Dear BMW Owners, Pay $80 for Your Apple CarPlay or Say Goodbye to it

Technological developments have been going very fast these days, especially in the world of automobiles. Optional features that were previously only available in top-end vehicles have now become standard in many new entry-level models. You no longer need to buy a luxury car to get big touch screens, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, because they’re now widely available in many affordable cars. Lots of infotainment and safety equipments have become standard features in many cheap four wheelers. This is an impressively fast technological change that is happening now.

Unfortunately, such a change isn’t always followed by satisfaction, especially in the case of BMW, where 2019 models onward will no longer offer Apple CarPlay for free – according to Jalopnik. Yes, the carmaker will charge a yearly subscription fee for the software interface. Initially, one year of free access will be given to buyers. After the passage of that period, the cost will be $80 per year.

If you’re reluctant to pay annual fees, you can choose to purchase a lifetime subscription for $300, although it may not be your best choice if you don’t plan to keep your BMW for life. Leasing is an increasingly popular alternative for many petrolheads, but there has never been a twenty-year-long lease. Eventually, you might want to turn your attention back to the first choice and rethink about that, for it might be your best deal after all. Otherwise, just let the Apple CarPlay subscription expire after the trial period if money is the thing that concerns you most.

And sorry, there’s no point in switching from an iPhone to Android as BMW doesn’t even have Android Auto. You’re the luckiest new BMW owner if you don’t care about Apple CarPlay at all and buy your car just because you want to enjoy driving it. That way you don’t need to worry about losing the toy and you will be able to fully experience the ‘ultimate driving machine’. If you want to play with your smartphone, you can do it later at home, right?

Today, BMW has become a famous luxury brand known for its classy vehicles that reflect the status of their owners. To be fair, $80 shouldn’t be a big number for someone who can afford a BMW, but we’re not just talking about numbers; it’s about the reason behind the annual costs for Apple Carplay, why is BMW doing that? Even though many non-luxury brands are offering Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard for free? The answer is.. the German marque wants to keeps down the original prices of its cars.