ROON ARC unable to use bmw car buttons to play previous/net aong

Hi there! To create a new topic, please click “Get Help” below and enter your details in the form.

:point_right: Get Help With Roon


This helps our team gather all the necessary information to solve your issue as quickly as possible. Thank you!

I am unable to usw my BMW car buttons to play next or previous songs. I am having bmw idrive version 8.5 and using the latest version of apple CarPlay and Roon ARC

Hi @Marvin_Torsy,

Thank you for the report. ARC is not yet natively integrated into Apple’s Media Remote API like Apple Music or Spotify, so the head unit of the BMW will treat it as a more generic streaming app. This might cause restrictions to certain functions.

A few questions should help pinpoint what’s wrong and whether our team can implement a short-term workaround or long-term fix:

  1. Do other music apps have the same problem with CarPlay in this BMW?

  2. Does this occur when parked? Some CarPlay head units have safety restrictions while driving, which may be interfering here.

  3. Does this occur with both Bluetooth and USB connection to the car from the phone?

  4. Did this start recently after an ARC update or CarPlay update, or have you never been able to successfully use these steering wheel controls to control playback in ARC?

  5. Lastly, please clarify which buttons you’re referring to in the car dashboard controls (steering wheel, head unit screen itself), and whether you have any controls that do work (ie. play, pause, volume) while driving.

We’ll watch for your response. Thank you!