Bluetooth without iDrive?

Hey everyone,

I ordered my X1 a few weeks ago and I am anxiously awaiting arrival. I did not order iDrive on my X1. Is it possible to still pair my phone with my X1 and make calls / play audio?

I looked through the manual, but I can only find information detailing how to pair bluetooth with iDrive. I am hoping that I just haven't found the right documentation yet and bluetooth will still work without iDrive.

Thanks!

Hit menu on the business radio. If there is a phone option navigate there to setup Bluetooth. If no phone option, then you don't have Bluetooth.

On US models without iDrive, you can pair your phone and make/receive phone calls. However, you will not be able to stream audio through bluetooth. In order to play music you will need to use the Aux port and a 3.5mm cable to connect your phone with your car.

Another option that I am currently playing with is the Blackberry Music Gateway. It plugs into the aux port and a is powered by a micro usb cable and will enable your non-iDrive car to stream music via bluetooth. It works really well for me so far and can be tucked out of sight with very little effort.

This video shows up to pair up phone with radio using Bluetooth. I don't have iDrive either and has the "BMW Professional Radio", exactly like the one shown in this YouTube video. .

Once paired, all ringtone, notification (e.g. email, GPS guidance...etc) can be heard via the car speakers. If using the Y-Cable for the iphone, you can control the Music function via the steering wheel controls. However, you cannot play other audio (e.g. Youtube, online radio) once Y-cable is connected. You have to use a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable to play those type of audio.

Bluetooth calling is there, but it wont use the phone's address book if you voice dial. You can scroll and manually go through the phonebook to make calls with the steering wheel controls. As mentioned no BT streaming audio.

The only manual online is for the iDrive, the car will come with the proper non-iDrive manual.

Excellent, thanks for the info everyone. It is a big deal to be able to pair via Bluetooth and make calls, so this makes me feel much better.

I also went without the iDrive. Personally, I haven't seen any in-dash navigation/entertainment system that is even close to what I have on my Android. So my plan is to use Bluetooth to make calls and then run the power/aux cable behind the front panel and place my Android where the normal in-dash system would go.

I am a bit disappointed that non-iDrive doesn't allow for bluetooth music streaming. I feel like even the Hyundai(s) I rent on business trips have that, how much more would that have cost BMW to include since I believe it's just a software thing.

Originally Posted by X1-tahoe

I am a bit disappointed that non-iDrive doesn't allow for bluetooth music streaming. I feel like even the Hyundai(s) I rent on business trips have that, how much more would that have cost BMW to include since I believe it's just a software thing.

Totally agree. I bought a new Ford fiesta earlier this year, with only mediocre options, and even that streams music from my phone via bluetooth, and it will begin doing so with a simple voice command. I had simply (and foolishly as it turns out) assumed that certainly, BMW would offer this as standard. After all, it's 2012/13. Streaming music is the new Compact Disc!

I read some posts from another thread which suggested the lack of streaming via bluetooth, is not so much the fault of software, as it is a fault of the head unit on the non-iDrive cars. Need to dig into that more to see if there's any truth to that, and if so... would a simple head unit swap work? Nah... nothing could be THAT easy.

I am taking delivery of my X1 today; it does not have iDrive so it will not stream music. I'm hoping some ingenuity will fix that. At the very least, I'm sure I can find an elegant aftermarket solution.

Originally Posted by jbone907

I am taking delivery of my X1 today; it does not have iDrive so it will not stream music. I'm hoping some ingenuity will fix that. At the very least, I'm sure I can find an elegant aftermarket solution.

Let me know if you figure it out. Other than having it built in to the system I don't think you will find an elegant solution. By the way, the Hyundai(s) I am talking about are from at least 2 years ago so I don't blame you for assuming that it would be standard.

TBH, I think the best solution based on everything I've read is to put your music on USB and plug in your USB to the USB port. I tried this at the dealership and it worked great. I bought 2 really small looking 16GB USB drive and dragged half my music on one and half on the other (differentiated by gendre). You can then put in the USB and have it play random and it displays the songs.

So my solution will probably be bluetooth for calls, USB for music.

I hope that the navigation instructions on my Android will play via the bluetooth connection.

Hmm... didn't think about the USB angle. Once I get my car, I'll be able to play with it more and actually find out where the USB port(s) is/are. And the aux connector for that matter. While Pandora is great for playing music I don't currently have stored on my hard drive, I think I can find some decent tunes for use with the USB option.

Thanks for the tip!

In our 128i we have the business radio. We need the USB Y-Cable (supplied at no charge by our dealer) for iPhone integration. iPhone 5 requires lightning adapter alongside Y-Cable.

I haven't tried USB flash for music, I assumed only iDrive supported this.

Originally Posted by KP49

Bluetooth calling is there, but it wont use the phone's address book if you voice dial. You can scroll and manually go through the phonebook to make calls with the steering wheel controls. As mentioned no BT streaming audio.

The only manual online is for the iDrive, the car will come with the proper non-iDrive manual.

If it's the same Bluetooth as in my 328i you can program voice commands for selected numbers or you can verbally dial a specific number. It's all in the specific Bluetooth manual that comes with the vehicle.

Any of you looking to add bluetooth music streaming to your non-iDrive BMW need to look no further than the Blackberry Music Gateway. http://shop.crackberry.com/blackberr...A172A11438.htm You can also buy this together with a great micro USB charger for only 10 dollars more. This adapter does not have a battery, but will automatically come on with your car when powered via the cigarette lighter. It plugs in to the 3.5mm aux port and is very tiny and able to be tucked away and velcroed to the side or top of the pocket right next to your aux and usb ports.

I have been using this for a week or so and it pairs up flawlessly every single time. I have never had to fiddle with it EVER. It is as OEM of a solution as you can find currently. Because this adapter is considered A2DP only, and has no microphone, your phone will automatically default to using the OEM bluetooth for phone calls. In the case of a phone call, your bluetooth audio will fade out and you will be presented with the call. When the call is ended your music will fade back in and resume just as you would expect via the OEM solution.

My only complaint is that I can very slightly decipher the difference between using the bluetooth adapter and using the 3.5mm wire, as the volume is slightly lower and the sound quality is just a tiny bit worse than when using the wired setup.

All in all, this is currently as good as you can get for a plug and play A2DP adapter that integrates flawlessly with our cars. It truly is a set and forget solution.

I have searched far and wide, and until someone releases an adapter that uses a higher bluetooth version (which will increase sound quality) and still operates as flawlessly as this setup does, I will be sticking with it.

Edit: You can get the entire blackberry music gateway and premium in-vehicle charger for $50.95 shipped if you use the link above and then apply coupon code: TAKE15 (which gives 15% off of your order). That basically means that adding the vehicle charger and using the coupon code makes the vehicle charger free.

Wow, that looks great! Could this be the solution for streaming music via bluetooth... for only $60?

I wish I'd have known that before buying BMW's little cable for $72, but I'm ordering this setup right now.

Thanks for the tip!

edit: ordering was a cinch... the coupon code worked, and they even honored the free shipping to me in ALASKA. Good deal!

Originally Posted by jbone907

Wow, that looks great! Could this be the solution for streaming music via bluetooth... for only $60?

I wish I'd have known that before buying BMW's little cable for $72, but I'm ordering this setup right now.

Thanks for the tip!

edit: ordering was a cinch... the coupon code worked, and they even honored the free shipping to me in ALASKA. Good deal!

Yep! Keep me posted on how you like it. I like mine a lot.

Originally Posted by jbone907

Wow, that looks great! Could this be the solution for streaming music via bluetooth... for only $60?

I wish I'd have known that before buying BMW's little cable for $72, but I'm ordering this setup right now.

Thanks for the tip!

edit: ordering was a cinch... the coupon code worked, and they even honored the free shipping to me in ALASKA. Good deal!

Great tip!

Ordered as well. If this solves the streaming issue for only $60 this will be golden. Can't wait to try it. I'll let you know how it works out.

Great video describing how the music gateway works:

!

alright, I just ordered one, i'll post how well it works... wife picked up a new iPhone 5 and i don't want to shell out $$$ for another adapter

Well everyone, I received my Media Gateway kit yesterday and for the most part, it's a huge step in the right direction! Now, instead of having to connect my phone via cable to the car's stereo, i simply press "play" on my Pandora app, and then this kit takes over and channels my music into the stero system. The phone can stay in my coat pocket from that point forward.

A few observations:

Connecting my phone and its music in this manner, means losing the ability to skip songs via the steering wheel or radio buttons. When I had my phone connected via cable, I could still accomplish this. When using the media gateway however, I must use the phone itself to skip tracks. It's a minor inconvenience as I don't skip much, and it still certainly pales in comparison to the hassle of having to connect my phone via cable every single time. You will also lose the ability to see your song information on the radio display.

Fortunately, the volume buttons on the steering wheel still work to control the volume. I initially had a problem with the volume being too quiet on the streaming music, so I would respond by turning the volume up. But then if I changed sources to the radio, for example, suddenly it would be TOO loud. As it happens, the AUX mode on the BMW's radio comes with its own volume adjustment. When in AUX mode, you should see one of the radio buttons on the bottom labelled with "VOL ADJ" or some such; i adjusted this up a few ticks and now my volume matches other sources perfectly.

This device itself is tiny; it's smaller than a box of tic tacs. The cords required to hook it up to the aux jack, and the power cord for charging, are the real problems. It's easy enough to tuck all this away into the storage tray next to the inputs, but I'm going to explore options involving routing the cords underneath the trim and to an out-of-the-way place where I can also keep the gateway. Once it's been set up, there's no need to ever touch it again so it need not be accessible.

Phone calls are handled the same as before; if you are streaming music via this device and you receive a call, the music quits out and the car's bluetooth takes over. When the call is done, the music returns with no intervention needed from the driver.

All in all, despite losing a few minor things, the overall improvement was well worth the $50.

I think you did a great job explaining the functionality of this device. One thing I would like to add, though, is that your comparison is with the iPhone. My android phone unfortunately never has had the ability to be controlled via steering wheel (with the exception of volume) on our non-iDrive BMWs.

Hmm, interesting.

I only had limited steering-wheel-button functionality; if I recall, I could skip to the next track by pressing "down" or replay the current track by pressing "up". But that was it. Then if I had Pandora playing, sometimes the buttons would not skip the track on Pandora but instead start playing the songs stored in my phone. It seemed 50/50 on whether I'd get the next Pandora song, or be bumped over to my stored songs. Because of that, it was almost useless... if your Android device never allowed for this "feature", then I don't think you were missing out on much!