New 2009 2010 BMW Z4 - ZPOST - View Single Post - Apple Car play options for Z4 E89 which one?

tommylotto · 09-11-2018, 04:51 PM

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Wiring Harness

So, things are not perfect. Overall I am happy, but there are caveats. This is my weekend cruiser, and I might not be so patient and understanding if this were my daily driver.

6 of 8 of the steering wheel buttons do work and can be assigned to whatever tasks I want while in the android side of the system. However, that feature does NOT work while in the CarPlay emulation. The only buttons that work while in the ZLink CarPlay app are the two buttons assigned to volume. The ZLink app has a setting window that says it allows you to assign steering wheel buttons to tasks, but Joying does not support that feature at this time. Maybe in the future they will get it to work. Right now, all you get is the volume control.

The phone works fine in CarPlay for me. I can hear everything perfectly. However, whomever I am calling hears an echo as they talk. I do not hear the echo. So, it doesn't bother me, but one of my callers has complained, and I imagine it would be annoying on a longer call. Again, the ZLink settings window has a feature called echo cancellation, which, if it worked, would probably fix this, but it is not yet supported by Joying.

The Joying radio app seems to forget all my stored radio stations every time I re-start the system. It is frustrating, but I have not really tried to fix this issue, because I do not use their radio application. I spend most of my time in CarPlay. So, for radio I use either iHeart Radio (for local broadcasts) or Sirius XM (for everything else). I upgraded my Sirius XM subscription on one of my other cars to include streaming. So, I can now use the Sirius XM application for radio in the Z4. Both the iHeart and the Sirius XM apps work well through CarPlay, so long as I have cell service...

I have filled the 32Gb of memory with a sizable chunk of my music library. So, if I do not feel like plugging in my phone or if I drive outside of cell service I will have something to listen to.

The final complaint is one that I imagine plagues any screen based system in a convertible. With the top down in the bright sunlight, it is difficult to see the screen. You have to drive under a shady tree or some thing else if you want to change the station.

09-11-2018, 04:51 PM	#13
tommylotto Enlisted Member 0 Rep 35 Posts Drives: 2015 BMW Z4 sDrive28i Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: Laguna Hills, CA iTrader: (0)	Fascia Wiring Harness So, things are not perfect. Overall I am happy, but there are caveats. This is my weekend cruiser, and I might not be so patient and understanding if this were my daily driver. 6 of 8 of the steering wheel buttons do work and can be assigned to whatever tasks I want while in the android side of the system. However, that feature does NOT work while in the CarPlay emulation. The only buttons that work while in the ZLink CarPlay app are the two buttons assigned to volume. The ZLink app has a setting window that says it allows you to assign steering wheel buttons to tasks, but Joying does not support that feature at this time. Maybe in the future they will get it to work. Right now, all you get is the volume control. The phone works fine in CarPlay for me. I can hear everything perfectly. However, whomever I am calling hears an echo as they talk. I do not hear the echo. So, it doesn't bother me, but one of my callers has complained, and I imagine it would be annoying on a longer call. Again, the ZLink settings window has a feature called echo cancellation, which, if it worked, would probably fix this, but it is not yet supported by Joying. The Joying radio app seems to forget all my stored radio stations every time I re-start the system. It is frustrating, but I have not really tried to fix this issue, because I do not use their radio application. I spend most of my time in CarPlay. So, for radio I use either iHeart Radio (for local broadcasts) or Sirius XM (for everything else). I upgraded my Sirius XM subscription on one of my other cars to include streaming. So, I can now use the Sirius XM application for radio in the Z4. Both the iHeart and the Sirius XM apps work well through CarPlay, so long as I have cell service... I have filled the 32Gb of memory with a sizable chunk of my music library. So, if I do not feel like plugging in my phone or if I drive outside of cell service I will have something to listen to. The final complaint is one that I imagine plagues any screen based system in a convertible. With the top down in the bright sunlight, it is difficult to see the screen. You have to drive under a shady tree or some thing else if you want to change the station.
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