BMW will add Android Automotive to select models from 2023
The BMW Group is the latest automaker to announce it will use the Android Automotive operating system.
The company says it is “expanding its current BMW operating system 8” and integrating Android Automotive OS into select model lines from March 2023.
At this stage, it is unclear which BMW models will receive this infotainment operating system from Google.
For more car-related news and videos, check Motoring >>
All other BMW models will keep the current Linux-based infotainment operating system for now, and for some time, the German automaker will offer both approaches.
BMW i4 Credit: CarExpert
BMW says the new Android Automotive OS “can configure the infotainment system individually”. It will also bring “customized, individual, and comprehensive digital features and options”.
What new infotainment features and options these BMW models will get with Android Automotive remains to be seen.
It’s also unclear whether the new OS will look different from the existing Linux-based OS, as BMW hasn’t released any photos yet.
“We integrate the best aspects of all worlds – that can be our in-house developments, Open Source or commercial software products, depending on what the specific solution looks like,” says Stephan Durach, BMW Group’s lead developer for the digital driving experience. †
BMW iX Credit: CarExpert
“We ensure that our customers always enjoy a unique, tailor-made digital experience in their vehicle.”
Like the current BMW models with the Linux-based operating system, the BMW models with Android Automotive will be able to receive over-the-air updates at “regular intervals”.
BMW isn’t the first to announce that its cars will get the Android Automotive OS.
The technology was first used in the Polestar 2 and has since been used on vehicles such as the Volvo XC40 Recharge, GMC Hummer EV, and Renault Megane E-Tech Electric.
Polestar 2 Credit: CarExpertGMC Hummer EV Credit: CarExpertRenault Megane E-Tech Electric Credit: CarExpert
In February 2021, Ford Motor Company partnered with Google to implement Android Automotive OS in Ford and Lincoln vehicles from 2023.
Volvo also announced in April 2022 that all its car models would have Android Automotive OS from 2023.
It’s worth noting that Android Automotive is not the same as Android Auto, which has been around for a while.
Android Auto runs on your smartphone and displays apps and notifications on your car display. At the same time, Android Automotive is the opeinfotainment operating systemd does not require your smartphone to be connected.
Next-Generation Apple CarPlay Credit: CarExpert
While Google may seem rival with its Android Automotive OS, Apple is wary of a next-generation version of Apple CarPlay that will offer deeper integration in areas such as the digital instrument cluster and climate control.
Apple announced this at its latest Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) and confirmed that Audi, Ford, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Infiniti, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Polestar, Porsche, Renault, and Volvo are working to integrate the system into their next-generation vehicles.
The first cars with this next-generation Apple CarPlay system will debut in late 2023, although it’s not clear yet whether it will be controlled from a phone alone or whether it will be integrated more deeply into the vehicle.
