Did BMW abandon their BMW Apps platform?

och · 01-20-2020, 02:45 PM

So back over a decade ago BMW introduced Connected drive and BMW apps where you connect your phone to the car, start up an app and then control it in the iDrive screen. They had a pretty nice web radio that you can't get anymore unless you have the old app on your phone, and over time they introduced a few useful apps such as Tune in, Amazon music, Spotify, Pandora, and a few pretty useless apps. At one point they even had a GoPro app that also got discontinued.

They are still relying on the old convoluted approach of connecting the phone to the car, where in older models you had to use the cable and in newer they can do apps via bluetooth, and then firing the app on the phone and controlling it on the i-Drive screen. At least with iPhone this approached hasn't been the most reliable - sometimes the app fails to start, sometimes it disconnects, often times if you're streaming music it fails to resume playing after a phone call, or the whole app crashed after a phone call. Basically you always have to fiddle with your phone, despite the fact that it was meant to work seamlessly - start the app, tuck the phone away and use iDrive controls to communicate with the app.

I can't believe they are still using this same approach, and with latest iOS the process has become less reliable than ever. They also haven't update apps database in a long time. Why can't we have built in apps at least for music streaming? This is a huge inconvenience.

clee1982 · 01-21-2020, 05:38 PM

looks like at this point, other than sat nav/radio and "car things" all app is moving to andriod auto/apple carplay...

I have iDrive 6, I don't use car play that often though my experience so far is pretty decent.

Laki021 · 01-22-2020, 07:54 AM

They should just integrate it properly with the HUD. Having a navigation shown on the HUD is a must.

swunder · 01-22-2020, 08:37 AM

The apps are pointless, seriously a Yelp app? Who is gonna look up Yelp on the crappy infotainment system instead of their phones which are 10x faster and better? My older iDrive car (2013) has flickr as an app... what... is the point of that on the iDrive screen?

It was never gonna be sustainable, BMW (and any car company) are not going to constantly update their own app infrastructure to be compatible with newer and newer devices.

The only way to go IMO is car play/android auto -- put the burden on the Google/Apple rather than the car.

och · 01-22-2020, 12:01 PM

Nobody needs yelp, but music streaming are a must.

01-20-2020, 02:45 PM	#1
och Banned 199 Rep 557 Posts Drives: . Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Brooklyn, NY iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 X5 xDrive50i [0.00] 2018 BMW M2 [0.00] 2017 X6M [0.00] 2013 Suzuki Bouleva ... [0.00]	Did BMW abandon their BMW Apps platform? So back over a decade ago BMW introduced Connected drive and BMW apps where you connect your phone to the car, start up an app and then control it in the iDrive screen. They had a pretty nice web radio that you can't get anymore unless you have the old app on your phone, and over time they introduced a few useful apps such as Tune in, Amazon music, Spotify, Pandora, and a few pretty useless apps. At one point they even had a GoPro app that also got discontinued. They are still relying on the old convoluted approach of connecting the phone to the car, where in older models you had to use the cable and in newer they can do apps via bluetooth, and then firing the app on the phone and controlling it on the i-Drive screen. At least with iPhone this approached hasn't been the most reliable - sometimes the app fails to start, sometimes it disconnects, often times if you're streaming music it fails to resume playing after a phone call, or the whole app crashed after a phone call. Basically you always have to fiddle with your phone, despite the fact that it was meant to work seamlessly - start the app, tuck the phone away and use iDrive controls to communicate with the app. I can't believe they are still using this same approach, and with latest iOS the process has become less reliable than ever. They also haven't update apps database in a long time. Why can't we have built in apps at least for music streaming? This is a huge inconvenience.
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01-21-2020, 05:38 PM	#2
clee1982 Lieutenant Colonel 805 Rep 1,736 Posts Drives: 2019 BMW 540i xDrive Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: NYC iTrader: (0) Garage List 2019 BMW 540i xDrive [0.00]	looks like at this point, other than sat nav/radio and "car things" all app is moving to andriod auto/apple carplay... I have iDrive 6, I don't use car play that often though my experience so far is pretty decent.
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01-22-2020, 07:54 AM	#3
Laki021 Lieutenant 369 Rep 454 Posts Drives: BMW 540i xDrive Join Date: May 2015 Location: Zurich iTrader: (0)	They should just integrate it properly with the HUD. Having a navigation shown on the HUD is a must.
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01-22-2020, 08:37 AM	#4
swunder First Lieutenant 305 Rep 301 Posts Drives: 135is, x3 m40i, V70R Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: New Jersey iTrader: (0)	The apps are pointless, seriously a Yelp app? Who is gonna look up Yelp on the crappy infotainment system instead of their phones which are 10x faster and better? My older iDrive car (2013) has flickr as an app... what... is the point of that on the iDrive screen? It was never gonna be sustainable, BMW (and any car company) are not going to constantly update their own app infrastructure to be compatible with newer and newer devices. The only way to go IMO is car play/android auto -- put the burden on the Google/Apple rather than the car.
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01-22-2020, 12:01 PM	#5
och Banned 199 Rep 557 Posts Drives: . Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Brooklyn, NY iTrader: (0) Garage List 2012 X5 xDrive50i [0.00] 2018 BMW M2 [0.00] 2017 X6M [0.00] 2013 Suzuki Bouleva ... [0.00]	Nobody needs yelp, but music streaming are a must.
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