[theblues]

Edit: It looks BimmerTech released CarPlay MMI Prime

CarPlay MMI Prime
Wireless capable!
Nov 2019 EDITED

CarPlay MMI Plus
Widescreen is here.

Still no wireless option!

OEM Microphone remains the only input device


From their website:
What’s new and improved?

Full-Screen Mode
Full Support for Steering Wheel Buttons
Android Auto & Park Assist Addons
Enhanced Performance and Stability

[grahamrb]

What an odd update to the original one. I have the original bimmertech CarPlay MMI and was really hoping to move to widescreen and wireless (although mostly interested in widescreen).

Wonder if there is (or will be) a discount or upgrade option for existing CarPlay MMI owners.

[andino]

Do steering wheel controls work with the new one? Like forward/back and such

[Rebound]

I have this on backorder and I'll write up a review once it arrives and gets installed.

[theblues]

Originally Posted by andino

Do steering wheel controls work with the new one? Like forward/back and such

Yes, they do now provide control.

Originally Posted by Rebound

I have this on backorder and I'll write up a review once it arrives and gets installed.

I like the quality of BimmerTech's and was hoping of a wireless solution in this one.

[SecretAsianMan]

Very interesting. Curious how they talk all about CarPlay and then just briefly mention that it supports Android. Does this mean it has its own Android interface, or it has Android Auto support...?

[anikation]

Also worth noting that it is only for 2016 and newer, it is not backwards compatible with older vehicles like the original Bimmertech CarPlay MMI was..

[lemonchicken]

Originally Posted by anikation

Also worth noting that it is only for 2016 and newer, it is not backwards compatible with older vehicles like the original Bimmertech CarPlay MMI was..

Oooph.
So basically this just caught up to unichip features from over a year ago, still behind unique-ad and pretty much more expensive than all. And only for 2016 up???? Hard pass. Unique-ad is releasing wireless CarPlay for cic in the next couple of weeks which should cover all of the various f3x systems. Q

[anikation]

Originally Posted by lemonchicken

Oooph.
So basically this just caught up to unichip features from over a year ago, still behind unique-ad and pretty much more expensive than all. And only for 2016 up???? Hard pass. Unique-ad is releasing wireless CarPlay for cic in the next couple of weeks which should cover all of the various f3x systems. Q

Yea the weird thing is that on the description for their site, it says it's for 2016 and older BMW however when I chatted the rep for confirming my compatibility, they said it wasn't compatible for my 2013 F30 with CIC. They said that "The prior Carplay MMI also was not compatible with your vehicle. We might have [one] that's compatible with your vehicle but we won't know for sure until 60 days from now. "

Strange.. they basically told me I needed to purchase the retrofit 2017 NBT EVO ID6 Navigation system, price is $2499 shipped. Pass.

[theblues]

Originally Posted by anikation

Yea the weird thing is that on the description for their site, it says it's for 2016 and older BMW however when I chatted the rep for confirming my compatibility, they said it wasn't compatible for my 2013 F30 with CIC. They said that "The prior Carplay MMI also was not compatible with your vehicle. We might have [one] that's compatible with your vehicle but we won't know for sure until 60 days from now. "

Strange.. they basically told me I needed to purchase the retrofit 2017 NBT EVO ID6 Navigation system, price is $2499 shipped. Pass.

This is BimmerTech reps tactic; they upsell you the head unit instead.

If you use the tool and type in your VIN, it verifies whether the car has Bluetooth and voice control options.

[Rebound]

Originally Posted by anikation

Also worth noting that it is only for 2016 and newer, it is not backwards compatible with older vehicles like the original Bimmertech CarPlay MMI was..

I don't believe that's correct. My car is a 2014 and they checked the VIN and told me it will be compatible.

I think there is some confusion about this. One of their products is a CarPlay unlock, which is coding. This requires the latest head units. The MMI works with older headunits, but not all. I don't know exactly which it will work with; the naming of these things is very confusing. I think mine is the NBT (not NBT EVO).

Anyway, I have it on order and I'll install and report.

[anikation]

Originally Posted by Rebound

I don't believe that's correct. My car is a 2014 and they checked the VIN and told me it will be compatible.

I think there is some confusion about this. One of their products is a CarPlay unlock, which is coding. This requires the latest head units. The MMI works with older headunits, but not all. I don't know exactly which it will work with; the naming of these things is very confusing. I think mine is the NBT (not NBT EVO).

Anyway, I have it on order and I'll install and report.

Maybe it is for NBT iDrive and not CIC.. that's my guess..

[MarkoSK]

Can we get a video of Android Auto? What phones are supported?

[ooshnoo]

Originally Posted by MarkoSK

Can we get a video of Android Auto? What phones are supported?

Contact BimmerTech and ask them.

[andino]

Originally Posted by MarkoSK

Can we get a video of Android Auto? What phones are supported?

I couldn't find any info on the android auto side of things. I ordered one in the morning yesterday though so I'll let you know how it works when it comes in. Hope it comes before the weekend but prob won't be able to install it until next weekend.

[schoettt]

delete.

[seahuston]

Interested to see feedback from Android users on this system. There aren't a lot of options out there for Android auto. The ali-world has a few but I'm not sure if any of them are worth it.

I know there are a few wireless options but I'm torn on using those since I don't believe they work with factory mic and steering wheel buttons

[MarkoSK]

Originally Posted by andino

I couldn't find any info on the android auto side of things. I ordered one in the morning yesterday though so I'll let you know how it works when it comes in. Hope it comes before the weekend but prob won't be able to install it until next weekend.

Great, looking forward to your review

[andino]

Originally Posted by MarkoSK

Great, looking forward to your review

Me too! Hopefully it works well haha. Bimmertech said it won't ship until next week sometime since they're backlogged about 140ish orders for shipping. Hoping it comes before next weekend and I can get it installed.

[skar07]

I am selling a 1st version bimmertech carplay mmi at a much reduced price. It has worked very well for me. Please message me if interested.

[andino]

Quick update on my MMI Plus from bimmertech. Its currently held up in customs but should more than likely arrive this week. It was sent DHL Express from UAE on Monday which is pretty awesome.

There's a small software update for my ID4 NBT Evo unit since I have a 2016 car which they sent me instructions to perform ahead of time. Its a possible bug that may not effect all cars however so I'll keep y'all updated on my situation. I'm planning to install it as is and test without the software update then apply it after I get things tested.

[andino]

So I hooked up my MMI Plus during lunch. Everything went together smoothly but the software bug that Bimmertech sent me an update for wasn't resolved. I'm able to use the MMI functions though which is good from my very brief testing.

I picked up the LCI usb port console cover that comes with the extended bluetooth package and mounted my usb port for the bimmertech module there which makes for an OEM looking solution.

I've reached out to bimmertech about the software bug in hopes they'll have a solution for me. For now, I've left the unit installed to test out the android auto stuff. For android users, forward/back on the steering wheel doesn't work as far as I can tell. I didn't try on carplay as I just briefly plugged it in to make sure it worked with my work iphone.

Other than the software bug, everything went as expected. Android auto is a little bit choppy which is a bummer but I think its still worth it over the base system if you're using android. I'm using a Pixel 3 XL on the latest Android Q dev beta. I'd expect that to be pretty fluid but Google knows no bounds about testing bugs in prod (or in my case, betas)