BMW announced at the beginning of last year that it will charge a annual subscription for cars that have CarPlay integrated, this instead of a one-time fee of 300 dollars. That single fee of 300 dollars was charged for the installation of the CarPlay system in BMW cars, it being offered free of charge for 1 year, but then a kind of subscription was paid, only in the leasing rate.
BMW only charges the annual subscription of 80 dollars, I assume Euros in Europe, for CarPlay for all the cars in which it is integrated. BMW is the only manufacturer that charges any money for CarPlay, and many people are upset, rightly so, but the company takes advantage of the deep pockets of its customers.
BMW imposed annual subscriptions for CarPlay and is criticized again
BMW still offers CarPlay exclusively in its cars, Android Auto not being implemented, and the chances of this happening could be quite small. It is possible that Apple overlooks the fact that BMW is asking money for CarPlay only because the system is implemented exclusively in its cars for customers.
"Beginning with the 2019 model year, with any new car sold, BMW will require the owner to pay an annual fee of $80 to connect the Apple iPhone device to the premium automobile. While most automakers include connectivity in most cars, occasionally being reserved for luxury models, BMW will charge a subscription for all of them.”
BMW has never made it clear that it would reduce the prices of CarPlay subscriptions, or cancel them altogether, but 80 dollars, or euros, per year is anyway a small amount compared to the price of the car. In Romania, BMW offers CarPlay on cars, along with a wireless charging system for iPhones.
