CarPlay for BMW Motorcycles-Chigee AIO-5 Play

[Mike]

I just received this yesterday and mounted it on my R1250 GSA: https://www.chigee.com/products/aio5-play-for-bmw

I have yet to ride with it, but the online reviews have all been positive and my first impression is that it works exactly as promised. It replaces the Nav 6 unit, snapping directly into place and is controlled by the wonder wheel, as well as by touch controls. For the slow learners like me who struggle with traditional nav units, this may be the answer.

And, yes, it’s Chinese (mine shipped from Hong Kong), but it’s the only game in town AFAIK.

[Mike]

Some shots of the screen. It boots up as soon as you start your moto. It can display info provided by the BMW’s on board computer and you can toggle over to the CarPlay screen. 

[TSConver]

Had one on my R1300GS for several weeks.  They work really well.  Can run whatever mapping software you want.  Google or Waze for commuting and Gaia or Onx or similar for offroad riding.

[Mike]

7 hours ago, TSConver said:

Had one on my R1300GS for several weeks.  They work really well.  Can run whatever mapping software you want.  Google or Waze for commuting and Gaia or Onx or similar for offroad riding.

For now I’ve loaded Sygic. Both Waze and Google maps rely to an extent on a live internet connection (though you can download map sets on Google through a manual process), so I wanted to have a backup available in the event that I find myself unable to navigate due to a lack of connectivity. It’ll take me a while to figure this all out, but I’m anticipating being able to navigate more easily than is possible with the Nav 6.

[DJDixon]

Too bad it's not compatible with my '20 RT.

[Mike]

25 minutes ago, DJDixon said:

Too bad it's not compatible with my '20 RT.

You might want to ask specifically (if you haven’t already); they’ve indicated that it may be compatible with models not listed on their website.  Also, they’re apparently working on updating the software to make it compatible with more models.

[F16Viper68]

Curious as to why it's not compatible?  I'm hoping this will work with my 2020 RT as long as I add the CGRC CAN module.  

 

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

Well this gentlemen got it working with a 2019 RT so I'm betting our 2020's will be fine.  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXQ78usad6k

[Mike]

11 hours ago, F16Viper68 said:

Well this gentlemen got it working with a 2019 RT so I'm betting our 2020's will be fine.  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXQ78usad6k

It looks like the addition of the CGRC module makes it wonder wheel compatible. https://www.chigee.com/products/cgrc-remote-bmw. My guess is that the touch screen would still work. 

[Mike]

Just wanted to add a note that there are a few 5-10% discounts floating around, and you can find them in the YouTube reviews. It took about three weeks for my unit to arrive. 

[TSConver]

If you get it through a bike thing you get s two year warranty with him.

[F16Viper68]

Well I received the attached response from the vendor this morning.  It looks, as others have stated, you have to order an additional module to get the WonderWheel working. So I've ordered one for my 2020 R1250RT.  It looks like a nice product! 

 

 

[F16Viper68]

1 hour ago, TSConver said:

If you get it through a bike thing you get s two year warranty with him.

Well this a website I wish I never knew existed! Lots of good stuff on here.  

[marcopolo]

I ordered one of these Chigee devices through Kickstarter, back in mid-July.  By doing it that way, I got a 15% discount, an 18-month warranty, free shipping, and a Chigee screen protector.  It only took three days to ship from Hong Kong to Canada (DHL Express), once production began in August.  I ordered the AIO-5 Play for BMW, intending to replace (supplement?) my Nav VIs.  I anticipated using the Scenic app to navigate, through Apple CarPlay,  and some of the other standard Apple apps like Music and Messages.  

 

Even though I have CarPlay available in our SUV, I had never used it, so I did not realize that apps available through CarPlay are somewhat dumbed-down, and less "feature-rich" than those same apps directly on my iPhone.  This was particularly noticeable with Scenic.  I also discovered that developers, like Scenic, have only so much latitude from Apple, when running their apps through CarPlay.  While the Chigee device is roughly the same dimensions as a Nav VI, the display is a bit smaller, and there's even less real estate available to Scenic when running it through CarPlay.  For example, there's always a vertical CarPlay menu on the left side of the screen, and developers can't alter that.  The net result for me was that the map display was too small, especially as compared to using my Nav VI.  I also found the Wonder Wheel control of the Chigee a little clunky, and less intuitive than I had expected.  To be fair, though, I only used the device for a grand total of three hours, on the road, and you can't blame Chigee, or Scenic, for my old, tired eyes, or Apple's restrictions on developers, insofar as CarPlay is concerened.  There's no question that the Chigee is well made, and well thought out, and the company has lots of useful info on its website.  They met their promised delivery schedule on their Kickstarter project.  It just didn't work for me.  

 

For now, I've put the Chigee back in its box, and the Nav VI back on my bike.  What to do with the Chigee.....?

[RTinNC]

15 minutes ago, marcopolo said:

I ordered one of these Chigee devices through Kickstarter, back in mid-July.  By doing it that way, I got a 15% discount, an 18-month warranty, free shipping, and a Chigee screen protector.  It only took three days to ship from Hong Kong to Canada (DHL Express), once production began in August.  I ordered the AIO-5 Play for BMW, intending to replace (supplement?) my Nav VIs.  I anticipated using the Scenic app to navigate, through Apple CarPlay,  and some of the other standard Apple apps like Music and Messages.  

 

Even though I have CarPlay available in our SUV, I had never used it, so I did not realize that apps available through CarPlay are somewhat dumbed-down, and less "feature-rich" than those same apps directly on my iPhone.  This was particularly noticeable with Scenic.  I also discovered that developers, like Scenic, have only so much latitude from Apple, when running their apps through CarPlay.  While the Chigee device is roughly the same dimensions as a Nav VI, the display is a bit smaller, and there's even less real estate available to Scenic when running it through CarPlay.  For example, there's always a vertical CarPlay menu on the left side of the screen, and developers can't alter that.  The net result for me was that the map display was too small, especially as compared to using my Nav VI.  I also found the Wonder Wheel control of the Chigee a little clunky, and less intuitive than I had expected.  To be fair, though, I only used the device for a grand total of three hours, on the road, and you can't blame Chigee, or Scenic, for my old, tired eyes, or Apple's restrictions on developers, insofar as CarPlay is concerened.  There's no question that the Chigee is well made, and well thought out, and the company has lots of useful info on its website.  They met their promised delivery schedule on their Kickstarter project.  It just didn't work for me.  

 

For now, I've put the Chigee back in its box, and the Nav VI back on my bike.  What to do with the Chigee.....?

WOW ... thanks for the review and comments Mark!   VERY helpful.   I was going to order one but may now rethink.  I really DO need a device supporting CarPlay for my Chevy Truck which does not have CarPlay.  This and Carpuride were on my short list. 

[TSConver]

Must be an apple thing.  Android auto does not behave like that.  Those apps seem to be full featured. 

[MikeB60]

23 hours ago, RTinNC said:

WOW ... thanks for the review and comments Mark!   VERY helpful.   I was going to order one but may now rethink.  I really DO need a device supporting CarPlay for my Chevy Truck which does not have CarPlay.  This and Carpuride were on my short list. 

I put one of these in the Frau's RAV4 works great can't beat it for the price.

Limited-time deal: Podofo Portable Car Stereo Wireless Carplay Android Auto,7 Inch Touch Screen Car Radio with Bluetooth Hands-Free/Mirror Link/Maps Navigation/Voice Control/TF Card/AUX,for Cars, Trucks, SUVs https://a.co/d/dDtAh0bLink

[RTinNC]

11 minutes ago, MikeB60 said:

I put one of these in the Frau's RAV4 works great can't beat it for the price.

Limited-time deal: Podofo Portable Car Stereo Wireless Carplay Android Auto,7 Inch Touch Screen Car Radio with Bluetooth Hands-Free/Mirror Link/Maps Navigation/Voice Control/TF Card/AUX,for Cars, Trucks, SUVs https://a.co/d/dDtAh0bLink

Thanks!  Unfortunately I need the Apple version 

[AppFan]

On 9/8/2024 at 2:56 PM, marcopolo said:

I ordered one of these Chigee devices through Kickstarter, back in mid-July.  By doing it that way, I got a 15% discount, an 18-month warranty, free shipping, and a Chigee screen protector.  It only took three days to ship from Hong Kong to Canada (DHL Express), once production began in August.  I ordered the AIO-5 Play for BMW, intending to replace (supplement?) my Nav VIs.  I anticipated using the Scenic app to navigate, through Apple CarPlay,  and some of the other standard Apple apps like Music and Messages.  

 

Even though I have CarPlay available in our SUV, I had never used it, so I did not realize that apps available through CarPlay are somewhat dumbed-down, and less "feature-rich" than those same apps directly on my iPhone.  This was particularly noticeable with Scenic.  I also discovered that developers, like Scenic, have only so much latitude from Apple, when running their apps through CarPlay.  While the Chigee device is roughly the same dimensions as a Nav VI, the display is a bit smaller, and there's even less real estate available to Scenic when running it through CarPlay.  For example, there's always a vertical CarPlay menu on the left side of the screen, and developers can't alter that.  The net result for me was that the map display was too small, especially as compared to using my Nav VI.  I also found the Wonder Wheel control of the Chigee a little clunky, and less intuitive than I had expected.  To be fair, though, I only used the device for a grand total of three hours, on the road, and you can't blame Chigee, or Scenic, for my old, tired eyes, or Apple's restrictions on developers, insofar as CarPlay is concerened.  There's no question that the Chigee is well made, and well thought out, and the company has lots of useful info on its website.  They met their promised delivery schedule on their Kickstarter project.  It just didn't work for me.  

 

For now, I've put the Chigee back in its box, and the Nav VI back on my bike.  What to do with the Chigee.....?

Thanks for that. Screen size being adequate was one of my main concerns after seeing that ribbon.  The eyes ain't what they used to be....

[F16Viper68]

Well I’ve added a Chigee AIO-5 to my 2020 R1250RT. I had to add a CGRC 8-pin module to get it to work with the wonder wheel.  Like it so far.