#Idrive update full#
#Idrive update Bluetooth#

#Idrive update Bluetooth#

In our experience, syncing handsets is usually a painless process with iDrive – including the transfer of contacts - and you can have up to three Bluetooth devices sync'ed at the same time. You can read more about that in the Connectivity and apps section of this guide.įinally, as you'd expect iDrive has comprehensive Bluetooth support.

One exception to all this Apple love is the My BMW Remote app, which is also available for Android. That gives you fewer options over playback via the car's controls – essentially, you're limited to play, pause and next or previous tracks. You also have the option of streaming music wirelessly via Bluetooth.

#Idrive update full#

In simple terms, that means you can plug your Apple device in via a wired connection and have full access to your music library, including album art. That starts with great support for music playback from iPhones, iPods and iPads. It's no secret that BMW has shacked up pretty cosily with Apple when it comes to smartphone support. What about smartphone integration and Bluetooth? But it's still better than your typical built-in Points of Interest database. Partly, that's because BMW has yet to implement 3G connectivity (more on that in a moment) and searches using the EDGE connection are painfully slow. Nor is it quite as useful as you might think. It's becoming more widely available from a number of different car manufacturers. The final nav-relevant feature is Google Search. You can even ring BMW Assist and have them help. It's a really useful feature and enables, for instance, phoning back to the office and asking a co-worker or assistant to fire over new destinations or routes on the move. The next time you hop in, it's a simple matter of a single click to accept the data and slap it straight into iDrive's nav system. You can then use your BMW profile to fire them directly to your car. The idea here is to use Google Maps on a PC, Mac, tablet or mobile phone to find destinations or plot out routes with multiple waypoints. However, where things get really clever is support for Google Send to Car. In Europe, it's currently available for the UK, Germany, Italy and France. The shizzle here is a combination of traditional TMC data with newfangled traffic data based on mobile phone movements, just like TomTom HD Traffic.

It's better than nothing, but not nearly as detailed or up-to-date as the likes of, say, TomTom's HD Traffic, which draws data from cellular phone networks to create a detailed, real-time picture of traffic conditions.įortunately, BMW recently introduced RTTI or Real-Time Traffic Information. Like several built-in navs, iDrive has offered RDS-TMC traffic info for a while. One area where iDrive's nav has lagged behind the best aftermarket units, including TomTom and Garmin devices, is traffic data. We'd recommend going for the largest available screen, since upgrades are more or less impossible. Extra-large displays are optional on some models but standard on others. Large, high quality and high resolution LCD screens are also typically part of the iDrive mix, though screen sizes vary from model to model. iDrive arguably has the slickest and clearest interface of any of the major in-car interfaces, with its closest competition coming from Audi's MMI. It's big on clarity and intuitiveness, that's what.

On a 640i coupé, by contrast, most iDrive features come as standard. But to give you a couple of examples, the entry BMW Business navigation system with iDrive on a new 320d is yours for £1,550, over which you'll need to pay extra for certain features such as enhanced Bluetooth and internet access. Pricing and the level of standard features also vary considerably across BMW's range. It's a pretty consistent experience, but features and functionality do vary, both from model to model and also in terms of optional features. IDrive is available across the full range of BMW passenger cars. The latter is part of BMW's ConnectedDrive, which is essentially an internet-enabled subsystem within iDrive. Updates to iDrive have seen ever greater focus on support for smartphone syncing, as well as wireless and internet connectivity. The basics include navigation, audio and video entertainment, trip computers, car status information including servicing, tyre pressures and more, mobile telephony, bluetooth and a range of connected features.Īs for input methods, iDrive sticks with its tried and tested wheel-input, augmented by a range of shortcut keys for quick-jumping through the interface, along with voice input for hands-free control.