[PhilD]

I'm finding the tablet holders for the iX a bit confusing. The Travel & Comfort system looks like what we should be going with but it looks to me like you have to get an individually sized mount holder for each type of iPad and you have to take the iPad out of any cases but I've seen pictures of a different kind of holder that looks to be more 'universal'. I can't find this in the BMW accessory listings though.

My son has an iPad Mini 6 with a rugged case (this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

[M3ditate]

This is what you want I think? Works for your car without the headrest attachment that comes with it.

https://www.shopbmwusa.com/product/6...ER-FOR-TABLETS

[hugo_nz]

Originally Posted by PhilD

I'm finding the tablet holders for the iX a bit confusing. The Travel & Comfort system looks like what we should be going with but it looks to me like you have to get an individually sized mount holder for each type of iPad and you have to take the iPad out of any cases but I've seen pictures of a different kind of holder that looks to be more 'universal'. I can't find this in the BMW accessory listings though.

My son has an iPad Mini 6 with a rugged case (this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

I think you’re after the universal holder. P# 51952408224 and $150 at ECS Tuning :-)

[PhilD]

That's the one! I'll ask the parts department at my dealership to order one. There are a few on eBay but the sellers either look dodgy or have long lead times. I'm going to be ordering the rubber floor mats anyway so I'll get them to add it on.

[NiallG]

We got one with the car & it works great - it's fully adjustable from small to large sizes so I would imagine the 6" tablet should be fine (we use a 9.7" iPad) - you might even get away with portrait mode to at that size if desired.

I love the click in system to back of the seat - it's super sturdy/solid, not like those flimsy brackets which wrap around the headrest poles. Due to it's design and all the extra room in the back you don't have to worry about removing it when iPad isn't in use.

Having the 2xUSB power ports on back of the seat is awesome too, bought a small cable for charging so it's almost invisible and then we use other one to recharge daughter's headphones on longer trips.

[drbluedevil]

Bumping this thread up. Has anyone found a different solution to this problem? The iX doesn't have headrest poles, for which there are hundreds of good aftermarket options. There must be a better way hold a rear seat tablet than a $150 snap-in universal holder plus a $67 iPad case (which is on backorder anyway).

[ggalanis]

Originally Posted by drbluedevil

Bumping this thread up. Has anyone found a different solution to this problem? The iX doesn't have headrest poles, for which there are hundreds of good aftermarket options. There must be a better way hold a rear seat tablet than a $150 snap-in universal holder plus a $67 iPad case (which is on backorder anyway).

my kids (now 15 and 14) have used the generic table for the past few years which saves you the trouble of getting custom cases for each device.

Of course this is not as sturdy as the other one but I have not really had complaints from them about their tablets or phones being knocked down. This is not great if you have really young kids though.

https://www.shopbmwusa.com/product/4...-FOLDING-TABLE

[M3ditate]

Originally Posted by drbluedevil

Bumping this thread up. Has anyone found a different solution to this problem? The iX doesn't have headrest poles, for which there are hundreds of good aftermarket options. There must be a better way hold a rear seat tablet than a $150 snap-in universal holder plus a $67 iPad case (which is on backorder anyway).

You don't need the headrest post part. It just comes with it for cars pre-travel and comfort adapter vehicles (first was 2019 X5). The tablet mount snaps into your car. 100%.

[PhilD]

Originally Posted by drbluedevil

Bumping this thread up. Has anyone found a different solution to this problem? The iX doesn't have headrest poles, for which there are hundreds of good aftermarket options. There must be a better way hold a rear seat tablet than a $150 snap-in universal holder plus a $67 iPad case (which is on backorder anyway).

The snap in universal holder is all you need. You don't need a separate case. Using it for my son's iPad mini in rugged case is at the lower range of tablets that it can hold - I've not tried it without the case but it's pretty universal. It's just two slider arms that grip onto a tablet. Yes, it's very expensive for what it is, i.e. just a chunk of plastic and rubber, but unless someone comes up with some knock off solutions (or a 3D print file), it's the best solution imo.

FWIW, before the holder arrived, we used a bungee cord hooked into the pencil holder of my son's iPad mini case and looped the cord around the front head rest so if you want a cheap solution, there are easy ways to do it. Another ghetto solution that would work just fine: cheap rubber or plastic iPad case and a velcro or elastic loop that you can throw over the headrest.

[drbluedevil]

Whoa…bungee/Velcro strap is just the right idea for a very occasional application. Great idea…thanks!!!

Originally Posted by PhilD

The snap in universal holder is all you need. You don't need a separate case. Using it for my son's iPad mini in rugged case is at the lower range of tablets that it can hold - I've not tried it without the case but it's pretty universal. It's just two slider arms that grip onto a tablet. Yes, it's very expensive for what it is, i.e. just a chunk of plastic and rubber, but unless someone comes up with some knock off solutions (or a 3D print file), it's the best solution imo.

FWIW, before the holder arrived, we used a bungee cord hooked into the pencil holder of my son's iPad mini case and looped the cord around the front head rest so if you want a cheap solution, there are easy ways to do it. Another ghetto solution that would work just fine: cheap rubber or plastic iPad case and a velcro or elastic loop that you can throw over the headrest.

[shoga96629]

Hello all,
Ok so I received my IX XDRIVE 50 and was looking for an alternative to the 251.00 piece of plastic to mount tablets in the beautiful back seat. To my dismay I could find no good answers or options on this thread or Amazon and the best OEM mounts on eBay were 150.00 again to high so I took a chance on a non OEM mount on eBay that was 10.00 and figured if it did not work oh well and to my surprise it worked great is heavy duty and I could not be happier so I figured I would share the love for the next IX owner who wants to have rear seat entertainment without the BMW Tax. It comes with the bar attachment but you do not need it, I am keeping it in case I trade this car in and the next BMW has bars I will have it. The tablet holder clicks right into the slot in the back seat and to take it out simply push the two buttons on the side of the arm and it comes right out. Also it did not stay up after putting the tablet in, if that happens easy fix on the side of the arm there is a round rubber cover peel it off and there is a Phillips screw tighten it to increase the tension and put the rubber piece back on and you are good to go. Total cost since I had the iPad 20.00 and I got a deal on another iPad on Amazon for 150.00 refurbished so it cost me in total 170.00 to do this. On ebay it is the (Fit For iPad Tablet Universal 360° adjustable Car 4"-12" Headrest Mount Holder.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/22537685692...mis&media=COPY
Here is a pic of it in my car, on a side note I am a Mac guy so I stayed with iPads but this holder is universal, and I was stuck on the whole esim is it worth it, I had a Chevy Silverado with hotspot through AT&T and so I was already paying the 20.00 and I already have T-Mobile so I decided to carry it over and activate the plan. The cool thing is I can make FaceTime time calls from the backseat now and have the ability to watch all streaming services on the tablet during those half hour fast charging sessions. I googled IX wallpapers for the background. Just thought I’d share my thoughts and uses if you are on the fence about the esim hope this helps, Cheers.

[KRS_SN]

A related question
Does the ipad work off the Internet in the car? Is special subscription required for this. Or does one need to have an ipad with a data plan?

[shoga96629]

Hello,
Ipads will work with any Wi-Fi connection that is available, so you do not need the car for Wi-Fi. This ipad is a cellular capable iPad but I had canceled the line a while ago and only use Wi-Fi. So if you have an ipad that is cellular and connected to your phone plan you could use the iPad anywhere like your phone and I would not sign up for esim for this. Since esim mirrors your phone number and makes the car a mobile hotspot and phone you will always have Wi-Fi as long as you have service so I chose to have one line with the esim instead of two lines with cellular iPads. Plus there is always the option to use your cell phone as a hotspot if you have that capability and have the tablets logged into that to watch streaming apps. Hope that helps and is not too confusing.
Cheers

[KRS_SN]

Thank you. I'm very tech illiterate. I don't even have an ipad or a Samsung tab . I hope I got you right but I think what you're telling me is to get a pad/tab with a cellular connection to be safe.

[VirtualGuitars]

The travel and comfort items are excellent. I have the hook for hanging clothes and the hanger for hanging a jacket. Of course I had these on my M550 and they plug right into the iX seats without the need for comfort base system (the iX has these built-in to the seat already). In this case, you’ll just need the iPad holder itself.

As far as the iPad data is concerned, you can sign up for the Wi-Fi hotspot feature if it’s available in your country. In the United States, T-Mobile and AT&T are currently supported. Note that you will have to have all of your cellular devices on those services already. It’s not like the hotpsot feature on previous vehicles (iDrive 6 or iDrive 7) where the vehicle had a dedicated phone number of its own and you signed up for the only provider. If you have additional questions about this, please just ask. For what it’s worth, I have this enabled in my vehicle and I also have a data plan on my iPad. They both have their use case.

[clockwork_robot]

Originally Posted by shoga96629

The tablet holder clicks right into the slot in the back seat and to take it out simply push the two buttons on the side of the arm and it comes right out.

So it connects securely to the port on the seat? This looks like a great alternative to the 10x more expensive official version, thanks!

[VirtualGuitars]

Originally Posted by clockwork_robot

So it connects securely to the port on the seat? This looks like a great alternative to the 10x more expensive official version, thanks!

Correct. You don’t need to buy the base system because the seats already have it integrated. These are the same accessories that work on the rest of the comfort system on any other BMW.

[clockwork_robot]

VirtualGuitars I was trying to reply to shoga96629 's post about a holder they got on eBay for 1/10th the price of the official BMW one. Sorry that wasn't clear. I assume the BMW one would fit perfectly, and get that I don't need the base as the iX doesn't have headrest posts to attach it to anyway.

EDIT: I got the tablet holders in from eBay and they do connect properly in the ports on the back of the iX seats. iPad fits and is held securely. Haven't used them on a road trip yet, but looks like a solid option for 1/10th the price of the official ones.

[ilya4min]

Originally Posted by shoga96629

Hello all,
On ebay it is the (Fit For iPad Tablet Universal 360° adjustable Car 4"-12" Headrest Mount Holder.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/22537685692...mis&media=COPY

This actually looks better designed than the OEM one for large tablets, such as iPad Pro.

I wonder if anyone's making other 3P accessories (such as folding tables) for BMW system, as OEM ones don't look that great. The connection system here looks very similar to the BMW one, so likely was just copied for compatibility, but there's no reference at all to this system by name. I wonder if BMW is chasing eBay sellers that promote their accessories for Travel & Comfort without paying the licensing fees.

[VirtualGuitars]

The travel and comfort accessories are worth it in my opinion. I have the hook for clothes coming from the cleaners and the jacket hanger. They’re so easy to remove and hide when not needed.

[ilya4min]

Answering my own question: looks like there's a ton of third-party inexpensive alternatives to BMW parts.

Quick eBay/Amazon search was able to identify many alternatives to coat hanger:
1) Direct clone for under $40. Some reviewers say it's the same one that BMW sells, and the box does look identical.
2) Folding, more functional alternative for $40
3) Another folding, but less functional alternative for way too much

I also found a folding tray/table, but it looks even more hideous than the BMW one, and not much cheaper.

[ok31]

Originally Posted by shoga96629

Hello all,
Ok so I received my IX XDRIVE 50 and was looking for an alternative to the 251.00 piece of plastic to mount tablets in the beautiful back seat. To my dismay I could find no good answers or options on this thread or Amazon and the best OEM mounts on eBay were 150.00 again to high so I took a chance on a non OEM mount on eBay that was 10.00 and figured if it did not work oh well and to my surprise it worked great is heavy duty and I could not be happier so I figured I would share the love for the next IX owner who wants to have rear seat entertainment without the BMW Tax. It comes with the bar attachment but you do not need it, I am keeping it in case I trade this car in and the next BMW has bars I will have it. The tablet holder clicks right into the slot in the back seat and to take it out simply push the two buttons on the side of the arm and it comes right out. Also it did not stay up after putting the tablet in, if that happens easy fix on the side of the arm there is a round rubber cover peel it off and there is a Phillips screw tighten it to increase the tension and put the rubber piece back on and you are good to go. Total cost since I had the iPad 20.00 and I got a deal on another iPad on Amazon for 150.00 refurbished so it cost me in total 170.00 to do this. On ebay it is the (Fit For iPad Tablet Universal 360° adjustable Car 4"-12" Headrest Mount Holder.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/22537685692...mis&media=COPY
Here is a pic of it in my car, on a side note I am a Mac guy so I stayed with iPads but this holder is universal, and I was stuck on the whole esim is it worth it, I had a Chevy Silverado with hotspot through AT&T and so I was already paying the 20.00 and I already have T-Mobile so I decided to carry it over and activate the plan. The cool thing is I can make FaceTime time calls from the backseat now and have the ability to watch all streaming services on the tablet during those half hour fast charging sessions. I googled IX wallpapers for the background. Just thought I’d share my thoughts and uses if you are on the fence about the esim hope this helps, Cheers.

I got 2 of these for my kids iPads and it is UNBELIEVABLE how BMW charges 20x the price of these while these work SO well. in the first few weeks we did a 400+ mile road trip and these things were amazing. Love how the charging port is right there so no cables stretching. Totally worth it.