BMW Smartphone Snap-In Adapters - Do I Need Them?

I wonder if you can convert the snap-in adapter port to a standard apple/usb port. I'd like to keep a beater itouch in there and have the already installed usb port to charge my android phone.

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

That video was a concept only, never made it into production that way.

When you are listening to music on your iPhone you are using the "iPod" app. There's an iPod in every iPhone, thus "iPod Out" makes sense.

You don't want this, trust me. Don't burn a lot of calories here. Try it for a week without the snap-in and iPod Out, you'll see that split screen isn't something you're going to want to give up and the BMW UI is perfectly fine.

BJ

There's no technical reason why iPod out / plugin cant exist as a split screen and have the assist window still visible (just like playing a DVD video) ... And thats whats happening here, in a crude sense. The iPhone is sending analog video out to the CICs video input(s).

That said ... The rumor is ... Apple didn't approve of the split screen. They didn't want their UI to coexist with bmws own UI on the same screen.

So ... iPod out takes the full screen !

Originally Posted by apw2607

There's no technical reason why iPod out / plugin cant exist as a split screen and have the assist window still visible (just like playing a DVD video) ... And thats whats happening here, in a crude sense. The iPhone is sending analog video out to the CICs video input(s).

That said ... The rumor is ... Apple didn't approve of the split screen. They didn't want their UI to coexist with bmws own UI on the same screen.

So ... iPod out takes the full screen !

From an Apple standpoint it makes sense, but from a driver standpoint it really doesn't. I'd be livid if I'd spent $250 on a snap-in adapter to find out that I'm trapped in Apple's space-wasting UI and couldn't take advantage of the split-screen on all that real estate. It's far more important to see where I'm going than it is to see Adele staring at me.

Ironically, the album cover art is larger on the split-screen BMW UI than it is on the full-screen Apple UI.

BJ

Originally Posted by virus86

I wonder if you can convert the snap-in adapter port to a standard apple/usb port. I'd like to keep a beater itouch in there and have the already installed usb port to charge my android phone.

You will need to unplug the baseplate and plug another OEM USB port in there, the cable connector coming from the Combox should match the new USB port. Item #4 should do just fine:



If the connector does not match then you may get an OEM extension cable from the Combox secondary port to wherever you want to place that USB socket. That's the same OEM extension cable that connects the primary USB port to the Combox.

Where would you place that new OEM USB port is up to you.

Would that void the warranty? hopefully i can find a tutorial on how to unplug the base plate.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Bimmer App

Originally Posted by virus86

Would that void the warranty? hopefully i can find a tutorial on how to unplug the base plate.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Bimmer App

You are replacing an OEM USB port in the OEM baseplate with another OEM USB port, using OEM cables while keeping the same fundamental OEM USB capability.

Unless you claim that your unplugged OEM baseplate is malfunctioning somehow then I do not see why any warranty has to be voided (or not).

I cant find any access point or screw to take apart the iphone dock port in the armrest. Does anyone know how to?

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

You don't want the snap-in adapter. I've gotten a lot of good advice in this thread and now have first-hand information to share after 5 days with the L328i. Much of this comes from Techic and others with my own experience mixed in, but we'll put it in this one spot so that others may benefit:

Cradle Not Even Necessary: BMW Apps run off the standard white USB cord that comes with your iPhone without the cradle. The only thing that the cradle gives you is better reception (only if you're in a really rural area) a faster charge (the standard USB cord is good enough for charging) and an Apple-designed UI for iPod's and iPhones (has a big limitation, can't do split-screens for navigation).

BMW Apps: They are not good, simple as that. Facebook and Twitter are very silly, there's a music streaming app but it's not Pandora (you use the Pandora app directly for that) and nothing else of real value. There is a BMW app that's not part of "apps" for the car, ironically, and it's called BMW Assist and that is completely wireless, you don't need any adapter or sync at all. Again, you can use BMW Apps without the cradle, just the white USB cord anyway.

Imprisoned iPhone: Unless you routinely take lengthy drives, you simply aren't going to want to dock/undock your iPhone in an armrest over and over again. And if you have a case (like the Apple bumper) you can forget it as it won't fit in the cradle and you won't want to have that extra step added in the mix either. We have khaki's with deep pockets, we have Bluetooth, our iPhones either stay in our pockets or they sit in the tray and we scan the home screen if a text message comes through. We're not trapping them under an armrest.

BMW App Functionality Is Bad: In order for Facebook and Twitter and the other lame BMW Apps to work you need to have the Connected Drive app running on your iPhone. The drawback? Anything that comes into your phone to disrupt the BMW Connected Drive app running shuts it down. So you could be reading a Facebook message about your friend's new baby photo (wonderful) and suddenly a phone call comes in and WHAM, the Facebook message is gone and now you're in a phone call. When done, you have to re-launch the BMW Connected Drive app and it doesn't remember where you left off.

The iDrive UI For iPod/iPhone Is Damn Good: I really wanted the Apple designed music app because it looked just like my beloved Apple TV. But then I found out that it isn't full screen and it doesn't allow split screen with nav intersection overtakes and that was the end of that. Now, I'm thinking the BMW UI is going to suck because, after all, it's not Apple but guess what- it's really good. I'd argue it's better than the Apple designed one because it simply is better integrated with the rest of iDrive.

A lot of typing to simply say: "Don't buy the cradle."

BJ

I don't see anything wrong with having both the snap-in adapter for when you do longer trips and the cable for city driving

Coming from a car with a snap in Media cradle for my (since gone) iPhone 4, I made my own replacement version for my F30, with parts from ProClip USA. The phone now "docks" just ahead of the iDrive controller, and locks into a Lighting cable which is connected to the USB port in the center console. I can post a picture later.

This is the best of both worlds. The phone gets charged, you never "forget" to take it out of the armrest, you get the better sound quality via cable connection (vs. BT streaming), and the phone is visible and at finger's reach at all times. When it's in the Media cradle, it is hard to launch apps (i.e. Pandora) while connected.

The iPod Out interface is still superior to BMW's iDrive selection screen, but I can live without it, since the benefits are better.

Originally Posted by vst335is

I don't see anything wrong with having both the snap-in adapter for when you do longer trips and the cable for city driving

Nor do I, but only if a) you listen to iTunes music only and don't need the nav or b) are a Facebook or Twitter hound and need to read content on the big screen.

I find that for short trips, trapping the iPhone in the armrest is a major annoyance as I don't see texts, can't hear text alerts, can't check my email. If I get a phone call, the app is stopped and I have to re-launch it again after the call is over. I keep my iPhone 5 in a bumper case, no way I want to remove that every time I want to snap it in the cradle.

And for long trips, I find that I'm using my nav for directions and even if I know the route like the back of my hand I want the nav for traffic alerts and re-routing.

So, for me, it boils down to charging. And for that I use the conveniently located power socket ahead of the cup holders, put a slim profile USB adapter in there under the door (closes perfectly) for those occasions where I need to charge my phone on the go. Keep a beater iPod in the armrest, problem solved. Get all my text alerts, can see Tweets on my iPhone screen, can listen to my 20,000 songs and have split screen and not lose my nav or traffic alerts either.

BJ

Originally Posted by SamS

Coming from a car with a snap in Media cradle for my (since gone) iPhone 4, I made my own replacement version for my F30, with parts from ProClip USA. The phone now "docks" just ahead of the iDrive controller, and locks into a Lighting cable which is connected to the USB port in the center console. I can post a picture later.

This is the best of both worlds. The phone gets charged, you never "forget" to take it out of the armrest, you get the better sound quality via cable connection (vs. BT streaming), and the phone is visible and at finger's reach at all times. When it's in the Media cradle, it is hard to launch apps (i.e. Pandora) while connected.

The iPod Out interface is still superior to BMW's iDrive selection screen, but I can live without it, since the benefits are better.

Sounds cool. Please post a pic when you can.

BJ

Here's my DIY. I used the following part numbers from ProclipUSA.com: 830530, 215421, 514422.

Forgive the poor lighting conditions, I was in my garage, and it's dark out! You can see where I slid up the phone to reveal the Lighting connector that is semi-permanently attached to the dock. The iPhone 5 snaps in with a perfect fit, and of course charges, streams audio as a USB device, etc.

Originally Posted by SamS

Here's my DIY. I used the following part numbers from ProclipUSA.com: 830530, 215421, 514422.

Forgive the poor lighting conditions, I was in my garage, and it's dark out! You can see where I slid up the phone to reveal the Lighting connector that is semi-permanently attached to the dock. The iPhone 5 snaps in with a perfect fit, and of course charges, streams audio as a USB device, etc.

That looks good cool, let us know how it functions.

BJ

Originally Posted by boltjaM3s

That looks good cool, let us know how it functions.

BJ

After 2 days of use, it works perfectly. I did wrap the OEM Apple cord with black electrical tape to the section where it meets the console, but I'm debating on just pulling it off and having a bit of white cord showing.

I do have black Lightning cables from Belkin, but the Proclip iPhone 5 mount is custom-engineered to only accept the OEM cable size. The Belkin version is a bit bigger and therefore won't fit.

Doesnt it fit perfectly in the cup holder tray?!

Originally Posted by pkim1079

Doesnt it fit perfectly in the cup holder tray?!

You mean just sitting the cup holder? Sure it fits, but you can't see anything on the phone display, and fooling with it right there will be more of a distraction.

Sorry about taking this off in another direction but does anyone know if it's possible to switch between the BMW idrive UI and the ipod out UI when using a cradle? I've read what seems like thousands of forum posts but haven't found an answer.

I'm about to take delivery of an F31 with the Pro Media, BMW apps, Enhanced BT etc. and have inherited a cradle that I will play around with. I've read about all the various pros and cons of the cradle but haven't seen my question answered.

Originally Posted by Rhino707

Sorry about taking this off in another direction but does anyone know if it's possible to switch between the BMW idrive UI and the ipod out UI when using a cradle? I've read what seems like thousands of forum posts but haven't found an answer.

I'm about to take delivery of an F31 with the Pro Media, BMW apps, Enhanced BT etc. and have inherited a cradle that I will play around with. I've read about all the various pros and cons of the cradle but haven't seen my question answered.

First off, welcome aboard.

From what I've read, the iPod Out function completely overtakes the "Media" segment of iDrive. So there is no way to toggle between the two user interfaces. You either are in iPod Out mode exclusively or you are in standard BMW iDrive mode.

When you receive yours, please put it through its paces and confirm this.

BJ

Thanks for the welcome, I'm reading post after post on the forums just now to get up to speed before delivery and getting ever more excited!

If that's how to cradle works then it really is a disappointment. When the car arrives I will definitely play around with it and report back as you suggest.

Nice choice on the Mineral Gray by the way, lost count of the number of times I've switched between Mineral and Estoril!

I have the iPhone adapter and while I am not fully up on all of its capabilities, I can say that I do think that I get a better/faster connection with it than without it.

Specifically, I bought a song off iTunes (using my phone) and it was 9.7 MB. It was a slow download (Verizon) and when I put the phone in the adapter about 1/3 way through the download, BAM! It was much faster. So I do think there's something to the better cell reception with it.

Having said that, the USB in the dash also charges, connects, and plays music through it. So you may be OK without it. You can get it on eBay or Amazon, which takes it to under $200.

The cradle connects the vehicles cellular antenna to the phone, so definitely improved reception is delivered by the cradle. Having said that, most people don't download things while they are in the car and while their phone is cradled.

Do you have to have the technology package to add the snap in adapter.

noted for reading

I looked in the armrest and there is a plastic framework but I do not see a plug or a receiver for the snap in adapter. Am I missing a cable and another piece? Do they just hide the plug somewhere?

Originally Posted by jbriddle

I looked in the armrest and there is a plastic framework but I do not see a plug or a receiver for the snap in adapter. Am I missing a cable and another piece? Do they just hide the plug somewhere?

Press the button in the baseplate and the plastic cover will pop up, exposing the snap-in socket.

That is, if there is a baseplate in your console.