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      04-27-2016, 04:17 PM   #1
jaminroe
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Question Android music via Bluetooth

Smartphone/music question — I just got an Android phone (Nexus 6P) this weekend, and I came from iOS. I appreciate both platforms, so lets move on from that rant tongue emoticon I tried using Google Music (which is the integrated music app) via Bluetooth this morning, and it wouldn't show my album art or show the controls for browsing/search my music and playlists. Is this something that is for iPhone only?? If so, that's a big huge bummer, and I call BS. Anyone else deal with this issue? I purposefully switched to Android too, so I could get those features back (natively), since Google Music isn't native to iOS.

I'm going to try it via USB port and see if the same thing happens. HOPEFULLY, it's just an Android OS version thing, not yet supported. I do have the very very latest version, where most Android devices don't have it yet.

Is there a place (official BMW forums) that I could actually send in a feature request or something similar that they would see? I've come across the official forums/blog from time to time, but don't know how to find it again. Thank you!

Last edited by jaminroe; 04-27-2016 at 04:18 PM.. Reason: title change
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      05-02-2016, 03:17 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaminroe View Post
Smartphone/music question — I just got an Android phone (Nexus 6P) this weekend, and I came from iOS. I appreciate both platforms, so lets move on from that rant tongue emoticon I tried using Google Music (which is the integrated music app) via Bluetooth this morning, and it wouldn't show my album art or show the controls for browsing/search my music and playlists. Is this something that is for iPhone only??
I'm not sure how iPhone controls differ (I'm an Android guy as well), but there are at least four (4) different ways how BMW treats media inputs.

1). USB connect your cell phone as media storage device. You can play any media files store on the phone, and it will be treated as a USB stick. Artist and track names are displayed on iDrive nav screen, and you can skip tracks and adjust volume via steering wheel controls. No album art is propagated.

2). Bluetooth inputs (gMusic, Pandora, etc) is just output stream from your cell phone. You have some control by being able to switch tracks and adjust volume via steering wheel controls. My iDrive nav screen does display the name of the tracks being played, but not the album art.

3). Audio cable input. Same as #2, but you physically connect phone audio output jack.

4). BMW Connect. This requires that you have BMW Apps package on the car (purchased, or coded in). You still connect the phone via USB cable (or charging cradle), and also start BMW Connect app on the phone. Now media playback, Pandora, News, Calendar (etc) show up as "apps" under BMW Connect iDrive menu. You have full control of those Apps, and album art is displayed.

Hope this helps,
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      05-02-2016, 03:30 PM   #3
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Oh! I didn't know about the BMW app. I do have BMW Apps built-in to my i3, it came with it. If I play Pandora for example, on my phone, and then plug in my phone via USB to the car, it will show the Pandora app in iDrive.

Looks like that BMW Connected Drive app has just terrible reviews. What a shame. Thank you!
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      05-02-2016, 03:39 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaminroe View Post
Looks like that BMW Connected Drive app has just terrible reviews. What a shame. Thank you!
Yeah, it's a crappy app, but it does work as advertised.
I don't bother messing with it unless I'm on a roadtrip, but then again, I never plug the phone into the USB cord during daily commute either.

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      05-02-2016, 04:36 PM   #5
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So no go on ANY song info or artwork 😭 Maybe it's the Nexus 6P with a very new OS. Gonna see if I can send a support message to them.
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      05-04-2016, 04:25 AM   #6
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I use an Samsung S6 & S7 via bluetooth and do see the album covers. Maybe it depends if you have internet connectivity as an option?
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      05-04-2016, 08:17 AM   #7
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BMW needs to add support for the Nexus devices. I don't see it on their list for Bluetooth support. Really lame. — www.bmw.com/bluetooth. Gonna contact them via their website and twitter.
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      05-04-2016, 10:15 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaminroe View Post
So no go on ANY song info or artwork 😭 Maybe it's the Nexus 6P with a very new OS. Gonna see if I can send a support message to them.
Are you sure it's a device problem, and not just that you never loaded album art into Nexus 6P?

Do you see album art when streaming Pandora via BMW Connect?
If yes, device is fine.

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      05-04-2016, 10:18 AM   #9
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Oh, I haven't tried Pandora yet. I use Google Music, and it pulls all album art off their database. So yes I have artwork all the time. This includes my podcasts from PocketCasts too (no artwork shown for that either).
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      05-04-2016, 03:43 PM   #10
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Tried Pandora via USB and Bluetooth and no artwork. They need to add device support. The Pandora app doesn't even pop-up like it did with my last phone. 😥
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      05-05-2016, 08:50 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jaminroe View Post
Tried Pandora via USB and Bluetooth and no artwork. They need to add device support. The Pandora app doesn't even pop-up like it did with my last phone. 😥
Then it's definitely a device issue.

Don't despair, you can still enjoy music via BT. Album art is just eye candy.
BT is how I listen to it 90% of the time (too cumbersome to plug in the USB cable and start BMW Connect app for most short jaunts).

I killed my last two phones by breaking the USB charging port (from frequent plugging, carrying phone with battery stick in the pocket, etc). Not a big fan of USB-plug integration at all.

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      05-05-2016, 09:13 AM   #12
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I actually sent a message to the iConcierge about adding Nexus device support and they got back to me quickly with a good response. So hopefully in the next media software update they got it. We'll see haha
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      04-20-2022, 08:10 AM   #13
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Hi,

Any update on this topic, i have a i3 from 2018 and i am not able to go next track via steering wheel.
A friend with an old i8 has this features...
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