[Paladin1]

Sooo - have the eSIM activated in my iX, after some struggle with T-Mobile, and I note that all calls and data are now through the eSIM in the car. Except that - although I can receive calls, and send and receive texts, I have no Internet connection (says "Connected without Internet"), and I can't call out. No dial tone, and the "call" just drops without connecting. Phone is linked (Android), no error messages, and everything looks normal - just no ability to call. If I use the "block eSIM" function in the MyBMW app, calls go out just fine (although still no Internet or data function). Anyone actually get this to work? T-Mobile seems at a loss and floundering, and I spent about an hour on the phone with the BMW rep, whose best solution was to reboot iD8 (which I already tried multiple times with no joy). Thoughts, solutions? Thx!

[sor]

Honestly I almost gave up on T-Mobile customer support the other day, just trying to get my sons Watch on our plan. Called up, spent 45 minutes, got disconnected but got a follow up email that everything should be good. Next day we leave the house, no cell service. Weirdly he does get texts *sometimes*. Call up, start over, spend an hour on the phone going through it again, this time they ask for an additional $25 deposit over the original $35 activation(which I re-paid, still need to check if they charge the first time went through) and $10/mo. Finally get it working.

Really shouldn't be that hard, I set up my own watch in a minute clicking through some prompts. They didn't seem to have much of a clue.

[Paladin1]

Originally Posted by sor

Honestly I almost gave up on T-Mobile customer support the other day, just trying to get my sons Watch on our plan. Called up, spent 45 minutes, got disconnected but got a follow up email that everything should be good. Next day we leave the house, no cell service. Weirdly he does get texts *sometimes*. Call up, start over, spend an hour on the phone going through it again, this time they ask for an additional $25 deposit over the original $35 activation(which I re-paid, still need to check if they charge the first time went through) and $10/mo. Finally get it working.

Really shouldn't be that hard, I set up my own watch in a minute clicking through some prompts. They didn't seem to have much of a clue.

Yep, between T-Mobile and BMW, it's becoming a "Go ask your Mom/Go ask your Dad" runaround, and no one seems responsible for actually getting the thing to work....

[ricerboi]

Originally Posted by Paladin1

Sooo - have the eSIM activated in my iX, after some struggle with T-Mobile, and I note that all calls and data are now through the eSIM in the car. Except that - although I can receive calls, and send and receive texts, I have no Internet connection (says "Connected without Internet"), and I can't call out. No dial tone, and the "call" just drops without connecting. Phone is linked (Android), no error messages, and everything looks normal - just no ability to call. If I use the "block eSIM" function in the MyBMW app, calls go out just fine (although still no Internet or data function). Anyone actually get this to work? T-Mobile seems at a loss and floundering, and I spent about an hour on the phone with the BMW rep, whose best solution was to reboot iD8 (which I already tried multiple times with no joy). Thoughts, solutions? Thx!

Originally Posted by Paladin1

Sooo - have the eSIM activated in my iX, after some struggle with T-Mobile, and I note that all calls and data are now through the eSIM in the car. Except that - although I can receive calls, and send and receive texts, I have no Internet connection (says "Connected without Internet"), and I can't call out. No dial tone, and the "call" just drops without connecting. Phone is linked (Android), no error messages, and everything looks normal - just no ability to call. If I use the "block eSIM" function in the MyBMW app, calls go out just fine (although still no Internet or data function). Anyone actually get this to work? T-Mobile seems at a loss and floundering, and I spent about an hour on the phone with the BMW rep, whose best solution was to reboot iD8 (which I already tried multiple times with no joy). Thoughts, solutions? Thx!

Oh I've been dealing with this on and off the last 4 weeks, especially with the "Connected without Internet" issue on the Personal Hotspot.

T-Mobile isn't the way to go. I bounced between BMW Assist and BMW Genius and got the whole "Update Apps and Services" and hard reset of ID8 thing. Honestly it's still glitchy and works some days and doesn't work some days. Annoying as hell honestly for something we have to pay $20/month for on top of the option cost.

I'm on iPhone so not sure if there are different gremlins with iOS/Android. Good luck!

[drbluedevil]

Honest question: what’s the point of this?

We all have smartphones, and almost certainly with unlimited plans. Depending on your location, T-Mobile might not even have great reception. With CarPlay, my car seems to be as “connected” as I could want.

I haven’t even considered connecting my esim and incurring this extra cost because I can’t see any advantage to it. Please help me see what I’m missing.

[CaboM4]

Originally Posted by drbluedevil

Honest question: what’s the point of this?

We all have smartphones, and almost certainly with unlimited plans. Depending on your location, T-Mobile might not even have great reception. With CarPlay, my car seems to be as “connected” as I could want.

I haven’t even considered connecting my esim and incurring this extra cost because I can’t see any advantage to it. Please help me see what I’m missing.

I have not activated esim as I’m not on T-Mobile… hoping someone can answer this that had active internet via esim

I want to stream audio and not have to use my iPhone or usb-c drive. What apps for music are native to iOS8 and would provide streaming audio via esim?

[Paladin1]

Originally Posted by drbluedevil

Honest question: what’s the point of this?

We all have smartphones, and almost certainly with unlimited plans. Depending on your location, T-Mobile might not even have great reception. With CarPlay, my car seems to be as “connected” as I could want.

I haven’t even considered connecting my esim and incurring this extra cost because I can’t see any advantage to it. Please help me see what I’m missing.

Supposedly (and can't verify because, well, not connected) better connectivity (roof antenna), and possibly faster. Plus, using your phone as a hotspot for other devices burns through the battery faster, and slows recharging. My former X5 had a signal booster, which I suppose this eSIM chip connects to in the iX. In the X5, with AT&T, Internet connectivity was flawless (and cheaper) and worked practically all the time. Connectivity with the phone, in the car (iX), is spotty depending on where you travel.

[sor]

Yeah it's useful for family trips, or any time I have the kids in the car for an hour or more. They always want to connect to my phone, which is fine but most "unlimited" phone plans begin to throttle you after a certain amount of monthly data and they're in the back watching YouTube or whatever. Just worth it to not have them eating up my phone battery/data and making it run hot in my pocket

[CaboM4]

so is there anyone that can comment on iDrive8 native audio apps & availability? This is my only interest in eSIM. Kids have their own iPhones with unlimited data plans so could care less about any other phone/wifi hotspot functions of eSIM

[ricerboi]

Originally Posted by CaboM4

so is there anyone that can comment on iDrive8 native audio apps & availability? This is my only interest in eSIM. Kids have their own iPhones with unlimited data plans so could care less about any other phone/wifi hotspot functions of eSIM

I don't think you need eSIM to do any of the native app stuff. eSIM seems purely used as a Personal Hotspot just like if you did it from the phone, only unlimited and unthrottled with better reception since it goes through the top antenna and signals aren't blocked by the IR glass.

It's good for WiFi tablets to have "instant on" WiFi without having to hotspot from your phone every time you get into the car. I have a magnetic mount on my vent that I can pop a phone or iPad on (see pic) and that iPad runs off the eSIM. In addition, when I have my infant in the car, I have a baby can that runs off the eSIM too so that's convenient.

Hotspot from my iPhone is generally unreliable and tends to disconnect whenever it wants, so the eSIM is great for this, but ONLY when it works WITH INTERNET.

[sor]

Originally Posted by ricerboi

I don't think you need eSIM to do any of the native app stuff. eSIM seems purely used as a Personal Hotspot just like if you did it from the phone, only unlimited and unthrottled with better reception since it goes through the top antenna and signals aren't blocked by the IR glass.

It's good for WiFi tablets to have "instant on" WiFi without having to hotspot from your phone every time you get into the car. I have a magnetic mount on my vent that I can pop a phone or iPad on (see pic) and that iPad runs off the eSIM. In addition, when I have my infant in the car, I have a baby can that runs off the eSIM too so that's convenient.

Hotspot from my iPhone is generally unreliable and tends to disconnect whenever it wants, so the eSIM is great for this, but ONLY when it works WITH INTERNET.

So if there were a Spotify or *gasp* YouTube native app you wouldn't need to provide data via eSIM?

[Ditlow]

Originally Posted by sor

So if there were a Spotify or *gasp* YouTube native app you wouldn't need to provide data via eSIM?

I don't have esim turned on but I can use the native Spotify app.

[CaboM4]

Originally Posted by Ditlow

I don't have esim turned on but I can use the native Spotify app.

So turning on eSIM doesn't "open the door" to additional native apps? We get whatever crap is in there now and thats it?

[Ditlow]

Originally Posted by CaboM4

So turning on eSIM doesn't "open the door" to additional native apps? We get whatever crap is in there now and thats it?

I don't know, as I don't have esim activated, but I do know I can use the built in Spotify app without it.

My gut says that additional apps aren't going to pop after esim activation, so I'd count on only that Spotify app for now (again, Spotify even without esim). Pure conjecture there.

I'm personally considering esim because I hear that while in CarPlay the car feeds the data connection to iPhone so you use the cars roof antenna and dataplan instead of your iPhones antennas and dataplan for CarPlay - so ideally a better cellular connection. I'll try that eventually.

For what it's worth, that built in Spotify app has already logged me out once. I prefer CarPlay for audio but for some reason prefer native nav.

[CaboM4]

Originally Posted by Ditlow

I don't know, as I don't have esim activated, but I do know I can use the built in Spotify app without it.

My gut says that additional apps aren't going to pop after esim activation, so I'd count on only that Spotify app for now (again, Spotify even without esim). Pure conjecture there.

I'm personally considering esim because I hear that while in CarPlay the car feeds the data connection to iPhone so you use the cars roof antenna and dataplan instead of your iPhones antennas and dataplan for CarPlay - so ideally a better cellular connection. I'll try that eventually.

For what it's worth, that built in Spotify app has already logged me out once. I prefer CarPlay for audio but for some reason prefer native nav.

I want the best and close to lossless audio source as possible. I'm not going to plugin my iPhone for CarPlay, so wireless carplay loses some quality. I've have Apple Music for years, so don't really want to switch.

Also, don't want the inconvenience of downloading FLAC to a USB-C drive and going back to early 2010s where I loaded music on USB plugged into center console for best audio source on the Bang & Olufsen system.

My gut feeling tells me there will be no additional apps/features available with an active eSIM. I'm switching to T-Mobile in a few weeks to try their network and to add my iX eSIM, so I guess we'll see if there's any benefit.

I do use my car often enough without my iPhone (digital Key+), and haven't carried a set of metal keys since buying this car, so driving around with my apple watch only and an active eSIM is attractive.

[Paladin1]

Originally Posted by CaboM4

So turning on eSIM doesn't "open the door" to additional native apps? We get whatever crap is in there now and thats it?

That's a Rodger on that. The eSIM adds Internet connectivity and (presumably) a faster speed - and the ability to make and receive calls in-car without your phone. The eSIM in my X5 worked the same, except it actually worked (AT&T). In the iX, I can receive calls, and receive and send texts, but can't make calls, and no data connection. Have a ticket in with BMW IT, but my strong suspicion is that it's a T-Mobile issue. The card shows "Active" in the car, and everything appears to be normal, except that it isn't. I also don't expect a quick resolution.

The interesting thing with this SIM card is that it doesn't appear to have an assigned number - at least any that you can see through the app or in the car, unlike any previous integrated SIM I have used. In fact you have no visibility of the card at all through the car (except to see that it's active or not), although you can block it through the app (fortunately, because otherwise I couldn't make calls in the car even with my phone - when activated, everything goes through the eSIM). The unfortunate result with this Rube Goldberg arrangement is that you can't go back to "reset" and start over - when you deactivate the card through the app (different than temporarily blocking it), and reactivate it, it assigns a new number to the card. And a new line to your T-Mobile account - for which you are billed. And the previous lines don't go away, but may or may not be visible on your account. And your mobile phone may or may not be connected to any of them. Ask me how I know. So yeah, I'm thinking T-Mobile (and in fact they have a special department just to address issues - ineffectively - with this card and BMW - go figure).

[Ditlow]

Cabo - if you haven't already you can try out T-Mobile for free on your phone with their "Network Pass" for up to 3 months.

They add an esim to your phone so you can try out their data network while you keep your existing carrier, number, plan, and data network too.

I just turned it on for me so I could check if T-Mobile would work for me, was painless to get going and since I have two carriers on my phone now I can compare them easily. Doesn't let you try ix esim but at least you'll know if you have service where you need it.

[CaboM4]

Paladin1
Ditlow

Thanks ... will likely try out T-Mobile via "Network Pass" to ensure coverage is good where I need it and then migrate over if its indifferent or better than Verizon coverage.

If I do move to T-Mobile, hopefully I don't have the same issues as Paladin1 and can go phone-free on short trips to the grocery store, etc with just my watch and the car with the eSIM, and maybe one day BMW will actually add the ability to have additional music services native to iDrive8

[thenewguy]

It kind of blows my mind that there's not additional native apps on there - YT, Netflix, Hulu. With eye detection, it could be useful to have for passengers on longer trips and great to break up the monotony of charging @ 42kwh as has been the case when I stop by the EA spots in front of the super sketchy Walmart that I absolutely do not want to die in front of while slowly charging my car and watching subpar TikTok videos. Or, am I wrong, and it's possible to throw these apps on the car?

[x5mad]

One of my thoughts with esim was the possibility of hooking your dashcam to use it and thus be able to view video / pictures of your dashcam in real time when you're away from the car.

[sor]

Originally Posted by x5mad

One of my thoughts with esim was the possibility of hooking your dashcam to use it and thus be able to view video / pictures of your dashcam in real time when you're away from the car.

That would be awesome, but I don't think the infotainment stays powered up enough for the WiFi and cellular in your car to stay usable once you lock it and walk away. If it did you'd have parasitic battery drain like Tesla does. You can still collect remote camera shots on the iX through the app, but not 24x7 recording.

[ricerboi]

Originally Posted by sor

That would be awesome, but I don't think the infotainment stays powered up enough for the WiFi and cellular in your car to stay usable once you lock it and walk away. If it did you'd have parasitic battery drain like Tesla does. You can still collect remote camera shots on the iX through the app, but not 24x7 recording.

Originally Posted by sor

That would be awesome, but I don't think the infotainment stays powered up enough for the WiFi and cellular in your car to stay usable once you lock it and walk away. If it did you'd have parasitic battery drain like Tesla does. You can still collect remote camera shots on the iX through the app, but not 24x7 recording.

When the car is locked, the eSIM and hotspot are off. One of my fun things to do is park right in front of a restaurant/cafe where i can see my car safely, unlock it and then hotspot my laptop/tablet off my car.

It sucks that they don't allow YouTube/Netflix on the car yet. That's why I have the eSIM/tablet setup to circumvent this. On my F15 X5/ID6 I coded the USB video-in-motion and have been playing movies/music videos off the USB plug off a SSD for years. It sucks that it doesn't work on ID8.