BMW Apps / Smartphone integration / Media Snap in

[cnicholson]

OK, so I just realized that I needed to buy a snap-in for the iPhone to fully work with BMW Apps and "BMW Apps Plugin" (which seems to mean native "iPod" interface and Pandora on the Nav Screen).

Seems like a lot of money/effort (especially since I'll need an iPhone 5 cradle when it comes out).

Anyway, other than Pandora, are there any other "BMW App Plugin" apps available? Figured I would load up the iPhone before heading over to the Welt.

Finally, how much better/different is the iPhone integration with the craddle versus just using the USB port?

I tried to do a search in the general F10 forum, but search is not working, so figured I would ask the gurus here.

So far I have downloaded:

BMW Connected
BMW Remote
Pandora

[aus]

Not sure about the M5, but on the M3, the cradle is just needed for video out. If you use the USB cable, you'll still get album art with Pandora.

MOG is an official app. I use Spotify and sometimes the album art even shows up via the USB cable even though it's not a supported app.

.

[jphughan]

As someone who bought the cradle and subsequently sold it, I would recommend not getting it. Hell, even the value of BMW Apps is debatable at this point. The only official apps I know of are the ones you have and MOG, as the poster above mentioned.

The ONLY value to the cradle is the following:

- iPod Out/PlugIn (looks cool, but never used it afterward because the iDrive interface is pretty slick, and at least on the M3, the Entertainment split view didn't show track data when playing through PlugIn, only iDrive)

- Playback of videos stored in your video library (doesn't include the YouTube app or things like that, and it only works while your car is in Park -- how many people sit in their parked cars watching videos???)

- Having an extra spot to charge and play music from a phone, freeing up your USB port for a permanently connected large iPod or your passenger to charge/play their phone, etc.

- POSSIBLY a cell signal boost. There are mixed reports about this, and the iPhone definitely does not have an external antenna connector like BBs so any gain would be purely inductive from car's antenna to the baseplate to the phone, not directly into the phone.

Not a lot of value for a ~$200 cradle, and as you say you'll have to get a new one when the iPhone 5 comes out -- though considering the iPhone 4 cradle didn't come out until after the 4S launched (which was itself late), you may be waiting quite a while.

As for the value of BMW Apps overall, the only thing I liked about it was Pandora, because evidently if you try to use Pandora over USB without it, playback control is unreliable (always works fine over Bluetooth, but doesn't sound as good and doesn't send track data). So I bought an option to fix something that shouldn't have been broken without it in the first place -- again, not much value for a $250 option. At this point I consider it more a futureproofing option in case BMW or someone else actually provides a cool app for it.

[stealth.pilot]

I already have a cradle from my 550i. However, I wouldn't buy one at this stage if I were you:
1) They will probably make a new cradle for the iPhone 5 which will take BMW a few months to make.
2) I suspect the new Nav will support wireless tethering so if you have a tethering plan, you won't need a new cradle.
3) The LTE cradle insert will be out by the end of the year, which is better because it allows you to have a dedicated LTE connection for the car, eliminating need to dock phone (this is my preferred solution).

[stealth.pilot]

Bluetooth alone should give you:
- Phone integration (handsfree dialing, voice control)
- Phonebook integration
- Siri integration (when Apple enables it)
- Bluetooth music (need dock or USB cable for higher quality)
- Email/SMS on the screen (with iOS 5 already working on the Beta)

I don't know if the ability to send messages using Dragonspeak will work via bluetooth.

[kamichael]

One notable downside for the snap-in adapter is that the iPhone does not fit if you have it in a protective case. I had a previous 3GS version before the 4 and it fit very tight around the phone. As a result, to use it I had to remove the phone from the case each time to dock it. This was too much work. I now use the USB cable connection to my iPhone 4S on my F10 550 for the "apps" feature. Otherwise, it's bluetooth for my music audio and phone. I have not tried streaming/viewing video though, it sounds like this is not possible without the BMW smartphone integration dock.

[stealth.pilot]

Originally Posted by kamichael

One notable downside for the snap-in adapter is that the iPhone does not fit if you have it in a protective case. I had a previous 3GS version before the 4 and it fit very tight around the phone. As a result, to use it I had to remove the phone from the case each time to dock it. This was too much work. I now use the USB cable connection to my iPhone 4S on my F10 550 for the "apps" feature. Otherwise, it's bluetooth for my music audio and phone. I have not tried streaming/viewing video though, it sounds like this is not possible without the BMW smartphone integration dock.

I don't bother with a case, and my phone still looks great. Case became unnecessary since they changed the phone back from plastic to glass.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

I already have a cradle from my 550i. However, I wouldn't buy one at this stage if I were you:
1) They will probably make a new cradle for the iPhone 5 which will take BMW a few months to make.
2) I suspect the new Nav will support wireless tethering so if you have a tethering plan, you won't need a new cradle.
3) The LTE cradle insert will be out by the end of the year, which is better because it allows you to have a dedicated LTE connection for the car, eliminating need to dock phone (this is my preferred solution).

1. True, although just a few months is a highly optimistic timeline based on BMW's history with these things.

2. Internet-connected features that use a tethering plan are completely separate from a cradle. Having a cradle doesn't mean you can use the tethering features (the cradle connection can't substitute for a tethering connection) and the tethering feature doesn't replace the cradle functions since the features enabled by the cradle aren't available over Bluetooth or Wifi. They're two different technologies for enabling completely separate and independent things; one has no bearing on the other.

3. I don't see how a dedicated connection for the car is better than having one that you can also use from your phone when you're elsewhere. I understand that the LTE cradle will be portable, but it's quoted as having a laughably short battery life, and having a second device on your wireless plan will be more expensive. If you'll always have your phone in your car and your phone is LTE-capable, I see nothing but downsides to that alternative. The only exception would be if you had a phone that couldn't do simultaneous voice and data while only receiving a 3G signal and you didn't want a voice call to block your car's data connectivity, but lack of 4G coverage will become rarer and rarer, and all 4G phones can do simultaneous voice and data when connected to a 4G tower.

[jphughan]

Originally Posted by stealth.pilot

I don't bother with a case, and my phone still looks great. Case became unnecessary since they changed the phone back from plastic to glass.

I agree the phone looks great without a case, but I buy them because it allows me to get a better grip on my phone as I'm pulling it out of my pocket (which is when I'm most likely to drop it) compared to the sleek metal on the phone itself, and because the VERY few times I've dropped my phone, that extra shock absorption has made the difference between cracked glass and a perfectly intact device. Also, I manage the phone accounts for our company (roughly 3000 phones) and with the number of careless people here, a case very often saves a phone that would've needed replacement otherwise -- it's surprising how little care people take of things that are handed to them compared to things they had to pay for.

[cnicholson]

Thanks for info. Sounds like it is definitely not worth it. So I just ordered one from Ebay. Might be selling it back after Europe trip if I don't like it.