BMW Wants You To Pay For Apple CarPlay

Before Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto for that matter, your phone and car could only communicate by playing songs on the sound system through a Bluetooth or USB connection. Then the ability to project part of your phone onto the infotainment screen came, and it was glorious — but it was also too good to be true. BMW has fired the first shot in an upcoming war that will have us all paying a subscription fee to use these previously “free” services.

That’s right, on the BMW ConnectedDrive website Apple CarPlay service is being advertised at $80.00 for a 12-month subscription. Or, if you prefer, you can get 240 months for $300.00. What a steal!

What’s really insulting about this isn’t that up until now Apple CarPlay has been free. No, it’s that cars just keep getting more expensive, and it’s not just because of inflation. The argument that Apple CarPlay was being thrown in BMWs for free is just ridiculous, because you were definitely paying through the nose for that and all the other gadgetry.

While no other automaker is even hinting at doing this, we’re possibly facing a slippery slope.