Apple CarPlay has been championed as an essential feature for many modern car buyers. A must-have that shapes purchasing decisions and sparks fierce debate online. But according to BMW’s data, the reality looks very different. Stephan Durach, the brand’s Senior Vice President of UI/UX Development, is challenging what he calls the “CarPlay myth,” arguing that customers aren’t relying on it nearly as much as many assume. Instead, BMW’s built-in navigation and integration appear to be taking center stage. It raises questions about whether CarPlay is truly indispensable.
BMW and the CarPlay “Myth”
Durach says, according to in-car data, that people simply aren’t using CarPlay at all times for navigation. Despite what you may read on the internet or here from the industry, BMW’s data doesn’t support the premise. “In the past, there was always talking about a myth,” he told us during an interview. “People say they’re driving all around and using CarPlay for navigation. I can tell you, that’s not true,” he continues. As a reminder, BMW collects data from 10 million cars — a figure Durach provided — and they see the patterns. “We can see what our customers are doing, what kind of controls they’re using, in what of kind of driving conditions they’re using them.”
That’s a comprehensive data set. And it’s important to note that Durach’s CarPlay focuses primarily on only one aspect of what the interface does. Specifically, he’s talking about how customers use navigation systems in BMWs. “They started using our own navigation,” he claims, “people have still their phone connected with CarPlay, but only for dedicated use cases.” While no laundry list of use cases was provided, messaging was singled out.
One solid supporting argument that supports Durach’s statements? Ease of integration. Using voice commands to start navigation is easy in almost any BMW made in the last five or six years. And with Neue Klasse, it’s getting even easier. “We can see it already with all the integration of the service we’re doing,” Durach says. With more natural voice interaction and, of course, ways to simplify and minimize interactions with the car entirely, like Routines, using the built-in BMW navigation will be easier than ever. Then there’s the fact that BMW’s Panoramic display won’t work with Google Maps or Waze, even when connected via CarPlay. Remember, that’s an Apple decision, not BMW’s. One that will likely drive iDrive X navigation figures up even more.
The Flipside of the CarPlay Myth
Assuming BMW’s data is good — and we have no reason to suspect otherwise — the conclusion that CarPlay might not be that important is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it means BMW’s decision to not move forward with CarPlay Ultra support is wholly a pragmatic one. On the other hand, it gives more credence than ever to rivals like Rivian and Tesla who’ve completely ignored CarPlay and Android Auto support. We wonder which other automakers will begin taking notes?
