[Cabbage]

Is anyone else having the issue where AirConsole games keeps downloading? Every time I try to use the app, it says downloading. How do you fix it?

[Cabbage]

Am I required to set up eSIM in the car? I haven’t done that yet. Does it cost money if so?

[RichardInCA]

Originally Posted by Cabbage

Am I required to set up eSIM in the car? I haven’t done that yet. Does it cost money if so?

No idea if it’s required, but it will cost you a monthly fee to activate the eSIM with your wireless carrier. For me, on AT&T, that would be $20/mo and basically it just means that my car becomes a phone independent of my bringing my phone with me. I don’t think it has any impact on OTA updates etc, so I’d be surprised if it was a requirement for the games, but I’ve not tried that out yet TBH.

[Trevor G]

In my cheap Chevy Malibu I can hook the car up to my phones wifi hotspot to download apps and updates. No fancy eSim available. See if you can hook up to your phones hotspot to access the games app. I will browse the owners manual now and see what I can find to help.

Try this Cabbage.

https://www.bmwusa.com/content/dam/b...Fi_Hotspot.pdf

[Cabbage]

Randomly downloaded fully today. Looks like some other apps like YouTube do require an eSIM however.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by Trevor G

In my cheap Chevy Malibu I can hook the car up to my phones wifi hotspot to download apps and updates. No fancy eSim available. See if you can hook up to your phones hotspot to access the games app. I will browse the owners manual now and see what I can find to help.

Try this Cabbage.

https://www.bmwusa.com/content/dam/b...Fi_Hotspot.pdf

BMWs are not configured to be able to connect to outside WiFi (to your home WiFi for example or a phone hotspot) as a Tesla can. Any apps that require data that BMW does not provide need the eSim activated.

[SkykingUSA]

Originally Posted by Cabbage

Randomly downloaded fully today. Looks like some other apps like YouTube do require an eSIM however.

That is sad news regarding YouTube. I was looking forward to watching YouTube videos while waiting for charging, or just waiting for my wife to come back to the car from a short shopping stop.

Is there a way I can play YouTube videos directly from my Android Auto connected phone on the car's screen? Wouldn't this allow me to bypass the need for a new eSIM subscription with my wireless carrier (T-Mobile)?

I've never used Android Auto before, so don't know its capabilities. Is anyone watching YouTube this way in their car?

[PsychDoc]

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

That is sad news regarding YouTube. I was looking forward to watching YouTube videos while waiting for charging, or just waiting for my wife to come back to the car from a short shopping stop.

Is there a way I can play YouTube videos directly from my Android Auto connected phone on the car's screen? Wouldn't this allow me to bypass the need for a new eSIM subscription with my wireless carrier (T-Mobile)?

I've never used Android Auto before, so don't know its capabilities. Is anyone watching YouTube this way in their car?

Though I, too, haven't used android auto yet (looking forward to it) my understanding is that it casts your phone's screen to the car's infotainment screen so I would assume that there would be no problem watching YouTube (or anything else) on the car's screen from your phone.

[Edit] Just did a bit of research on this and while it's not quite as straightforward as I had hoped, it's fairly easy to accomplish. Here's a video walking you through the process.

[Trevor G]

How to mirror your screen.