How to get started with ConnectedDrive?

Help! I am a new owner of a 2012 128i convertible. Amazingly fun to drive but the dealer was no help with any of the fun ConnectedDrive features. They didn’t even setup the Assist. I am having trouble figuring out any of the ConnectedDrive features. There seems to be dozens of BMW websites giving overviews but none that give step by step instructions on how to make use of these great features.
For example:
- How do I operate SEND TO CAR to send a location to my navigation system?
- News services, RSS, Text to Speech, seeing my email from my iPhone?
- Some of these appear to be additional charge features or not available in the USA?

Push the button in the overhead, BMW will answer, tell them you are a new owner, and they will walk you thru it.

I just called Assist and they told me BMW Online was $199 per year and ConnectedDrive was not available at all in the USA. Good heavens that was not made clear!!! There are beautiful BMW websites with ConnectedDrive overviews in ENGLISH and they sure look like they are available.

They did show me how to email an address to my car's nav system. Only from Google which was also a surprise.

That's funny, connected drive works in my 2012 135i just fine. I live in North Carolina.

I spent the day on it and got it all to work. The messages indicating much of this doesn't work in the USA are obviously wrong. In case any of you happen on this…..

Download the BMW Connect App from the iPhone store. Connect your iPhone with the USB cable – it doesn't work through Bluetooth. With the cable connected start the BMW Connect app on the iPhone. Then select CONNECTEDDRIVE on your car, then BMW APPS. It does something and connects then the 4 applications show up under BMW APPS on the car. Facebook, Twitter, Calendar and Internet radio.

With the Facebook you can see the live feed of your FB account, have it read posts to you and LIKE posts. The Calendar gives you your calendar from your iPhone. Unfortunately this doesn't work unless the iPhone is USB connected with the BMW Connect app running in the foreground. Change your iPhone to some other app to read your email or take a picture and the link is broken.

BMW Online is another story. That is $199 per year. Talk to them on BMW Assist and have it activated as part of a bunch of other stuff. It takes two days to activate (is what they told me).

The GOOGLE process to send an address to your car's nav system also worked today. It took a while to populate but did work. This is a special Google function and not a general email to your car type function. When you are looking at an address on a map in google click on the tear drop map marker Select MORE and then EMAIL. One of the options is to email to CAR. Select that and you will see a car type dropdown. Select BMW. You must fill in the address you gave BMW when you setup the BMW Assist account.

PasadenaMike,

Not sure if you know this already or not but you can also operate Pandora through ConnectedDrive.
Run Pandora on the foreground of yuor iPhone and select Pandora through your radio option via iDrive and magic! You can now control Pandora via iDrive...

Originally Posted by Jason@EBBMW

PasadenaMike,

Not sure if you know this already or not but you can also operate Pandora through ConnectedDrive.
Run Pandora on the foreground of yuor iPhone and select Pandora through your radio option via iDrive and magic! You can now control Pandora via iDrive...

Nice tip, thanks. I didn't know that but it works great.

Originally Posted by Jason@EBBMW

PasadenaMike,

Not sure if you know this already or not but you can also operate Pandora through ConnectedDrive.
Run Pandora on the foreground of yuor iPhone and select Pandora through your radio option via iDrive and magic! You can now control Pandora via iDrive...

Thought you specifically have to order BMW apps to get thst? maybe they bundle it with the nav system now

Originally Posted by bmw325

Thought you specifically have to order BMW apps to get thst? maybe they bundle it with the nav system now

I think you do have to have BMW Apps for this to work.