Apple carplay on BMW fullscreen

Hi Ahmed,

By default, your 2019 BMW X3 will display CarPlay in a standard aspect ratio and leave the space on the right side blank, even if you aren't using iDrive split screen. Newer BMW models now ship with fullscreen CarPlay from the factory. There is no setting in CarPlay or on your iPhone to fix this, because the car decides how carplay will look on its screen. The solution is to modify your car's iDrive software. Depending on your specific BMW iDrive version, it should be possible for you to code the fullscreen option yourself, using an app called BimmerCode, available for MacOS, iOS and Android.

To use the app, you also need to acquire a compatible OBD2 reader, which you plug into your car's OBD2 port so that the app can communicate with the vehicle. BimmerCode provides a list of compatible devices. You can select your exact vehicle model to ensure compatibility. Popular brands include OBDLink and UniCarScan. There are tutorial videos on how to do this online, as well as BimmerCode's Quick Start Guide.

The DIY option will likely suit you better if you plan to make multiple coding changes in the future and/or if you are familiar with working on your own vehicles in general. Alternatively, you can opt to have the coding done as a service if you prefer not to code your vehicle yourself. Many mechanics/technicians offer to code this option (as well as many others) for you for a fee, using their own hardware but similar methods to the one I've described above. There's nothing to be done on the Apple side of things.

I hope this has been of some assistance. Good luck on your coding journey!

Hi ahmedmga,

Have you checked with BMW to see if they have any updates to your vehicle? You can use this link for how to set up CarPlay: Use CarPlay with your iPhone - Apple Support

Good luck!