BMW remote app

Cant figure out how to work it. Do all the 2013s have the ability to use the remote app or was there something i needed to buy?

You need to have the Technology Package, which includes the required "BMW Apps" option.

Originally Posted by SamS

You need to have the Technology Package, which includes the required "BMW Apps" option.

Correction to this... as mentioned above you don't "have" to have BMW Apps. Although I could have sworn the Apps feature was necessary for the iPhone to sync with the iPhone to transfer data back to your device for info such as fuel range, etc.

Originally Posted by Ducker

Cant figure out how to work it. Do all the 2013s have the ability to use the remote app or was there something i needed to buy?

The BMW Remote app requires a feature on the car called BMW Assist with Enhanced Bluetooth and USB. If you have that feature, hit the magic button on the headliner and speak to the BMW Assist people who will give you your user ID and password. The BMW Remote app requires a small amount of data to function and that data is only available through BMW Assist.

BMW Assist is a standalone option or is bundled in the Technology Package for 2013 models.

BJ

BMW apps 250 bucks. We just bought one and it has it and works great.

Originally Posted by SamS

Correction to this... as mentioned above you don't "have" to have BMW Apps. Although I could have sworn the Apps feature was necessary for the iPhone to sync with the iPhone to transfer data back to your device for info such as fuel range, etc.

Different app. That's the BMW connected app. Op is asking about my BMW remote app.

Originally Posted by Kar Don

Different app. That's the BMW connected app. Op is asking about my BMW remote app.

Thanks for the clarification.

To clear things up a bit, here is a summary of the BMW applications used most in the F30:


BMW Connected is an app that requires the $250 BMW Apps option and gives you Facebook, Twitter, streaming music, and RSS feeds, all within this one app. BMW Connected will have more integration in the future but is pretty weak right now. The upside is that the $250 preparation gets you compatibility with the standalone Pandora app (Stitcher and MOG too) and ready for future modifications that might be awesome. The downside to the BMW Connected app is that you must sync the iPhone to the car and lose all multitasking in the process.

BMW Remote is an app that requires the BMW Assist With Enhanced Bluetooth & USB option (standard in 2013 and newer cars with the Technology Package). Most find this the most useful app of all. Once logged into your BMW Assist account, the Remote app will unlock the car (if you've lost your keys), beep the horn (if you've lost your car), and locate your car (if you've parked it in the city and don't remember). But best of all, it has built in Google Maps and can send an address to your car wirelessly, the easiest way to find a point of interest or address and get it into iDrive without fiddling with knob twists and screens. All is done wirelessly over the internet, no sync required.

BMW Parking Assistant is a free app that doesn't require any option package at all. It's primary purpose is to act as a countdown timer at parking meters and remember where you parked your car. If you tell it what you're doing (movie, dinner, friends house) it even calculates the amount of time you need to get back to your car as well as the time it takes to pay your bill. I live in a village with parking meters, use it all the time.

Other apps (sort of):

Google Maps on a PC: If you have BMW Assist you can go to Google Maps on any notebook and send addresses or points of interest wirelessly to your car's iDrive system. You put in an address, click on the red map flag, on the pop up choose 'more', choose 'send' and then choose 'send to car'. Does the same thing as the BMW Remote app but faster if you happen to be near a desktop computer.

iPhone Docking Cradle w/Snap In Adapter: This is a $225 option that does a lot of things wrong, most of us skip it for the good ol' white Apple USB cord, but it does give you a special app only available via this cradle called iPod Out which is a different UI designed by Apple (think Apple TV) for listening to your music.

Hope this helps.

BJ

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

Google Maps on a PC: If you have BMW Assist you can go to Google Maps on any notebook and send addresses or points of interest wirelessly to your car's iDrive system. You put in an address, click on the red map flag, on the pop up choose 'more', choose 'send' and then choose 'send to car'. Does the same thing as the BMW Remote app but faster if you happen to be near a desktop computer.

BJ, one more question for this part: if you send multiple addresses to your nav from a desktop/laptop comp do they come as separate messages? Can you somehow use them in the car nav system to build a route with a few stops? I know you can do this in the nav alone as I've been reading the owner's manual while waiting for my car but can the same thing be done with the destination points you sent to your car? If so this would be very useful for me. I'm a wedding photographer and I often shoot weddings that require travelling between the bride's house, ceremony location, photo session location and then reception. If I could send all of these addresses to the car the night before the wedding and then just use them on the day of this would speed up my workflow a lot.

Originally Posted by DavidM1975

BJ, one more question for this part: if you send multiple addresses to your nav from a desktop/laptop comp do they come as separate messages? Can you somehow use them in the car nav system to build a route with a few stops? I know you can do this in the nav alone as I've been reading the owner's manual while waiting for my car but can the same thing be done with the destination points you sent to your car? If so this would be very useful for me. I'm a wedding photographer and I often shoot weddings that require travelling between the bride's house, ceremony location, photo session location and then reception. If I could send all of these addresses to the car the night before the wedding and then just use them on the day of this would speed up my workflow a lot.

Yes.

Each address comes through as a separate message into iDrive. Within each message is an icon that you can click that sends it to the nav. You take the first address and add it as a "new destination". Then you take the second address message and add it as a new stop within the destination just as it says in the owners manual.

For repeat trips with multiple destinations, you can save an entire trip for future use.

BJ

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

To clear things up a bit, here is a summary of the BMW applications used most in the F30:


BMW Connected is an app that requires the $250 BMW Apps option and gives you Facebook, Twitter, streaming music, and RSS feeds, all within this one app. BMW Connected will have more integration in the future but is pretty weak right now. The upside is that the $250 preparation gets you compatibility with the standalone Pandora app (Stitcher and MOG too) and ready for future modifications that might be awesome. The downside to the BMW Connected app is that you must sync the iPhone to the car and lose all multitasking in the process.

BMW Remote is an app that requires the BMW Assist With Enhanced Bluetooth & USB option (standard in 2013 and newer cars with the Technology Package). Most find this the most useful app of all. Once logged into your BMW Assist account, the Remote app will unlock the car (if you've lost your keys), beep the horn (if you've lost your car), and locate your car (if you've parked it in the city and don't remember). But best of all, it has built in Google Maps and can send an address to your car wirelessly, the easiest way to find a point of interest or address and get it into iDrive without fiddling with knob twists and screens. All is done wirelessly over the internet, no sync required.

BMW Parking Assistant is a free app that doesn't require any option package at all. It's primary purpose is to act as a countdown timer at parking meters and remember where you parked your car. If you tell it what you're doing (movie, dinner, friends house) it even calculates the amount of time you need to get back to your car as well as the time it takes to pay your bill. I live in a village with parking meters, use it all the time.

Other apps (sort of):

Google Maps on a PC: If you have BMW Assist you can go to Google Maps on any notebook and send addresses or points of interest wirelessly to your car's iDrive system. You put in an address, click on the red map flag, on the pop up choose 'more', choose 'send' and then choose 'send to car'. Does the same thing as the BMW Remote app but faster if you happen to be near a desktop computer.

iPhone Docking Cradle w/Snap In Adapter: This is a $225 option that does a lot of things wrong, most of us skip it for the good ol' white Apple USB cord, but it does give you a special app only available via this cradle called iPod Out which is a different UI designed by Apple (think Apple TV) for listening to your music.

Hope this helps.

BJ

Regarding the remote app...is preconditioning available? I intend to use this feature a lot, but I certainly don't leave work at a predictable time and would love to be apple to pull out my phone as the day is wrapping up and vent the car. I had read some older posts that stated this feature did not work in the US yet.

A somewhat related question....is there a residual heat feature like there used to be in older bimmers?

Preconditioning is not available in the US. Not even on the hybrids.

Not available or not available in the app?

Originally Posted by KLC

A somewhat related question....is there a residual heat feature like there used to be in older bimmers?

No, unfortunately. The "Rest" feature has been removed.

Living in cold climates, I really appreciated it.

BJ

Residual heating is not available period AFAIK. Preconditioning is not available in the app and I don't think available at all for non hybrids. On the hybrids, there is "auxiliary air conditioning" available via the key fob, which runs the compressor on full blast for 2 minutes via the high voltage battery. Can't wait till summer to try that out!

Does anyone here actively use Link? If so, do you find it useful? I think all the action on Link takes place on the phone and not on the iDrive screen. Do I have that right?

Originally Posted by chasfh

Does anyone here actively use Link? If so, do you find it useful? I think all the action on Link takes place on the phone and not on the iDrive screen. Do I have that right?

Link is not an app that ever gets talked about here because it makes the iPhone the "screen" and F30's all have built-in screens.

And with Google Maps and Apple Maps now having free turn-by-turn directions, I don't think it has any purpose for new gen cars with iDrive as standard.

BJ

Yeah, I didn't think so. I was trying to figure out its usefulness.

On a related topic, I hope at some point BMW adds MLB At Bat to the ConnectedDrive audio options. I would love to see game details on the iDrive screen while I am listening to the game. Right now you can only get something like that with a subscription to XM.

Awesome overview, bolt. I will bookmark your post for when I pick up my car.

One comment about the loss of multitasking when using ConnectedDrive: because I am an ex-pat Detroiter, I need At Bat to follow the Tigers. Knowing I can't use At Bat while ConnectedDrive is active, my plan is to take along a 1/8" aux cable to bypass it so I can use At Bat while driving.

Well darn. I pretty much skimpy out on most of the extras since I'm only 26 and just landed my first real salary. I figured I start out small and work my way up. Lol wish I'd had known it was only a couple hundred more... I guess the only thing I can do then is charge my iPhone and use the auxiliary in. On a side note I need to buy an iPhone 5 adapter as. The kit that cal with the car only accepts iPhone 4 connection.

Originally Posted by Ducker

Well darn. I pretty much skimpy out on most of the extras since I'm only 26 and just landed my first real salary. I figured I start out small and work my way up. Lol wish I'd had known it was only a couple hundred more... I guess the only thing I can do then is charge my iPhone and use the auxiliary in. On a side note I need to buy an iPhone 5 adapter as. The kit that cal with the car only accepts iPhone 4 connection.

It's not as bad as you think.

Your car will come with a "Y" cable that allows you to connect to iDrive and charge (dock connector) and get the audio in the system (AUX jack) via the armrest ports. You'll get some decent navigation through your music and charge at the same time. You will not be able to stream music via Bluetooth or utlilize apps or the other goodies, sorry.

Regarding the iPhone 5, you'll need their new adapter to act as a bridge between your iPhone 5 and the Y cable:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD...30-pin-adapter

BJ

Awesom, thanks! I was hoping that's how it works!

I'm guessing I already know the answer, but I'll ask anyway: I have enhanced BT and BMW apps, but I am an Android user. Am I SOL for most of these apps? It doesn't sound like there's any plan to go Android, BMW seems pretty much in bed with apple. . . .

Originally Posted by jbailey895

I'm guessing I already know the answer, but I'll ask anyway: I have enhanced BT and BMW apps, but I am an Android user. Am I SOL for most of these apps? It doesn't sound like there's any plan to go Android, BMW seems pretty much in bed with apple. . . .

Yes and no.

You are SOL on the official BMW Apps suite as that's Apple-only right now.

You are good to go with any and all Bluetooth streaming apps and devices that support the A2DP standard.

BJ

Originally Posted by jbailey895

I'm guessing I already know the answer, but I'll ask anyway: I have enhanced BT and BMW apps, but I am an Android user. Am I SOL for most of these apps? It doesn't sound like there's any plan to go Android, BMW seems pretty much in bed with apple. . . .

You can use 'Send to Car' app from your Android phone to send addresses to the BMW Nav via Google Maps. This is the most useful feature anyway.