Streaming music from an iPhone to an M5 isn't easy
Discussion
Hi,
It seems to be impossible to stream music consistently from Spotify to my M5 (2013 LCI). When I get into the car the phone and the car connect over Bluetooth without any problems and I can make and receive calls. But when I then try to stream Spotify there is almost always a problem.
Sometimes it just won't play through the car's speakers - Spotify is running fine, the track looks like it's playing but there is no noise. No idea what is happening but if I don't touch the phone and switch to a radio channel, then switch back to media it can work, but most of the time it doesn't. I've gone through all the settings, re-paired the phone and car a hundred times. It's not that it doesn't work at all, it's that it only works 10% of the time.
When it does decide to work, it almost never manages to get display the correct track titles and timings. It usually displays the track title and timings from whatever was last played so it can look like you are playing the thirteenth track of a seven track album, for example.
I could go on but I won't just in case someone out there knows exactly what's wrong....? Or is just a combination of my car, my phone and me and Spotify works for everyone else without any problems?
Any help appreciated (apart from telling me to load music onto a memory stick or get a different phone).
S&C
It seems to be impossible to stream music consistently from Spotify to my M5 (2013 LCI). When I get into the car the phone and the car connect over Bluetooth without any problems and I can make and receive calls. But when I then try to stream Spotify there is almost always a problem.
Sometimes it just won't play through the car's speakers - Spotify is running fine, the track looks like it's playing but there is no noise. No idea what is happening but if I don't touch the phone and switch to a radio channel, then switch back to media it can work, but most of the time it doesn't. I've gone through all the settings, re-paired the phone and car a hundred times. It's not that it doesn't work at all, it's that it only works 10% of the time.
When it does decide to work, it almost never manages to get display the correct track titles and timings. It usually displays the track title and timings from whatever was last played so it can look like you are playing the thirteenth track of a seven track album, for example.
I could go on but I won't just in case someone out there knows exactly what's wrong....? Or is just a combination of my car, my phone and me and Spotify works for everyone else without any problems?
Any help appreciated (apart from telling me to load music onto a memory stick or get a different phone).
S&C
Edited by steakandchips on Tuesday 18th August 07:51
HoHoHo said:
I've also had this issue however it's not all the time.
To be honest I had assumed it was simply a new technology fail
That's what I thought too but the car has just been in for a service and I thought that the iDrive software might have been updated. You'd think that the number of BMW customers with both iPhone 6 and Spotify would mean that this is a known issue. I might have a moan to my local dealer although that won't do much good. These kind of forums always know much more than dealers do.To be honest I had assumed it was simply a new technology fail
steakandchips said:
Hi,
It seems to be impossible to stream music consistently from Spotify to my M5 (2013 LCI). When I get into the car the phone and the car connect over Bluetooth without any problems and I can make and receive calls. But when I then try to stream Spotify there is almost always a problem.
Sometimes it just won't play through the car's speakers - Spotify is running fine, the track looks like it's playing but there is no noise. No idea what is happening but if I don't touch the phone and switch to a radio channel, then switch back to media it can work, but most of the time it doesn't. I've gone through all the settings, re-paired the phone and car a hundred times. It's not that it doesn't work at all, it's that it only works 10% of the time.
When it does decide to work, it almost never manages to get display the correct track titles and timings. It usually displays the track title and timings from whatever was last played so it can look like you are playing the thirteenth track of a seven track album, for example.
I could go on but I won't just in case someone out there knows exactly what's wrong....? Or is just a combination of my car, my phone and me and Spotify works for everyone else without any problems?
Any help appreciated (apart from telling me to load music onto a memory stick or get a different phone).
S&C
You say streaming Spotify via Bluetooth which i did't even think was possible??It seems to be impossible to stream music consistently from Spotify to my M5 (2013 LCI). When I get into the car the phone and the car connect over Bluetooth without any problems and I can make and receive calls. But when I then try to stream Spotify there is almost always a problem.
Sometimes it just won't play through the car's speakers - Spotify is running fine, the track looks like it's playing but there is no noise. No idea what is happening but if I don't touch the phone and switch to a radio channel, then switch back to media it can work, but most of the time it doesn't. I've gone through all the settings, re-paired the phone and car a hundred times. It's not that it doesn't work at all, it's that it only works 10% of the time.
When it does decide to work, it almost never manages to get display the correct track titles and timings. It usually displays the track title and timings from whatever was last played so it can look like you are playing the thirteenth track of a seven track album, for example.
I could go on but I won't just in case someone out there knows exactly what's wrong....? Or is just a combination of my car, my phone and me and Spotify works for everyone else without any problems?
Any help appreciated (apart from telling me to load music onto a memory stick or get a different phone).
S&C
Edited by steakandchips on Tuesday 18th August 07:51
If you have the Spotify App then just connect via Connected Drive & it works perfectly. This is now my favoured method of music playback in my car.
Until recently, Napster was the Connected Drive Music Streaming app, but that's for some reason vanished & been replaced by Spotify. This happened at the same time Facebook vanished from Connected Drive.
W8PMC said:
You say streaming Spotify via Bluetooth which i did't even think was possible??
If you have the Spotify App then just connect via Connected Drive & it works perfectly. This is now my favoured method of music playback in my car.
Until recently, Napster was the Connected Drive Music Streaming app, but that's for some reason vanished & been replaced by Spotify. This happened at the same time Facebook vanished from Connected Drive.
I can stream via bluetooth and most of the time just not all the time If you have the Spotify App then just connect via Connected Drive & it works perfectly. This is now my favoured method of music playback in my car.
Until recently, Napster was the Connected Drive Music Streaming app, but that's for some reason vanished & been replaced by Spotify. This happened at the same time Facebook vanished from Connected Drive.
It's also very clever - providing you don't shut the app down when you get back in the car it picks up from the last point played
HoHoHo said:
I can stream via bluetooth and most of the time just not all the time
It's also very clever - providing you don't shut the app down when you get back in the car it picks up from the last point played
Also why would you stream via BT from an iPhone when you can just plug it into the USB port & play from there?It's also very clever - providing you don't shut the app down when you get back in the car it picks up from the last point played
W8PMC said:
HoHoHo said:
I can stream via bluetooth and most of the time just not all the time
It's also very clever - providing you don't shut the app down when you get back in the car it picks up from the last point played
Also why would you stream via BT from an iPhone when you can just plug it into the USB port & play from there?It's also very clever - providing you don't shut the app down when you get back in the car it picks up from the last point played
Today I plugged it in and used Spotify, go out of the car and then back in again but not plugged in and all went well, it continused from where I'd left off - just doesn't do this all the time
HoHoHo said:
Because sometimes I simply sling the phone pn the passenger seat and don't bother plugging it in.
Today I plugged it in and used Spotify, go out of the car and then back in again but not plugged in and all went well, it continused from where I'd left off - just doesn't do this all the time
Only seems to forget where left off if you close the Spotify App whilst out of the car (which i'm forever doing). I always plug my phone in so as to access the range of connected drive Apps & more so now that Calendar has moved from Connected Drive to additional apps (has better functionality though now)Today I plugged it in and used Spotify, go out of the car and then back in again but not plugged in and all went well, it continused from where I'd left off - just doesn't do this all the time
If not using the USB port then as a backup, stick a huge Stick in there & you've oodles of music, videos & movies, to put your favourite tunes on the hard drive.
W8PMC said:
Wills2 said:
Online entertainment! Easy then.
Bloody expensive though. Makes Spotify & the like, appear great value.What platform is BMW's Online offering? Seen it on their website but assumed it to be as poor substitute at high cost.
Edited by Wills2 on Tuesday 1st September 18:25
Wills2 said:
I can't comment on the quality vs. the competition as I only use that service, IIRC they're a number that they use mine is Napster, seems fine to me.
Napster has been removed from BMW Connected Drive (that's why i swapped to the new BMW App being Spotify. Are you saying BMW Music Online is a Napster product as that would explain why it vanished from Connected Drive.W8PMC said:
Wills2 said:
I can't comment on the quality vs. the competition as I only use that service, IIRC there are a number that they use mine is Napster, seems fine to me.
Napster has been removed from BMW Connected Drive (that's why i swapped to the new BMW App being Spotify. Are you saying BMW Music Online is a Napster product as that would explain why it vanished from Connected Drive.Sorry but I don't know the ins and outs of who owns the service.
Wills2 said:
I'm saying I have online entertainment and the provider of the streaming service is Napster. (who I signed up with when I activated the service)
Sorry but I don't know the ins and outs of who owns the service.
Just been reading up on this & it does appear the Partner currently is Napster. What i can't work out though is why would a customer pay £160 per year to BMW for a service that costs £10 per month elsewhere? I've no idea what additional functionality the BMW flavour would offer as surely the home variant has a wider reach with iPhone Apps & the ability to use at home via things such as Sonos. Saying that perhaps the BMW Online Entertainment does provide the full benefits of Napster Premium. Having used Napster via Connected Drive for a short while (until BMW pulled it so i switched to Spotify), i personally find Spotify to be a better quality product/service, with a much better UI & better range of Music, plus it appears much easier to use. Spotify is now the Music Streaming BMW Connected Drive App that BMW have replaced Napster with. Seems a weird move given they've Partnered with Napster for a different Premium offering. Also BMW have fallen out with Facebook so that Connected Drive App has vanished.Sorry but I don't know the ins and outs of who owns the service.
Details below of what i found on my Connected Drive site.
BMW CONNECTED DRIVE STORE.
Online Entertainment Voucher
A range of music you can’t refuse: with BMW Online Entertainment you have unlimited access to more than 20 million music tracks.
Back to overview
A free choice of music wherever you are: with BMW Online Entertainment you have direct and unlimited access to more than 20 million music tracks by taking out a flat-rate music subscription with a BMW music partner (at the moment Napster).
The advantages for you:
Access to more than 20 million songs by flat-rate account with a BMW music partner (at the moment Napster)
Music downloads are possible in the vehicle onto the built-in hard disc
Music account is transferrable to other devices
Works in six EU countries with no additional costs
Notes
The offer includes:
Music flat-rate voucher (valid for 1 year after activation, redeemable within 3 years)
Mobile data flat-rate
Attention: To start using the service, you have to redeem the voucher in the vehicle first. This can be done by registering at one of the BMW music partners in your vehicle at Multimedia > Online Entertainment.
Note on data processing
Book for:
BMW M5
W8 PMC
Select desired duration:1 year
Price:£160.00 (incl. VAT)
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