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      02-26-2021, 03:04 PM   #1
cfm56d7b
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How to add CarPlay to 2015 BMW X5?

I know the head unit in 2015 BMW BMW X5 does not support CarPlay.

Looking for options to add CarPlay with a preference towards OEM components.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
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      02-26-2021, 03:36 PM   #2
ponytuning
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cfm56d7b View Post
I know the head unit in 2015 BMW BMW X5 does not support CarPlay.

Looking for options to add CarPlay with a preference towards OEM components.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
You can retrofit nbt evo, but it's somewhat expensive at $1000+ for parts and not very straightforward to retrofit but definitely do-able.
Personally I stay away from the non oem chinese junk that have flooded the market with same HW rebranded under different names with same sketchy support.
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      02-26-2021, 04:54 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cfm56d7b View Post
I know the head unit in 2015 BMW BMW X5 does not support CarPlay.

Looking for options to add CarPlay with a preference towards OEM components.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Forget it. Honestly.

Route 1: retrofit nbt evo. Expensive, disables connected services and causes a nightmare at the dealership when they want to diagnose anything.

Route 2: Chinese crap discussed in many threads here. Endless issues, horrible support from the vendors, another nightmare.

That's your options at the moment.
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      02-26-2021, 06:10 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cfm56d7b View Post
I know the head unit in 2015 BMW BMW X5 does not support CarPlay.

Looking for options to add CarPlay with a preference towards OEM components.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cfm56d7b View Post
I know the head unit in 2015 BMW BMW X5 does not support CarPlay.

Looking for options to add CarPlay with a preference towards OEM components.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
There is another option and quite frankly works quite well and resembles greatly OEM.

https://www.bimmer-tech.net/category...y-mmi-retrofit

It's utilizes a lot of the OEM components and it's even wireless so you don't have to even plug in your phone. Just an option to consider. Very easy to install as well.

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      02-26-2021, 06:27 PM   #5
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https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1646802
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      02-26-2021, 06:42 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sammyapache View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by cfm56d7b View Post
I know the head unit in 2015 BMW BMW X5 does not support CarPlay.

Looking for options to add CarPlay with a preference towards OEM components.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Quote:
Originally Posted by cfm56d7b View Post
I know the head unit in 2015 BMW BMW X5 does not support CarPlay.

Looking for options to add CarPlay with a preference towards OEM components.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
There is another option and quite frankly works quite well and resembles greatly OEM.

https://www.bimmer-tech.net/category...y-mmi-retrofit

It's utilizes a lot of the OEM components and it's even wireless so you don't have to even plug in your phone. Just an option to consider. Very easy to install as well.

Agree, the BimmerTech MMI solution is good, have had it for a year, wireless, works well in my 05/2014
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      02-26-2021, 07:08 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cfm56d7b View Post
I know the head unit in 2015 BMW BMW X5 does not support CarPlay.

Looking for options to add CarPlay with a preference towards OEM components.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
I have the same car as yours (2015 X5 NBT HU). There are basically 3 options:

(1) NBT EVO replacement wit CarPlay - Expensive and requires coding. Best CarPlay integration with iDrive.

(2) CarPlay MMI add-on (it retains all OEM functions and can switch back and forth between OEM and add-on). Most of the troubles people have are from Android Auto. For CarPlay it works very well. CarPlay very stable on wireless use and almost flawless on wired use. The prices from different suppliers are quite different. Many of them are actually the same exact hardware and you pay much higher price for better support with BimmerTech (vs. others). The main difference from OEM CarPlay is audio integration. You cannot hear audio from both CarPlay and the radio at the same time. Tons of information and support community from this thread: https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1675929

(3) Android powered CarPlay head unit replacement. It seems it's not ready for prime time.

I went with option (2) and quite happy with the result (have been using CarPlay for ~2 months now).
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Last edited by sbrook02; 03-01-2021 at 11:24 AM..
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      02-26-2021, 08:56 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by devlinsky View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by cfm56d7b View Post
I know the head unit in 2015 BMW BMW X5 does not support CarPlay.

Looking for options to add CarPlay with a preference towards OEM components.

All suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Forget it. Honestly.

Route 1: retrofit nbt evo. Expensive, disables connected services and causes a nightmare at the dealership when they want to diagnose anything.

Route 2: Chinese crap discussed in many threads here. Endless issues, horrible support from the vendors, another nightmare.

That's your options at the moment.
What are the specific issues with Route 2? Any insights?
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      02-27-2021, 01:32 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cfm56d7b View Post
What are the specific issues with Route 2? Any insights?
From what I've learnt:
- issues with connecting wirelessly (can not connect etc)
- issues with sound quality (no sound, muffled sound, low quality etc)
- issues with call quality (echo, low quality etc)
- issues with camera integration (unstable connections, guiding bars etc)
- endless options with firmware versions vs hardware versions, finding the right combination that is stable is challenging
- issues with vendor support - sometimes it takes weeks to hear from the seller let alone to solve the issue

I admit, I might not be the sharpest tool in the tool shed and many of the issues mentioned above might be relevant to android auto - as mentioned above. But all in all, I decided to stick to connected services and run google maps on my phone on the cradle. I used to play with ista, did mhd flash on my previous car, did gearbox remap with alpine flash etc etc, so it not that I'm completely ignorant, but this adventure I follow on the thread mentioned above - is, at the moment, beyond me.
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      02-27-2021, 08:51 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by devlinsky View Post
From what I've learnt:
- issues with connecting wirelessly (can not connect etc)
- issues with sound quality (no sound, muffled sound, low quality etc)
- issues with call quality (echo, low quality etc)
- issues with camera integration (unstable connections, guiding bars etc)
- endless options with firmware versions vs hardware versions, finding the right combination that is stable is challenging
- issues with vendor support - sometimes it takes weeks to hear from the seller let alone to solve the issue

I admit, I might not be the sharpest tool in the tool shed and many of the issues mentioned above might be relevant to android auto - as mentioned above. But all in all, I decided to stick to connected services and run google maps on my phone on the cradle. I used to play with ista, did mhd flash on my previous car, did gearbox remap with alpine flash etc etc, so it not that I'm completely ignorant, but this adventure I follow on the thread mentioned above - is, at the moment, beyond me.
This is a good summary of issues. I did quite a bit research before deciding to buy and was also concerned about the many issues mentioned in the forum. After installing and using the MMI box for a while now I have a different view on the issues:

Quote:
- issues with connecting wirelessly (cannot connect etc)
There is a bit of delay on initial wireless connection. Wireless CarPlay requires WiFi to work (bluetooth is only for paring). If the phone does not connect to the MMI WiFi then CarPlay does not work wirelessly. The trick to force it to connect automatically is to: (1) disable auto-join to other home hotspots, (2) enable auto-join to the CarPlay WiFi (and enable low data mode so one can have LTE/5G for data at the same time).

Quote:
- issues with sound quality (no sound, muffled sound, low quality etc)
Sound quality is not an issue for X5 NBT HiFi head unit. Volume can be configured in iDrive (AUX volume), MMI box, and/or Apple/Google maps.
Quote:
- issues with call quality (echo, low quality etc)
Settings can be adjusted to get rid of the echo.
Quote:
- issues with camera integration (unstable connections, guiding bars etc)
No issues with my X5 OEM rear view camera.
Quote:
- endless options with firmware versions vs hardware versions, finding the right combination that is stable is challenging
Yes many complaints of burn errors when trying to upgrade firmware. The product evolved quite a bit recently and the box I got two months ago had the most recent firmware so no need to upgrade for CarPlay.
Quote:
- issues with vendor support - sometimes it takes weeks to hear from the seller let alone to solve the issue
This is the main issue of the unbranded products. If you need lots of support, go with BimmerTech.

I'll add one more: lack of detailed documentation on installation and configuration for the aftermarket boxes. But to be fair, not all issues are due to the MMI feature/configuration. One example: my CarPlay volume was relatively low compared to OEM radio even when I set the volume in the MMI to max (hence distortion) right after installation. The solution? Increase the volume of AUX in iDrive (was set to vey low and I did not know how to change it) and turn it down on the MMI.

I cannot speak for other users and/or car models. But it works well for my 2015 X5 NBT HiFi HU and it's the best $250 I've ever spent on a car. It's not an OEM CarPlay solution but looks and feels like OEM.

Last edited by sbrook02; 03-15-2021 at 05:38 PM..
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      02-27-2021, 09:24 AM   #11
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I did not expect to receive such helpful information from the community so quickly. Thank you all.
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      02-28-2021, 11:16 AM   #12
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Hey folks. Just did it on my '15 x5 with the HK nbt unit. Found a guy who sells HUs id4s updated to id6 with some specific date software so it's not freezing/rebooting as id4 on id6 software are known. So my stock nbt been replaced over the nbt evo id4 and it has wireless CarPlay as well. HUD works great and shows all the speed limits as it was before. Coding is needed for sure, but nothing extraordinary. Ended up paying $600 out of my pocket. The next feature I'm looking for is foldable B&O dash speaker.
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      02-28-2021, 11:22 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by x5wntd View Post
Hey folks. Just did it on my '15 x5 with the HK nbt unit. Found a guy who sells HUs id4s updated to id6 with some specific date software so it's not freezing/rebooting as id4 on id6 software are known. So my stock nbt been replaced over the nbt evo id4 and it has wireless CarPlay as well. HUD works great and shows all the speed limits as it was before. Coding is needed for sure, but nothing extraordinary. Ended up paying $600 out of my pocket. The next feature I'm looking for is foldable B&O dash speaker.
Can you PM with more information? Many thanks.
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      02-28-2021, 03:51 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by x5wntd View Post
Hey folks. Just did it on my '15 x5 with the HK nbt unit. Found a guy who sells HUs id4s updated to id6 with some specific date software so it's not freezing/rebooting as id4 on id6 software are known. So my stock nbt been replaced over the nbt evo id4 and it has wireless CarPlay as well. HUD works great and shows all the speed limits as it was before. Coding is needed for sure, but nothing extraordinary. Ended up paying $600 out of my pocket. The next feature I'm looking for is foldable B&O dash speaker.
More info pretty please
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      02-28-2021, 04:02 PM   #15
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id4 is still rebooting because of lack of ram while playing music with active navigation. Don't waste money on id4, buy genuine id6.
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      02-28-2021, 04:38 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CatalinP View Post
id4 is still rebooting because of lack of ram while playing music with active navigation. Don't waste money on id4, buy genuine id6.
Have had the id4 for a month already and never got it rebooted. wanna mention have never used built-in nav sys bc all the time using thru the CarPlay (apple/google maps).
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      03-01-2021, 04:37 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CatalinP View Post
id4 is still rebooting because of lack of ram while playing music with active navigation. Don't waste money on id4, buy genuine id6.
Few questions if I may: If I get a genuine id6 and replace my ID4++ with it:
- will all connected drive services work?
- can I purchase Apple CarPlay service via connected drive store and will it work permanently or will it be a annual payment type?
- can I code in the CarPlay and will it work wirelessly?
- will it cause any diagnostic issues at the dealer etc, is it a good idea all in all?
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      03-01-2021, 05:52 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by devlinsky View Post
Few questions if I may: If I get a genuine id6 and replace my ID4++ with it:
- will all connected drive services work?
- can I purchase Apple CarPlay service via connected drive store and will it work permanently or will it be a annual payment type?
- can I code in the CarPlay and will it work wirelessly?
- will it cause any diagnostic issues at the dealer etc, is it a good idea all in all?
Based on the information from this thread:
https://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1593428

- If you get the NA ATM unit and get certain software version, all services will work. EDIT:You don't need ATM unit if you have ID4, I am in NA so 2014-2016 we got NBT units which don't have ATM.
-Lots of these listings selling NBT head units already get them with CarPlay activated (just did the ebay search)
- I don't think BMW offered wireless CarPlay but I don't know for sure
- It might cause issues if dealer needs to perform software update. How good or bad of an idea it is-that one is up to you. If you are out of warranty and don't mind some DIY projects might be a decent option to try.

Last edited by RED_Y_; 03-02-2021 at 11:03 AM..
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      03-02-2021, 12:40 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by devlinsky View Post
Few questions if I may: If I get a genuine id6 and replace my ID4++ with it:
- will all connected drive services work?
- can I purchase Apple CarPlay service via connected drive store and will it work permanently or will it be a annual payment type?
- can I code in the CarPlay and will it work wirelessly?
- will it cause any diagnostic issues at the dealer etc, is it a good idea all in all?
If you replace your ID4 with ID6, you will swap only the HU and maybe the screen, if you want touch capabilities. The ATM module from ID4 works with ID6, so no issues with Connected Drive services already active.
CarPlay Service via Store is a one time purchase, but not sure if it will show up or not on the portal.
CarPlay on ID6 is wireless.
If you code the new HU at the dealer, there will be no issue.
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      03-02-2021, 01:54 AM   #20
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even mine id4 has wireless cp. just waiting w my buddy for a better wifi antenna which gonna make the range longer in times..
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      03-02-2021, 11:02 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CatalinP View Post
If you replace your ID4 with ID6, you will swap only the HU and maybe the screen, if you want touch capabilities. The ATM module from ID4 works with ID6, so no issues with Connected Drive services already active.
CarPlay Service via Store is a one time purchase, but not sure if it will show up or not on the portal.
CarPlay on ID6 is wireless.
If you code the new HU at the dealer, there will be no issue.
I provided a bit of a confusing reply above since I did not see that the question was from the guy in Europe. In US my 2014 has the NBT unit so we don't have ATM and do need to source one to make things working properly.
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      03-02-2021, 04:05 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CatalinP View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by devlinsky View Post
Few questions if I may: If I get a genuine id6 and replace my ID4++ with it:
- will all connected drive services work?
- can I purchase Apple CarPlay service via connected drive store and will it work permanently or will it be a annual payment type?
- can I code in the CarPlay and will it work wirelessly?
- will it cause any diagnostic issues at the dealer etc, is it a good idea all in all?
If you replace your ID4 with ID6, you will swap only the HU and maybe the screen, if you want touch capabilities. The ATM module from ID4 works with ID6, so no issues with Connected Drive services already active.
CarPlay Service via Store is a one time purchase, but not sure if it will show up or not on the portal.
CarPlay on ID6 is wireless.
If you code the new HU at the dealer, there will be no issue.
Thank you! Much appreciated.

Looks like the way to go for me.
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