BMW study: most owners skip CarPlay for native navigation
Why BMW drivers favor iDrive X over Apple CarPlay
BMW study: most owners skip CarPlay for native navigation
BMW's study finds most owners favor iDrive X and native navigation over Apple CarPlay, thanks to quicker voice control, Apple map display limits, and UX gains.
2025-09-10T08:22:09+03:00
2025-09-10T08:22:09+03:00
2025-09-10T08:22:09+03:00
Apple’s CarPlay isn’t the must-have feature many outside observers imagine. A study conducted by BMW indicates that most of the brand’s owners stick with the car’s native navigation and in-house services, passing over Apple’s alternatives.Stefan Durach, senior vice president for interface development and user-experience design at BMW, noted his surprise at how persistent the belief in deep driver dependence on CarPlay remains. He said the vast majority of customers continue to use BMW’s own navigation even when the vehicle is connected to a phone via CarPlay.One reason is the ease of voice control, which makes starting navigation on the move markedly simpler. That advantage has become even clearer since BMW’s switch to the Neue Klasse platform, which sharpened how drivers interact with the car’s systems. In everyday use, fewer steps and reliable prompts often matter more than the logo on the app.There’s also a practical constraint: BMW’s multimedia display can’t show Google Maps or Waze when they’re launched through CarPlay, a limitation tied to Apple’s own technical boundaries. Against that backdrop, BMW’s iDrive X naturally gains appeal, especially for those who value tight integration over app familiarity.
BMW study, BMW owners, Apple CarPlay, iDrive X, native navigation, voice control, Neue Klasse, Apple map display limits, Google Maps, Waze, in-car UX integration
BMW's study finds most owners favor iDrive X and native navigation over Apple CarPlay, thanks to quicker voice control, Apple map display limits, and UX gains.
Michael Powers, Editor
Apple’s CarPlay isn’t the must-have feature many outside observers imagine. A study conducted by BMW indicates that most of the brand’s owners stick with the car’s native navigation and in-house services, passing over Apple’s alternatives.
Stefan Durach, senior vice president for interface development and user-experience design at BMW, noted his surprise at how persistent the belief in deep driver dependence on CarPlay remains. He said the vast majority of customers continue to use BMW’s own navigation even when the vehicle is connected to a phone via CarPlay.
One reason is the ease of voice control, which makes starting navigation on the move markedly simpler. That advantage has become even clearer since BMW’s switch to the Neue Klasse platform, which sharpened how drivers interact with the car’s systems. In everyday use, fewer steps and reliable prompts often matter more than the logo on the app.
There’s also a practical constraint: BMW’s multimedia display can’t show Google Maps or Waze when they’re launched through CarPlay, a limitation tied to Apple’s own technical boundaries. Against that backdrop, BMW’s iDrive X naturally gains appeal, especially for those who value tight integration over app familiarity.
