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iPhone Bluetooth with BMW's

22K views 54 replies 31 participants last post by  jim_barnette 
#1 ·
Ok, now that the iPhone is publicly released, who here has successfully paired one with their BMW? Which year and model? Did you encounter any pairing issues or operational problems during phone calls?
 
#6 ·
The iPhone paired with my '06 X5 (no navi) and with my '07 550i flawlessly. :D

I have the dealer installed iPod interface in my X5 and upon plugging it in to the connector, it states that this is not an approved accessory and do you want to put it in "airplane mode". Just disregard the warning, do not respond, and the iPhone worked perfect. It loaded my phonebook (2500 entries) quickly. My Nextel was worthless when it came to that. :thumbdwn: My contacts come up on the display above the buttons. That's cool. It even distinguishes whether it is a mobile or home number.

In the 550i (build 8/2006), I also have the dealer installed iPod connector in the glovebox. The contacts all come up on the navi screen and are very descriptive. The iPod feature works great and I haven't had any problems with either vehicle yet (knocking on wood).

All I can say is "nice work BMW". :thumbup:
 
#7 ·
is the bluetooth killing your iphone battery? I haven't even attempted pairing mine yet cause I always hated using it with my RAZR. There didn't seem to be any good way to switch the call from handsfree to handset if I have other people in the car and I dont' want them to hear what I'm discussing. And my RAZR's battery had gotten so bad it wouldn't last a full day if I left bluetooth on.
 
#9 ·
is the bluetooth killing your iphone battery?
I have the dealer installed iPod adaptor in my X5 and even though it shows a charging symbol on the iPhone, it sucked the battery dry in less than 12 hours. I hope that there is a fix in the works.:mad::mad::mad:
 
#8 ·
Paired my iphone with my 05 e46 330xi yesterday. Worked like a charm. No real noticeable decline in battery life, although if I was using it constantly in the car, I'm sure I'd start seeing one.
 
#10 ·
Iphone on '06 750LI

Iphone paired with my '06 750LI without any problem.
All functions performing normally as far as I can tell (steering wheel, dial pad, idrive)

Cannot listen to music via bluetooth. That would be very nice.

Sadly, I still can't listen to my ipod/iphone in the car with quality sound. (No FM transmitter I have used has been good)
 
#11 ·
Cannot listen to music via bluetooth. That would be very nice.

Sadly, I still can't listen to my ipod/iphone in the car with quality sound. (No FM transmitter I have used has been good)
Stereo bluetooth would be great! One of the online product review websites mentioned that stereo audio bluetooth could be added by Apple in a future firmware upgrade. Even if that happens in the first iPhone product, do any BMW models also support it?
 
#13 ·
I was having some issues where every other word from the person who called would get sort of garbled. The dealer said it's a wifi issue so I'll try turning that off for next time. Anyone else having issues with wifi and sound quality over the bluetooth?
 
#14 ·
One of the iPhone's bugs is the WiFi/Bluetooth interference. If WiFi is on you may get significant interference with the bluetooth connection. Turn off WiFi and bluetooth works perfectly. I hope Apple is able to fix this one with a firmware or software update. For now it is a minor irritant.
 
#16 ·
I was able to pair my iPhone with no problem, but it seems to only auto-activate occasionally. More often than not, it seems to have problems seeing the iPhone. After fiddling for a few minutes, it always works itself out. I don't really see this situation being workable in the long run. I want to just get it my car and have things work.
 
#18 ·
My iphone pairs, but not without problems. As with the above poster, usually the car doesn't recognize the phone when I get in, though the phone recognizes the car. The only fix I've found is that I must power-off, and then back on, the iphone. Turning bluetooth off and on doesn't do it. I'll try turning off wifi and someone else suggested, but even if that works, it's still a hassle to go through whenever I get in the car.
 
#19 ·
I have a 12th gen module on it's way to test. Right now i have the 9th gen module ULF in my car. It may fix the problem.

If that's the case, Apple better update it's bluetooth software...or there will be a lot of pissed off BMW owners!
 
#25 ·
Yep, the latest iPhone firmware revision is worth a try (v1.0.1). Several Safari-related security bugs are addressed, as listed on Apple's website, but there are other unlisted bug fixes as well. Until I upgraded the firmware yesterday, my iPhone was not playing music through a Kensington FM transmitter. Today, it works great in both normal and airplane mode, and mutes the music when a call is active. :)
 
#31 ·
Seems so - maybe even when connected to any Bluetooth device. Bluetooth 2.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11b/g devices (like iPhone) utilize the same 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum, so interference is likely. I tried placing a hands-free call from my car this morning - for the first time with Wi-Fi enabled. The voice dropouts were severe, making the connection unusable.

Other devices which utilize the 2.4 GHz spectrum and hence might cause interference are microwave ovens, cordless phones, baby monitors, security cameras.

Apple would be able to mitigate this problem by adding 802.11a, which operates in the relatively uncrowded 5 GHz band. But at least for now, iPhone doesn't support it - I suspect because 'a' is not as widely deployed as 'b/g' in the consumer world.
 
#32 ·
The problem isn't the iPhone - it's the BMW

I also experience static and voice dropouts when using my iPhone over bluetooth on my '07 X3. Turning off WiFi on the iPhone isn't a solution to the problem, it's a very poor work-around.

Sounds like BMWs built before the dates listed below have a 1.1 Bluetooth adapter, which does not have adaptive frequency hopping added in newer Bluetooth revisions (1.2+), and is getting interference from the WiFi adapter on the iPhone. It appears newer BMW builds have a 1.2+ adapter and are free of this problem. From the .pdf linked to in a post three back:

7. Static / interference noise causes by Wi-Fi®
On vehicles up to 3/07 production (X5 & Z4 up to 4/07) during an active phone call, the
hands free audio may intermittently drop out caused by the WiFi® of the handset. This
is considered normal operation for Bluetooth 1.1 hardware. To avoid the audio drops,
the WiFi function of the handset needs to be deactivated.
Settings  Wi-Fi Network and turn Wi-Fi Off.​

I'd be interested to know if BMW would provide a Bluetooth module swap out for those of us experiencing this problem - either under warranty or at cost.
 
#34 ·
Here's how pairing/dialing works on my E46:

To pair:
1. Turn iPhone on.
2. Ignition key in position 1 or higher.
3. Browse on iPhone to Settings->General->Bluetooth and enable Bluetooth.
4. Your BMW should now be discovered under "Devices", and a new window opens on the iPhone requesting your PIN.
5. Enter the PIN and confirm the entry. Your BMW shows as "Paired" on the device list.

The iPhone Bluetooth symbol is colored blue when iPhone is connected, grey otherwise. At connection time, your iPhone contact list will be copied into the BMW phone directory.

To dial:
1. Use the up and down arrows on the steering wheel to scroll through the phone directory.
2. Push the call button to dial, and then again at the end to hang up.
 
#40 ·
iPhone with E46

FWIW, I have a 2005 325xiT, production October 2004, Premium package with BMW Assist and factory bluetooth. My iPhone pairs fine, phonebook contact transfers (to avoid slow phonebook scroll, it is best to only have 1 phone number per contact) and I have not yet noticed any connection problems with WiFi enabled. It has only been a week so far and about 20 calls.

Joe B.
 
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