be possible to use the voice assistant to control our mobile and change the song or perform other types of actions. The Google assistant allows us to send messages with the mobile unlocked and in this way its possibilities are increasing. With the Google assistant it is also possible to ask our BMW for some of the actions that we find in the BMW Connected application, such as the status of the doors or the location of our car.

If you have your mobile connected via Bluetooth you can use the "OK Google" command to unlock your mobile and ask it for something else.

We know that having an Android phone and a BMW is not a good idea, but with all this it is possible that now you know, at least, how to take advantage of it. BMW has also not refused to have cars with Android Auto in the future, but at present there is no trace of the Android Auto operating system in the vehicles of the German brand.