Spotify and BMW

x-m4n · 11-20-2014, 08:53 AM

Finally working together

https://news.spotify.com/us/2014/11/...-into-the-car/

DanITman · 11-21-2014, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by x-m4n

Finally working together

https://news.spotify.com/us/2014/11/...-into-the-car/

I haven't been able to get it to work, have you?

x-m4n · 11-26-2014, 06:14 AM

Yes - basically connected the iPhone to the centre console USB port.

Open the Spotify app, the iPhone screen changed and showed both the Spotify and BMW logos in full.

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Then, pressing the car's "Media" botton, your car will display the Spotify as an option and from there all your music, playlists, etc... can be managed via the steering wheel controls.

My iPhone is a 5s with iOS 8.1.1 and has the latest version of the Spotify app. My car has the NBT professional nav with BMW Apps.

RichardP · 11-27-2014, 05:49 AM

Yes, it works reasonably well.

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It's a little fiddly to get working, sometimes more than others, the Spotify App has to be running and in the foreground (I think), sometimes it just does not detect it at all.

There are some major bits of missing functionality:

- There is no Search facility, although you can browse 'Your Music' and use the Radio function etc. The ability to search at least 'Your Music' and ideally the full on line library would be nice.
- You can see the current 'Play Queue', even on the Cluster/HUD you just get the current track and a Next and Prev option.
- There is a bug in the Spotify app that means Album Art is not displayed for any offline music you have.

x-m4n · 11-27-2014, 06:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardP

- There is a bug in the Spotify app that means Album Art is not displayed for any offline music you have.

I noticed the artwork does not show when you send spotify to the split screen section (replacing the trip computer in your picture)...

Also noticed that, from the steering wheel, I could go to the next song, but not back...

Small things, I would hope they fix with time... in any case its great to be able to spotify while driving...

RichardP · 11-27-2014, 06:50 AM

Yes, Album Art is never shown for the Spotify App if it's shown on the split screen, it is for other audio sources.

If you use the free version of Spotify then it will only work in Random (Shuffle) mode, in Random mode you can't go back to the previous track.

There are a few other minor bugs in the Spotify App, things like the 'Spotify' source name does not always appear on the Nav info overlay in the top right. It's also a bit of a pain to have to have the iPhone unlocked when you dock it to have Spotify come up on the iDrive. If you have the Connected Drive App running there it makes the selection of Spotify more awkward too.

It's a reasonable start, but it could be quite a lot better with just a little bit more work.

x-m4n · 11-27-2014, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardP

If you use the free version of Spotify then it will only work in Random (Shuffle) mode, in Random mode you can't go back to the previous track

I had to check this one but yes, my account is still premium... tried it in a rush on Monday, will give it another go during the weekend. The steering wheel control, would not scroll to the back little arrow...

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardP

It's also a bit of a pain to have to have the iPhone unlocked when you dock it to have Spotify come up on the iDrive. If you have the Connected Drive App running there it makes the selection of Spotify more awkward too

Could Siri, for a change, be helpful to launch the app?

I also thought that it was a good start - something very useful I am sure many of us will be using.

We bought into the the right brand/car!

RichardP · 11-27-2014, 08:27 AM

Did you have shuffle on?

Tried Siri, it helpfully says "I'm sorry, I can't help you with that while you're in the car"!

If you try it with the phone disconnected but locked, it says "Unlock your iPhone first.". Great!

If you connect the iPhone without either Connected Drive or Spotify running then getting it working again is rather hit and miss!

DanITman · 11-30-2014, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by x-m4n

Then, pressing the car's "Media" botton, your car will display the Spotify as an option and from there all your music, playlists, etc... can be managed via the steering wheel controls.

My iPhone is a 5s with iOS 8.1.1 and has the latest version of the Spotify app. My car has the NBT professional nav with BMW Apps.

\

Anyone else find it weird that you have to go under the media button to access spotify? All other apps (Pandora, TuneIn) are under the radio section. Weird.

RichardP · 11-30-2014, 10:35 AM

Pandora and TuneIn are both Internet radio apps, Spotify is an on line media app, so that makes perfect sense to me.

DanITman · 11-30-2014, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardP

Pandora and TuneIn are both Internet radio apps, Spotify is an on line media app, so that makes perfect sense to me.

Spotify has the radio function just like Pandora.

x-m4n · 12-01-2014, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardP

Did you have shuffle on?

Tried Siri, it helpfully says "I'm sorry, I can't help you with that while you're in the car"!

If you try it with the phone disconnected but locked, it says "Unlock your iPhone first.". Great!

If you connect the iPhone without either Connected Drive or Spotify running then getting it working again is rather hit and miss!

Had time to test this over the weekend, the back button was working all along!

The best way for me would be to launch the "Connected" iPhone app and then plug it to the centre console... Then I can drive and launch spotify, tunein or Glympse as/when I need them...

Did notice it takes a few seconds for the iPhone to lunch the app and for the app to go to "BMW Mode" and only then the option is shown in the car's screen... but worked well and I was doing a few short trips plugging/unplugging the phone...

Did notice different apps showing under media/radio buttons - sort of makes sense to me - having it that way actually reminded me tunein was also available there in the car...

Top tip is to go into your spotify app and change the music quality settings to "extreme"

Finally it may be worth checking you have installed the latest "drivers" available for your car from here

Tameautumn · 05-02-2015, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by x-m4n

Yes - basically connected the iPhone to the centre console USB port.

Open the Spotify app, the iPhone screen changed and showed both the Spotify and BMW logos in full.

Attachment 1123057

Then, pressing the car's "Media" botton, your car will display the Spotify as an option and from there all your music, playlists, etc... can be managed via the steering wheel controls.

My iPhone is a 5s with iOS 8.1.1 and has the latest version of the Spotify app. My car has the NBT professional nav with BMW Apps.

Does it work with the business navigation only package? Or do you need the professional with apps package?

x-m4n · 05-07-2015, 03:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tameautumn

Does it work with the business navigation only package? Or do you need the professional with apps package?

Instructions are in the Spotify blog here

The link suggests it will work on cars equipped with the BMW Apps feature as part of ConnectedDrive. I have the Pro Nav - for you the only way to know is plug the iPhone to the USB port and launch the Spotify app - if it works, you will see the phone screen change and include the big BMW+spotify logos...

Aalders · 05-09-2015, 01:23 AM

For some reason the last update that was released killed my connectivity....

RichardP · 05-09-2015, 01:35 AM

Yeah, mine too. They better fix it quickly or I think I'll cancel my subscription and switch to something else.

x-m4n · 05-11-2015, 03:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aalders

For some reason the last update that was released killed my connectivity....

Broken here too!

RichardP · 05-11-2015, 04:01 AM

Is this broken in all BMWs or does the problem only cover certain vehicles?

Mine is broken, 2013 M6 Gran Coupe, software updated early March 2015, iPhone 5s with iOS 8.3.

x-m4n · 05-12-2015, 04:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardP

Is this broken in all BMWs or does the problem only cover certain vehicles?

I say is broken for all - hopefully a bug Spotify can fix soon

RichardP · 05-12-2015, 04:52 AM

I'm now using the Deezer trial. If Spotify is not working by the time that expires, I'll switch.

x-m4n · 05-13-2015, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichardP

I'm now using the Deezer trial. If Spotify is not working by the time that expires, I'll switch.

How do you find the music catalogue there? I did a quick search a couple of years ago and found Spotify to have more of what I wanted/liked but things are changing a some of my Spotify music is no longer available.

It might be a good time to switch even just to try, will have a loog and see if there are any deals.

RichardP · 05-13-2015, 04:40 AM

Most music I've looked for is there, but the search does not necessarily return it! I've had to find albums by finding a track I know is on it and then going to the Album.

It may be just because I've not signed up yet, but the Deezer app is very unstable and has a number of bugs. For it to work you have to select the Album before connecting the phone, you can then change track but if you change Album the app closes. There are other problems I've noticed too, if you get a phone call while Deezer is playing, after the call there is no audio, changing source to something else and back to Deezer fixes it but it does not bode well!

11-20-2014, 08:53 AM	#1
x-m4n Captain 148 Rep 766 Posts Drives: Gran Turismo (F34) Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: London iTrader: (0)	Spotify and BMW Finally working together https://news.spotify.com/us/2014/11/...-into-the-car/
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11-26-2014, 06:14 AM	#3
x-m4n Captain 148 Rep 766 Posts Drives: Gran Turismo (F34) Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: London iTrader: (0)	Yes - basically connected the iPhone to the centre console USB port. Open the Spotify app, the iPhone screen changed and showed both the Spotify and BMW logos in full. Then, pressing the car's "Media" botton, your car will display the Spotify as an option and from there all your music, playlists, etc... can be managed via the steering wheel controls. My iPhone is a 5s with iOS 8.1.1 and has the latest version of the Spotify app. My car has the NBT professional nav with BMW Apps. Last edited by x-m4n; 11-26-2014 at 08:12 AM..
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11-27-2014, 05:49 AM	#4
RichardP Lieutenant 51 Rep 591 Posts Drives: E39 M5 & M6 Gran Coupe Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: North Yorkshire, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe [10.00] 1980 E26 [10.00] 2003 BMW M5 [10.00]	Yes, it works reasonably well. It's a little fiddly to get working, sometimes more than others, the Spotify App has to be running and in the foreground (I think), sometimes it just does not detect it at all. There are some major bits of missing functionality: - There is no Search facility, although you can browse 'Your Music' and use the Radio function etc. The ability to search at least 'Your Music' and ideally the full on line library would be nice. - You can see the current 'Play Queue', even on the Cluster/HUD you just get the current track and a Next and Prev option. - There is a bug in the Spotify app that means Album Art is not displayed for any offline music you have.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-27-2014, 06:50 AM	#6
RichardP Lieutenant 51 Rep 591 Posts Drives: E39 M5 & M6 Gran Coupe Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: North Yorkshire, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe [10.00] 1980 E26 [10.00] 2003 BMW M5 [10.00]	Yes, Album Art is never shown for the Spotify App if it's shown on the split screen, it is for other audio sources. If you use the free version of Spotify then it will only work in Random (Shuffle) mode, in Random mode you can't go back to the previous track. There are a few other minor bugs in the Spotify App, things like the 'Spotify' source name does not always appear on the Nav info overlay in the top right. It's also a bit of a pain to have to have the iPhone unlocked when you dock it to have Spotify come up on the iDrive. If you have the Connected Drive App running there it makes the selection of Spotify more awkward too. It's a reasonable start, but it could be quite a lot better with just a little bit more work.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

11-27-2014, 08:27 AM	#8
RichardP Lieutenant 51 Rep 591 Posts Drives: E39 M5 & M6 Gran Coupe Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: North Yorkshire, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe [10.00] 1980 E26 [10.00] 2003 BMW M5 [10.00]	Did you have shuffle on? Tried Siri, it helpfully says "I'm sorry, I can't help you with that while you're in the car"! If you try it with the phone disconnected but locked, it says "Unlock your iPhone first.". Great! If you connect the iPhone without either Connected Drive or Spotify running then getting it working again is rather hit and miss!
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11-30-2014, 10:35 AM	#10
RichardP Lieutenant 51 Rep 591 Posts Drives: E39 M5 & M6 Gran Coupe Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: North Yorkshire, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe [10.00] 1980 E26 [10.00] 2003 BMW M5 [10.00]	Pandora and TuneIn are both Internet radio apps, Spotify is an on line media app, so that makes perfect sense to me.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-09-2015, 01:23 AM	#15
Aalders New Member 7 Rep 25 Posts Drives: 335ix GT Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Germany iTrader: (0)	For some reason the last update that was released killed my connectivity....
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05-09-2015, 01:35 AM	#16
RichardP Lieutenant 51 Rep 591 Posts Drives: E39 M5 & M6 Gran Coupe Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: North Yorkshire, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe [10.00] 1980 E26 [10.00] 2003 BMW M5 [10.00]	Yeah, mine too. They better fix it quickly or I think I'll cancel my subscription and switch to something else.
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05-11-2015, 04:01 AM	#18
RichardP Lieutenant 51 Rep 591 Posts Drives: E39 M5 & M6 Gran Coupe Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: North Yorkshire, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe [10.00] 1980 E26 [10.00] 2003 BMW M5 [10.00]	Is this broken in all BMWs or does the problem only cover certain vehicles? Mine is broken, 2013 M6 Gran Coupe, software updated early March 2015, iPhone 5s with iOS 8.3.
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05-12-2015, 04:52 AM	#20
RichardP Lieutenant 51 Rep 591 Posts Drives: E39 M5 & M6 Gran Coupe Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: North Yorkshire, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe [10.00] 1980 E26 [10.00] 2003 BMW M5 [10.00]	I'm now using the Deezer trial. If Spotify is not working by the time that expires, I'll switch.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-13-2015, 04:40 AM	#22
RichardP Lieutenant 51 Rep 591 Posts Drives: E39 M5 & M6 Gran Coupe Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: North Yorkshire, UK iTrader: (0) Garage List 2013 BMW M6 Gran Coupe [10.00] 1980 E26 [10.00] 2003 BMW M5 [10.00]	Most music I've looked for is there, but the search does not necessarily return it! I've had to find albums by finding a track I know is on it and then going to the Album. It may be just because I've not signed up yet, but the Deezer app is very unstable and has a number of bugs. For it to work you have to select the Album before connecting the phone, you can then change track but if you change Album the app closes. There are other problems I've noticed too, if you get a phone call while Deezer is playing, after the call there is no audio, changing source to something else and back to Deezer fixes it but it does not bode well!
	Appreciate 0 Quote