[tracygroom]

I have an iPhone 5 and am wondering if it is worth it to order the BMW Apps option. The description for it indicates that it allows one to "read Facebook, Twitter on the screen, etc." I don't care about this, but it would be nice to view my music from my iPhone on the car screen as well as phone numbers, etc. Will I be able to view and control these items without BMW Apps?

[topside844]

The features you are looking for are enabled by Enhanced BT/USB (and BMW Office) and not BMW Apps.

BMW Apps allows for Pandora / Facebook integration, video-out on iPod/iPad/iPhone4S and older, reads your text messages aloud, and also integrates with navigation so you can use BMW ConnectedDrive to record driving logs and push coordinates to the nav system remotely. Nav is therefor required for BMW apps.

I primarily wanted album art, streaming BT audio for music (and Siri's turn-by-turn directions), contacts, text message display, etc and that's all enabled with BMW Assisit w/Enhanced BT & USB so that's all I got and left out nav / apps.

BMW Assist itself has nothing directly to do with these features, but adding the BMW Assist option adds a "combox" to your car which takes over all USB & BT control in addition to just adding a cellular modem to your car to phone home to BMW when you hit the Assist button. The combox is more intelligent than the stock BT/USB controller and offers more bluetooth profiles beyond just BT-Phone such as BT Audio for streaming music/navigation, and BT Message Access Protocol (MAP) for pulling text messages. It also enables further USB functionality enabling you to pull album art. (However, pulling contacts is a standard USB feature.)

Hope this answers all your questions!

[tracygroom]

Originally Posted by topside844

The features you are looking for are enabled by Enhanced BT/USB (and BMW Office) and not BMW Apps.

BMW Apps allows for Pandora / Facebook integration, video-out on iPod/iPad/iPhone4S and older, reads your text messages aloud, and also integrates with navigation so you can use BMW ConnectedDrive to record driving logs and push coordinates to the nav system remotely. Nav is therefor required for BMW apps.

I primarily wanted album art, streaming BT audio for music (and Siri's turn-by-turn directions), contacts, text message display, etc and that's all enabled with BMW Assisit w/Enhanced BT & USB so that's all I got and left out nav / apps.

BMW Assist itself has nothing directly to do with these features, but adding the BMW Assist option adds a "combox" to your car which takes over all USB & BT control in addition to just adding a cellular modem to your car to phone home to BMW when you hit the Assist button. The combox is more intelligent than the stock BT/USB controller and offers more bluetooth profiles beyond just BT-Phone such as BT Audio for streaming music/navigation, and BT Message Access Protocol (MAP) for pulling text messages. It also enables further USB functionality enabling you to pull album art. (However, pulling contacts is a standard USB feature.)

Hope this answers all your questions!

Thanks. This helps. Since I've been driving my 2000 323it wagon for 13 years now and it only has a single CD and CASSETTE (though I am happy to report I've never used it) player, I think I'll drop by my local BMW dealer and play around with the various options and combinations with my iPhone in an F30. The technology can be confusing until I can actually use it.

[topside844]

When you pair your iPhone in each F30, make sure all profiles (Phone, Audio, etc) are selected so you get wireless audio a and text message display, etc.

If it doesnt have enhanced bluetooth however, you wont be able to play audio wirelessly (except for phone calls and *some* Siri dialog) and your text messages wont be displayed.

Once you plug into USB however, you should be able to sync contacts, and play audio from your phone on any F30.

With the Enhanced USB option, you can now initiate a sync for album art.

You should only have to do the setup / sync once.

[rjberry]

Originally Posted by tracygroom

I have an iPhone 5 and am wondering if it is worth it to order the BMW Apps option. The description for it indicates that it allows one to "read Facebook, Twitter on the screen, etc." I don't care about this, but it would be nice to view my music from my iPhone on the car screen as well as phone numbers, etc. Will I be able to view and control these items without BMW Apps?

I also have the iPhone 5 and did add the BMW Apps option. Really, I only ordered it because it sounded quite cool and it cost a relatively small amount so was no big deal.

In the real world, I never use the option. Maybe I'm just not in the age range that feels I have to check my Twitter, Facebook or whatever else every 5 minutes. There is always the possibility that the Apps will be extended and a lot more options will be added to it so in that regard I live in hope