BMW will stop charging monthly subscription for CarPlay

A sleek, black BMW sports car speeds down a tree-lined road with motion blur in the background, indicating its fast pace. It appears to be on a sunny day with clear weather. The car's modern, aerodynamic design hints at advanced features like CarPlay integration for tech-savvy drivers.

When BMW decided to offer CarPlay in its vehicles last year, the company made the unusual move of charging its customers a monthly subscription fee for the privilege.

Though CarPlay is free for users at the point of purchase, baked into the iOS operating system and running off of an iPhone during a journey, BMW forced owners to pay an eye-watering $80 per year to use the feature if they wanted it in their new BMW vehicle.

It was the only manufacturer to charge a monthly fee for CarPlay access, and naturally it did not go down well amongst its customer base, especially considering Appleโ€™s transparency in how CarPlay works, and how manufacturers only have to comply with the companyโ€™s software policies, requiring no ongoing investment, development, or upkeep on their side.

Before a monthly fee, BMW charged $300 as a one-time upgrade fee to customers, though again, many popular car manufacturers have offered CarPlay for free since its inception.

When will BMW make CarPlay access free?

However, given the ongoing negativity surrounding the charges, the company has now confirmed that CarPlay will be offered for free on all models that feature the companyโ€™s latest ConnectedDrive infotainment system.

Speaking to AutoCar, a spokesperson said that the majority of newer models will be able to access CarPlay for free, and those who donโ€™t have the latest system (including the i3 and the i8) will have to pay a one-time activation fee.

Autoblog has also confirmed that the changes will be rolling out in the United States, with a spokesperson telling the blog that โ€œBMW is always looking to satisfy customers’ needs and this policy change is intended to provide BMW owners with a better ownership experience.โ€

Thereโ€™s no word on when current subscribers will have their subscriptions cancelled or even refunded, but itโ€™s clear that the company is rolling out free CarPlay access very soon indeed.

Are you surprised to hear that BMW charged for CarPlay? Did you pay for access? Let us know your thoughts on this situation over on Twitter and check back soon for more news.

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