[joewalton]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

It doesn't seem to be an Apple thing. I have a sandisk USB drive as one source, and a good old CD as another. On both, I have Random turned on. The only way I can move to the next Random song seems to be using the arrow buttons on the dash. Nothing on the wheel for that, though my E90 had it. Am I missing something?

You are not missing something. You, like many others, are confusing two different input devices with two different purposes.

The Scroll Wheel on the steering wheel is there to scroll through lists. That's all it does. It is a shortcut for a function that is buried in iDrive and reduces driver distraction. It's why it's there.

The Skip buttons on the center stack are there to jump tracks. That's all they do. They are not that far away and are easy to locate without looking.

And since 99% of Media users are using Random only 1% of the time, the solve for this is quite simple: To skip to the next track from the steering wheel, just rotate the scroll wheel one notch downward and press it in. There. You've skipped. You don't even have to glance at the HUD. Same as hitting the Skip button.

And I, for one, like the fact that when in Random I can use the Scroll Wheel on the steering wheel to instantly get to the next song from that artist and defeat Random. So if I'm listening to my 100 song 'High School Mix' playlist and I hear a cut from Bruce Springsteen and want to hear more Springsteen I only have to scroll the wheel one notch downward, engage his next track, and not have to go into iDrive submenus to uncheck the Random box.

[joewalton]

Originally Posted by KnarF30

Folks, apologies for the necro-bump and yes, search button has been patroned to no avail.

I have a 2012 F30 328i, sportline with Enhanced Bluetooth, no nav.

When streaming via BT, I simply cannot change OR view the next (or previous) track from the scroll wheel on the R right of the steering wheel.

* When playing a CD, I can roll the scroll wheel to display subsequent songs and when I find the right one, I press the scroller and voila.

* When playing the radio, the scroller can be used to surf/select stations.

* When streaming via BT, the scroll wheel does absolutely nothing EXCEPT quickly display which track I'm playing on the dash's LCD readout. It refuses to scroll through my playlist, advance, do a tap dance or anything else.

Am I missing something? Frustrating as I'm streaming music 90% of the time I'm in the car.

When asked, the uber helpful SA at my dealership just smiled at me.....then his head exploded.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

What is the source of the music you are streaming?

Each app functions differently depending on how it was programmed by the developers. Pandora, for example, is not engineered by BMW but rather by Pandora and they've decided that you can skip to the next track but not back and there are no previews or anything of that nature. That was their decision just as the developers of all the other apps made their own UI decisions.

Your older iDrive system also provides greater data and control when these apps are run over USB than when attempted via Bluetooth.

[newoldbeemer]

Originally Posted by joewalton

You are not missing something. You, like many others, are confusing two different input devices with two different purposes.

The Scroll Wheel on the steering wheel is there to scroll through lists. That's all it does. It is a shortcut for a function that is buried in iDrive and reduces driver distraction. It's why it's there.

The Skip buttons on the center stack are there to jump tracks. That's all they do. They are not that far away and are easy to locate without looking.

And since 99% of Media users are using Random only 1% of the time, the solve for this is quite simple: To skip to the next track from the steering wheel, just rotate the scroll wheel one notch downward and press it in. There. You've skipped. You don't even have to glance at the HUD. Same as hitting the Skip button.

And I, for one, like the fact that when in Random I can use the Scroll Wheel on the steering wheel to instantly get to the next song from that artist and defeat Random. So if I'm listening to my 100 song 'High School Mix' playlist and I hear a cut from Bruce Springsteen and want to hear more Springsteen I only have to scroll the wheel one notch downward, engage his next track, and not have to go into iDrive submenus to uncheck the Random box.

.. in other words, this basic feature doesn't exist. Fail, bmw.

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by Axman85

Apparently I don't have this behavior.

When I select a playlist, then pick random via iDrive, and begin play the steering wheel button scrolls through the playlist in order. Making matters worse, when I pick a song via the scroll wheel random is turned off. I am using an iPhone 4s.

Do you have an NBT/iDrive 4.2?

I tested it earlier today on an iPhone 4 that was running iOS 5.

I also played around with it a bit on an iPhone 5 running iOS 6 but I'm not sure if I turned random on or not.

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by joewalton

You are not missing something. You, like many others, are confusing two different input devices with two different purposes.

The Scroll Wheel on the steering wheel is there to scroll through lists. That's all it does. It is a shortcut for a function that is buried in iDrive and reduces driver distraction. It's why it's there.

That's not true. Well, not in all cases any way. Under certain circumstances you get little '<' and '>' arrows when using the steering wheel scroller. Those operate as next and previous.

One of those circumstances is when streaming from an iDevice running an app that doesn't provide track info. This I can personally attest to.

The other case is (at least) some non-apple BT streaming devices, as others have attested to.

Disclaimer: I know some of this has changed with NBT and/or iDrive 4.2. I don't have a car with a CIC in it any more and some of the things being discussed I tried maybe once w/ CIC a year+ ago so I'm having trouble keeping track of what nuances are specific to what.

[joewalton]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

.. in other words, this basic feature doesn't exist. Fail, bmw.

Hmm. Let's see. We lost a skip button on the steering wheel in the transition from the E90 to the F30. What did we gain?

iDrive as standard equipment.
Premium sound system as standard equipment.
HD Radio as standard equipment.
Bluetooth as standard equipment.
BMW Assist as standard equipment.
Instrument cluster with enhanced contents.
Black plastic reduction on the center stack.
Gloss chrome console trim.
Aluminum electronic auto shifter.
Thicker, contoured steering wheel.
Enhanced ambient lighting with red/white option.
Superior cup holders w/tray cover option.
Larger air vents for superior cooling.
Curved instrumentaion surfacing for cockpit feel.
Hidden compartment beneath headlamp switch.
Auto dimming exterior mirrors
Auto dimming rearview mirror
Universal garage door opener
Power seats w/memory
Split & fold down rear seats

A 2009 Post-LCI E90 had an MSRP of $33,600. The 2013 F30 has an MSRP of $36,850.

Using an inflation calculator, $33,600 in 2009 is equal to $36,483 in 2013. So that laundry list of standard features and improvements I posted above has a true out-of-pocket real-world incremental cost of $367.

Cry me a river with your BMW "fail".

[joewalton]

Originally Posted by JesseS

That's not true. Well, not in all cases any way. Under certain circumstances you get little '<' and '>' arrows when using the steering wheel scroller. Those operate as next and previous.

One of those circumstances is when streaming from an iDevice running an app that doesn't provide track info. This I can personally attest to.

The other case is (at least) some non-apple BT streaming devices, as others have attested to.

Disclaimer: I know some of this has changed with NBT and/or iDrive 4.2. I don't have a car with a CIC in it any more and some of the things being discussed I tried maybe once w/ CIC a year+ ago so I'm having trouble keeping track of what nuances are specific to what.

You are correct but, again, you're blaming the wrong bad guy.

The streaming apps are just that- APPS.

Apps created by third party developers who chose their own implementations. If the Pandora engineers decided not to activate the skip forward/backward feature in the HUD that's on Pandora, not BMW.

Savvy?

[Axman85]

At the end of the day, BMW's integration via Y-cable sucks. Don't know how many times the iDrive isn't even in sync with the playlist I picked and I have to disconnect the mess.

Maybe those with Enhanced BT and NAV have better luck. The 2k for that crap probably isn't with it.

When in random the scroll wheel should act like the arrow buttons on the head unit and go to the next random tune. Not hard to do. Our krappy Toyota can do this.

[newoldbeemer]

Originally Posted by joewalton

Hmm. Let's see. We lost a skip button on the steering wheel in the transition from the E90 to the F30. What did we gain?

iDrive as standard equipment.
Premium sound system as standard equipment.
HD Radio as standard equipment.
Bluetooth as standard equipment.
BMW Assist as standard equipment.
Instrument cluster with enhanced contents.
Black plastic reduction on the center stack.
Gloss chrome console trim.
Aluminum electronic auto shifter.
Thicker, contoured steering wheel.
Enhanced ambient lighting with red/white option.
Superior cup holders w/tray cover option.
Larger air vents for superior cooling.
Curved instrumentaion surfacing for cockpit feel.
Hidden compartment beneath headlamp switch.
Auto dimming exterior mirrors
Auto dimming rearview mirror
Universal garage door opener
Power seats w/memory
Split & fold down rear seats

A 2009 Post-LCI E90 had an MSRP of $33,600. The 2013 F30 has an MSRP of $36,850.

Using an inflation calculator, $33,600 in 2009 is equal to $36,483 in 2013. So that laundry list of standard features and improvements I posted above has a true out-of-pocket real-world incremental cost of $367.

Cry me a river with your BMW "fail".

None of those is a legitimate excuse for a feature even basic cars come with. Lets see, you were probably the guy making other excuses for BMW - i cant imagine why, unless you work for them - when the E90 came without folding seats.

The F30 is supposed to be an improvement over the E90. It is expected to be better. If you are saying that adding one feature means taking another away - especially if its a basic one that the competition offers - that's like saying your new house has a bigger kitchen than the old one, so you decided to not have a bathroom this time.

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by joewalton

You are correct but, again, you're blaming the wrong bad guy.

The streaming apps are just that- APPS.

Apps created by third party developers who chose their own implementations. If the Pandora engineers decided not to activate the skip forward/backward feature in the HUD that's on Pandora, not BMW.

Savvy?

I'm not quite sure who you're responding to, but it doesn't seem like it's me as I'm the one specifically saying the 3rd party apps I've tested DO provide skip fw/back via the scroller on the steering wheel.

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by Axman85

When in random the scroll wheel should act like the arrow buttons on the head unit and go to the next random tune. Not hard to do. Our krappy Toyota can do this.

Why is this ("next random tune") better than showing you the entire random track list and allowing you to select whichever track you want? (As the current implementation does when using an iDevice)

[Axman85]

Originally Posted by JesseS

Why is this ("next random tune") better than showing you the entire random track list and allowing you to select whichever track you want? (As the current implementation does when using an iDevice)

As stated earlier, my playlist doesn't show up random in iDrive and therefore it's also not random in the dash display controlled by the scroll wheel. I use an iPhone 4s.

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by Axman85

As stated earlier, my playlist doesn't show up random in iDrive and therefore it's also not random in the dash display controlled by the scroll wheel. I use an iPhone 4s.

Yours may not. Mine does.

So, you are either comparing old or faulty technology with your assumption of how the tech should operate now (or even then).

It's like saying: "Brand X in 1989 didn't have this feature that Brand Y does now" or even "Brand X in 1989 didn't have this feature that Brand Y had in 1989". Either way you're comparing historic technology and that isn't a very useful statement in terms of what the F30 is and can do.

If someone were to read your post without context they would come away with the mistaken impression that the F30 lacks this capability. It does not.

[Axman85]

Originally Posted by JesseS

Yours may not. Mine does.

So, you are either comparing old or faulty technology with your assumption of how the tech should operate now (or even then).

It's like saying: "Brand X in 1989 didn't have this feature that Brand Y does now" or even "Brand X in 1989 didn't have this feature that Brand Y had in 1989". Either way you're comparing historic technology and that isn't a very useful statement in terms of what the F30 is and can do.

If someone were to read your post without context they would come away with the mistaken impression that the F30 lacks this capability. It does not.

Would call a Nov, 2012 build of an F30 "old technology" but I can compare it to a 2004 vehicle I own that has this functionality and say my F30 doesn't.

My post isn't misleading. Apparently your the only one sofas that seems to have the "new technology" that we are all envious of.

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by Axman85

Would call a Nov, 2012 build of an F30 "old technology" but I can compare it to a 2004 vehicle I own that has this functionality and say my F30 doesn't.

My post isn't misleading. Apparently your the only one sofas that seems to have the "new technology" that we are all envious of.

One year minus some change is quite a bit of time in the technology world.

I have a car from 2010 which was considered high tech then but now seems almost primitive by comparison to what's available in 2014 models (from many different manufacturers).

Presuming this feature is due to changes in iDrive 4.2 that means everyone with an NBT head unit has it or can get it. That's all 2013 AH3s in the US and wherever else BMW chose to roll in out in the F30 (varies by region).

At this point you cannot buy a new model year F30 without getting an NBT.

There's also the chance that it's the result of some other update that doesn't require an NBT. Service depts don't upgrade all the ECUs every time you take your car in, they only do it when there's a problem they are trying to fix or a mandatory "recall".

[joewalton]

Originally Posted by Axman85

At the end of the day, BMW's integration via Y-cable sucks. Don't know how many times the iDrive isn't even in sync with the playlist I picked and I have to disconnect the mess.

Maybe those with Enhanced BT and NAV have better luck. The 2k for that crap probably isn't with it.

When in random the scroll wheel should act like the arrow buttons on the head unit and go to the next random tune. Not hard to do. Our krappy Toyota can do this.

The F30 is a $50,000 German luxury sedan.

When you strip the hell out of it because you can't afford it configured properly, well, you get what you pay for.

The scroll wheel is a luxury feature for those who bought the car the right way- with the HUD. It's not some workaround for a pedestrian feature found on a Toyota for those that probably only can afford a Toyota but are cutting corners to get into a BMW.

[joewalton]

Originally Posted by newoldbeemer

None of those is a legitimate excuse for a feature even basic cars come with. Lets see, you were probably the guy making other excuses for BMW - i cant imagine why, unless you work for them - when the E90 came without folding seats.

The F30 is supposed to be an improvement over the E90. It is expected to be better. If you are saying that adding one feature means taking another away - especially if its a basic one that the competition offers - that's like saying your new house has a bigger kitchen than the old one, so you decided to not have a bathroom this time.

The F30 is an improvement over the E90. I've owned both. Practically every F30 owner has. You're not going to talk your way out of this one.

The typical jealous E90 owner just sticks to his crappy "the interior is made of inferior materials" theory. This "scroll wheel disappointment" is really ridiculous.

Some day when you can afford a $50,000 BMW configured as the German designers intended, you'll have the HUD and won't need a skip button on the steering wheel. The only time that the scroll wheel might be a minor issue is when listening to an iPod on random, and if you can't afford the HUD you can't afford the iPod either, so it's a moot point.

[joewalton]

Originally Posted by JesseS

I'm not quite sure who you're responding to, but it doesn't seem like it's me as I'm the one specifically saying the 3rd party apps I've tested DO provide skip fw/back via the scroller on the steering wheel.

Sorry if I misread your response.

It sounds like we're on the same side of the debate then- if streaming doesn't allow forward/back skipping its is for one of two reasons:

1. The F30 owner didn't add the Enhanced Bluetooth and USB option.
2. The app developer didn't add the forward/back function to its app.

Neither eventuality is BMW's fault.

[newoldbeemer]

Originally Posted by joewalton

The F30 is an improvement over the E90. I've owned both. Practically every F30 owner has. You're not going to talk your way out of this one.

The typical jealous E90 owner just sticks to his crappy "the interior is made of inferior materials" theory. This "scroll wheel disappointment" is really ridiculous.

Some day when you can afford a $50,000 BMW configured as the German designers intended, you'll have the HUD and won't need a skip button on the steering wheel. The only time that the scroll wheel might be a minor issue is when listening to an iPod on random, and if you can't afford the HUD you can't afford the iPod either, so it's a moot point.

That makes sense, IF having the HUD would provide the feature. Does it? Or, are you saying that if you had the HUD, no one would want to listen to random songs? That's essentially the same as saying "No we don't serve beer. Only beggars drink beer. If you could afford something better, you wouldn't be asking for beer in the first place".

Who is trying to talk themselves out of anything? We are all BMW customers - and like you said, ex-E90 owners, most of us - making observations from our expectations and experiences. It sounds like you are the one frantically trying to talk yourself out of every negative observation everyone makes. Really, do you work for BMW?

And come on, do you know what an iPod costs these days?

[ww-evo]

Originally Posted by joewalton

Some day when you can afford a $50,000 BMW configured as the German designers intended, you'll have the HUD and won't need a skip button on the steering wheel. The only time that the scroll wheel might be a minor issue is when listening to an iPod on random, and if you can't afford the HUD you can't afford the iPod either, so it's a moot point.

Wow. You guys are getting a little crazy insulting each others bank rolls etc.

Back on topic my $50k March build 2013 335 doesn't work like i'd expect with my iPhone 5 (64gb latest OS) or my wife's iPhone 4S when streaming music from either phone. No 3rd party apps etc, just using iTunes playlists. As many have stated, when Bluetooth streaming there is no way to change the song from the steering wheel. I do usually like to have it on random, but even with random off the same thing happens. The HUD shows the current song title and that's it, scroll all you want, it just shows the current song. If I plug the phone into the USB port I am able to change the song from the wheel, but when I can't do the same thing over BT even though i paid extra to get the enhanced BT that is disappointing no matter how you spin it. Especially when this feature was possible on the older car and on much cheaper cars. I bought a $50k car, I should 't get in my sisters $20k Mazda3 and wish my BMW had features that hers does (being able to stream BT playlist and change the song using steering wheel controls isn't to much to ask).

Reading some of the constructive comments it seems if you have an android phone you can change songs with the wheel one way or another. I would be very happy with that, but as it is I have an iPhone and can't, and I'm clearly not alone in being disappointed with the "luxury" wheel feature.

Flame on.

[newoldbeemer]

Originally Posted by ww-evo

Wow. You guys are getting a little crazy insulting each others bank rolls etc.

Back on topic my $50k March build 2013 335 doesn't work like i'd expect with my iPhone 5 (64gb latest OS) or my wife's iPhone 4S when streaming music from either phone. No 3rd party apps etc, just using iTunes playlists. As many have stated, when Bluetooth streaming there is no way to change the song from the steering wheel. I do usually like to have it on random, but even with random off the same thing happens. The HUD shows the current song title and that's it, scroll all you want, it just shows the current song. If I plug the phone into the USB port I am able to change the song from the wheel, but when I can't do the same thing over BT even though i paid extra to get the enhanced BT that is disappointing no matter how you spin it. Especially when this feature was possible on the older car and on much cheaper cars. I bought a $50k car, I should 't get in my sisters $20k Mazda3 and wish my BMW had features that hers does (being able to stream BT playlist and change the song using steering wheel controls isn't to much to ask).

Reading some of the constructive comments it seems if you have an android phone you can change songs with the wheel one way or another. I would be very happy with that, but as it is I have an iPhone and can't, and I'm clearly not alone in being disappointed with the "luxury" wheel feature.

Flame on.

I can totally relate. The mazda3 I had before my e90 wasn't even the loaded 20k one, it was a lower-trim 15k one. THAT car had skip to next random song from the steering wheel.

[JesseS]

Originally Posted by ww-evo

Wow. You guys are getting a little crazy insulting each others bank rolls etc.

Back on topic my $50k March build 2013 335 doesn't work like i'd expect with my iPhone 5 (64gb latest OS) or my wife's iPhone 4S when streaming music from either phone. No 3rd party apps etc, just using iTunes playlists. As many have stated, when Bluetooth streaming there is no way to change the song from the steering wheel. I do usually like to have it on random, but even with random off the same thing happens. The HUD shows the current song title and that's it, scroll all you want, it just shows the current song. If I plug the phone into the USB port I am able to change the song from the wheel, but when I can't do the same thing over BT even though i paid extra to get the enhanced BT that is disappointing no matter how you spin it. Especially when this feature was possible on the older car and on much cheaper cars. I bought a $50k car, I should 't get in my sisters $20k Mazda3 and wish my BMW had features that hers does (being able to stream BT playlist and change the song using steering wheel controls isn't to much to ask).

Reading some of the constructive comments it seems if you have an android phone you can change songs with the wheel one way or another. I would be very happy with that, but as it is I have an iPhone and can't, and I'm clearly not alone in being disappointed with the "luxury" wheel feature.

Flame on.

BT "browsing" (which is what would give you the feature you are talking about) requires AVRCP 1.3 and this is a relatively "new" technology. By "new" I mean that it has only been deployed and actually working correctly on media players in the past couple of years (early iOS 5s didn't implement it correctly).

Car design is a time intensive process and thus they often lag behind the latest tech a bit. However, BMW has most certainly updated with the latest MY tech and now fully supports a working AVRCP 1.4 implementation (which also gives you additional metadata like cover art).

That being said you might want to make sure you've installed the latest updates. Some updates are user installable and I recall reading that BMW has recently released an update specifically for bluetooth+smartphones. It may have fixes necessary to correct AVRCP 1.3 and IIRC, it does sound like your manufacture date falls within the supported range for the update. Whether you have the pre-requisite options I obviously cannot say.