01
No CarPlay to begin with
Before the update, the X5's "Connect new device" menu offered Telephone, Bluetooth audio, Apps and Screen Mirroring. After it, Apple CarPlay is in the same list. Drag the photo above to see the two menus.
Factory CarPlay Activation, Full Screen · Oakleigh South
A 2016 BMW X5 with no CarPlay, now full-screen wireless CarPlay on its own screen
A 2016 BMW X5 (F15) that had no Apple CarPlay: the factory NBT EVO head unit's software updated and BMW's own wireless CarPlay activated and set to full screen, keeping the factory screen and iDrive, at our Oakleigh South workshop in Melbourne on 5 November 2026. $450.
This 2016 X5 came in without Apple CarPlay. In the iDrive menu for connecting a phone, the choices were Telephone, Bluetooth audio, Apps and Screen Mirroring, and nothing for CarPlay. Nothing in the car was replaced. With a power supply on the battery to hold the voltage steady, the head unit's software was updated and BMW's own Apple CarPlay was activated and coded. Apple CarPlay now sits in that same menu, connects wirelessly, and fills the whole width of the factory screen. The screen and the iDrive controller are as they were. We did the job on Thursday 5 November 2026, $450 including GST.
What this job costs
- Head unit software update and full-screen wireless CarPlay activation, factory screen kept
- $450
Today’s prices for the same work, including GST.
Completed 2016 BMW X5 F15Wireless CarPlay · full screenOakleigh South$450 · factory screen kept
Before / after
Drag to compare.
How it was done
No new screen. The software, updated.
02
Software, not a new screen
The head unit's software was updated and CarPlay activated in BMW's own system. The factory screen, the iDrive controller and the dash stay exactly as they were, with no box or extra screen added.
03
Full screen
On older software, BMW's CarPlay can sit in part of the screen with BMW's own panel beside it. On this X5 it was set to full screen, so maps and apps use the whole width of the display.
04
Wireless, with the BMW menus a tap away
The iPhone connects without a cable. Maps, music, calls and messages come up on the factory screen, and the BMW icon on the CarPlay home screen goes back to iDrive.
05
Can every X5 of this age do it?
Not always. X5s of this generation came with different iDrive systems, and what can be activated depends on the one fitted. Send us a photo of your screen and we'll tell you before you book.
After · CarPlay across the whole screen
1 / 4
See more installations
All work