Best Wireless Apple Car Play Head Unit Upgrade?

[Caryalon]

Originally Posted by armasmike

I been looking in to this also and would like to get the 12.3 in screens. But can you update the OS from the ver it might come with, lets say android 11 to 12 down the line?

Also can you add options i want to added a front cam and have the new android unit be the DVR ?

To my knowledge, most of these units do not have an upgrade path to newer versions of Android. Would love to hear that I'm wrong, and which units are upgradeable...

[Bob_Ross]

I'm on my second andream unit now and that's going back. It's a shame as I love everything about it but they're having issues with quality control atm.

The first unit was all washed out with no colour and the second unit has developed a line down it.

I'd love to hear if anybody has experience of replacing the screen yourself. As in the actual screen of the andream unit.

[pjfox23]

Is that a 12.3" screen? Any additional pics? Just trying to get a sense of size in the e70 for the 12.3" screen.

[danno142000]

Good info here, thanks to those who have contributed


Hoping to hear more feedback on the 12.3 screen….

[Chrisnytx]

Originally Posted by Dinkumbloke

I ordered mine from Andream after A LOT of research. They have several options to choose from depending on your preferences. I thought about the cheapest option which would keep the stock screen and just add basic CarPlay but decided on the upgraded 10.25" screen. There is a more expensive version that allows AirPlay and screen mirroring as well as a some digital dashboard options, built in GPS, and a 4G+64G Qualcomm 8-core built-in 4G-LTE IPS Car MultiMedia. All which was unnecessary in my opinion. I just wanted CarPlay which gave me AppleMusic, Spotify, AppleMaps and all the other apps. The version I got in the mail was the latest version and solved many of the issues that people have been complaining about. It came with a screen protector which it did not mention (I found out the hard way). I purchased one on-line and when I went to install it, it pulled off the one that came with it (which was nicer quality). I wasted time and money there. The latest version also had a built in microphone so I did not have to install an external option and it works & looks great. The unit even came preprogramed for your model which it didn't mention. I was halfway through the program options before I realized it was already done.

Andream is the cheapest by far at $299 (CCC) or $309 (CIC)
No Tax, No shipping which you would have to add with 4X4shop. I considered them but the total was closer to $600. It did come with the extra options that I didn't want though.
Overall, VERY pleased.
Just remember that all these units connect through the AUX so if you go back into iDrive, CarPlay will stop. For example, to go into setting to adjust your rear climate, the music or navigation will stop if you are using CarPlay but will pick right back up by touching the screen. I have Navigation and XM radio on my original equipment but do not use either.
My only complaint is when using CarPlay the volume on my music and my turn by turn navigation on any of the navigation apps cannot be adjust separately. The music will come out at a much higher volume than Siri's voice. I have looked into this and have not figured out a solution yet.
This is the one I got:

https://www.android-car-dvd.com/coll...34606151565475

Installation was simple and quick. I had it done in less than an hour.

After owning it for a while, would you still recommend it?

[kimmarc723]

Hello All

Just wanted to add my experience. 13 X5 50i M-Sport and I replaced the factory screen with this:

https://avinusa.com/10-25-multimedia...s-e70-e71.html

The 13 inch screen was a bit too big for my taste.

Install was straight forward and not difficult. Unit needed to be updated with an OTA update but that also was straightforward and no issues. No Aux issues. Only issue I had was the new ZLink app they use for Wireless CarPlay. Had skipping and static with it and never could get it to stop? Today I decided to use my Carlinkit Wireless CarPlay adapter I have in my 08 650i coupe that is sitting at the moment. Downloaded the Autokit app and installed, plugged in the Carlinkit, synced everything up and BOOM everything worked flawlessly!! No static or skipping!! CarPlay and OEM system switch back and forth with no issues!! Extremely happy now!! I will order a replacement Carlinkit adapter for the 650i.

The 650i is also an AVIN unit and it doesn’t have the ZLink app. Not sure why they switched from the old app but old app works for me flawlessly.

[achao25]

Hi Friends,

I'm still up in the air about what to do to update my 2012 X5 diesel, and would appreciate any help.

Does anyone have any input to say if 4x4 or Avin or Andream are getting better over time, or is the technology still the same?

Is there a consensus as to whether to go the MMI route vs upgrading the entire head unit to get the touchless screen? Does screen size really matter- some said the larger units look awkward?

Is there a difference between Android 10 and Android 11?

Does anyone have experience using Avin's wireless backup camera (how is it powered)?

Thanks much!

Andrew

[kimmarc723]

achao25

The actual Android OS does not update as far as I know. So if you have OS 11, it will remain OS 11. The apps update but you will need a wifi or phone data connection for those (if needed).

My sister has the MMI interface in her 11 X5 50i and I have the AVIN unit. I personally like the larger screen with the AVIN unit and its touchscreen as well. I dont believe the MMI is touchscreen (hers isn't). The 10.25in screen doesnt look out of place to me but does make the dash look different. Not a bad thing to me lol.

Only difference I can tell between the 10/11 is the Android OS interface.

And I installed a backup camera in my 650i but it wasn't an AVIN brand. Just a generic HD backup camera. It was powered by tying into the brake light to activate when you put the car in reverse. It is also wired to the back of the unit, if I remember correctly. Once again pretty straightforward and there are videos all over YouTube to assist.

[argento]

achao25 I had an Avin in 2018, but back then after you purchased there was little customer service. It's likely they've improved since then. In 2020 I bought from 4x4 and they were very helpful and patient in all my questions, which I documented in my build thread below. They have also provided responses post-purchase and offered to help where they can.

The units appear to be from the same or similar oversees manufacturer and there are just vendors here in north america. The 2020 version seemed to fix the major drawbacks of the 2018 version and I'd guess the newer versions do the same as they try to reach error free.

The all seem to be beta versions with hiccups here and there. The Android 10 I have now is nice and functional, but I do put up with some of it's minor issues, just a few for example that I see at each drive: At startup displays the same time starting at 4am, which I suspect is because I don't have a cellular connection for the unit and/or I don't have my phone connected to it via bluetooth or hotspot. It wasn't an issue when I was running carplay through the monitor b/c my phone was connected to the unit. Which brings up the skipping in my audio with wireless carplay. I have a new iphone and been wanting to test to see if it was my XR back then or the android monitor. I use an audio player app and instead of starting from where I last turned off the car, it opens a new app window and once I get to 5 or 6 I have to clear them all b/c the app stops working. 9 times out of 10 I just close all the apps and start over, it rarely works such that I turn off the car and I come back to start just where I left off. And then there's the screen brightness which is dim and poor during the day so you have to set the brightness to 100%, not hard. BUT when you go from day to night it does have an auto dim feature when the headlights come on, but b/c the brightness setting is at 100% it illuminates the entire interior and you have to go to settings and reduce brightness to 50%.

With that said, I still love the unit. In fact, properly configured with a DAC, player App, and ALAC music files, it can produce amazing sound better than the OEM Individual audio option. See the other thread "The best audio upgrade for the X5". I also hit the topic of sound quality in the Android monitor in my build thread, but it's rambling, lol, I'm working on cleaning it up. I use less than 10% of the monitor's capability.

I can't help with MMI, but here is a thread that addressed it in 2021: https://www.xbimmers.com/forums/show...&highlight=MMI

As long as you attempt to keep things reversible, you can always try something and revert back if you don't like.

GL

[E91 Hoarder]

I bought the Andream unit about 1.5 years ago. It okay solution, and it worked fine for about a year.

There are several issues with it:
- The screen is not bright enough. At night or overcast, it is okay, however during a daylight or at direct sunlight it is absolutely unreadable.
- The wireless connection has worked by automatically connecting to the phone for about a year, but then suddenly stopped working (no updates to the phone). Even manually it does not connect wirelessly. Only wired connection works now.
- Support is very poor. Even with multiple attempts to get help with the above issues, I didn't get any support.

Overall, I am more dissatisfied with Andream unit and won't recommend it.

[mileswalker91]

Here are two articles, you can check for the Best Wireless Apple Car Play Head Unit:

www.caraudiowise.com/best-wireless-apple-carplay-stereo


www.caraudiowise.com/best-apple-carplay-stereo

I hope it helps!