iPhone 5 Compatibility w/ iDrive

I have been looking in several different places for an answer. Hoping someone on here can help. Debating going from my 4S to the 5. I have a 2009 build with the new iDrive set up, with the ipod hook-up. Has anyone heard if the 'lighting adapter' that apple will be offering for the new charger connection will allow for the iDrive still to display playlists?

I heard somewhere that it wouldn't allow for iPod out now. Some folks say it will still work and other disagree. Looking for a straight answer.

Probably wont know for sure until the phone is released on friday.

Bump! Anyone try this?

BMW alread said that ipod out will no longer work since there is no longer an analog signal through the lightning cable. Why would you go to a 5 from a 4s anyways. Just update the os on the 4 and it's almost the same thing.

^^ this (mostly)

For what it's worth, I have a 2011 (manufactured 7/11) E90. It does NOT have iDrive, just the standard Bluetooth assist with iPhone integration with steering controls, phone, etc. I did a test this AM using the new iPhone cable with a iPhone 5 and ALL features appear to work, including dialing, phone directory, Bluetooth sync, voice dialing, iphone playlists, genre, next selection, etc. By word of caution, I have another 2011 that's a year older and requires the BMW iPhone "Y" cable (does not work with Apple's cable) to work with a 4S. I haven't tested this yet since it requires the new adapter that does not come until October, and the car's not up here :-).

Originally Posted by David1

BMW alread said that ipod out will no longer work since there is no longer an analog signal through the lightning cable. Why would you go to a 5 from a 4s anyways. Just update the os on the 4 and it's almost the same thing.

A poster in the X5 forum said their new iphone 5 worked with the iDrive. And, updating the OS on the iPhone 4 to the latest (iOS 6) does not achieve the same benefits that you get by upgrading to the iPhone 5, the most important of which are:

1.) True 4G/LTE network capability
2.) taller screen/more space
3.) better camera and associated features

You can go to apple.com to see if the rest of the features are an improvement over the iPhone 4.

I tried using the lightning to USB cable that comes with the iPhone 5 and got nothing. I have a 2010 model that requires the BMW Y cable to work. Usually, when I connect my iPhone, the AUX audio option becomes iPod. Today it didn't. I suspect that it's not going to work because there's no analog out of the lightning connection, which, if I'm not mistaken, is how audio gets piped into the BMW's sound system, even if it's through the dock connection. I'm completely bummed about this and I don't see how it could possibly be resolved by software updates to either the iPhone or BMW. The hardware that was talking to each other is just no longer there. :\

Originally Posted by torifile

I tried using the lightning to USB cable that comes with the iPhone 5 and got nothing. I have a 2010 model that requires the BMW Y cable to work. Usually, when I connect my iPhone, the AUX audio option becomes iPod. Today it didn't. I suspect that it's not going to work because there's no analog out of the lightning connection, which, if I'm not mistaken, is how audio gets piped into the BMW's sound system, even if it's through the dock connection. I'm completely bummed about this and I don't see how it could possibly be resolved by software updates to either the iPhone or BMW. The hardware that was talking to each other is just no longer there. :\

Yupper. You basically appear to have 2 options - 1.) Go back to an iPhone 4/4S (the iP4/4S with iOS v. 6 should work, but no guarantees until you actually see it work), or 2.) Upgrade your car to be compatible with the new Lightning (or whatever Apple calls it) adapter. If you pursue option 2, be certain that everything that is claimed to work, actually does work (as in see it work with your own 2 eyes) before you bite the bullet to do the upgrade.

The updated USB audio interface should work shouldn't it? The other option is to buy a cheap iPod for music. I got a 2nd hand 3rd generation iPod touch last week from cash generator online. It's a bit scratched but basically lives connected in my arm rest compartment. My phone connects via Bluetooth so I don't need to be plugging and unplugging every time I get in the car.

Yes, if you BMW requires the "Y" cable, the Apple iPhone (or iPod) cable won't work. The car gives you a message to that effect if you try another cable, which is why the car (at least my early 2011, manuf. 4/11)) came with a "Y" cable.

My 2012 E93 just has a USB port for audio -- which I can plug in the Lightning cable -- haven't tried it out yet, but are we thinking it may not work with Audio/BMW Apps anymore?

Forget the cradle-- never used that.

Originally Posted by anE934fun

Yupper. You basically appear to have 2 options - 1.) Go back to an iPhone 4/4S (the iP4/4S with iOS v. 6 should work, but no guarantees until you actually see it work), or 2.) Upgrade your car to be compatible with the new Lightning (or whatever Apple calls it) adapter. If you pursue option 2, be certain that everything that is claimed to work, actually does work (as in see it work with your own 2 eyes) before you bite the bullet to do the upgrade.

I use a deactivated iPhone 3 as my iPod in the snap-in adaptor. Works great! Found calls through the car very unsatisfactory - microphone not great & location not's either - so don't bother, working iPhone & iDrive.

Same old story. Each & every new iPhone has incompatibilities. BMW no more adept at resolving than they were solving a very simple HPFP cavitation prob.

BMW still hasn't addressed ethanol in fuel re: older motorcycles. BMW carb elastics & floats regularly fail. My '81....down for carb rebuild again....use non-BMW dealer parts.


ANNOYING



.

Originally Posted by torifile

I tried using the lightning to USB cable that comes with the iPhone 5 and got nothing. I have a 2010 model that requires the BMW Y cable to work. Usually, when I connect my iPhone, the AUX audio option becomes iPod. Today it didn't. I suspect that it's not going to work because there's no analog out of the lightning connection, which, if I'm not mistaken, is how audio gets piped into the BMW's sound system, even if it's through the dock connection. I'm completely bummed about this and I don't see how it could possibly be resolved by software updates to either the iPhone or BMW. The hardware that was talking to each other is just no longer there. :\

Our NEW 2013 328CV just arrived (picking it up Friday) Very Excited....however not only do we get a new car, but our iPhones are due to arrive on Friday as well as per the UPS tracking.

Getting to the iPhone issue, the supplied 9 pin to USB will ONLY charge the phone. There are 2 Digital to Analog options....there is a Converter $29 that plugs into the bottom of the iPhone5 and converts to the 30 pin - big and bulky. HOWEVER, there is a special 9pin to 30pin CABLE $39 which includes the same digital to analog conversion - so the iPhone 5 with this cable 'looks' like an older phone with the 30 pin. The 30 pin is a Female connector and you plug your 30 pin cable into this. The $39 cable is shown as shipping in October, the other 30 adapter is available now online/retail store.

My X5 (2009) has the Y cable, so I think this is a simple plug and play with the 9/30 converter cable, however, I'm not sure what the '13 328CV has? Is it a USB connector only? Apple said ALL functions continue to work, including iPOD mode, playlist etc, BUT NOT THE VIDEO support. I assume you could play videos through the navigation screen when the car was stopped???? First hand feedback would be helpful, but not until that special cable arrives.

Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile) support has been added to iOS6. Has anyone been successful integrating their iPhone with BMW Office and having email and SMS messages display on the iDrive screen? Previously that functionality was restricted to BlackBerry devices, but in theory it should be possible now that Apple has added MAP functionality.

Originally Posted by bikenski

Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile) support has been added to iOS6. Has anyone been successful integrating their iPhone with BMW Office and having email and SMS messages display on the iDrive screen? Previously that functionality was restricted to BlackBerry devices, but in theory it should be possible now that Apple has added MAP functionality.

I have seen it work with the BB Bold9930. However, any phone with MAP support should work, which would include the Droid RAZR series and Sammy GS III. Whether they actually work depends on how the manufacturer (Moto/Sammy in this example) has implemented MAP.

There is another thread on BF about iOS v. 6 & iDrive, that seems to indicate problems with MAP on iOS v. 6, so maybe MAP on iOS v. is a work-in-progress?

Originally Posted by phl08

A poster in the X5 forum said their new iphone 5 worked with the iDrive. And, updating the OS on the iPhone 4 to the latest (iOS 6) does not achieve the same benefits that you get by upgrading to the iPhone 5, the most important of which are:

1.) True 4G/LTE network capability
2.) taller screen/more space
3.) better camera and associated features

You can go to apple.com to see if the rest of the features are an improvement over the iPhone 4.

Sweet. I am going to stop by ATT and see if they have an iPhone 5 to try out on my iDrive with the adapter.

Originally Posted by bikenski

Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile) support has been added to iOS6. Has anyone been successful integrating their iPhone with BMW Office and having email and SMS messages display on the iDrive screen? Previously that functionality was restricted to BlackBerry devices, but in theory it should be possible now that Apple has added MAP functionality.

Searching still works (yes, it applies to the E9x as well): http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=646784

One additional data point: Bluetooth MAP function appears to be selectively implemented by phone manufacturers that claim to implement it.

I tested the function of a VZW edition Samsung Galaxy S III (that VZW claims supports MAP on their website). After pairing was finished and MAP connection was implemented between the GS III and the car (phone asked if I wanted to activate MAP, I clicked the yes box), only SMS messages would display. Contacts on the GS III were transferred to the car with no problem. But no e-mail. I didn't spend too much time trying to mess around because I didn't want to risk breaking the integration with the BB Bold 9930.

Curiosity has set in and I am seeing who I can borrow an iPhone 5 from to see if it works with the car.

As I posted earlier, if MAP function is important, make sure it works for the exact environment you are wanting it to work with.

Hey, so i have the iphone 5 and today i used it with my 2011 328i convertible. Its even better than with my 4S on iOS 5 because now the music will stream over bluetooth.

Originally Posted by treyr95

Hey Its even better than with my 4S on iOS 5 because now the music will stream over bluetooth.

That should have worked fine with the 4S on iOS5, though you may have had to enable the audio streaming seperately. Bluetooth streaming from my 4S on iOS5 worked on a loaner 2011 I had as well as a non-BMW rental on a recent trip.

Originally Posted by treyr95

Hey, so i have the iphone 5 and today i used it with my 2011 328i convertible. Its even better than with my 4S on iOS 5 because now the music will stream over bluetooth.

Who is your carrier? I tried to get the VZW edition of the iP5 to work and e-mail did not transfer. Phonebook and text messages transferred like with the GS III, but no e-mail. BB Bold 9930 on Sprint works perfectly (phonebook, text messages and e-mail transfer).

It get curiouser and curiouser.

Email transfer does not work on any iPhone at the moment.

Originally Posted by astirling

Email transfer does not work on any iPhone at the moment.

Thank you for your clarification. I was under the impression from some of the earlier posts that there were some circumstances where e-mail transfer from iPhone to iDrive was in fact occurring.

Sorry. That does seem to be the case but it seems intermittent. From what I can gather, email does work on occasions with the following conditions.

1) Email must be set to preview in lock screen
2) Some have said that emails must be set to show in notification centre.
3) Some have reported that the phone must go into lock of its own accord. i.e. pressing the lock button does not work
4) An email must be received in the car whilst the phone is locked. It does not transfer old emails (read or unread) and it will not transfer emails received when the phone is unlocked.
5) Even with all these conditions met, it has been reported that it only works the first time it is set up. It stops working after you have been away from the car.

Personally, I haven't tried it, but I'll be glad if people can get it to work. I like being able to see SMS messages and I'm sure I would also find emails useful.