Man, this is for sure the best video review of the MMI box that I found. I have recently installed one and just wanted to find out the features of it and then I found you. Appreciate u so much for this detailed and great overview. You literally covered many really important topics of MMI usage. Wish you all the best!
Finding this video late, but holy moly, this is the best - and only thoroughly thought out review I have seen! Literally stopped about 10 minutes in to post a comment. You my friend, do good works. Am considering a cheaper version, as it is a bit pricey prohibitive compared to just voice control on Bluetooth, but my heart says get the good one, and this seems to be it. Will be using in 2017 f33 with Android Auto, assume the results will be the same. Thank you! 🙏
true, my unit was also supposed to play/be connected via the AUX cable for sound, but my friend who installed the unit (he's a BMW mechanic) made it so that it didn't need to by adding another cable or wire into the harness I believe, so there's probably a way to do so in these other unis as well, but don't ask me how as I know nothing about these things 😅 he's the kind of person that you go with whatever he recommends doing because he knows his way around this stuff. you might not be able to play other things via the AUX port (don't know, didn't test it) but at least it doesn't have a cable there permanently 👍 (E87 with original CCC system on my case)
Thanks for the video !! I'm the music quality nerd. Nobody talkes about losing quality with MMI. Thnaks to your video, I decided I'm not installing this mmi box and will stay with cable :) thanks!
thanks for saying that! As I said in the video, there is a way to have the MMI Box with carplay AND keep the quality by plugging it in with the cable..it’s worth having carplay imo. Thanks for watching!
@@theCarNoob so can you clarify? Can I plug in my iPhone to the USB, choose the iPhone input on iDrive, open Carplay (by holding Menu), then use CarPlay apps to choose my music or do I need to use iDrive to pick my music first and while it is playing THEN open CarPlay? Can I use Carplay to change my music or do I need to go back to iDrive first?
@@119Agent sorry for the confusion. This is how I do it: - Connect phone to IDrive via Bluetooth and make sure your music plays - plug in Carplay - when you plug in carplay, it will automatically stop playing your music via Bluetooth - on your iPhone, swipe down to open control center - press the circle in top right corner and choose BMW iDrive connection instead of Carplay. - should work now You will be able to change your music on Carplay. The key part in the steps above is after you play music via iDrive and connect carplay, you have to go on your phone and choose where the sound should go through. Hope that helps, let me know if it works for you!
Also, in my experience the smoothest way to do it is to connect to iDrive via Bluetooth and connect to carplay via USB. In the video I was able to get it both ways, but the wireless carplay connection is kinda bad and often fails to connect, so USB just works better for carplay.
Great video. If you plug your phone into the head unit OEM USB and select that USB source whilst using the CarPlay navigation, do the direction and audio alerts still get sent through the speakers? Also, does the CarPlay Spotify app still display what track is playing and let you select the previous/next track, or do you have to select that on your phone now? Does your front parking sensor camera display show up when you are in drive and turn on the parking sensor using the centre console button or do you have to exit CarPlay and go back into iDrive?
Direction didn’t come in if I had audio connected through Bluetooth to idrive but I’d I used the aux connection it worked. You can choose on CarPlay for next song. The sensors did show up. Sorry for late response hope you got it sorted
Great video, as always... I have a couple of quick questions. 1. If you connect you phone via Bluetooth to the BMW directly (like prior to installing the MMI box) can you use CarPlay with maps/directions/audio turn by turn instructions, and still use you phone to play your music through the original car to get the most out of your HK sound system? 2. When you connected you phone via usb to get the best sound, does your songs still show up in you HUD like it did prior to the MMI box? 3. Did you loose any functionality with you steering wheel controls (still able to scroll on you HUD as well as control you music on your phone like prior to MMI)? Finally, with you phone plugged in/connected in idrive for the best audio quality, do you still get turn by turn audio directions and phone calls through CarPlay?!? Thanks in advance for you response!!!
I got the same one but get the wireless one and connect to Bluetooth and your set! Also comes with connection in case u want movies and pictures .. the music EQ is amazing u can connect a flash drive maybe even a Amazon fire stick I’ll try one day
Thanks for the great and easy to understand video. But I have a question. You say that you should have AUX coded because otherwise you don't get any sound. But Andream claims that it is not necessary because a USB box is supplied with it. And AUX is no longer needed.
Thank you so much for this vid! I have an M140i 2019 with H/K sound and the one thing i was worried about was using AUX (which my car doesn’t even have) as I’m abit of an audiophile lol! I always connect via the lightening cable to play my music. If this function can be retained whilst still being able to access my Spotify and change music etc on the CarPlay (and not bmw spotify app) that is a winner!
Finding this video late, but holy moly, this is the best - and only thoroughly thought out review I have seen! Literally stopped about 10 minutes in to post a comment. You my friend, do good works. Am considering a cheaper version, as it is a bit pricey prohibitive compared to just voice control on Bluetooth, but my heart says get the good one, and this seems to be it. Will be using in 2017 f33 with Android Auto, assume the results will be the same. Thank you! 🙏
Hey, great video. Just fitted mine and the USB hack is an excellent thing to try. This will also get around the fact the Audio/music volume is very low on my car. When I use the Andream Interface to increase the volume it is better but after the car restarts its back to the previous level. Is there a way to save the Andream Audio Settings??? Otherwise your USB hack is probably the way to go.
Andream customer service its really bad i purchased a unit for my BMW 330i came in with no installation instructions theres a million items alike similar to this one $335.00 ( guess since it is from china they copy each other products and proceed to sale it ) really bad experience i had to thread them with posting a bad review on ebay and they replied within 24 hrs. be happy that your experience was a " pleasant" one. I took it to a " pro" installer couldnt do it. Your explanation was awesome and i thank you for that, other than that i have the unit on my trunk . Thumbs down for " Andream" it should be called" Nightmare"
dang man sorry about your experience. I'm not affiliated with andream in any way, I just posted my experience with their product. The MMI box did break and I ended up getting it warrantied, at which point I got a touchscreen upgrade.
Nice video. I got my own screen and looks good! What I don’t like is that call quality when heard via CarPlay is worst than my original BMW bluetooth. In fact there’s much echo to my caller coming from the internal mic. BMW bluetooth call is very well balanced. So every time I have to switch the sound to BMW control when I receive a call.
I installed this in my f10, the manufacturer was Andream, and the product was rubbish on Android Auto mode. Wireless connection very slow and each time you connect, you have to reset and reconnect the phone. Overall not worth it. Glad your one had no issues.
Hi very nice and thorough video that you had made. One question that I have is that the Bluetooth in my car is not working. Will this be a problem? I had noticed that you mentioned that BT and WiFi must be on in your phone. When u try to connect your phone with the Andream are you connecting with the Andream box or the cars BT?
Forgive me if I'm repeating other comments, and I'm a bit late to this party, but I'm just wondering if I understand correctly. Maintaining sound quality is important to me, as is the ability to keep my phone charging while I'm in the car. If I install this unit in my F31 and set my phone up properly, I will be able to use it like this: - Get in the car, plug my phone in via USB in the centre arm rest. - CarPlay will turn on and connect to my phone via a WIRELESS connection - I can then come out of CarPlay and choose USB as my audio input in iDrive, and also connect my phone to the iDrive Bluetooth system for calls. - I can then go back into CarPlay and use that interface to control my apps, nav and all that. Any music I select to play via the Apple Music app on CarPlay will play back through the iDrive system at full quality using iDrive EQ settings, volume changing with speed and all that, not the rubbish aux quality. If I get a phone call, I can answer it using the CarPlay interface, but the sound will be sent via the Bluetooth connection to the iDrive system and so will be exactly the same as it was before the MMI unit was installed I know that I won't be able to get navigation audio via the CarPlay if I've set up the phone to output by USB to iDrive but I don't care about that as I always turn the sound off on navigation anyway. Have I understood that right? Or will it work differently?
I think I understood what you're saying and it will work that way, yeah. As you do it, you will figure out the order of operation but that's in essence correct. Sry for late reply, youtube no longer notifies me of every comment for some reason :( Thanks for watching!
I got a F22 2017 model which is equipped with the 6.6 inch screen (NBT ID4 Head unit). I need this MMI so badly combined with the updated 8.8 inch screen. Thank you for the information! Regards from Sweden.
Yes this makes it definitely a lot better. Check out their website, they have a 8.8 or 10.5 inch screen upgrades that look pretty good! Greetings from Denver! Thanks for watching!
I am wondering if there is a way to make 'Map', 'Phone' buttons work for Carplay? I find it annoying that you cannot use them and without a touchscreen, it is more difficult
Near the end of the vid you connect wired carplay to the armrest USB to get the better sound quality but I noticed you used your phone to start/stop the music. Any reason you didn't start/stop the music using the vehicle's touchscreen? Sorry to nit-pick this. Just want to make sure you can still navigate carplay on the vehicle touchscreen even though you're using the wired connection in the armrest.
You have to tell your phone to play it through the idrive(Bluetooth) if you want the Logic7 quality. If you don’t care, set idrive to Aux, then you can choose it through carplay and the whole 9 yards
Hi there, thanks for this video, it helps me a lot to decide whether to purchase or not. Since I have HUD, I’m not sure if I want to loose chance calling thru standard BMW interface. I’m guessing you’re making calls from CarPlay? Thanks P.S.: Are you able to listen the standard radio while having CarPlay screen on (AUX switched off)?
Hi! Thanks for watching! Yeah, if you use wireless carplay and let carplay connect first, you can then choose any audio source you want (including radio)!
thank you for the USB tip - did you ever have issues with your phone switching to CarPlay over and over again when trying to play through the dock. Also how is this on your battery? I find it drains my battery using CarPlay and playing music through USB
The trick is to connect airplay first, and then go to iDrive and choose USB, then it shouldn’t switch back & forth. It charges while usb is plugged in, so I haven’t experienced that issue with battery draining
I am able to get audio from my idrive's Bluetooth, but if i am using maps on the apple carplay, siri does not say the directions aloud, same with reading text messages. I did not use the aux cord that came with the screen. Was I supposed to use it? thank you.
Hi , great video. I’m having an issue when idrive is connected via Bluetooth at the same time as CarPlay. It seems it gets confused then I need to hit the device I want to use for the call on my phone. Also connectivity sometimes doesn’t connect . What’s the best settings for the Bluetooth connection so it’s seamless especially for phone calls?
I'm concerned about sound quality. Is it possible to connect the Android unit to the iDrive unit using bluetooth (instead to AUX) in order to get better sound quality?
Thanks for the video bud, very helpful and informative. I'll consider this option (Andream) as it's much affordable, i'm considering to do this mod on my F30 20212 model with CIC headunit.
Thanks! Couple things to check: - make sure you chose Aux in your iDrive system, and disconnect your phone from idrive Bluetooth etc - make sure you plugged in/transferred the black and green cable properly If those check out, I’d go back and check your cables are plugged in firmly
Hey thanks for the update! And thanks for charging your phone, it stressed me out in the last video. 😆😆😆 How did you end up getting the reverse camera to switch on straight away, seen as though it wasn't working in the last one?
Hello! I have a new phone that doesn’t die after 3h, I’m glad I relieved you of some stress 😂 For the reverse camera, there’s a setting in the MMI settings that says “reverse fullscreen”. I disabled it and it made my stock camera work automatically by going in reverse. The Reverse fullscreen setting is for aftermarket backup cameras. Thanks for watching! Soon there may be another update to the Carplay situation 👀
Hey, About this trick that you did with the USB sound. When you use the USB to play your music, can you change/view what is playing on your CarPlay Spotify?
Thank you for your video! very informative! How car FM radio will work with MMI BOX? For example will be possible to run Google Maps and listen FM radio? The second question is. How BMW messages will be shown when Apple CarPlay is activated. E.G. some system/error messages which are shown on the screen (low car battery, etc).
To make it work that way, you would go to your iDrive menu and choose FM Radio for audio source. Once your radio is playing, hold Menu for 3sec and the picture will switch to carplay but FM radio will keep playing. Most errors first show up on your dash, not immediately on iDrive. If you hear a warning chime, you can hit Menu for 3 sec and go into iDrive to see what the issue is.
Thanks for your help! I have the same Andream Box for my f20 and I also noticed that the Sound Quality have gotten worse (I also have Harmon Kardon). Unfortunately, I don't have a USB port on my car. Have you tried the workaround with Bluetooth? So use wireless carplay and at the same time use the normal bluetooth from bmw to get better audio quality, or does that not work?
If using CarPlay maps (google or apple) will I hear voice navigation while playing regular radio at the same time? Opinion on andream with touchscreen w car play built into new andream touchscreen?
No, you choose your sound output to be either radio or carplay. Unless you play radio through Carplay ofc. I’m interested in the touchscreen, I’m thinking about upgrading axtually
Thank you very much! The screen is the same as OEM and the Carplay image is no lesser quality than iDrive. In fact, I'd say it's better because brighter colors etc. I'll be upgrading the display soon and I'll have another video out for that :) Stay tuned! Thanks for watching!
Hi ya, please do you have an issue using the Bluetooth telephone on carplay, I have the same unit installed in BMW X6 f series, I can only accept incoming calls on carplay with the steering control not the idrive control, and also when making call I had to switch my Bluetooth settings on my phone from carplay to the car Bluetooth before I can hear the phone right . Any help will be appreciated thanks
I did not connect the aux not where but I do not have audio do you know why I can only hear if I use it in Bluetooth though the original radio and no Mav audio on CarPlay
Great video. I have a question, if connected via auxiliary and its in carplay mode what happens if someone calls, can you pick up on steering wheel? And can you listen to radio for example and in car play have navigation instructions Google maps etc?
Thank you! It really depends whether you have your phone connected to your idrive bluetooth (outside of carplay). I found that having both connected causes inconsistent behavior with the button on the steering wheel. If you don't have bluetooth connected, the buttons seem to work more consistently to answer calls etc. Yes, if you open idrive and choose radio as "source", then switch what's on the display to carplay, your radio should continue because you chose radio as the source of the audio. The only issue is that then you can only see visual instructions, you can't receive audio from both at the same time, only one (radio) or the other (carplay). I hope that makes sense lol. Thanks for watching!
Nice video. Top! Did you connect the Andream box with the factory-equipped microphone? Which Siri can be activated by pressing the speaking button on the steering wheel? And how is the connection quality when calling under the Carplay? I am thinking about which I need to install for my BMW f31 330D(2016) with NBT, a MMI box or a android unit. Do you have some suggestions? Since it is hard to decide which to choose, good sound and talking quality with MMI or a larger higher resolution screen with touch function.🤣 Hope to hear you.
I have the unit like u, how about Siri? In my case it’s doesn’t work properly. When I push voice button on steering wheel I can’t here Siri and something it doesn’t work at all. I use my system like you but whit original Bluetooth instead of usb cable . I do stream via org Bluetooth and it work . Only thing is like I said Siri and red message and stuf. I think because if I’m not using auxiliary
Great video! Is it possible to use the oem headup with the carplay or AA navigation? Does the touch surface of the idrive controller works with carplay or AA?
Yep, although to be perfectly honest, I usually have the voice navigation off anyway and I don't wanna officially say it's that way as I dont have that car anymore, but I believe that's correct.
How can I stop it from launching automatically? I want to trigger it manually after giving it enough time to connect to avoid seeing the android interface
Hey I have the exact same type of brand wireless CarPlay mines used to work perfectly then it was in the shop for a week and I got it back did everything you said restarted the Modul my phone and everything it still wont work CarPlay connect on my iPhone even when someone calls me the the apple screen pops up as if it were connected then goes back to the android screen please let me know If anyone knows how to fix this
im a bit late to the party here, but when you connect your pgone to play music via USB, can you still choose/pause/play next your music and songs through the spotify app on carplay ? or do you need to change music by touching your phone
How can I use mirroring? I get a msg smth like “Please connect to WiFi, then tap AirPlay Mirroring to mirror”? I try to do it but it still doesn’t work!
Mirroring was a pain for me, it kinda stopped working reliably after 2 months and I stopped bothering with it. You’d have better luck setting up an AppleTV to mirror your iPhone. 😅
Nice video. I installed a similar MMI unit. I've only used it for two days now and haven't had time to fully work out the fine points but one issue I am experiencing is with the Bluetooth and the MMI versus the Idrive phone connection. They seem to be competing with each other and I think sometimes on an incoming or outgoing call the Idrive phone connection takes over versus the MMI, even though I see the call on the MMI screen and there is no sound. I'm going to try and unpair the Idrive bluetooth and see what happens but there may be times I'd rather use the native phone and don't want to have to either re-pair or alternatively disable the Idrive bluetooth connection each entry. Have you any experience or advice regarding this? 2015 328iX Touring, NBT premium
@@teradac2 i chose the mmi route because it's cheaper and no need to worry about the headunit speed. These android headunits are basically Android tablets, cold/heat exposure and cheap electronics imo won't perform as good in a few years. And searching ali express for a reliable seller can be a pain.
@@adnanafzal6606 I prefer Android head units to be fare. I don't see the point of car play. Car play does exactly what the idrive does except for messages
I missed this comment thread somehow. Well, you have to update your maps every so often and they don't immediately get all of the things over-the-air, so if a road closes in 20 min, your idrive map won't know but your phone through carplay/android auto will get that through google maps or whatever map you use. You can have Waze and see if there are accidents/cops/traffic stops all on the same screen as your music, messages, calls, whatever else AND it's in the format you're familiar with. There's a reason why every car manufacturer nowadays has carplay/android auto included. I chose MMI box over Android unit because if I wanted an Android tablet, I could've just bought an Android tablet and put it on a stand to drive with it. It's not aesthetically pleasing or functional that way and then you have to do mobile hotspot for it to have access to maps etc, just too much work for what it's worth. This could become an even longer comment response so I'll leave it at these reasons. Thanks for watching btw!
Thanks for great video! Wanted to ask what will happen if I receive a call by phone during CarPlay, will my original bmw micro be used or the mmi micro will be used? And will I be able to continue watching google maps during the call? Thanks!
Hi there! Thank you for watching! So, the microphone is shared, unless you installed a separate microphone with your mmi box. But the Carplay uses the same mic your iDrive uses, it really just depends on a couple of things: 1. Whether you’re iDrive audio is on Aux or Bluetooth And 2. Whether your phone is paired to your iDrive via Bluetooth (if answer to 1. Is Aux) If you use Bluetooth with iDrive, chances are as soon as as you get a call, it’ll answer it through iDrive. Your carplay will show you’re in a call probably but your phone will most likely show the call is on Bluetooth with your BMW.
Hope you enjoy it! I've upgraded to a box-less unit that's built into the screen since this video, but the MMI box is a really good solution. If you're installing yourself, just make sure your cables are tucked away well!
@@theCarNoob It's good but basically it's a mirroring device with HQ sound...sometimes it freezes or gives other errors that require a reset, when you turn off thhe ignition, after a while it gives "no signal" on screen....this is normal as i read on forums.....so all in all - chinese quality on german cars, i'm not complaining but if i knew all these annoiances i would never have installled/bought it in the first place....a bmw deserves better
Hi. I know this is an old video but hoping I can still get response. When plugging in the phone and using the sound through BMW system, are you still able to control the music through CarPlay?
How would this work if you shared the car and 2 devices sync'd. Then both people (me plus wife) get in the car, which device would connect and how would you select which phone to connect to?
If you’re doing wired, the answer is obvious. I’d you’re doing wireless, might be a spotty experience, I’ve never tried connecting both. I’d imagine it’s whichever was connected last.
Hello. Great video. My phone doesnt put out sound when connected via wireless carplay to mmi box and the phone is connected with wire to the cars head unit. When it is not connected to mmi box there is sound, or if I select AUX there is also sound. Is there any other setting I need to change to make it work?
Depends how you set up your sound. I’ve been using carplay wired and connect to iDrive Bluetooth, that seems to let me talk on iDrive microphone but still answer through carplay
@@ImperialD I’ve upgraded to a different device since this, I also usually keep my navigation sound turned off so you’re prolly right, I was pretty certain you could hear those through usb but I could be wrong
OEM works well, but that requires a head unit that supports it, but all the MMI boxes and aftermarket carplay units are the same shit in different packaging imo :D
Hi mate, great video appreciate the time you have taken to inform others. Can you tell me if you can use the Bluetooth for calls via the iDrive system, as i heard the Bluetooth is hit and miss (on calls) with the car play/android auto? Thanks
@@theCarNoob I have issues with Spotify on my X5 which sucks but I would prefer to have music played and access to Google maps as the main reasons for getting the module. In your opinion and experience, how good is the audio and microphone when making calls? Have you had any major issues or annoyances. Thanks again for the reply and your time.
This is exactly the question I wanted to get answered! Thank you for an excellent video. If I have the iphone usb through the I drive playing music, can I use the Apple car play satnav at the same time? So like the BMW sat nav does it just interrupts the music?
That's a good question, I generally always keep the navigation muted so I can't confirm that, I believe that playing it through idrive like that wouldn't play maps sounds but again, can't confirm that. Thanks for watching!
Question, I personally use 2 phones, 1 android and the other apple...the android device is used for bluetooth calls, and the. Apple device is used to stream music...can I use car play with the apple device connected and still use the android for calls? I have enhanced bluetooth option for car...Will I lose enhanced bluetooth option for both phones with this device?
I think you should be able to use it the same way still, my wife’s phone is paired with my iDrive and even tho I have carplay on the screen, when she gets a call it rings through iDrive so I THINK you should be a le to use it still that way
Thanks for the video. Very helpful. Ive managed to install an MMI without AUX cable, as I don’t have a AUX connection. I just had to code it in my BMW X1 2019 LCI. What are your MMI EQ settings?
Just been to my car and tried again and realized that I had to delete my phones bluetooth connection completely from my iDrive. Only then I was able to use the USB connection as you stated in the video. Now I know what you mean with the sound quality. And it woks great with CarPlay and no EQ settings required. However, calls don’t work. Caller can hear me, but I can’t hear anything. Any ideas?
You’re basically tricking your phone to use a different sound output, and that affects calls and stuff. If you want seamless, you gotta deal with MMI sound quality, then calls work easily. If you do the sound quality thing, then you gotta answer the phone and switch to Bluetooth on your phone after answering the call. Bit annoying but small price to pay to not hear shitty sound 😂
Hey, I’m looking to purchase one of these. But there are three options: NBT, EVO, and CIC. I think I have the same car as you (f30). 2014 3 series. Which one am I supposed to buy?? Thanks!
Not to my knowledge, but I can't guarantee it...my warranty expired already so I'm not worried about it. You're not really changing anything and I don't think there would be a way to detect you ever had that plugged in. I could be wrong tho, I am a noob :)
Briefly, but it wasn’t working reliably for RUclips unfortunately, when it did work there was a delay between seeing a word spoken and hearing the audio.
Good morning sorry if I disturb you I read your post on CarPlay I wanted to ask you something I got it too on AliExpress I mounted it and it seems to work fine the only thing is that I don't understand is this if I listen to the FM radio let's say from the Bmw menu active the CarPlay I don't hear the navigation instructions happens to you too?
I think you have to commit to hear one or the other, you can listen to fm while you have carplay on the screen, but not at the same time, you’d need an OEM carplay from newer devices
Hi M8 Great video I have just fitted the Andream mmi box to my BMW 335d xdrive. I just wanted to check something with you when I am sent a what’s app message it does not read it out is this possible. Any help would be appreciated I have an iPhone 12 Cheers
I actually never tested the quality but the mmi box uses the same hardware for your mic so I would imagine it’s the same. My wife hasn’t complained so it must be good 😂 The iDrive doesn’t interfere unless you switch the mode to iDrive
@@theCarNoob thanks mate! I was skeptical at first but after watching your vid I’m going to get one now, I use my mic a lot in the car as I am on conference calls a lot while driving and need the mic to be good lol, appreciate the response 👍🏾👊🏾
Hello, great and helpful video. I have the same product, but to listen the sound coming from it (carplay, androind auto or even airplay mirroring) there is to connect the AUX out cable coming from the device to the USB port located under the armrest , then select USB AUX input from the Multimedia menu of the BMW connected drive system. I tried to disconnect that USB and there is obviously no sound, just the video on the car's display. Te problem is the sound coming from the device is affected by a high background noise, clearly udible at high volume levels and very disturbing when listening some music from carplay or airplay. I suppose that there is an analog aux to USB converter somewhere, because my car has not an AUX audio connector, just and USB connector is present. Do you know any trick to get rid of this noisy sound? Thanks.
I have never seen this before. I didn’t have to plug in the aux cable into anything though, just leave the aux unplugged, the aux is actually already plugged in behind the scene. I’ve had good luck with emailing their support team, they usually respond quickly. wang17503401980@gmail.com Sorry, I wish I could tell you why you have loud background noise but I never experienced this issue and I don’t work for Andream, you wanna email them and ask your question
@@theCarNoob Thanks for the reply, can you please tell me how can you listen the sound coming out from this device? As far as I know it have an analog audio connection from the harness cable, that have to be plugged to the aux in connector of the car, if there is one. If the car, like mine, has not aux in socket, it have to be connected to the car's usb port through an adapter that convert the analog audio to usb. If you don't plug this aux audio cable into the car aux or usb port, you can't have any sound from the carplay device, you can just view the carplay interface on the display.
Hey there! Thank you for watching! I haven’t tried specifically with radio but I think it should be the same as using USB, make sure you start carplay first and connect, then go to iDrive and select radio (or even just use the Mode button on your steering wheel) and when you switch back to carplay you should hear radio
Great question! So technically since you have carplay, Apple doesn’t allow airplay at the same time, HOWEVER, it does have a screen mirroring mode, which worked so-so. It was a bit annoying because you have to specifically pair it for that each time, and certain videos just wouldn’t show. I couldn’t figure out why
If it's anything like my car you can either say "Hey Siri" (if you have that turned on on your phone) or long press the voice button on the steering wheel. If you short press it you'll get the BMW voice assistant.
Hello, nice review. I’ve one of those in my car and I like it very much too, definitely not worth the price increase to bimmer-tech but I am facing a big issue with the box. Is it suppose to turn it off whenever the car is turn off, right? Mine it stays turned on!!! I am afraid that this is draining my car battery and the mmi box as to be restarted almost every time I entered to the car (using the back button for 3 sec). This is not normal, right?
@@theCarNoob the problem is that I didn’t bought my unit directly from Andream. I bought it from an qualified AliExpress reseller but his not helping at all in this issue.
All ok except one thing. After I switch off the car it’s showing No Signal, orange color, on the screen until the car’s systems are completely off (after around 10 min.). It happened to you, too or to anyone?
@@theCarNoob yes. Triple checked the cables and tested without the MMI box. I’ve identified the issue. The MMI box is turning off faster than the IDrive causing a lag of signal for the display. After complete iDrive power off the message is gone from the screen.
Since the audio is being processed by a cheap Chinese unit rather than the Harman Kardon head unit and since that’s the way audio has to be routed when using it through the MMI box, it loses a lot of quality. I am pretty picky with sound tho.
One question that came up. As you play "good quality sound" via USB BMW stock connection, and in parallel control CarPlay (with AUX being not set) - can you still use Apple Music / Spotify Apps to navigate through your playlists, pause/skip/resume songs etc? Or will it then try to play against the AUX audio output, which is disabled?
Ups, never mind! Just saw you already answered this below: "Yes it can, I explained how to get there in video. It was the moment I started living this device lol". Awesome, and great video!
Haha nice, yeah you can. The only thing you suffer from in that case is that only one device can use the microphone, either the iDrive or the Carplay. For Carplay to use the microphone, you would have to unpair it from iDrive but then you can’t do the good audio quality. Aftermarket problems…
Hi, hope you could clarify something about this device. I read that you can't use youtube on android auto itself, but could I for instance play a video on youtube on my phone and hear the audio from the car speakers (not using mirroring)? Wirelessly? Thanks!
Hey there! Thanks for watching! My MMI Box crashed actually, got stuck on a splash screen, apparently “this never happens” and they’re covering it in warranty. I shipped mine back and am waiting to get it back. I haven’t decided if I’m gonna upgrade the screen or just replace the same one. If I get screen mirroring on my next one, I’ll make a vid! Thanks for the suggestion! I remember it took some messing around to figure that one out but in the end it wasn’t as reliable and seamless as I wanted
@@theCarNoob Hi thanks so much for replying. I have just installed this kit in my car and have everything working except the airplay where it asks to connect to a WiFi network but nothing happens after that. I’ll keep that in mind and not spend too much time to get it working. Thanks again
does anyone have an E80/E90 generation car with the old CCC system who can attest to these Andream units? I was looking at this SKU: EW987WADCPXCCC, as I have an E87 with the CCC system and recently got an android unit that made me lose the ability to control the old system (only get to see reverse indicators when backing up, can't access other menus) so I lost FM radio and all that stuff, unless I play it from my phone over bluetooth...
Hi ya, please do you have an issue using the Bluetooth telephone on carplay, I have the same unit installed in BMW X6 f series, I can only accept incoming calls on carplay with the steering control not the idrive control, and also when making call I had to switch my Bluetooth settings on my phone from carplay to the car Bluetooth before I can hear the phone right . Any help will be appreciated thanks
I started having some issues with this too actually. I don’t have my IDrive connected to my phone via Bluetooth anymore and I find that if you erase your phone from idrive, then use Aux for audio on carplay, it can work. Although I don’t use Aux, I use USB, so I forfeited having the phone steering wheel control to answer calls 🤷🏻♂️
Hi, nice video and helpful. I am interesting Andream divece (that same us yours). Could you help me with one thing? Is it possible to use Spotify with CarPlay and have designated route in Google Maps?
Hi, thank you! I'm not sure I understand your question completely. You can use Spotify with carplay, and you can also use Google maps for navigation, as long as you have an iphone to connect to carplay.
![[BMW F30] New Apple Carplay/Android Auto NBT Integration Kit FULL INSTALL + OVERVIEW](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_55Myaxoh8s/mqdefault.jpg)
Man, this is for sure the best video review of the MMI box that I found. I have recently installed one and just wanted to find out the features of it and then I found you. Appreciate u so much for this detailed and great overview. You literally covered many really important topics of MMI usage. Wish you all the best!
Thanks so much!
Finding this video late, but holy moly, this is the best - and only thoroughly thought out review I have seen! Literally stopped about 10 minutes in to post a comment. You my friend, do good works. Am considering a cheaper version, as it is a bit pricey prohibitive compared to just voice control on Bluetooth, but my heart says get the good one, and this seems to be it. Will be using in 2017 f33 with Android Auto, assume the results will be the same. Thank you! 🙏
Thank you for the kind words! Have you gotten your unit with android auto yet?
Cable via AUX is not always necessary... Depends on vehicle type and year of manufacture
true, my unit was also supposed to play/be connected via the AUX cable for sound, but my friend who installed the unit (he's a BMW mechanic) made it so that it didn't need to by adding another cable or wire into the harness I believe, so there's probably a way to do so in these other unis as well, but don't ask me how as I know nothing about these things 😅 he's the kind of person that you go with whatever he recommends doing because he knows his way around this stuff. you might not be able to play other things via the AUX port (don't know, didn't test it) but at least it doesn't have a cable there permanently 👍 (E87 with original CCC system on my case)
Try to go to aux and go to aux fonts and set the volume to 20 maybe it will solve the sound quality issue
Thanks for the video !! I'm the music quality nerd. Nobody talkes about losing quality with MMI. Thnaks to your video, I decided I'm not installing this mmi box and will stay with cable :) thanks!
thanks for saying that!
As I said in the video, there is a way to have the MMI Box with carplay AND keep the quality by plugging it in with the cable..it’s worth having carplay imo. Thanks for watching!
@@theCarNoob so can you clarify? Can I plug in my iPhone to the USB, choose the iPhone input on iDrive, open Carplay (by holding Menu), then use CarPlay apps to choose my music or do I need to use iDrive to pick my music first and while it is playing THEN open CarPlay? Can I use Carplay to change my music or do I need to go back to iDrive first?
@@119Agent sorry for the confusion.
This is how I do it:
- Connect phone to IDrive via Bluetooth and make sure your music plays
- plug in Carplay
- when you plug in carplay, it will automatically stop playing your music via Bluetooth
- on your iPhone, swipe down to open control center
- press the circle in top right corner and choose BMW iDrive connection instead of Carplay.
- should work now
You will be able to change your music on Carplay.
The key part in the steps above is after you play music via iDrive and connect carplay, you have to go on your phone and choose where the sound should go through.
Hope that helps, let me know if it works for you!
Also, in my experience the smoothest way to do it is to connect to iDrive via Bluetooth and connect to carplay via USB.
In the video I was able to get it both ways, but the wireless carplay connection is kinda bad and often fails to connect, so USB just works better for carplay.
@@theCarNoob and the will get you the netter sound quality? Sorry for so many questions, but the AUX sound quality is a real deal breaker for me.
Great video. If you plug your phone into the head unit OEM USB and select that USB source whilst using the CarPlay navigation, do the direction and audio alerts still get sent through the speakers? Also, does the CarPlay Spotify app still display what track is playing and let you select the previous/next track, or do you have to select that on your phone now? Does your front parking sensor camera display show up when you are in drive and turn on the parking sensor using the centre console button or do you have to exit CarPlay and go back into iDrive?
Direction didn’t come in if I had audio connected through Bluetooth to idrive but I’d I used the aux connection it worked.
You can choose on CarPlay for next song.
The sensors did show up.
Sorry for late response hope you got it sorted
Great video, as always... I have a couple of quick questions. 1. If you connect you phone via Bluetooth to the BMW directly (like prior to installing the MMI box) can you use CarPlay with maps/directions/audio turn by turn instructions, and still use you phone to play your music through the original car to get the most out of your HK sound system? 2. When you connected you phone via usb to get the best sound, does your songs still show up in you HUD like it did prior to the MMI box? 3. Did you loose any functionality with you steering wheel controls (still able to scroll on you HUD as well as control you music on your phone like prior to MMI)? Finally, with you phone plugged in/connected in idrive for the best audio quality, do you still get turn by turn audio directions and phone calls through CarPlay?!? Thanks in advance for you response!!!
Thanks! Really helpful regarding audio options and showcasing the rear camera when in reverse!
I got the same one but get the wireless one and connect to Bluetooth and your set! Also comes with connection in case u want movies and pictures .. the music EQ is amazing u can connect a flash drive maybe even a Amazon fire stick I’ll try one day
Thanks for the great and easy to understand video. But I have a question. You say that you should have AUX coded because otherwise you don't get any sound. But Andream claims that it is not necessary because a USB box is supplied with it. And AUX is no longer needed.
I have an EVO ID6 and want to use Android Auto
Thank you so much for this vid! I have an M140i 2019 with H/K sound and the one thing i was worried about was using AUX (which my car doesn’t even have) as I’m abit of an audiophile lol! I always connect via the lightening cable to play my music. If this function can be retained whilst still being able to access my Spotify and change music etc on the CarPlay (and not bmw spotify app) that is a winner!
Yes it can, I explained how to get there in video. It was the moment I started living this device lol
Finding this video late, but holy moly, this is the best - and only thoroughly thought out review I have seen! Literally stopped about 10 minutes in to post a comment. You my friend, do good works. Am considering a cheaper version, as it is a bit pricey prohibitive compared to just voice control on Bluetooth, but my heart says get the good one, and this seems to be it. Will be using in 2017 f33 with Android Auto, assume the results will be the same. Thank you! 🙏
Hey, great video. Just fitted mine and the USB hack is an excellent thing to try. This will also get around the fact the Audio/music volume is very low on my car. When I use the Andream Interface to increase the volume it is better but after the car restarts its back to the previous level. Is there a way to save the Andream Audio Settings??? Otherwise your USB hack is probably the way to go.
Andream customer service its really bad i purchased a unit for my BMW 330i came in with no installation instructions theres a million items alike similar to this one $335.00 ( guess since it is from china they copy each other products and proceed to sale it ) really bad experience i had to thread them with posting a bad review on ebay and they replied within 24 hrs. be happy that your experience was a " pleasant" one. I took it to a " pro" installer couldnt do it.
Your explanation was awesome and i thank you for that, other than that i have the unit on my trunk .
Thumbs down for " Andream" it should be called" Nightmare"
dang man sorry about your experience.
I'm not affiliated with andream in any way, I just posted my experience with their product. The MMI box did break and I ended up getting it warrantied, at which point I got a touchscreen upgrade.
Nice video. I got my own screen and looks good! What I don’t like is that call quality when heard via CarPlay is worst than my original BMW bluetooth. In fact there’s much echo to my caller coming from the internal mic. BMW bluetooth call is very well balanced. So every time I have to switch the sound to BMW control when I receive a call.
thank you! Yeah, that's the aftermarket life unfortunately...
I installed this in my f10, the manufacturer was Andream, and the product was rubbish on Android Auto mode. Wireless connection very slow and each time you connect, you have to reset and reconnect the phone. Overall not worth it. Glad your one had no issues.
I didn't use the wireless connection because of this, wired was fine for me usually
Hi very nice and thorough video that you had made. One question that I have is that the Bluetooth in my car is not working. Will this be a problem? I had noticed that you mentioned that BT and WiFi must be on in your phone. When u try to connect your phone with the Andream are you connecting with the Andream box or the cars BT?
Forgive me if I'm repeating other comments, and I'm a bit late to this party, but I'm just wondering if I understand correctly. Maintaining sound quality is important to me, as is the ability to keep my phone charging while I'm in the car.
If I install this unit in my F31 and set my phone up properly, I will be able to use it like this:
- Get in the car, plug my phone in via USB in the centre arm rest.
- CarPlay will turn on and connect to my phone via a WIRELESS connection
- I can then come out of CarPlay and choose USB as my audio input in iDrive, and also connect my phone to the iDrive Bluetooth system for calls.
- I can then go back into CarPlay and use that interface to control my apps, nav and all that. Any music I select to play via the Apple Music app on CarPlay will play back through the iDrive system at full quality using iDrive EQ settings, volume changing with speed and all that, not the rubbish aux quality. If I get a phone call, I can answer it using the CarPlay interface, but the sound will be sent via the Bluetooth connection to the iDrive system and so will be exactly the same as it was before the MMI unit was installed
I know that I won't be able to get navigation audio via the CarPlay if I've set up the phone to output by USB to iDrive but I don't care about that as I always turn the sound off on navigation anyway.
Have I understood that right? Or will it work differently?
I think I understood what you're saying and it will work that way, yeah.
As you do it, you will figure out the order of operation but that's in essence correct. Sry for late reply, youtube no longer notifies me of every comment for some reason :(
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for your great reviews and answers! This video helped me a lot!
I would love to know about the phone app, and how to make calls after u install this mmi box
I got a F22 2017 model which is equipped with the 6.6 inch screen (NBT ID4 Head unit).
I need this MMI so badly combined with the updated 8.8 inch screen. Thank you for the information! Regards from Sweden.
Yes this makes it definitely a lot better. Check out their website, they have a 8.8 or 10.5 inch screen upgrades that look pretty good!
Greetings from Denver! Thanks for watching!
I am wondering if there is a way to make 'Map', 'Phone' buttons work for Carplay? I find it annoying that you cannot use them and without a touchscreen, it is more difficult
What’s the point in CarPlay if you’re not using the audio from it?
Near the end of the vid you connect wired carplay to the armrest USB to get the better sound quality but I noticed you used your phone to start/stop the music. Any reason you didn't start/stop the music using the vehicle's touchscreen? Sorry to nit-pick this. Just want to make sure you can still navigate carplay on the vehicle touchscreen even though you're using the wired connection in the armrest.
You have to tell your phone to play it through the idrive(Bluetooth) if you want the Logic7 quality.
If you don’t care, set idrive to Aux, then you can choose it through carplay and the whole 9 yards
Hi there, thanks for this video, it helps me a lot to decide whether to purchase or not. Since I have HUD, I’m not sure if I want to loose chance calling thru standard BMW interface. I’m guessing you’re making calls from CarPlay? Thanks
P.S.: Are you able to listen the standard radio while having CarPlay screen on (AUX switched off)?
Hi! Thanks for watching!
Yeah, if you use wireless carplay and let carplay connect first, you can then choose any audio source you want (including radio)!
si possono caricare video e vederli in movimento? you tube funziona in movimento?
I am so glad you made this exellent video for us ! Thanks a lot . Good man ! Exellent review, just what I needed to know.
thank you for the USB tip - did you ever have issues with your phone switching to CarPlay over and over again when trying to play through the dock. Also how is this on your battery? I find it drains my battery using CarPlay and playing music through USB
The trick is to connect airplay first, and then go to iDrive and choose USB, then it shouldn’t switch back & forth.
It charges while usb is plugged in, so I haven’t experienced that issue with battery draining
I am able to get audio from my idrive's Bluetooth, but if i am using maps on the apple carplay, siri does not say the directions aloud, same with reading text messages. I did not use the aux cord that came with the screen. Was I supposed to use it? thank you.
Hi , great video. I’m having an issue when idrive is connected via Bluetooth at the same time as CarPlay. It seems it gets confused then I need to hit the device I want to use for the call on my phone. Also connectivity sometimes doesn’t connect . What’s the best settings for the Bluetooth connection so it’s seamless especially for phone calls?
I'm concerned about sound quality. Is it possible to connect the Android unit to the iDrive unit using bluetooth (instead to AUX) in order to get better sound quality?
Yes! That’s what I did!
Thanks for the video bud, very helpful and informative. I'll consider this option (Andream) as it's much affordable, i'm considering to do this mod on my F30 20212 model with CIC headunit.
Love to hear it! Thanks for watching!
How did the lower end unit work for you? Match up to bimmertech mmi solution?
Great Tutorial. I did the install for my BMW 2013 320i and everything seems to be functioning except for the sound. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Couple things to check:
- make sure you chose Aux in your iDrive system, and disconnect your phone from idrive Bluetooth etc
- make sure you plugged in/transferred the black and green cable properly
If those check out, I’d go back and check your cables are plugged in firmly
Hey thanks for the update! And thanks for charging your phone, it stressed me out in the last video. 😆😆😆 How did you end up getting the reverse camera to switch on straight away, seen as though it wasn't working in the last one?
Hello! I have a new phone that doesn’t die after 3h, I’m glad I relieved you of some stress 😂
For the reverse camera, there’s a setting in the MMI settings that says “reverse fullscreen”. I disabled it and it made my stock camera work automatically by going in reverse.
The Reverse fullscreen setting is for aftermarket backup cameras.
Thanks for watching!
Soon there may be another update to the Carplay situation 👀
@@theCarNoob Good to know, tah! My MMI box is still in the mail, but I'm watching as many vids as I can so that the install goes smoothly.
Let me know how you like it!
Hello-Nice video. Is it possible to to pair two iPhones to CarPlay?
Not simultaneously
Hey,
About this trick that you did with the USB sound.
When you use the USB to play your music, can you change/view what is playing on your CarPlay Spotify?
Yessir!
Thank you for your video! very informative! How car FM radio will work with MMI BOX? For example will be possible to run Google Maps and listen FM radio?
The second question is. How BMW messages will be shown when Apple CarPlay is activated. E.G. some system/error messages which are shown on the screen (low car battery, etc).
To make it work that way, you would go to your iDrive menu and choose FM Radio for audio source. Once your radio is playing, hold Menu for 3sec and the picture will switch to carplay but FM radio will keep playing.
Most errors first show up on your dash, not immediately on iDrive. If you hear a warning chime, you can hit Menu for 3 sec and go into iDrive to see what the issue is.
Thanks for your help! I have the same Andream Box for my f20 and I also noticed that the Sound Quality have gotten worse (I also have Harmon Kardon).
Unfortunately, I don't have a USB port on my car. Have you tried the workaround with Bluetooth? So use wireless carplay and at the same time use the normal bluetooth from bmw to get better audio quality, or does that not work?
The bluetooth workaround worked but it's a bit of a pain just cause you gotta manually select your audio output on the phone eaech time
If using CarPlay maps (google or apple) will I hear voice navigation while playing regular radio at the same time? Opinion on andream with touchscreen w car play built into new andream touchscreen?
No, you choose your sound output to be either radio or carplay. Unless you play radio through Carplay ofc.
I’m interested in the touchscreen, I’m thinking about upgrading axtually
Nice video. :) realy helpful. How is the screen behaving in direct sunlight? Is it bright enough?
Thank you very much!
The screen is the same as OEM and the Carplay image is no lesser quality than iDrive. In fact, I'd say it's better because brighter colors etc.
I'll be upgrading the display soon and I'll have another video out for that :)
Stay tuned!
Thanks for watching!
Hi, you made a great video. It’s helpful. Thanks.
Did you connect AUX inside arm rest? Was it required?
Thank you! No, you don’t need to plug in the aux anywhere!
Hi ya, please do you have an issue using the Bluetooth telephone on carplay, I have the same unit installed in BMW X6 f series, I can only accept incoming calls on carplay with the steering control not the idrive control, and also when making call I had to switch my Bluetooth settings on my phone from carplay to the car Bluetooth before I can hear the phone right . Any help will be appreciated thanks
I did not connect the aux not where but I do not have audio do you know why I can only hear if I use it in Bluetooth though the original radio and no Mav audio on CarPlay
Nice video. Which after market rear camera you purchased? can you post the link?
It had a rear camera stock, didn’t upgrade that.
Thanks for watching!
Great video. I have a question, if connected via auxiliary and its in carplay mode what happens if someone calls, can you pick up on steering wheel?
And can you listen to radio for example and in car play have navigation instructions Google maps etc?
Thank you!
It really depends whether you have your phone connected to your idrive bluetooth (outside of carplay). I found that having both connected causes inconsistent behavior with the button on the steering wheel.
If you don't have bluetooth connected, the buttons seem to work more consistently to answer calls etc.
Yes, if you open idrive and choose radio as "source", then switch what's on the display to carplay, your radio should continue because you chose radio as the source of the audio.
The only issue is that then you can only see visual instructions, you can't receive audio from both at the same time, only one (radio) or the other (carplay).
I hope that makes sense lol.
Thanks for watching!
@@theCarNoob thank you so much. Make sense yes.
Nice video. Top! Did you connect the Andream box with the factory-equipped microphone? Which Siri can be activated by pressing the speaking button on the steering wheel? And how is the connection quality when calling under the Carplay? I am thinking about which I need to install for my BMW f31 330D(2016) with NBT, a MMI box or a android unit. Do you have some suggestions? Since it is hard to decide which to choose, good sound and talking quality with MMI or a larger higher resolution screen with touch function.🤣 Hope to hear you.
I wouldn’t do the android unit, those are gimmicky!
Didn’t need to do anything special for the stock mic to work with the unit
I have the unit like u, how about Siri? In my case it’s doesn’t work properly. When I push voice button on steering wheel I can’t here Siri and something it doesn’t work at all. I use my system like you but whit original Bluetooth instead of usb cable . I do stream via org Bluetooth and it work . Only thing is like I said Siri and red message and stuf. I think because if I’m not using auxiliary
Siri works best when you have Aux as the main input, not bluetooth
Great video! Is it possible to use the oem headup with the carplay or AA navigation?
Does the touch surface of the idrive controller works with carplay or AA?
Not with this unit, no HUD functionality.
The touch on the idrive knob does not translate to CP/AA
hello, can you use spotify and at the same time hear the directions of the navigator ware or google
Yes, that’s all done through the same audio source - carplay.
Latest update let’s you use the cars Bluetooth audio for everything. Look it up.
The caller can normally hear me , but I can’t! Can I do something to fix it?
Never had that issue sry m8
Will it work with xiaomi mi 10??an if not how can i use google maps wireless
Hey, great video and explanation! Are you able to control music app from the CarPlay while connected the phone to the Idrive USB?
Yessir!
So, Siri, navigation etc. the audio for those work through the USB but still shows up on CarPlay?
Yep, although to be perfectly honest, I usually have the voice navigation off anyway and I don't wanna officially say it's that way as I dont have that car anymore, but I believe that's correct.
How can I stop it from launching automatically?
I want to trigger it manually after giving it enough time to connect to avoid seeing the android interface
Prolly going wired carplay is your best way to do that
Hey I have the exact same type of brand wireless CarPlay mines used to work perfectly then it was in the shop for a week and I got it back did everything you said restarted the Modul my phone and everything it still wont work CarPlay connect on my iPhone even when someone calls me the the apple screen pops up as if it were connected then goes back to the android screen please let me know
If anyone knows how to fix this
im a bit late to the party here, but when you connect your pgone to play music via USB, can you still choose/pause/play next your music and songs through the spotify app on carplay ? or do you need to change music by touching your phone
How can I use mirroring? I get a msg smth like “Please connect to WiFi, then tap
AirPlay Mirroring to mirror”? I try to do it but it still doesn’t work!
Mirroring was a pain for me, it kinda stopped working reliably after 2 months and I stopped bothering with it. You’d have better luck setting up an AppleTV to mirror your iPhone. 😅
Nice video. I installed a similar MMI unit. I've only used it for two days now and haven't had time to fully work out the fine points but one issue I am experiencing is with the Bluetooth and the MMI versus the Idrive phone connection. They seem to be competing with each other and I think sometimes on an incoming or outgoing call the Idrive phone connection takes over versus the MMI, even though I see the call on the MMI screen and there is no sound. I'm going to try and unpair the Idrive bluetooth and see what happens but there may be times I'd rather use the native phone and don't want to have to either re-pair or alternatively disable the Idrive bluetooth connection each entry. Have you any experience or advice regarding this? 2015 328iX Touring, NBT premium
I ended up disabling bluetooth with idrive, I always used it on idrive bluetooth and plugged in via USB to the MMI
Why did you choose this over the android units?
I've chosen the same andream mmi route, I'm just curious if I've made a good choice!
I've always wondered the same.
You get more from Android head Units so why do people spend on car play
@@teradac2 i chose the mmi route because it's cheaper and no need to worry about the headunit speed. These android headunits are basically Android tablets, cold/heat exposure and cheap electronics imo won't perform as good in a few years.
And searching ali express for a reliable seller can be a pain.
@@adnanafzal6606 I prefer Android head units to be fare.
I don't see the point of car play.
Car play does exactly what the idrive does except for messages
I missed this comment thread somehow. Well, you have to update your maps every so often and they don't immediately get all of the things over-the-air, so if a road closes in 20 min, your idrive map won't know but your phone through carplay/android auto will get that through google maps or whatever map you use.
You can have Waze and see if there are accidents/cops/traffic stops all on the same screen as your music, messages, calls, whatever else AND it's in the format you're familiar with. There's a reason why every car manufacturer nowadays has carplay/android auto included.
I chose MMI box over Android unit because if I wanted an Android tablet, I could've just bought an Android tablet and put it on a stand to drive with it. It's not aesthetically pleasing or functional that way and then you have to do mobile hotspot for it to have access to maps etc, just too much work for what it's worth.
This could become an even longer comment response so I'll leave it at these reasons.
Thanks for watching btw!
Thanks for great video!
Wanted to ask what will happen if I receive a call by phone during CarPlay, will my original bmw micro be used or the mmi micro will be used?
And will I be able to continue watching google maps during the call?
Thanks!
Hi there! Thank you for watching!
So, the microphone is shared, unless you installed a separate microphone with your mmi box. But the Carplay uses the same mic your iDrive uses, it really just depends on a couple of things:
1. Whether you’re iDrive audio is on Aux or Bluetooth
And
2. Whether your phone is paired to your iDrive via Bluetooth (if answer to 1. Is Aux)
If you use Bluetooth with iDrive, chances are as soon as as you get a call, it’ll answer it through iDrive. Your carplay will show you’re in a call probably but your phone will most likely show the call is on Bluetooth with your BMW.
Great video, just ordered the wakaa one, think its the exact same as the andream one. Super excited.
Hope you enjoy it!
I've upgraded to a box-less unit that's built into the screen since this video, but the MMI box is a really good solution. If you're installing yourself, just make sure your cables are tucked away well!
@@theCarNoob What device do you use now please?
Great video, just helped me decide to buy one of these!
How you liking it?
@@theCarNoob It's good but basically it's a mirroring device with HQ sound...sometimes it freezes or gives other errors that require a reset, when you turn off thhe ignition, after a while it gives "no signal" on screen....this is normal as i read on forums.....so all in all - chinese quality on german cars, i'm not complaining but if i knew all these annoiances i would never have installled/bought it in the first place....a bmw deserves better
Hi. I know this is an old video but hoping I can still get response. When plugging in the phone and using the sound through BMW system, are you still able to control the music through CarPlay?
Yep!
How would this work if you shared the car and 2 devices sync'd. Then both people (me plus wife) get in the car, which device would connect and how would you select which phone to connect to?
If you’re doing wired, the answer is obvious. I’d you’re doing wireless, might be a spotty experience, I’ve never tried connecting both. I’d imagine it’s whichever was connected last.
Hello. Great video. My phone doesnt put out sound when connected via wireless carplay to mmi box and the phone is connected with wire to the cars head unit. When it is not connected to mmi box there is sound, or if I select AUX there is also sound. Is there any other setting I need to change to make it work?
There shouldn’t be, sounds like a possible cabling issue, did you transfer the black&green xable?
So can I get the andream mmi box and pair it with the andream touchscreen display?
Ha, good question! I guess? That's a setup I've never thought of haha
Which interface is used for a 2018 bmw M2?
I think you should have factory carplay, and if you don't, I'm 99% certain you can activated with remote coding services.
Hi how did work when someone called is lime normal via bmw Bluetooth
Depends how you set up your sound. I’ve been using carplay wired and connect to iDrive Bluetooth, that seems to let me talk on iDrive microphone but still answer through carplay
When you switch the audio source to iphone like that are you still able to hear things like directions from maps?
Yeah, all those sounds can be heard through usb
@@theCarNoob do you know if the same thing works for wireless Android auto
@@theCarNoob That doesn't work there is no sound for direction from Waze, Google Maps or anything else. This is what I experienced
@@ImperialD I’ve upgraded to a different device since this, I also usually keep my navigation sound turned off so you’re prolly right, I was pretty certain you could hear those through usb but I could be wrong
Did you ever find out if the navigation sounds can be heard using USB and Android Auto?
Is there any good OEM you recommend or do you think they are all the same and they come from China?
OEM works well, but that requires a head unit that supports it, but all the MMI boxes and aftermarket carplay units are the same shit in different packaging imo :D
How much it cost and where I can buy it.
Link in description
Hi mate, great video appreciate the time you have taken to inform others.
Can you tell me if you can use the Bluetooth for calls via the iDrive system, as i heard the Bluetooth is hit and miss (on calls) with the car play/android auto?
Thanks
Technically you can, but I would be weary of using this device if all you care about is wireless CarPlay
@@theCarNoob I have issues with Spotify on my X5 which sucks but I would prefer to have music played and access to Google maps as the main reasons for getting the module. In your opinion and experience, how good is the audio and microphone when making calls? Have you had any major issues or annoyances. Thanks again for the reply and your time.
This is exactly the question I wanted to get answered! Thank you for an excellent video. If I have the iphone usb through the I drive playing music, can I use the Apple car play satnav at the same time? So like the BMW sat nav does it just interrupts the music?
That's a good question, I generally always keep the navigation muted so I can't confirm that, I believe that playing it through idrive like that wouldn't play maps sounds but again, can't confirm that.
Thanks for watching!
Question, I personally use 2 phones, 1 android and the other apple...the android device is used for bluetooth calls, and the. Apple device is used to stream music...can I use car play with the apple device connected and still use the android for calls? I have enhanced bluetooth option for car...Will I lose enhanced bluetooth option for both phones with this device?
I think you should be able to use it the same way still, my wife’s phone is paired with my iDrive and even tho I have carplay on the screen, when she gets a call it rings through iDrive so I THINK you should be a le to use it still that way
Thanks for the video. Very helpful. Ive managed to install an MMI without AUX cable, as I don’t have a AUX connection. I just had to code it in my BMW X1 2019 LCI. What are your MMI EQ settings?
Just been to my car and tried again and realized that I had to delete my phones bluetooth connection completely from my iDrive. Only then I was able to use the USB connection as you stated in the video. Now I know what you mean with the sound quality. And it woks great with CarPlay and no EQ settings required. However, calls don’t work. Caller can hear me, but I can’t hear anything. Any ideas?
Me too. What’s happening?
You’re basically tricking your phone to use a different sound output, and that affects calls and stuff.
If you want seamless, you gotta deal with MMI sound quality, then calls work easily.
If you do the sound quality thing, then you gotta answer the phone and switch to Bluetooth on your phone after answering the call.
Bit annoying but small price to pay to not hear shitty sound 😂
Hey, I’m looking to purchase one of these. But there are three options: NBT, EVO, and CIC. I think I have the same car as you (f30). 2014 3 series. Which one am I supposed to buy?? Thanks!
If it’s the same as mine, you have NBT (non evo), good luck!
@@theCarNoob I did a little bit more digging and think you're right. Thank you so much!!
Great video.. will this void my warranty ?
Not to my knowledge, but I can't guarantee it...my warranty expired already so I'm not worried about it.
You're not really changing anything and I don't think there would be a way to detect you ever had that plugged in.
I could be wrong tho, I am a noob :)
Ty much I hate my small screen lol
Just wondering if you managed to get the iphone mirroring to work and youtube?
Briefly, but it wasn’t working reliably for RUclips unfortunately, when it did work there was a delay between seeing a word spoken and hearing the audio.
Can you listen to the radio when using CarPlay ?
It is possible, yes
Great video! You answer a lot of the questions I had. This solution is too comersome still.
Glad it helped!! Yeah I agree :/
Good morning sorry if I disturb you I read your post on CarPlay I wanted to ask you something I got it too on AliExpress I mounted it and it seems to work fine the only thing is that I don't understand is this if I listen to the FM radio let's say from the Bmw menu active the CarPlay I don't hear the navigation instructions happens to you too?
I think you have to commit to hear one or the other, you can listen to fm while you have carplay on the screen, but not at the same time, you’d need an OEM carplay from newer devices
@@theCarNoob mirrorlink????
Hi M8
Great video I have just fitted the Andream mmi box to my BMW 335d xdrive. I just wanted to check something with you when I am sent a what’s app message it does not read it out is this possible. Any help would be appreciated I have an iPhone 12
Cheers
Does it work on regular iMessage to read out loud?
Mine reads it with iPhone 12 Pro and Carplay :/
Great vid btw, can you make calls and answer through CarPlay? Plus is Mic quality still the same? Thanks
A follow-up question to this. Did you experience any issues during your calls? Like the BMW's native Bluetooth interfering with the MMI's?
I actually never tested the quality but the mmi box uses the same hardware for your mic so I would imagine it’s the same. My wife hasn’t complained so it must be good 😂
The iDrive doesn’t interfere unless you switch the mode to iDrive
@@theCarNoob thanks mate! I was skeptical at first but after watching your vid I’m going to get one now, I use my mic a lot in the car as I am on conference calls a lot while driving and need the mic to be good lol, appreciate the response 👍🏾👊🏾
@@MatthewA7 for sure!
I’ll try to remember for the next review video!
Let me know how you like it when you get it! 💪🏼
If you are listening to the radio and your phone rings do you still have to manually switch back to aux input to hear the call?
If your audio is through aux, yes. If it’s through Bluetooth, no
Hello, great and helpful video. I have the same product, but to listen the sound coming from it (carplay, androind auto or even airplay mirroring) there is to connect the AUX out cable coming from the device to the USB port located under the armrest , then select USB AUX input from the Multimedia menu of the BMW connected drive system. I tried to disconnect that USB and there is obviously no sound, just the video on the car's display. Te problem is the sound coming from the device is affected by a high background noise, clearly udible at high volume levels and very disturbing when listening some music from carplay or airplay. I suppose that there is an analog aux to USB converter somewhere, because my car has not an AUX audio connector, just and USB connector is present. Do you know any trick to get rid of this noisy sound? Thanks.
I have never seen this before. I didn’t have to plug in the aux cable into anything though, just leave the aux unplugged, the aux is actually already plugged in behind the scene.
I’ve had good luck with emailing their support team, they usually respond quickly.
wang17503401980@gmail.com
Sorry, I wish I could tell you why you have loud background noise but I never experienced this issue and I don’t work for Andream, you wanna email them and ask your question
@@theCarNoob Thanks for the reply, can you please tell me how can you listen the sound coming out from this device? As far as I know it have an analog audio connection from the harness cable, that have to be plugged to the aux in connector of the car, if there is one. If the car, like mine, has not aux in socket, it have to be connected to the car's usb port through an adapter that convert the analog audio to usb. If you don't plug this aux audio cable into the car aux or usb port, you can't have any sound from the carplay device, you can just view the carplay interface on the display.
Hi Sir, i wanted to find out about the nobs on the steering wheels working if you want change song, pick calls etc on 2015 328i
Yes
Thanks for the great video could you link me to where you bought this from
www.android-car-dvd.com/collections/for-bmw/products/ew960wadcpxnbt
Hi, Nice video, is there A posibillity to listen to radio and use carplay at the same time? Thanks in advance
Hey there! Thank you for watching!
I haven’t tried specifically with radio but I think it should be the same as using USB, make sure you start carplay first and connect, then go to iDrive and select radio (or even just use the Mode button on your steering wheel) and when you switch back to carplay you should hear radio
Does all the steering wheel buttons work with the Andream mmi box?
sort-of, definitely more than the touch screen unit
Does airplay work on Andream?
Great question!
So technically since you have carplay, Apple doesn’t allow airplay at the same time, HOWEVER, it does have a screen mirroring mode, which worked so-so.
It was a bit annoying because you have to specifically pair it for that each time, and certain videos just wouldn’t show. I couldn’t figure out why
Hey! Can you show how SIRI works in Carplay? It is not working in mine!
Sadly, I don't have my 4 series anymore.
If it's anything like my car you can either say "Hey Siri" (if you have that turned on on your phone) or long press the voice button on the steering wheel. If you short press it you'll get the BMW voice assistant.
Hello, nice review. I’ve one of those in my car and I like it very much too, definitely not worth the price increase to bimmer-tech but I am facing a big issue with the box. Is it suppose to turn it off whenever the car is turn off, right? Mine it stays turned on!!! I am afraid that this is draining my car battery and the mmi box as to be restarted almost every time I entered to the car (using the back button for 3 sec). This is not normal, right?
I would reach out to Andream on that, I had issues with mine and they let me get it exchanged/upgraded through warranty
@@theCarNoob the problem is that I didn’t bought my unit directly from Andream. I bought it from an qualified AliExpress reseller but his not helping at all in this issue.
All ok except one thing. After I switch off the car it’s showing No Signal, orange color, on the screen until the car’s systems are completely off (after around 10 min.). It happened to you, too or to anyone?
Never heard of that myself, sorry m8. Have you checked that none of your cables got unplugged or moved?
@@theCarNoob yes. Triple checked the cables and tested without the MMI box. I’ve identified the issue. The MMI box is turning off faster than the IDrive causing a lag of signal for the display. After complete iDrive power off the message is gone from the screen.
Since when is AUX worse than bluetooth when it comes to audio quality?
Since the audio is being processed by a cheap Chinese unit rather than the Harman Kardon head unit and since that’s the way audio has to be routed when using it through the MMI box, it loses a lot of quality. I am pretty picky with sound tho.
@@theCarNoob aaah now i get it 😬
One question that came up. As you play "good quality sound" via USB BMW stock connection, and in parallel control CarPlay (with AUX being not set) - can you still use Apple Music / Spotify Apps to navigate through your playlists, pause/skip/resume songs etc? Or will it then try to play against the AUX audio output, which is disabled?
Ups, never mind! Just saw you already answered this below: "Yes it can, I explained how to get there in video. It was the moment I started living this device lol". Awesome, and great video!
Haha nice, yeah you can. The only thing you suffer from in that case is that only one device can use the microphone, either the iDrive or the Carplay. For Carplay to use the microphone, you would have to unpair it from iDrive but then you can’t do the good audio quality. Aftermarket problems…
Can you control the music thru carpla even though its playing thru idrive?
You certainly can!
Hi, hope you could clarify something about this device. I read that you can't use youtube on android auto itself, but could I for instance play a video on youtube on my phone and hear the audio from the car speakers (not using mirroring)? Wirelessly? Thanks!
Yeah, this you can do.
Hi is there any chance you could run through how to connect the airplay as there are no other videos about it. Thanks
Hey there! Thanks for watching!
My MMI Box crashed actually, got stuck on a splash screen, apparently “this never happens” and they’re covering it in warranty.
I shipped mine back and am waiting to get it back. I haven’t decided if I’m gonna upgrade the screen or just replace the same one. If I get screen mirroring on my next one, I’ll make a vid!
Thanks for the suggestion!
I remember it took some messing around to figure that one out but in the end it wasn’t as reliable and seamless as I wanted
@@theCarNoob Hi thanks so much for replying. I have just installed this kit in my car and have everything working except the airplay where it asks to connect to a WiFi network but nothing happens after that.
I’ll keep that in mind and not spend too much time to get it working. Thanks again
do you use the original mic or the aftertmarket one that you get with the MMI prime?
I didn’t install a separate mic, just the original one
@@theCarNoob thanks for the fast answer sir.
does anyone have an E80/E90 generation car with the old CCC system who can attest to these Andream units? I was looking at this SKU: EW987WADCPXCCC, as I have an E87 with the CCC system and recently got an android unit that made me lose the ability to control the old system (only get to see reverse indicators when backing up, can't access other menus) so I lost FM radio and all that stuff, unless I play it from my phone over bluetooth...
Hi ya, please do you have an issue using the Bluetooth telephone on carplay, I have the same unit installed in BMW X6 f series, I can only accept incoming calls on carplay with the steering control not the idrive control, and also when making call I had to switch my Bluetooth settings on my phone from carplay to the car Bluetooth before I can hear the phone right . Any help will be appreciated thanks
I started having some issues with this too actually.
I don’t have my IDrive connected to my phone via Bluetooth anymore and I find that if you erase your phone from idrive, then use Aux for audio on carplay, it can work. Although I don’t use Aux, I use USB, so I forfeited having the phone steering wheel control to answer calls 🤷🏻♂️
Hi, nice video and helpful. I am interesting Andream divece (that same us yours). Could you help me with one thing? Is it possible to use Spotify with CarPlay and have designated route in Google Maps?
Hi, thank you! I'm not sure I understand your question completely.
You can use Spotify with carplay, and you can also use Google maps for navigation, as long as you have an iphone to connect to carplay.