CarPlay activation guide

This guide covers the whole process: checking compatibility, choosing the right options, installing the activation you received, then connecting your iPhone. Read it to the end before starting: the last step, pairing the phone, is the one people forget most often.

This product is for advanced users and no installation support is provided. If the code or file you received does not match your vehicle, contact us with your order number.

1. Is your car compatible?

You need an EVO screen running ID5 or ID6, found on most BMWs from around 2016. The corresponding unit is called NBT Evo: that is the right one. Older screens, CIC and NBT(without "Evo"), are not compatible.

• In the car: iDrive → Settings → System → Software version. The system shown must be ID5 or ID6.
• Another clue: ID5 and ID6 screens show customisable tiles on the home screen, not the older list menu.
• If in doubt, a BMW dealer or coder can confirm the screen type from your VIN.

ID5 is enough. CarPlay works perfectly on ID5; there is no need to upgrade to ID6.

2. Choose the method: USB or cable

• USB stick: the simplest. You receive a .zip file to copy onto a stick. No special equipment.
• Cable: for people with a Windows PC, an ENET cable and the Feature Installer tool. You receive a code in the format XXXXX-XXXXX.

Rule of thumb: note the letter of your software version (step 1). Before "P" (versions H to O): USB method. "P" and newer: cable method. If in doubt, the cable method works on most configurations.

3. Options to choose when ordering

• Region: it must match the navigation installed in the car. A wrong region produces an invalid code.
• Steering: left-hand drive (LHD) or right-hand drive (RHD).
• Fullscreen: CarPlay uses the whole wide screen. Included in the activation.
• Video In Motion (option): allows video playback while moving, for passengers. Watching video while driving is not allowed.

4. Installing with the USB stick

The .zip file you receive contains three items:

• UPD…bin: this is the file that installs the activation, including Apple CarPlay. It is the only file to copy at first.
• FSC_…_0120….fsc: the navigation map code for your region (0120 = Europe). It is only needed if the screen asks for it (last step below). Its presence is normal: it is not the CarPlay code.
• instructions_en.pdf: the supplier's instructions.

Procedure:

• Format an empty USB stick as FAT32 (2 to 8 GB recommended).
• Copy only the UPD…bin file to the root of the stick.
• With the ignition on or the engine running, plug the stick into the centre console USB port (or the armrest one).
• Wait at least 30 seconds, then remove the stick.
• Restart the iDrive: press and hold the volume knob (on the radio, not the iDrive controller) for 15 to 30 seconds, until the screen turns off.
• If the screen does not restart: switch off, get out, lock the car and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes without opening it. It goes to sleep and the iDrive restarts at the next start.
• On restart, the screen shows "BMW ConnectedDrive" and reboots several times: do not interrupt the process.
• Then go to step 6 to connect your iPhone.
• Only if the iDrive asks for a map activation code: create a folder named FSC at the root of the stick, copy the .fsc file into it, plug the stick in and start the update offered.

5. Installing with the cable

The code you receive contains the complete CarPlay activation, generated for your vehicle with your region, steering side and options. No additional manual coding is needed.

• Connect a battery charger: a voltage drop while writing can leave the screen in an unstable state.
• With the ignition on, connect the PC to the car with the ENET cable.
• Open the Feature Installer, enter the code and start the installation.
• The tool confirms the write ("Success", status "Accepted").
• Switch the ignition off, let the car go to sleep, then go to step 6.

After installation, do not fully re-code the screen from the vehicle order: a full re-code can erase the activation that was just applied.

6. Connect your iPhone (mandatory step)

On BMW, CarPlay is wireless.The phone connects over Bluetooth, then CarPlay runs over the car's Wi-Fi. The USB port charges the phone and plays files, but plugging the iPhone in with a cable will never start CarPlay.

An iPhone paired before the activation keeps its old profile, without CarPlay. You must pair it again from scratch, even if the phone already connects fine.

• In the car: Mobile devices, select your iPhone, delete it.
• On the iPhone: Settings → Bluetooth, your car, Forget This Device. Keep Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on.
• In the car: Mobile devices → Add new device.
• Choose Apple CarPlay in the list and complete the pairing, accepting the prompts on the phone.

This is also your test.If "Apple CarPlay" appears in that list, the activation is installed. If it is missing, see step 7.

7. CarPlay does not appear

Check in this order:

• Pairing (step 6): by far the most common cause.
• The restart (USB method): the activation only takes effect after the iDrive restarts (step 4). Otherwise, with the car locked, wait about twenty minutes before trying again.
• Region: it must match the installed navigation.

If "Apple CarPlay" is still missing from Add new deviceafter these checks, write to us with your order number and the car's exact software version: we will check that the code or file delivered matches your configuration.

Important

Activation requires work on your vehicle and the right equipment. No installation support is provided, and no refund is granted once the file or code is delivered. If your vehicle is not recognised when the activation is generated, you are automatically refunded.