[Score04]

Hello,

I researched this online but does anyone know if there's any chance Android Auto will ever make it to BMW's? I've read that they will (that's all with no timeline or further details) and that BMW CEO says it will not make it with speculation on the topic of security. Just wondering if anyone has heard different. Thanks.

[MarkDemma]

Having worked for a place that created apps for both iOS and Android, I can tell you what a huge pain in the ass Android was to work with, on so so many levels. The developer tools, the lack of standards in the environment, each hardware vendor having their own layout and versions, etc, made working with Android a nightmare. Getting the experience to not be clunky and buggy in a car would be difficult to say the least. But the nail in the coffin for Android Auto as far as BMW is concerned is that Google treats android users as the product and not the customer and wants to collect data about them to sell. They won't allow it so long as this is the case and other valid security concerns plague the Android platform. I'm honestly glad that that BMW are holding their ground on this one and not letting Google bully their way into forcing their eavesdropping products into their cars.

[aaaaah]

Originally Posted by MarkDemma

Having worked for a place that created apps for both iOS and Android, I can tell you what a huge pain in the ass Android was to work with, on so so many levels. The developer tools, the lack of standards in the environment, each hardware vendor having their own layout and versions, etc, made working with Android a nightmare. Getting the experience to not be clunky and buggy in a car would be difficult to say the least. But the nail in the coffin for Android Auto as far as BMW is concerned is that Google treats android users as the product and not the customer and wants to collect data about them to sell. They won't allow it so long as this is the case and other valid security concerns plague the Android platform. I'm honestly glad that that BMW are holding their ground on this one and not letting Google bully their way into forcing their eavesdropping products into their cars.

[MarkDemma]

Originally Posted by Post Removed

{Every BMW customer could switch to iPhone}

Better than that would be if lack up uptake for android auto would force / convince google to fix many of the problems with its ecosystem. Apple products are much much better than they would be otherwise because they have competition from Google. To see them completely dominate the auto market wouldn't be good for anyone, including apple folks.

[dsad1]

98% of brands that offer carplay also offer Android auto. It might only be Porsche and BMW now. If Android auto was that hard to implement or that much of a security concern, I doubt it would be in that many cars.

BMW has always had an apple bias, android only gets looked at when they notice they are losing market share for not having it.

[zx10guy]

Add Toyota to the mix. They just offered Car Play this year but did not implement Android Auto. Toyota did announce they will start offering Android Auto for the 2020 model year but don't know if they'll do a software upgrade to have Android Auto for the 2019 cars with Car Play support.

[mojobmw_e90]

I love our new family tiguan. Android auto and Apple car play.. Sure doesn't have all the hp i want, but has other cool features.. Oh and did I mention jb4 was ordered for it 👍🏻

[dsad1]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

Add Toyota to the mix. They just offered Car Play this year but did not implement Android Auto. Toyota did announce they will start offering Android Auto for the 2020 model year but don't know if they'll do a software upgrade to have Android Auto for the 2019 cars with Car Play support.

They announced it though, so it doesnt seem like they have a security concern with it.

Even our range rover has android auto now, the brand that is usually years behind on technology. BMW isn't going to have a choice but to support it in the near future.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by dsad1

They announced it though, so it doesnt seem like they have a security concern with it.

Even our range rover has android auto now, the brand that is usually years behind on technology. BMW isn't going to have a choice but to support it in the near future.

Yeah. I had to break down and get an iPod Touch for my 135i because of the abysmal support for Android. I really do hope BMW gives Android the same attention it gives iOS. I've always said BMW has continued to give Android users the middle finger.

But with all the issues with Android support with BMW, I would take my old iDrive system over the Toyota Entune 3.0 system in the C-HR I have. The lack of usability in the real world is extremely frustrating. To the point the stupid head unit locks you out of even being able to browse for music when it detects any appreciable amount of speed.

[JorgenM]

Android has around 75% market share world wide, so answer is for sure YES

[jkoral]

Originally Posted by zx10guy

But with all the issues with Android support with BMW, I would take my old iDrive system over the Toyota Entune 3.0 system in the C-HR I have. The lack of usability in the real world is extremely frustrating. To the point the stupid head unit locks you out of even being able to browse for music when it detects any appreciable amount of speed.

That is dumb. (But how do you like your CH-R -- love the looks of them, although not a fan of CVT. Sorry for off-topic- zx10guy's mailbox was full so I couldn't PM).

[danchee]

BMW already said they won't do it. They prefer to go the apps route which makes sense from a $ perspective. Forces you to purchase Connected+ subscription. I used CarPlay with wife's phone and to be honest, it's a piece of shit. The Apple forced eco system to conform to only what they allow made 3rd party apps on CarPlay with more functionality than the standard Apple counterparts relatively unusable since many features had to be taken away. The UI restrictions placed on CarPlay apps makes Waze maps for example less detailed than on the phone. Same with GMaps.

[zx10guy]

Originally Posted by jkoral

That is dumb. (But how do you like your CH-R -- love the looks of them, although not a fan of CVT. Sorry for off-topic- zx10guy's mailbox was full so I couldn't PM).

I just cleared some space. Send me a PM again.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by JorgenM

Android has around 75% market share world wide, so answer is for sure YES

But it's nowhere near that simple. To wit:

- In the U.S., iPhones have a 41 percent market share, vs. 57 percent for Android-based phones. In the EU, the split is basically even. In Japan, iOS still outsells Android phones significantly.
- The average iPhone owner tends to be of a significantly higher socioeconomic level than the average Android-based phone owner. This aligns with BMW's target markets.
- The vast majority of Android-based phones are in China and second- or third-world countries. Yet one of the only countries where iOS is gaining market share is China -- incidentally, the country where BMW is focusing the most of its planning and R&D resources.

BMW knows its customers, both current and targeted. I guarantee you that the majority are iOS users -- and if, perchance, they are not, it's barely not.

[dsad1]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

But it's nowhere near that simple. To wit:

- In the U.S., iPhones have a 41 percent market share, vs. 57 percent for Android-based phones. In the EU, the split is basically even. In Japan, iOS still outsells Android phones significantly.
- The average iPhone owner tends to be of a significantly higher socioeconomic level than the average Android-based phone owner. This aligns with BMW's target markets.
- The vast majority of Android-based phones are in China and second- or third-world countries. Yet one of the only countries where iOS is gaining market share is China -- incidentally, the country where BMW is focusing the most of its planning and R&D resources.

BMW knows its customers, both current and targeted. I guarantee you that the majority are iOS users -- and if, perchance, they are not, it's barely not.

I don't beleive you are correct about Europe. I think android market share in Europe is much greater than ios.

Japan doesn't sound right either. I think the U.S. Is the closest apple gets to android on market share.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by dsad1

I don't beleive you are correct about Europe. I think android market share in Europe is much greater than ios.

Japan doesn't sound right either. I think the U.S. Is the closest apple gets to android on market share.

The numbers are easily referenced online. I checked before I posted.

In any case, BMW doesn't feel market share in its key markets -- which aligns with the same key markets for Apple, by design or not -- warrants consideration of adopting Android Auto in its cars.

Furthermore, BMW is notoriously protective of the electronics in its cars -- as is Porsche -- both in terms of protecting its owners and protecting its designs. Android Auto's open architecture is an antithesis to that philosophy.

Both BMW and Porsche has been that way for many years. No one should be surprised by the omission of Android Auto from both -- and if it matters to someone that much, they don't have to buy either make.

[dsad1]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

The numbers are easily referenced online. I checked before I posted.

In any case, BMW doesn't feel market share in its key markets -- which aligns with the same key markets for Apple, by design or not -- warrants consideration of adopting Android Auto in its cars.

Furthermore, BMW is notoriously protective of the electronics in its cars -- as is Porsche -- both in terms of protecting its owners and protecting its designs. Android Auto's open architecture is an antithesis to that philosophy.

Both BMW and Porsche has been that way for many years. No one should be surprised by the omission of Android Auto from both -- and if it matters to someone that much, they don't have to buy either make.

It seems like Android market share in Europe is around 70% unless I am not reading the data correctly. That is a lot of people to say screw you to.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/...ng-systems-eu/

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by dsad1

It seems like Android market share in Europe is around 70% unless I am not reading the data correctly. That is a lot of people to say screw you to.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/...ng-systems-eu/

That's OSs. That counts tablets. That skews the numbers.

So does including most of Eastern Europe and Russia, which are far from BMW's key markets (and Apple's, for that matter).

Find the right statistics. Or, if you just want to keep playing spin doctor to prove you're right instead of furthering the discussion, I'll just walk away now, thank you very much.

:: sigh ::

[nlaak]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

That's OSs. That counts tablets. That skews the numbers.

So does including most of Eastern Europe and Russia, which are far from BMW's key markets (and Apple's, for that matter).

Find the right statistics. Or, if you just want to keep playing spin doctor to prove you're right instead of furthering the discussion, I'll just walk away now, thank you very much.

:: sigh ::

So, you show no source for your claims, dispute the source provided and expect people to believe what you're saying? You have that backward.

Just as you have it backwards about Apple supremacy in Europe:

https://venturebeat.com/2018/05/09/h...msung-stumble/

Tablet sales are a small percentage of total mobile sales. Apple, who sells (by far) the most tablets sells at least 5x more phones than tablets.

[claykin]

BMW new keyless entry feature for G05 and G20 only works on Android (no iOS support yet due to Apple locking down NFC). So if you have a new X5 or new G20 3 series you need Android to get into the car keyless but then you need iOS to connect to iDrive. Logic?

I've heard the story about BMW not liking Google's privacy policies. Whether that's the only reason holding back Android Auto is unknown. I also hear BMW will release Android Auto as a OTA download for iDrive 7 cars (presumably through the app store) sometime during 2020 calendar year.

We shall see...

[rjmdubois]

I am about to order a new G20, and the dealer "genius" said there is a matter of few months. But he is not sure if it will be a SW update, or only available on new purchases. (knowing BMW my bet is on the later...)

Anyone can confirm/deny this?

The fact is Audi has, Mercedes has, Jaguar has and Volvo has too. So there is NO excuse to BMW.

[JohnnyCanuck]

First, BMW's explanation that there's too may different Android phone manufacturers and standards, etc ... is just bullshit. Android Auto is the standard, and there is no differentiation between Samsung's or Google's or Motorola's or LG's or Blackberry's implementation of it. AA is AA is AA is AA.

Second, I don't buy the affluence argument in the least. Android has a substantial market share. No one is asking BMW to support BBOS or Windows Phone here. Android has a substantial market share among the target demographics for BMW cars.

Third, this is now a deal breaker for me on my next car. BMW has no single car in its current offerings that is compellingly better than others in the marketplace. I will not buy another car that does not support Android Auto.