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Snap-in adapter alternatives

22K views 71 replies 23 participants last post by  Want the Thrill 
#1 ·
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?
 
#2 ·
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?
 
#4 ·
Return for dealer fix!



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.:thumbup:
 
#5 ·
snap in media for iPhone4 work on my X3

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
 
#6 ·
iPhone 4S cradle.

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. :)
 
#10 ·
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.:)
 
#11 ·
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.
 
#13 · (Edited)
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...
 
#14 ·
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. :dunno:
 
#19 · (Edited)
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:

 
#20 ·
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?
 
#24 ·
What a muddle!

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! :dunno:
 
#28 · (Edited)
I had read somewhere that metallic body of cars reduce the signal charge inside the car, whereas the external antenna gets the charge back to the designated area. This does not need a physical connection for cell phones. One can only visualize the effect in real poor signal areas. Good luck. This is different from the radio signals where you need a physical connections as the strength of radio signals is comparatively low.
 
#30 ·
I'm still on the fence about buying the snap-in adapter because I think it is way overpriced. (the adapter cost more that the iPhone 4) I am curious about the external antenna function though and I can't find anything on the web showing support for an external antenna but that doesn't mean it doesn't work. If someone has the adapter and is willing to test it for us, you can put the iPhone into field services mode to get the exact signal strength using the snap-in adapter and without. When in field services mode it with show the exact signal strength in DB. Here is a short article showing how to get it into Field services mode. http://gizmodo.com/5633290/test-your-iphone-4s-antenna-reception-with-field-test-mode-in-ios-41
 
#31 ·
I for one can understand your concerns as my own feelings have been up and down like 'whores draws'. Having been through the mill with this challenge, now that the system is working correctly and understood by both myself and my dealer, I like my cradles very much indeed!
I have tried an iPhone 3GS & 4S, both in and out of their cradle,in a very poor signal area with positive results. Both phones sounded better from both ends when in the cradle. Not very scientific but that is the best I can do presently.
I will try the signal strength test too one of these fine days.
Hope this helps?
 
#34 ·
thanks meta, i guess my brain was fried after a long day of work and i just missed that line.

Anyways, I tested it. I put my phone in field test mode, and it read -70. Then, I put my phone in the cradle, and it still read -70. I then proceeded to make a phone call to see if that would change anything. Nope, after the phone call, it still read -70. (I'm pretty sure when I was actually calling the person, it switched over to the normal bars).

Perhaps -70 is the best signal possible? Or maybe it works better in a spot with poor coverage?

(This test used a Verizon iPhone 4S, and a 2012 X3 with dock and bmw apps)
 
#36 ·
smartphone antenna connections

Hi,

There is not a physical connection between the phone and the antenna--there is an inductive connection. The cradle contains an inductive pickup that couples your smart phone to the car's sharkfin. This is a direct route to the antenna designated "telephone 1 & 2 and does not relate to BMW assist cellular functions. The cradle holds the phone in a very specific position to align the smartphone antenna with the inductive pickup.

The advantage with the shark fin is that it is outside the car...a cell phone inside a metal car is severely compromised--that's why there are cell towers seemingly every two feet.

A lot of the confusion comes from no two cell phones being the same in layout or
functionality.

All this info is available on the BMW Tech Info web site, which requires a daily subscription for unlimited downloads. You can also find some info on the BMW coders site--look for the combox document. You can see this antenna setup in the diagrams.

so, yes there's a connection, but it is not physical

best

Luna-01
 
#37 ·
Hi,

There is not a physical connection between the phone and the antenna--there is an inductive connection. The cradle contains an inductive pickup that couples your smart phone to the car's sharkfin. This is a direct route to the antenna designated "telephone 1 & 2 and does not relate to BMW assist cellular functions. The cradle holds the phone in a very specific position to align the smartphone antenna with the inductive pickup.

The advantage with the shark fin is that it is outside the car...a cell phone inside a metal car is severely compromised--that's why there are cell towers seemingly every two feet.

A lot of the confusion comes from no two cell phones being the same in layout or
functionality.

All this info is available on the BMW Tech Info web site, which requires a daily subscription for unlimited downloads. You can also find some info on the BMW coders site--look for the combox document. You can see this antenna setup in the diagrams.

so, yes there's a connection, but it is not physical

best

Luna-01
I am old enough to remember when one had to purchase an incar phone kit which had a two part aerial, one part was glued to the inside surface of the rear window and connected to the phone. The other part was glued to the outer surface of the glass and supported the aerial 'mast'. There was no physical contact between the two parts of the window mounted aerial.
In short, as stated above there is no need for an actual physical 'jack like' connection between phone and 'mast' cable.
 
#38 ·
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?
Hmmm dont have that problem with my Alpine H/U. Plays Sirius/XM, Pandora, controls from steering wheel work great, I can see all the cover art and text in the 2 inch screen.

People bashed me when I originally did this 4 years ago but I dont have to run to the dealer for updates everytime my droid is updated either.

Maybe not as elegantly interfaced with console, but always does what I ask and more.

One of the reasons I bash BMW for their electronics. Always several years behind when it comes to audio and interface.

Hope you get it fixed.
 
#40 ·
So my x3 just rolled off the line on December 2. I pick it up in South Carolina on 1/13. I didn't order the cradle b/c the dealer said that using the apple cable gets me the same results. After reading this post, I am not so sure.

My car will have BMW apps on it. What do I lose by not having the cradle? If you all say I need to get the cradle, can I install it myself?
 
#43 ·
thank you. i think i will get one, then, because I hear that the iphone interface on the idrive is worth it. i just hope it's compatible with iphone 5!
 
#52 ·
Been using the iPod cable in the USB port. Simple, easy and Free! While the combox operation can be a bit quirky (I made a special podcast playlist labled X3 to get around most of them), for the most part it works really well with the iPhone 4 and iOS 5.

:)
 
#55 ·
I'm a little confused about this. I have not been too happy about the BMW apps and using the regular USB or bluetooth interface. My gripe is I don't like the navigation system between songs.

Can I browse through artists, albums, etc. via the snap-in adapter or is it still an insane alphabetical list of 10K songs or crappy playlists?
 
#56 ·
The Media adapter lets you browse songs on your iPhone in a most convenient way. It looks just like the iPod interface, i.e. Songs, Albums, Artist, Playlists. And you see the cover art while browsing, too. The standard way of searching with just the white cable drove me nuts.
 
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