UPDATE 7/23/19: BMW's ConnectedDrive website is advertising fees of $80 for 12 months of Apple CarPlay service or a 240-month (that's 20 years) membership for $300.



BMW will turn Apple CarPlay into a subscription service beginning with its 2019-model-year vehicles.



The German automaker currently charges a one-time $300 to add Apple CarPlay capability to navigation-equipped BMW models. Going forward, though, navigation-equipped BMWs will come with CarPlay at no charge for one year. Following that first year, customers will need to pay an annual fee of $80 to maintain the relationship between their Apple device and their BMW's infotainment system.

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BMWs currently are not compatible with Android Auto, although the company did announce its plans to integrate Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa services into its vehicles. A BMW spokesperson was unable to confirm whether the company plans to use a subscription-based model for using these services in their vehicles.

Regardless, BMW's decision to charge a yearly fee for CarPlay is contrary to industry norms, as all other automakers include the service as a standard or optional feature that spans the life of the vehicle, similar to a sunroof or AM/FM radio. We'll see if other manufacturers follow BMW's lead in the future or whether the market will force the automaker to fall back into line and provide it at no extra cost.