BMW Office Software with iPhone Defect

[Porsche997Techart]

While I love the M5 and most all of it's functionality, I'm quite annoyed by the "buggy" software in interfacing to the iPhone5.

Having spent a lifetime in the PC and tech industry and after shipping hundreds of millions of chips into HW / SW systems, BMW has not done a good job in developing, and validating the software.

How do we get BMW to get this addressed and fixed?

The functionality that I expected was to:
1) Configure my car for my phone
2) Configure my phone notifications
3) Pair the phone to the car

After this, it should just work... but it doesn't.

After contacting BMW Customer Service, I get the following cursory answer - Thank you for contacting BMW of North America, LLC regarding the telecommunications system for your BMW.

A listing of Bluetooth® compatible phones and their functionality features can be found at www.bmwusa.com<http://www.bmwusa.com>, under the “Owners” section, “Bluetooth® Technology”. This information is updated frequently so please check back periodically for the most current information.

Once you are under the “Bluetooth® Technology” portion of our website, please click on the "Currently Available Phones" tab. You will be able to input your VIN and select your carrier from the drop down box. Next you will see a list of all compatible phones with your vehicle. Once you have selected a phone, you will see a list of features and functions. This list will show you whether or not BMW NA, LLC has determined if your phone has the ability to access Mobile Office features. If your phone is not listed on our website, we cannot guarantee functionality with our Mobile Office or our Bluetooth® system.

I replied - Thanks, I know the information that you cited, I've been to the website and all of the forums. I want to know what BMW is really doing to get iPhone5 to work correctly with BMW apps, and the capability that is supposed to be there on the car. Office is a piece of junk - I have it in two cars (2013 BMW M5 and 2013 BMW 328i) and an iPhone5 doesn't work in either. So please find out the real answer on what work Engineering is doing, and when it will be resolved and a software update available from BMW so that Office works with an Apple iPhone5.

Then the reply came back: At this time, we have no additional information regarding when this feature may be available for your phone.

Anyone have any ideas or contacts that we can elevate this to for quick action and resolution?

[Mbbrewer]

I haven't had any problems pairing my iPhone 5 to my 2013 550i. I do have 2 annoyances though. Notifications work as does bluetooth audio streaming and calling. I do have 2 annoyances that I hope will be addressed at some point.
1) Email notifications work, but require that you change the number of messages you are able to view on the phone each time you start the car.
2) Plugging in the phone to USB automatically disables the bluetooth streaming audio and you have to reactivate it.

[krispykreme]

My notification works from time to time.

I was only able to read email may be 2 out of 10 times. This depsite repairing the phone and turn notification on and off.

Recently, the traffic stopped working and connected drive camera failed.

[Porsche997Techart]

Sounds like the definition of "Buggy Software" to me. I'd like to see it fixed sooner and it's unacceptable given the cars have been out for almost 5 months in the US.

[bradone1]

As iOS gets updated it will always continue to break the connection, I hear it works better with different versions of iOS?

[jmh]

Originally Posted by Porsche997Techart

Sounds like the definition of "Buggy Software" to me. I'd like to see it fixed sooner and it's unacceptable given the cars have been out for almost 5 months in the US.

At least with IOS you get buggy software.
Android users pretty much have no software whatsoever ....
BMW is certainly not into rapid development when it comes to iDrive connectivity sw / features

[bradone1]

i hear windows phones work best??

[Warehouser]

I have looked everywhere and cannot find out what the "10" stands for next to the BT symbol in the picture below. There is nothing in the manual (Nav/Entertainment one) referencing the symbol meaning. I don't have any emails or messages on my iPhone 5. I've had as much as 30, still no emails/messages on the phone. I was looking at it today trying again and it went from 9 to 10. Anyone have a clue?

[jmh]

Originally Posted by Warehouser

I have looked everywhere and cannot find out what the "10" stands for next to the BT symbol in the picture below. There is nothing in the manual (Nav/Entertainment one) referencing the symbol meaning. I don't have any emails or messages on my iPhone 5. I've had as much as 30, still no emails/messages on the phone. I was looking at it today trying again and it went from 9 to 10. Anyone have a clue?

I believe that's the song "number" as you're playing them from your connected device ?
If you press forward/reverse it should increment/decrease

[Warehouser]

Originally Posted by jmh

I believe that's the song "number" as you're playing them from your connected device ?
If you press forward/reverse it should increment/decrease

Sorry, thought it was office related.

Thanks!

[chillin4now]

I downloaded the new software update from bmw.com/update for my car and when I try to load it (update from car) It tells me it is incompatible software. Any one else have success/failure with this?

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by chillin4now

I downloaded the new software update from bmw.com/update for my car and when I try to load it (update from car) It tells me it is incompatible software. Any one else have success/failure with this?

Same here. Failure, incompatible software on USB.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by Mbbrewer

I do have 2 annoyances that I hope will be addressed at some point.

2) Plugging in the phone to USB automatically disables the bluetooth streaming audio and you have to reactivate it.

I think this is by design, so I doubt a fix will be forthcoming. I expect it's to prevent an issue of an owner connecting their phone via USB, accidentally selecting Bluetooth Audio rather than USB as the source, and then wondering why their sound quality hasn't improved and they still can't navigate their library and view album art. Gotta design to the least common denominator owner.

And the email notification issue is likely an iOS bug, not a BMW bug because it worked fine on early iOS 6 betas and broke in a later beta and stayed broken for the final releases.

[cnicholson]

Originally Posted by M54ccibo

Same here. Failure, incompatible software on USB.

Ditto.

[SamS]

My car has the new Nav, same as M5. I updated the software last night via download/USB, no problem. Make sure your USB is formatted as FAT32.

[Porsche997Techart]

Has anyone done the IOS 6.1 update on the phone and the UPD05004 binary update on the car? Does this make the M5's Office capability work better with an iPhone 5?

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by SamS

My car has the new Nav, same as M5. I updated the software last night via download/USB, no problem. Make sure your USB is formatted as FAT32.

Tried again, this time completely from a Winblowz vm. Same issue - incompatible software on USB.

[SamS]

Originally Posted by Porsche997Techart

Has anyone done the IOS 6.1 update on the phone and the UPD05004 binary update on the car? Does this make the M5's Office capability work better with an iPhone 5?

I did both. Behavior is the same as before.

Originally Posted by M54ccibo

Tried again, this time completely from a Winblowz vm. Same issue - incompatible software on USB.

Does the file download OK? Should be in the root directory and you'll be in the the Update Software screen in the Nav. Use the center console USB port.

[M54ccibo]

Originally Posted by SamS

I did both. Behavior is the same as before.



Does the file download OK? Should be in the root directory and you'll be in the the Update Software screen in the Nav. Use the center console USB port.

Yep, tried it multiple times, multiple USB drives, two operating systems. Same error.

[mindlessmark07]

Originally Posted by M54ccibo

Yep, tried it multiple times, multiple USB drives, two operating systems. Same error.

Same result here.

[jphughan]

I wonder if there's some glitch on the BMW download page where they're serving up the wrong software for your car even though you entered your partial VIN correctly. That would definitely explain the "Incompatible software" message.

[SamS]

Originally Posted by M54ccibo

Yep, tried it multiple times, multiple USB drives, two operating systems. Same error.

Try to redownload today.