New X5 and BMW Connect

[Phantom38]

Hi All

Just got my new X5 this week, very happy with it, but just trying to figure the value of the BMW connect package. Has anyone got texts from their phone appearing on the display and being read out?, I have an android samsung phone, and it seems to offer less functionality than the IPhone.

Be interested to see just how good it is, or a waste of £220!

Thanks

[x6edge]

On my X6 I cannot get either the text system or the email system to work even after contacting BMW for advice. Based on that its a bit of a waste of money IMHO

[X5Sport]

Have you enabled your BMW Assist account to be able to access your email account?  You have to do that bit first.  Not all email systems are supported so it depends upon your ISP.  Mine uses IMAP.  You cannot get full emails though, and being on EDGE it is slow!

[Eaglesrest]

Isn't text transferred via Bluetooth, and nothing to do with connected drive? I have an iPhone 6+ and text transfer and can be read fine. Email doesn't work via Bluetooth, but I have setup IMAP in BMW online and that works, albeit its pull not push. Connected drive gives you news, online search for poi, weather, other apps, and remote services.

It's a 3G data connection in the f15.

[kenniff]

I'm not going to be much help here - I got both email and texts to work but it was a right palaver to get it working and I honestly cannot remember how I did it. Since then I've used it twice in 6 months.

I wondered if it was possible to REPLY to texts by dictating the reply but all I managed to do was record voice memos which I then couldnt figure out how to send.

All in all it should be much easier than it appears to be.

[Don Coffey]

The system seems hit or miss.  On my X6 I could never get the text to appear, I couldnt even get the thing to BLUETOOTH my music even though it would work fine with the daughters iphone 5 and wife's iPhone 5c. It was the same issues with me on both an iPhone 5 and iPhone 6+.

By contrast, when I collected my Leaf and paired the phone the music BLUETOOTH was seemless. Maybe BMW should have a look at what the Japanese are doing.

Don

[Dr C]

[quote="kenniff"]
I'm not going to be much help here - I got both email and texts to work but it was a right palaver to get it working and I honestly cannot remember how I did it. Since then I've used it twice in 6 months.

I wondered if it was possible to REPLY to texts by dictating the reply but all I managed to do was record voice memos which I then couldnt figure out how to send.

All in all it should be much easier than it appears to be.
[/quote]

If you have an iPhone, press and hold the voice recognition button on the steering wheel and it will activate Siri (make sure you hold it for long enough) - you can then use voice controls through the car to instruct Siri to read/send texts and emails etc. I use it all the time.

I'm still confused over what I have - I can get email (Hotmail), Facebook, Twitter, news, weather, Wikipedia etc. through the iDrive, BUT the phone has to be plugged in to the USB port with BMW Connect app open on my phone. I want to be able to do this via Bluetooth? I am unable to stream music via Bluetooth either, and I don't have the option to flash the lights/sound the horn remotely....I guess there is an option I didn't tick on the options list that would've enabled these things! Does anyone know if I can have my iDrive updated to enable this?

Cheers

[Eaglesrest]

[quote="Dr C"]
[quote="kenniff"]
I'm not going to be much help here - I got both email and texts to work but it was a right palaver to get it working and I honestly cannot remember how I did it. Since then I've used it twice in 6 months.

I wondered if it was possible to REPLY to texts by dictating the reply but all I managed to do was record voice memos which I then couldnt figure out how to send.

All in all it should be much easier than it appears to be.
[/quote]

If you have an iPhone, press and hold the voice recognition button on the steering wheel and it will activate Siri (make sure you hold it for long enough) - you can then use voice controls through the car to instruct Siri to read/send texts and emails etc. I use it all the time.

I'm still confused over what I have - I can get email (Hotmail), Facebook, Twitter, news, weather, Wikipedia etc. through the iDrive, BUT the phone has to be plugged in to the USB port with BMW Connect app open on my phone. I want to be able to do this via Bluetooth? I am unable to stream music via Bluetooth either, and I don't have the option to flash the lights/sound the horn remotely....I guess there is an option I didn't tick on the options list that would've enabled these things! Does anyone know if I can have my iDrive updated to enable this?

Cheers
[/quote]
Enhanced BT (option 6NS) is required to stream music over BT. It can be retro enabled  by coding.

If you have Connected Drive you will have a menu option for news, weather, etc. This is a different menu option to the BMW connected app which requires the iPhone to be connected via USB. BMW connected apps unfortunately doesn't work over BT btw.

If you don't have the Connected Drive BMW Online menu options, and you cannot use the BMW remote app (flash lights, send to car, open/close doors), then it sounds like you missed the order option for connected drive.

Does your Nav have RTTI?

[Dr C]

[quote="Eaglesrest"]
[quote="Dr C"]
[quote="kenniff"]
I'm not going to be much help here - I got both email and texts to work but it was a right palaver to get it working and I honestly cannot remember how I did it. Since then I've used it twice in 6 months.

I wondered if it was possible to REPLY to texts by dictating the reply but all I managed to do was record voice memos which I then couldnt figure out how to send.

All in all it should be much easier than it appears to be.
[/quote]

If you have an iPhone, press and hold the voice recognition button on the steering wheel and it will activate Siri (make sure you hold it for long enough) - you can then use voice controls through the car to instruct Siri to read/send texts and emails etc. I use it all the time.

I'm still confused over what I have - I can get email (Hotmail), Facebook, Twitter, news, weather, Wikipedia etc. through the iDrive, BUT the phone has to be plugged in to the USB port with BMW Connect app open on my phone. I want to be able to do this via Bluetooth? I am unable to stream music via Bluetooth either, and I don't have the option to flash the lights/sound the horn remotely....I guess there is an option I didn't tick on the options list that would've enabled these things! Does anyone know if I can have my iDrive updated to enable this?

Cheers
[/quote]
Enhanced BT (option 6NS) is required to stream music over BT. It can be retro enabled  by coding.

If you have Connected Drive you will have a menu option for news, weather, etc. This is a different menu option to the BMW connected app which requires the iPhone to be connected via USB. BMW connected apps unfortunately doesn't work over BT btw.

If you don't have the Connected Drive BMW Online menu options, and you cannot use the BMW remote app (flash lights, send to car, open/close doors), then it sounds like you missed the order option for connected drive.

Does your Nav have RTTI?
[/quote]

Cheers for that. Wish I had gone for that option...yeah I have RTTI on my Nav.

[Phantom38]

So I am having trouble with my bluetooth music, I didnt realise it was an option,seriously all that money for the car and it is an option?

Do I have to go back to the dealer to get the Bluetooth streaming the music and pay for it, or is there another way?

Thanks for the info on the connectivity, spent an hour or so on it today and have come to the conclusion it is a good idea but poorly implemented, so the day i can get my texts read out and dictate a reply may be some way off!

Having said that coming from a RR, the whole idrive system works much better, so happy with that

[X5Sport]

EVERYTHING on a BMW is an option.  The major issue is that most BMW Salespersons do not understand the options, how they work, what is included in what option, and what you need to have to get everything working.

Only a few functions can be added in software, others need hardware and if BMW do not offer an 'official' retrofit path then because the computer 'says no' there is no official way to do it.

I got caught on my X6 when I was told everything would work via Bluetooth when in fact  the 'media' function needed something called 'smartphone integration' that used a USB port SA6NF). What was not understood by the salesman was that this only worked if a 3rd USB port (built into the phone cradle & adapter) was also specced.  It cannot be retrofitted officially, though it can be done unofficially and expensively.  I didn't bother.

[Phantom38]

Thats going to be fun then - I am pretty sure we talked about streaming music over bluetooth, so a quick call to the dealer tomorrow to discuss further.

Pretty poor show that a car like this doesnt have streaming music bluetooth as standard, and even worse that it wasnt explained when we went through the options, as I would have added it as an option as I listen to Spotify all the time.

Not sure I am so happy about this bit!

[X5Sport]

Have you enabled music over bluetooth in the phone 'options'?  You can specify phone and music when you pair the device.

[Eaglesrest]

[quote="Phantom38"]
So I am having trouble with my bluetooth music, I didnt realise it was an option,seriously all that money for the car and it is an option?

Do I have to go back to the dealer to get the Bluetooth streaming the music and pay for it, or is there another way?

Thanks for the info on the connectivity, spent an hour or so on it today and have come to the conclusion it is a good idea but poorly implemented, so the day i can get my texts read out and dictate a reply may be some way off!

Having said that coming from a RR, the whole idrive system works much better, so happy with that
[/quote]
Can't speak for Android phones, but I didn't order enhanced BT and noticed a few limitations with the iPhone:

- only one phone can be connected at a time
- no Office features
- no streaming audio

I coded enhanced BT myself, and now have the features listed above. Coding isn't entirely straightforward - take a look at this post:

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/showpo ... ostcount=1

With an iPhone I can have text read aloud, and reply using Siri. BT audio streams music fine, though I find the quality inferior to a permanently connected iPod, USB stick, or even better, music stored on the cars own hard-drive.

[Dr C]

[quote="Eaglesrest"]
[quote="Phantom38"]
So I am having trouble with my bluetooth music, I didnt realise it was an option,seriously all that money for the car and it is an option?

Do I have to go back to the dealer to get the Bluetooth streaming the music and pay for it, or is there another way?

Thanks for the info on the connectivity, spent an hour or so on it today and have come to the conclusion it is a good idea but poorly implemented, so the day i can get my texts read out and dictate a reply may be some way off!

Having said that coming from a RR, the whole idrive system works much better, so happy with that
[/quote]
Can't speak for Android phones, but I didn't order enhanced BT and noticed a few limitations with the iPhone:

- only one phone can be connected at a time
- no Office features
- no streaming audio

I coded enhanced BT myself, and now have the features listed above. Coding isn't entirely straightforward - take a look at this post:

http://f15.bimmerpost.com/forums/showpo ... ostcount=1

With an iPhone I can have text read aloud, and reply using Siri. BT audio streams music fine, though I find the quality inferior to a permanently connected iPod, USB stick, or even better, music stored on the cars own hard-drive.
[/quote]

Eagles, I am extremely concerned that I would royally f**k my car up if I started fiddling with the ECU - don't suppose you're near Edinburgh/Central Scotland? If so would you be interested in coding enhanced BT it for me in return for beer tokens? Alternatively, does anyone know of anywhere that could do this for me please?

Like others have said, it's appalling that this isn't standard, given that my VW Golf has it as standard and was less than half the price!