New UniChip Wireless CarPlay installed.

iamvanja · 09-10-2019, 06:07 PM

Thanks shagler for all the info. Was hoping there is some cool trip to how you mount that iPhone on the dash

I might be able to exchange my existing box for the wireless one by paying the difference. Unichip is amazing! Will report back.

hugo_nz · 09-10-2019, 06:48 PM

Just adding to this. Unichip have said that they are likely to have a box that offers wireless Android Auto as well as Carplay for BMW by November...

Bigjule1111 · 09-10-2019, 11:52 PM

Nice I'm in on that 👍

Streethound · 09-12-2019, 12:37 PM

Hello everyone! A new member here with a recently acquired 2014 640i X GC. Such a great car! This particular one had only 4500 miles. Yup. 4500. It was the classic little old lady car taken to the market 1x a week. She was practically brand new, with every option. Love it!

After reading this thread and others, I ordered up the Unichip. It was a pretty easy transaction as it arrived in a few days.

I installed the Unichip last weekend. It was a bit of a chore to be honest as the dash, specifically the screen was a little tough to get out, especially when you want to be very careful. Note to others; be very careful! The plastic chrome shows marks quite easily.

The directions supplied by Unichip are severely lacking. So it took a bit of time to figure out exactly how to get everything removed. There are a few Youtube vids that really helped like the one that shows how to remove the screen on a 640 and one that is for a 3 series glove box removal. Unfortunately I didnt know that you never unhook an airbag on a BMW and I accidentally unhooked the airbag from under the glove box when I was removing it to gain access to the little compartment where I stashed the Unichip. I ended up having to take her in to be reset. Luckily the local indy BMW guy did it for me in 5min for a $20 bill... Would hate to have to go to the dealer for that!

After the install I had the same experience that Shagler had - the unit didn’t pair up. I pressed 8 and the screen went black and then nothing... After a few emails to my sales rep Cathy, I was sent a few files and the instructions for installing. Luckily I took Shagler's advice and left the USB dongle exposed in the install. Thanks Shagler!! If I hadnt have read your posts, I would have been lost.

The first attempt to get the box to update didnt work, but on the 2nd try, after letting the car sleep for 10min, the update took and Carplay appeared! About a day later, Unichip sent an update for the entire unit that required the same process. Which was way easier the second time.

So far, I love having Siri and CarPlay. The Bluetooth works great although the audio quality sounds is a bit muffled (too much bass) the voice recognition works awesome and the access to Spotify and Podcasts and maps is very much worth the effort and the $.

I ended up running the mic up around the windshield and placed it behind the mirror. Its hidden from view and seems to sound fine to others. I am sure you could find a smaller mic if you wanted to, this one plugs into a standard 1/8th jack and I can’t imagine its the best quality.

Happy to answer any questions. I love this car and now its complete!

jackliu0527 · 09-13-2019, 08:48 PM

does steering controls work on media and phone? and does media info come up on the HUD?

shagler · 09-14-2019, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackliu0527

does steering controls work on media and phone? and does media info come up on the HUD?

Yes on the steering controls, no on anything showing up on HUD (or inside electronic dash...i.e., turn notifications from CarPlay do not show up in Dash or HUD).

Steven

ngiannitsaros · 09-16-2019, 01:13 PM

Link for purchase?

iamvanja · 09-17-2019, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ngiannitsaros

Link for purchase?

http://www.unichip-tec.com

iamvanja · 09-17-2019, 05:19 PM

Got the wireless box. Was hoping that I could just plug the existing (non-wireless) wiring harness into the new box, but it is entirely different. So turned out a bigger operation than needed.
Had some issues with picture alignment, but chatted with Gary on WhatsApp and he sent me a new file with the correct display configuration and was up and running. Cannot believe how awesome the customer service of UniChip is!

Long story short, as a concept I am liking it a lot. Battery for a 20 min ride took a 3% hit. I did notice that the bandwith cannot keep up with Spotify and Google Maps at the same time. Songs keep skipping, Gmaps picture looks low res and it all eventually crashes CarPlay. Gary will send me the new firmware to see if this can be fixed.

Guys who installed it already, do you have the same issue?

shagler · 09-17-2019, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamvanja

Guys who installed it already, do you have the same issue?

I agree that the google maps (satellite view) doesn't do it for me, but I have started to use Apple Maps a lot more simply because it is integrated into CarPlay much more cleanly. For example, I like the new mode Dashboard View in IOS13 that will (currently) only use Apple Maps.

As far as using maps and streaming problems, I have not experienced that at all. Most of the time I have been in the car I have had at least one map app running and Spotify or Apple Music playing. I believe that most of the time this was streaming over LTE versus sometimes playing music that existed on the phone itself. I don't remember hearing problems even when I was running Waze and Apple Maps at the same time. I did this to compare the two apps by switching back and forth during trips.

As noted above, I am on IOS13 and running on a 2-year old iPhoneX. Up until this weekend, I was on IOS13 Beta and didn't see the problem and still haven't noticed a problem on the GM release of IOS13. It is conceivable that IOS13 delivered improvements to CarPlay that helped as there have been articles stating that there were pretty major updates to CarPlay. Here is one of the articles if you are interested: https://www.macworld.com/article/340...in-ios-13.html

Hope this helps.

S

iamvanja · 09-18-2019, 10:24 AM

With the wired version, Google Maps satellite view was my go-to navigation. With wireless, the resolution of the UI is so low everything looks so blurry...
We run the exact same setup (X on iOS 13). There is definitely something up in terms of the bandwith. Wondering if I got a faulty device. Still waiting for the box software update.

Mthusiast81 · 09-18-2019, 07:52 PM

Hi, I went ahead and ordered the wireless unichip box for my 2014 m6 gran coupe. The installer has everything hooked up properly. When he turns the car on, my normal bmw screen pops up and is functioning. When he pushes 8, there is a clicking sound but the screen blacks out. Any assistance/advice you can give would be appreciated.

shagler · 09-18-2019, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mthusiast81

Hi, I went ahead and ordered the wireless unichip box for my 2014 m6 gran coupe. The installer has everything hooked up properly. When he turns the car on, my normal bmw screen pops up and is functioning. When he pushes 8, there is a clicking sound but the screen blacks out. Any assistance/advice you can give would be appreciated.

It was part of my first post in this thread....repeated here:

I could tell that the unit was switching from iDrive via long-press on number 8 preset button (heard a click in the unit), but all I had was a black screen.

After a couple of exchanges with their support, I was sent an update and correct config file for my car. Installation was simply connecting a USB Thumb drive with the files that had been sent and then allowing the car to sleep before starting up again. This time I had their menu screen that allowed me to connect my iPhone via Bluetooth and get everything set up.

Your next move should be to contact UniChip support and they should be able to help with a new config file.

S

iamvanja · 09-18-2019, 11:21 PM

Update:
Updated the box. It is better, but the audio still skips. Google Maps UI is still full of artifacts. Gave up on wireless so I wanted to connect it with a cable. Turns out, for CarPlay to start, BT is still needed. It seems the wired mode is nothing but a wireless mode with an added charging. CarPlay shows battery icon only in wireless. And in this alleged “wired” mode, the battery icon is still there. Along with all the issues.

So far I cannot say that I am happy with this new generation, although Gary keeps demonstrating a school example of what a great customer service should be.

I will try with a different phone, but my older (wired) generation box had absolutely zero issues. There just seems to be too many compromises for me to stick with wireless.

Will continue to keep you guys posted.

Mthusiast81 · 09-18-2019, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shagler

It was part of my first post in this thread....repeated here:

I could tell that the unit was switching from iDrive via long-press on number 8 preset button (heard a click in the unit), but all I had was a black screen.

After a couple of exchanges with their support, I was sent an update and correct config file for my car. Installation was simply connecting a USB Thumb drive with the files that had been sent and then allowing the car to sleep before starting up again. This time I had their menu screen that allowed me to connect my iPhone via Bluetooth and get everything set up.

Your next move should be to contact UniChip support and they should be able to help with a new config file.

S

Thanks! I got a hold of Gary on WhatsApp and he sent me a file to have installer upload. Hopefully it all works so I can get my car back tomorrow. I picked up the car about 2 months ago and am new to the forum. Really appreciate you pointing me in the right direction. Thanks again

iamvanja · 09-24-2019, 10:26 PM

Update on my situation. Put back the wired box again today. What a difference! Sound is not muddy, UI is no longer pixelated/full of artifacts, screen color looks so much punchier and "contrastier", audio absolutely never skips, CarPlay does not crash, etc. One thing that wireless version does not have and wired does, pressing a navigation iDrive button takes me to navigation (from iOS 13 active nav, no longer just Apple Maps), etc. etc. Same with phonr button. Holding menu switches between CarPlay and NBT.
Basically, feels like a polished product ready for prime time.

Wireless version on the other hand felt to me like a very early alpha. Gary was super helpful as he sent me 2 separate firmware updates. Ultimately I lost patience debugging the damn thing. Recording videos while driving waiting for it to crash? No, thanks.

Naturally, will be returning the wireless version and cannot recommend it to anyone. While these issues may not be a specific to this box, you are ultimately playing a lottery. There are a lot of people online complaining about wireless performance even with OEM solutions that came with the car (just google "carplay wireless issues"). Meanwhile, it works fine for others. I have not figured it out why, but I tried iPhone X and iPhone 11 Pro both on iOS 13 and 13.1 and pretty much same results.

Wireless CarPlay would have been pretty nice for small trips, but IMHO plugging in the phone is a small price to pay to have everything work 100% perfectly.

rexis · 10-08-2019, 10:17 PM

I am about to pull the trigger on this for my 2013 640i GC (CIC). I have talked to Gary from unichip and he has sent me an invoice for 491$. He says that is the best price he can offer. I don't care for the wireless version and don't mind plugging in. My main concern is that I will be using android auto.

1 - Has anyone installed the unichip solution for android auto and how has their experience been?
2 - Can someone please share video of trim removal and installation process in 640i (CIC)?

iamvanja · 10-09-2019, 12:01 PM

1 - I'll try to find somebody with an Android to see if anything has changed, but this is how it looked like last time I tried it (https://www.6post.com/forums/showpos...9&postcount=33). Apparently AA added the wide screen support in the meantime.

hugo_nz · 10-09-2019, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexis

I am about to pull the trigger on this for my 2013 640i GC (CIC). I have talked to Gary from unichip and he has sent me an invoice for 491$. He says that is the best price he can offer. I don't care for the wireless version and don't mind plugging in. My main concern is that I will be using android auto.

1 - Has anyone installed the unichip solution for android auto and how has their experience been?
2 - Can someone please share video of trim removal and installation process in 640i (CIC)?

Trim removal is really easy and doesn't require a video but this should help either way: YOUTUBE

rexis · 10-09-2019, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hugo_nz

Trim removal is really easy and doesn't require a video but this should help either way: YOUTUBE

That video looks very helpful. Thank you!

Now I need to figure how am I going to run the mic wire so that it is mostly out of sight.

hugo_nz · 10-09-2019, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rexis

That video looks very helpful. Thank you!

Now I need to figure how am I going to run the mic wire so that it is mostly out of sight.

You can run it behind the trim pieces that you are taking off and tuck it into the corner of the instrument cluster. Should be mostly out of sight

rexis · 10-11-2019, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hugo_nz

You can run it behind the trim pieces that you are taking off and tuck it into the corner of the instrument cluster. Should be mostly out of sight

Do you have any picture to share how you did it?

09-10-2019, 06:07 PM	#23
iamvanja Lieutenant 167 Rep 407 Posts Drives: 2015 640i GC white on red Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Phoenix, AZ iTrader: (0)	Thanks shagler for all the info. Was hoping there is some cool trip to how you mount that iPhone on the dash I might be able to exchange my existing box for the wireless one by paying the difference. Unichip is amazing! Will report back.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

09-10-2019, 06:48 PM	#24
hugo_nz Lieutenant Colonel 3175 Rep 1,822 Posts Drives: BMW iX Xdrive40 MSport Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Auckland, New Zealand iTrader: (0) Garage List 2022 BMW IX [0.00]	Just adding to this. Unichip have said that they are likely to have a box that offers wireless Android Auto as well as Carplay for BMW by November...
	Appreciate 0 Quote

09-10-2019, 11:52 PM	#25
Bigjule1111 First Lieutenant 36 Rep 313 Posts Drives: 2014 bmw640gc 2015Mercedes e40 Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Philly - south Jersey area iTrader: (0)	Nice I'm in on that 👍
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09-12-2019, 12:37 PM	#26
Streethound Registered 3 Rep 4 Posts Drives: 2014 640i X Gran Coupe Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: California iTrader: (0)	Hello everyone! A new member here with a recently acquired 2014 640i X GC. Such a great car! This particular one had only 4500 miles. Yup. 4500. It was the classic little old lady car taken to the market 1x a week. She was practically brand new, with every option. Love it! After reading this thread and others, I ordered up the Unichip. It was a pretty easy transaction as it arrived in a few days. I installed the Unichip last weekend. It was a bit of a chore to be honest as the dash, specifically the screen was a little tough to get out, especially when you want to be very careful. Note to others; be very careful! The plastic chrome shows marks quite easily. The directions supplied by Unichip are severely lacking. So it took a bit of time to figure out exactly how to get everything removed. There are a few Youtube vids that really helped like the one that shows how to remove the screen on a 640 and one that is for a 3 series glove box removal. Unfortunately I didnt know that you never unhook an airbag on a BMW and I accidentally unhooked the airbag from under the glove box when I was removing it to gain access to the little compartment where I stashed the Unichip. I ended up having to take her in to be reset. Luckily the local indy BMW guy did it for me in 5min for a $20 bill... Would hate to have to go to the dealer for that! After the install I had the same experience that Shagler had - the unit didn’t pair up. I pressed 8 and the screen went black and then nothing... After a few emails to my sales rep Cathy, I was sent a few files and the instructions for installing. Luckily I took Shagler's advice and left the USB dongle exposed in the install. Thanks Shagler!! If I hadnt have read your posts, I would have been lost. The first attempt to get the box to update didnt work, but on the 2nd try, after letting the car sleep for 10min, the update took and Carplay appeared! About a day later, Unichip sent an update for the entire unit that required the same process. Which was way easier the second time. So far, I love having Siri and CarPlay. The Bluetooth works great although the audio quality sounds is a bit muffled (too much bass) the voice recognition works awesome and the access to Spotify and Podcasts and maps is very much worth the effort and the $. I ended up running the mic up around the windshield and placed it behind the mirror. Its hidden from view and seems to sound fine to others. I am sure you could find a smaller mic if you wanted to, this one plugs into a standard 1/8th jack and I can’t imagine its the best quality. Happy to answer any questions. I love this car and now its complete! Last edited by Streethound; 09-12-2019 at 02:35 PM..
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09-13-2019, 08:48 PM	#27
jackliu0527 Second Lieutenant 29 Rep 264 Posts Drives: BMW 650iXdrive GC Join Date: May 2017 Location: Toronto iTrader: (0)	does steering controls work on media and phone? and does media info come up on the HUD?
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09-16-2019, 01:13 PM	#29
ngiannitsaros New Member 0 Rep 7 Posts Drives: BMW 640d Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Cyprus iTrader: (0)	Link for purchase?
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09-17-2019, 05:19 PM	#31
iamvanja Lieutenant 167 Rep 407 Posts Drives: 2015 640i GC white on red Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Phoenix, AZ iTrader: (0)	Got the wireless box. Was hoping that I could just plug the existing (non-wireless) wiring harness into the new box, but it is entirely different. So turned out a bigger operation than needed. Had some issues with picture alignment, but chatted with Gary on WhatsApp and he sent me a new file with the correct display configuration and was up and running. Cannot believe how awesome the customer service of UniChip is! Long story short, as a concept I am liking it a lot. Battery for a 20 min ride took a 3% hit. I did notice that the bandwith cannot keep up with Spotify and Google Maps at the same time. Songs keep skipping, Gmaps picture looks low res and it all eventually crashes CarPlay. Gary will send me the new firmware to see if this can be fixed. Guys who installed it already, do you have the same issue?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

09-18-2019, 10:24 AM	#33
iamvanja Lieutenant 167 Rep 407 Posts Drives: 2015 640i GC white on red Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Phoenix, AZ iTrader: (0)	With the wired version, Google Maps satellite view was my go-to navigation. With wireless, the resolution of the UI is so low everything looks so blurry... We run the exact same setup (X on iOS 13). There is definitely something up in terms of the bandwith. Wondering if I got a faulty device. Still waiting for the box software update.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

09-18-2019, 07:52 PM	#34
Mthusiast81 New Member 2 Rep 5 Posts Drives: Bmw F06 M6 Join Date: Jun 2019 Location: Orange County CA iTrader: (0)	Hi, I went ahead and ordered the wireless unichip box for my 2014 m6 gran coupe. The installer has everything hooked up properly. When he turns the car on, my normal bmw screen pops up and is functioning. When he pushes 8, there is a clicking sound but the screen blacks out. Any assistance/advice you can give would be appreciated.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

09-18-2019, 11:21 PM	#36
iamvanja Lieutenant 167 Rep 407 Posts Drives: 2015 640i GC white on red Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Phoenix, AZ iTrader: (0)	Update: Updated the box. It is better, but the audio still skips. Google Maps UI is still full of artifacts. Gave up on wireless so I wanted to connect it with a cable. Turns out, for CarPlay to start, BT is still needed. It seems the wired mode is nothing but a wireless mode with an added charging. CarPlay shows battery icon only in wireless. And in this alleged “wired” mode, the battery icon is still there. Along with all the issues. So far I cannot say that I am happy with this new generation, although Gary keeps demonstrating a school example of what a great customer service should be. I will try with a different phone, but my older (wired) generation box had absolutely zero issues. There just seems to be too many compromises for me to stick with wireless. Will continue to keep you guys posted.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

09-24-2019, 10:26 PM	#38
iamvanja Lieutenant 167 Rep 407 Posts Drives: 2015 640i GC white on red Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Phoenix, AZ iTrader: (0)	Update on my situation. Put back the wired box again today. What a difference! Sound is not muddy, UI is no longer pixelated/full of artifacts, screen color looks so much punchier and "contrastier", audio absolutely never skips, CarPlay does not crash, etc. One thing that wireless version does not have and wired does, pressing a navigation iDrive button takes me to navigation (from iOS 13 active nav, no longer just Apple Maps), etc. etc. Same with phonr button. Holding menu switches between CarPlay and NBT. Basically, feels like a polished product ready for prime time. Wireless version on the other hand felt to me like a very early alpha. Gary was super helpful as he sent me 2 separate firmware updates. Ultimately I lost patience debugging the damn thing. Recording videos while driving waiting for it to crash? No, thanks. Naturally, will be returning the wireless version and cannot recommend it to anyone. While these issues may not be a specific to this box, you are ultimately playing a lottery. There are a lot of people online complaining about wireless performance even with OEM solutions that came with the car (just google "carplay wireless issues"). Meanwhile, it works fine for others. I have not figured it out why, but I tried iPhone X and iPhone 11 Pro both on iOS 13 and 13.1 and pretty much same results. Wireless CarPlay would have been pretty nice for small trips, but IMHO plugging in the phone is a small price to pay to have everything work 100% perfectly.
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10-08-2019, 10:17 PM	#39
rexis New Member 1 Rep 9 Posts Drives: 2013 BMW 640i Gran Coupe Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: San Jose, CA iTrader: (0)	I am about to pull the trigger on this for my 2013 640i GC (CIC). I have talked to Gary from unichip and he has sent me an invoice for 491$. He says that is the best price he can offer. I don't care for the wireless version and don't mind plugging in. My main concern is that I will be using android auto. 1 - Has anyone installed the unichip solution for android auto and how has their experience been? 2 - Can someone please share video of trim removal and installation process in 640i (CIC)?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

10-09-2019, 12:01 PM	#40
iamvanja Lieutenant 167 Rep 407 Posts Drives: 2015 640i GC white on red Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: Phoenix, AZ iTrader: (0)	1 - I'll try to find somebody with an Android to see if anything has changed, but this is how it looked like last time I tried it (https://www.6post.com/forums/showpos...9&postcount=33). Apparently AA added the wide screen support in the meantime.
	Appreciate 0 Quote