BMW has changed its controversial tune and revealed that it will start offering Apple CarPlay on its new vehicles for free.
Ever since 2016, BMW has been charging its owners $80 per year to use Apple CarPlay or a one-off $300 fee for a 20-year subscription. This comes despite the fact that Apple itself doesn’t charge automakers to include the feature in its vehicles. No other car manufacturer requires owners to pay an annual fee to use CarPlay. Fortunately, the brand has seen the error of its ways and announced that the service will be provided free of charge for life across all 2019 and 2020 model year vehicles.
“BMW is always looking to satisfy our customers’ needs and this policy change is intended to provide them with a better ownership experience,” a company spokesperson said.
Gouging: BMW Wants To Charge You Annually For Apple CarPlay
To use Apple CarPlay for free, BMW owners will need to ensure that their vehicles are equipped with the brand’s latest ConnectedDrive infotainment system.
In August, a story from Car and Driver explained that one possible reason why BMW has been charging its owners to use CarPlay is that it offers wireless CarPlay while most other car manufacturers only have wired CarPlay systems.
Funnily enough, the Toyota Supra which uses a BMW infotainment system, was confirmed to receive four years of Apple CarPlay functionality for free earlier this year. Evidently, Toyota didn’t want to gouge its customers quite like BMW has been doing and decided to absorb the costs of implementing the software.
