2013 X3: Play Music from USB Flash Drive

Hi,

Is it supposed to be very straight forward to play music by plugging a flash drive into the USB port inside armrest? I can not make it work.

Here is what I do:

1. Format the flash drive to FAT32.
2. Copy some songs which are WMA format.
3. Plug in the flash drive before I start the car.
4. After engine starts, a few minutes later, I can see the music selection on flash drive from iDrive, but no music comes out. Eventually iDrive says "Can not playback.".

I see this topic has been discussed in various forums. From what I read, it does not work for everybody. If it works for you, what brand, format and memory capacity do you use?


Thanks!

Could it be the format of the WMA files you are using? Maybe the bitrate it too high or something along those lines?

I checked the manual and the drive should play WMA files, personally use MP3 with no problems.

Your problem might be the songs itself if purchased online. They are downloaded with copyright protection to only play on your music unit. This is very common with ITunes. You would need to convert the files to get this to work.

Originally Posted by Dragon2012

Hi,

Is it supposed to be very straight forward to play music by plugging a flash drive into the USB port inside armrest? I can not make it work.

Here is what I do:

1. Format the flash drive to FAT32.
2. Copy some songs which are WMA format.
3. Plug in the flash drive before I start the car.
4. After engine starts, a few minutes later, I can see the music selection on flash drive from iDrive, but no music comes out. Eventually iDrive says "Can not playback.".

I see this topic has been discussed in various forums. From what I read, it does not work for everybody. If it works for you, what brand, format and memory capacity do you use?


Thanks!

How did you format the usb to FAT32?

I tested WMA files and purchased ITunes songs and they don't always work.

You might have to covert the tunes to MP3 or use a IPod.

Does it matter which USB port is used, i.e. glove box or console?

Originally Posted by slambmw

I tested WMA files and purchased ITunes songs and they don't always work.

You might have to covert the tunes to MP3 or use a IPod.

Thanks for your help...

now I did get an 8G 2.0 PNY drive I load a few tracks on it WMA files it play, but it keep on cutting off, it doesn't play straight I'm not sure why.

can someone please help me figure out why the songs are playing and cut off every minute?