Snap-in adapter alternatives

Paid for BMW apps and am wholly disappointed. Doesn't include $260 snap in adapter that does nothing more than improve cell reception through shark fin (bfd)

Pandora not working because of ios5 and no sight of relief there

If I get txt message no way to see it if phone is buried in console and no way to talk to Siri from within the armrest either.

So, for those also thinking idrive/connected drive integration is lacking and having better access to phone is needed- where you mounting your phone and with what?

I'm going to try the griffin cupholder mount with a tucked black extension iPhone cable. Will post back if I think it's working...

Thoughts?

Originally Posted by h0mersimps0n

Paid for BMW apps and am wholly disappointed. Doesn't include $260 snap in adapter that does nothing more than improve cell reception through shark fin (bfd)

Pandora not working because of ios5 and no sight of relief there

If I get txt message no way to see it if phone is buried in console and no way to talk to Siri from within the armrest either.

So, for those also thinking idrive/connected drive integration is lacking and having better access to phone is needed- where you mounting your phone and with what?

I'm going to try the griffin cupholder mount with a tucked black extension iPhone cable. Will post back if I think it's working...

Thoughts?

Longer Aux cable? Omit the cable although and use the Bluetooth instead?

would like power and actually SOME connectdrive features to actually work since I paid for it. You can't use BMW apps through bluetooth, even if you could it'd destroy your battery likely...

Originally Posted by h0mersimps0n

would like power and actually SOME connectdrive features to actually work since I paid for it. You can't use BMW apps through bluetooth, even if you could it'd destroy your battery likely...

My vehicle was built with audio/phone faults. BMW UK & Germany took over two weeks to fix the faults. Some "components & cables" had to be changed and now all is well. My advice is that you should return your vehicle to your supplying dealer and ask for a repair.

Just got the part 84.21-2 199 392-04 for iPhone4, cant hear the sound even music is playing. No additional features like SMS, mails etc available. Do you know if some special setting must be applied both on iPhone and on the car? Thank you in advance

Originally Posted by pancolo67

Just got the part 84.21-2 199 392-04 for iPhone4, cant hear the sound even music is playing. No additional features like SMS, mails etc available. Do you know if some special setting must be applied both on iPhone and on the car? Thank you in advance

I have been able test the iPhone comparability and functionality in my vehicle only briefly. We did so at my dealers following the major repairs to establish phone/media use. I know that phone reception/speech and media playback are now excellent. However; I must confess that I did not check SMS, mail, etc, sorry.
My own fitted cradle is for a 3GS as this is my business phone and the most used of the two. In the event that your radio does not mute when you get an incoming phone call, then this suggests to me that you might well have vehicle interface challenges? The first IA must be to return the vehicle to your dealer!

Good luck.

Originally Posted by TogMog

I have been able test the iPhone comparability and functionality in my vehicle only briefly. We did so at my dealers following the major repairs to establish phone/media use. I know that phone reception/speech and media playback are now excellent. However; I must confess that I did not check SMS, mail, etc, sorry.
My own fitted cradle is for a 3GS as this is my business phone and the most used of the two. In the event that your radio does not mute when you get an incoming phone call, then this suggests to me that you might well have vehicle interface challenges? The first IA must be to return the vehicle to your dealer!

Good luck.

That should read iPhone 4! Sorry.

Originally Posted by TogMog

I have been able test the iPhone comparability and functionality in my vehicle only briefly. We did so at my dealers following the major repairs to establish phone/media use. I know that phone reception/speech and media playback are now excellent. However; I must confess that I did not check SMS, mail, etc, sorry.
My own fitted cradle is for a 3GS as this is my business phone and the most used of the two. In the event that your radio does not mute when you get an incoming phone call, then this suggests to me that you might well have vehicle interface challenges? The first IA must be to return the vehicle to your dealer!

Good luck.

I spoke too soon - my vehicle is being female again, iPhone compatability and functionality will no longer work! After fitting a new iPhone 4 cradle at my dealers the original build faults have returned. No iPhone 3 or 4 intragation now!

I now face the reality that this single two month old BMW X3 has spent more time under repair than our previous 11 Honda vehicles over the past 30 years! Well done BMW.

Could I be a victim of poor German design or just inefficient American build standards? Only joking chaps, just trying to make light of a very disappointing customer experience.

I have BMW apps as well and I haven't purchased the snapin adapter yet. I'd really like to use it but I find it completely outrageous that a plastic adapter cost more that I paid for the Iphone 4.

Originally Posted by colson79

I have BMW apps as well and I haven't purchased the snapin adapter yet. I'd really like to use it but I find it completely outrageous that a plastic adapter cost more that I paid for the Iphone 4.

Having used my iPhone with both the cradle and just Bluetooth, I can honestly say that using a working cradle is my preferd solution.

The cost of not one but two cradles is another matter altogether - hence my frustration with BMW. However, as all of these electrical faults I have suffered appear to be as a result of poor design and/or workmanship, then it is incumbent upon BMW to fix them under warranty.

How one would fare if a fault became apparent if one had not used an OME cradle, I fear to contemplate. In truth, in my case, I might never have discovered the production faults until it was too late to claim for repaires under warranty.

You might like to at least try a compatable cradle to confirm that your car does not suffer from the same faults as mine? Good luck.

I have used my iPhone with just the standard apple usb cable and everything works fine. The cradle would give me the iPhone out interface which I would like, but the cost of the adapter doesn't seem worth it for just a few more features that I don't get with the standard cable. I'm sure I will eventually break down and buy the adapter but I don't think is should cost more that $50.

Originally Posted by colson79

I have used my iPhone with just the standard apple usb cable and everything works fine. The cradle would give me the iPhone out interface which I would like, but the cost of the adapter doesn't seem worth it for just a few more features that I don't get with the standard cable. I'm sure I will eventually break down and buy the adapter but I don't think is should cost more that $50.

I have to agree about the cradle cost - I have spent over £200 for the two iPhone cradles I own and only had two weeks use out of the iPhone 3 item in the past nine weeks of vehicle ownership.

Make sure you are getting an apps cradle - it must have a fan and say "media" in embossed alum on front

1. you can run apps with the iphone cord - no cradle needed
2. cradle does 4 things - charges phone, can play videos, ipod cover art and uses car antenna
3. pandora now functional with ios5
4. iphone will not still play email messages thru connected...MAP apple restriction, not BMW...

look for two new apps soon.....

It's not what apps is now, it's what it will be...

Originally Posted by Glen E

Make sure you are getting an apps cradle - it must have a fan and say "media" in embossed alum on front

1. you can run apps with the iphone cord - no cradle needed
2. cradle does 4 things - charges phone, can play videos, ipod cover art and uses car antenna
3. pandora now functional with ios5
4. iphone will not still play email messages thru connected...MAP apple restriction, not BMW...

look for two new apps soon.....

It's not what apps is now, it's what it will be...

Correction, you get iPOD cover art with the standard white cable as well. I could not get cover art with the y cable so I ditched it.

The media cradle gives you the car antenna, video out, charges phone, and an overheated phone from what I have read.

Originally Posted by Glen E

Make sure you are getting an apps cradle - it must have a fan and say "media" in embossed alum on front

1. you can run apps with the iphone cord - no cradle needed
2. cradle does 4 things - charges phone, can play videos, ipod cover art and uses car antenna
3. pandora now functional with ios5
4. iphone will not still play email messages thru connected...MAP apple restriction, not BMW...

look for two new apps soon.....

It's not what apps is now, it's what it will be...

Would one of those apps be MOG?
http://www.bmwusanews.com/newsreleas...9?&id=907&mid=

While I wouldn't pay $10/month for this service, its good to know that they're still rolling out new features that integrate with iDrive.

Originally Posted by MetaX

Would one of those apps be MOG?
http://www.bmwusanews.com/newsreleas...9?&id=907&mid=

While I wouldn't pay $10/month for this service, its good to know that they're still rolling out new features that integrate with iDrive.

After all of the trouble I have suffered with iPhone cradles, my dealer has supplied me with the new MOG cradle. On returning the car last evening it was demonstrated as working perfectly with all 'bells and whistles' too! MOG has a small built-in fan to circulate the air inside the arm-rest, apparently to cool the the phone.

Watch this space for any future developments!

Originally Posted by chuck92116

The media cradle gives you the car antenna, video out, charges phone, and an overheated phone from what I have read.

I can find no evidence that the iPhone 4/4S can support improved antenna reception via connection to any dock, or the BMW Media cradle. In short, it's a myth.

If you have 6NR, the Media cradle gives you support for Facebook, Twitter, Pandora (including art and Thumbs up/down), and MOG.

I think the nicest feature of the cradle is the ability to navigate your iPhone music via a more traditional Apple interface, than the somewhat clunky default interface you get with normal iDrive + USB connection.

Originally Posted by TogMog

After all of the trouble I have suffered with iPhone cradles, my dealer has supplied me with the new MOG cradle. On returning the car last evening it was demonstrated as working perfectly with all 'bells and whistles' too! MOG has a small built-in fan to circulate the air inside the arm-rest, apparently to cool the the phone.

Watch this space for any future developments!

MOG is a music streaming service. The cradle necessary to support MOG/Pandora/FB/Twitter/etc is the Media cradle.

Just cause you "can't find it anywhere" doesn't mean it's fact....- it's part of smartphone integration - it uses the car antenna - taught at every BMWNA sales training meeting on apps that each dealer went thru in 2011.

and correct - MOG has nothing to do with the cradle - the media cradle has been used since apps started.

From the sales training bulletin given to all dealers in August 2011:

Full integration of BMW Apps
1. Full iPhone charging
2. Improved reception by using the car's external antenna
3. A fan to ensure normal operating temperature of the
iPhone, thus reducing the likelihood the phone will go
into "failsafe" mode (which prevents proper charging)
4. Video playback
- Must be a video clip uploaded via iTunes, not a video shot using the phone's video camera
5. PlugIn "iPod out" functionality
- Provides the look and feel of an iPod in the iDrive
display, with full iPod control via iDrive
o Allows for the use of Genius playlists, as well as the
creation of new Genius playlists within

and the actual doc from that training class:

Originally Posted by Glen E

I love how you proclaim it's a myth just cause you "can't find it anywhere" - it's is a part of smartphone integration - it uses the car antenna - taught at every sales training meeting on apps that each dealer went thru in 2011.

For the cradle/car to integrate with the iPhone's antenna to its own, the phone's 30-pin port must support "antenna out" to an auxiliary device.

There is no indication of this.

Can you explain how the car's shark fin antenna makes a physical connection to the UMTS, GSM, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth antennas (metal band around the edge) of the iPhone 4/4S?

Originally Posted by SamS

MOG is a music streaming service. The cradle necessary to support MOG/Pandora/FB/Twitter/etc is the Media cradle.

Many thanks for the correction - I will pass that info onto my dealer when my vehicle goes back for the fourth time for further repairs. I spoke too soon this morning as the media has stopped working yet again! Just my luck!

Originally Posted by SamS

I can find no evidence that the iPhone 4/4S can support improved antenna reception via connection to any dock, or the BMW Media cradle. In short, it's a myth.

If you have 6NR, the Media cradle gives you support for Facebook, Twitter, Pandora (including art and Thumbs up/down), and MOG.

I think the nicest feature of the cradle is the ability to navigate your iPhone music via a more traditional Apple interface, than the somewhat clunky default interface you get with normal iDrive + USB connection.

What is MOG? I don't see it on the BMW app.

Also, Pandora, Twitter, Facebook, etc. work with the standard Y cable.

Cradle supposedly provided antenna hookup, and video out. Maybe some enhanced iPOD play features.

Originally Posted by chuck92116

What is MOG? I don't see it on the BMW app.

http://bmwusanews.com/newsrelease.do...B?&id=907&mid=

Originally Posted by chuck92116

Also, Pandora, Twitter, Facebook, etc. work with the standard Y cable.

How do you select thumps up/down via iDrive with just the Y cable?

I think you have to have 6NR, for certain.

Due to the challenges which I have faceed over the past couple of months with iPhone intergration into my vehicle I have learned one thing:- it is almost impossible to obtain the same answer from more than one person! i.e. One dealer techie says one thing while another something quite different. Those who post on forums like this, repeat in all good faith what we believe to be correct at the time of our posts, only to be 'shot down' by someone else who is trying to be helpful too...........what a carry on!

Originally Posted by SamS

For the cradle/car to integrate with the iPhone's antenna to its own, the phone's 30-pin port must support "antenna out" to an auxiliary device.

There is no indication of this.

Can you explain how the car's shark fin antenna makes a physical connection to the UMTS, GSM, GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth antennas (metal band around the edge) of the iPhone 4/4S?

So is there a connection via the cradle to the iPhone antenna to improve signal???