Nav Update

[Frupal]

I got the 2021 update on a thumb drive from BMWNAV in Canada a few days ago. I plugged it in on my way to a cars and coffee thing in Malibu this morning, but by the time I got there, it was only at 66%. I sighed and shut the car down, intending to take a longer drive home because I assumed that it would need to start over.

It did not. Picked up right where it left off. I don’t know if this matters, but I did not remove the thumb drive.

Upload complete!

Happy Holidays!

[Luftpost]

Yup, it will pick up where you left off. In the past I have also done this while on a longer commute.

This last time though I hooked up my battery charger to the connector under the hood, plugged/latched in the drivers seatbelt (to keep the car from going asleep), and let it sit in the garage with the accessory "On" (start button push but no brake pedal push) with the motor not running. That will be my method from here on out.

Typically takes me 35-40 minutes to upload from the thumb drive.

L

[Msparta]

Originally Posted by Luftpost

Yup, it will pick up where you left off. In the past I have also done this while on a longer commute.

This last time though I hooked up my battery charger to the connector under the hood, plugged/latched in the drivers seatbelt (to keep the car from going asleep), and let it sit in the garage with the accessory "On" (start button push but no brake pedal push) with the motor not running. That will be my method from here on out.

Typically takes me 35-40 minutes to upload from the thumb drive.

L

CarPlay retrofit makes stock native map and these updates a joke... just saying.

[jlin101]

Originally Posted by Frupal

I got the 2021 update on a thumb drive from BMWNAV in Canada a few days ago. I plugged it in on my way to a cars and coffee thing in Malibu this morning, but by the time I got there, it was only at 66%. I sighed and shut the car down, intending to take a longer drive home because I assumed that it would need to start over.

It did not. Picked up right where it left off. I don’t know if this matters, but I did not remove the thumb drive.

Upload complete!

Happy Holidays!

the update process resumes even if you removed and later reinserted the USB.

[Luftpost]

Originally Posted by Msparta

CarPlay retrofit makes stock native map and these updates a joke... just saying.

I pay $20 for an update.

L

[benacto]

I was there last week. saw another m6.. wish i would have seen more of 6's there.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by Msparta

CarPlay retrofit makes stock native map and these updates a joke... just saying.

Thankfully we have choices...some love their CarPlay...some rather stick with the BMW navigation system...I’m one of them.

I’d rather pay the small update fee every few years than look at the Fisher Price looking icons on my iDrive screen.

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Thankfully we have choices...some love their CarPlay...some rather stick with the BMW navigation system...I’m one of them.

I’d rather pay the small update fee every few years than look at the Fisher Price looking icons on my iDrive screen.

I'm with you on both counts.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by Opie55

I'm with you on both counts.

...another thing...the recent bombing in Nashville has also highlighted another “con” (in the pro/con list) for cloud based navigation...a lot of owners in the Nashville area (affected by the bombing of the AT&T facility) lost the ability to navigate or send nav coordinates to their BMWs.

Fortunately the oe BMW navigation/GPS system is on a hardrive inside the vehicle and not depending on cloud based data. I was reading some threads were those used to using CarPlay and other cloud based maps where stuck...and had to physically input coordinates into iDrive (which they weren’t familiar with so the complaints were coming). And yeah, these are 1st world issues even considering the motivation behind the Nashville bombing.

Thankfully I’m familiar with sending coordinates through BMW Connected Drive as well as entering a destination using the iDrive controlller or finding POI (points of interest) in iDrive.

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

...another thing...the recent bombing in Nashville has also highlighted another “con” (in the pro/con list) for cloud based navigation...a lot of owners in the Nashville area (affected by the bombing of the AT&T facility) lost the ability to navigate or send nav coordinates to their BMWs.

Fortunately the oe BMW navigation/GPS system is on a hardrive inside the vehicle and not depending on cloud based data. I was reading some threads were those used to using CarPlay and other cloud based maps where stuck...and had to physically input coordinates into iDrive (which they weren’t familiar with so the complaints were coming). And yeah, these are 1st world issues even considering the motivation behind the Nashville bombing.

Thankfully I’m familiar with sending coordinates through BMW Connected Drive as well as entering a destination using the iDrive controlller or finding POI (points of interest) in iDrive.

When would you enter an address with the controller instead of just saying it?

[Msparta]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Thankfully we have choices...some love their CarPlay...some rather stick with the BMW navigation system...I’m one of them.

I’d rather pay the small update fee every few years than look at the Fisher Price looking icons on my iDrive screen.

For each their own, nav on any of the apps ether on Android car or CarPlay are instantly current in real time and also show cameras on lights and so on... map view ui and quality are also up a major notch... the flavor of Android car or CarPlay are added choices but cheers to native bmw maps and the bi-year updates.

[easty027]

Originally Posted by Opie55

I'm with you on both counts.

+1. I think the BMW nav is the best in the business and im more than happy using it. Especially as my last car was a Mercedes and the nav / infotainment system was naff by comparison.

[Mnfamilyguy2020]

I use the native system, but mostly CarPlay for NAV daily as my R.E. business has me scheduling 3-4 trips a week with sometimes as many as 8 stops in a day. The seamless integration of the calendar/maps to navigation has been a game changer for me. It saves tons of time for data entry and allows much quicker on the fly route modifications. On the rare occasion there is a connectivity issue with my phone I fall back to the native BMW system, but even with regular updates it always 6mos to a year behind recent development/road changes.

[Frupal]

Originally Posted by Mnfamilyguy2020

I use the native system, but mostly CarPlay for NAV daily as my R.E. business has me scheduling 3-4 trips a week with sometimes as many as 8 stops in a day. The seamless integration of the calendar/maps to navigation has been a game changer for me. It saves tons of time for data entry and allows much quicker on the fly route modifications. On the rare occasion there is a connectivity issue with my phone I fall back to the native BMW system, but even with regular updates it always 6mos to a year behind recent development/road changes.

I think I would prefer Car Play, but my car is a 2016. No Apple Car Play.

[Mnfamilyguy2020]

Originally Posted by Frupal

I think I would prefer Car Play, but my car is a 2016. No Apple Car Play.

I also have a MY 2016. I’ve installed the unichip solution and use CarPlay daily, I believe i remember seeing some of your posts in an earlier thread discussing this solution. It’s where I learned about it

[hugo_nz]

Interesting debate gents. I am a big fan of OE solutions and retrofits, and like others I’ve installed an AA/CarPlay box to take over the nav in my car. It’s so quick to activate that I don’t normally see the iDrive interface (apart from the camera interface when parking). I use Google Maps (with offline maps downloaded just in case) and Spotify so to this end my needs are met.

Re the comment on the look of the icons, CarPlay on widescreens like the 6er is much improved with the new style interface. With the card interface it presents as much if not more information and function at a glance when compared to stock iDrive. Likewise with Android Auto, though CarPlay is definitely a more polished product.

[Mnfamilyguy2020]

Originally Posted by Mnfamilyguy2020

I also have a MY 2016. I’ve installed the unichip solution and use CarPlay daily, I believe i remember seeing some of your posts in an earlier thread discussing this solution. It’s where I learned about it

I received a PM a while back to post an image of my F06 CarPlay, I apologize for my tardiness. Please excuse the dust and finger prints....

[iamvanja]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

...another thing...the recent bombing in Nashville has also highlighted another "con" (in the pro/con list) for cloud based navigation...a lot of owners in the Nashville area (affected by the bombing of the AT&T facility) lost the ability to navigate or send nav coordinates to their BMWs.

This isn't a one or the other conversation though. Affected people in Nashville were able to revert to an old school OEM BMW navigation. And how often does that happen?
But not using an objectively superior solution on a daily basis because the icons look like a toy seems a bit silly.
Do you also use a landline instead of a smartphone because the icons are colorful?

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by iamvanja

This isn't a one or the other conversation though. ...

On that point it appears we do agree...which is how I started my original comments about the native system vs aftermarket options.

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

Thankfully we have choices...some love their CarPlay...some rather stick with the BMW navigation system...I’m one of them. ...

Originally Posted by iamvanja

But not using an objectively superior solution on a daily basis because the icons look like a toy seems a bit silly.

Aftermarket options being "objectively superior"? What if one sees it differently...with these options not being "objectively superior"...but rather "subjectively" superior (or inferior)? For someone like me (and perhaps Opie55)...we may not have the same needs/wants/desires that the aftermarket options provide and find the native BMW system works fine with what it offers and how it operates.

I rarely make or take phone calls while driving...and I NEVER take text messages while driving. So there's nothing "inferior" about those native features in the way that I use them.

If I need to use the navigation system locally...99% of the time it's not because I'm lost or don't know where I am...but usually curious which way (in my head) is the fastest way there or back. If I'm using it for a longer trip/journey, I find using BMW connected or entering the info manually easy enough. And I just happen to like how the native navigation system looks (especially in perspecitive view) as well as how it sends additional info to help with exits/turns/junctions/etc to the HUD or to the "split screen" if you don't have the map spread across the entire display.

In regards to music...again, the native system provides everything I need. I don't have an extensive digital music collection stored on my phone (or anything or anywhere else)...I mostly listen to talk radio or a couple of satellite radio music stations. If I do get bored with any of those main three stations in my PRESETS...I just press the MODE button on the steering wheel to switch over to BLUETOOTH where I can listen to (usually) SPOTIFY from my smartphone.

Originally Posted by iamvanja

Do you also use a landline instead of a smartphone because the icons are colorful?

As already mentioned in comments above...from my point of view aftermarket systems aren't viewed as "objectively superior" in regards to what they offer. The native iDrive system works great for my needs...I put aftermarket solutions & offerings in the "subjectively better" column. If they offer some service or feature that is preferred over the native iDrive system...I see nothing wrong with that. But can I not still not favor the way an aftermarket system looks?

I don't like the way the new 8 series looks and I would never buy one...and if by some providence one came into my possession by gift or luck...I'm sure I'd sell it or trade it for something else. But that doesn't mean that it doesn't offer something to others...or may actually be better than what I currently have in some way, shape, or form. But can I still have my personal opinion that the new 8 is not an attractive vehicle?

[Opie55]

We are on the same page - the stock system works fine for me. I've never even paired my phone to my car. I just don't care. Plus I also have this thing where I don't mod my cars at all, really. The car is the way God made it, and if I don't like what it is, I'll buy a different car. I would not buy an Edsel and put a different grill on it to improve its looks.

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by Opie55

...I've never even paired my phone to my car. I just don't care. ...

LOL...I'm sure some of the tech lovers out there just fainted when reading you haven't paired your phone.

[Opie55]

Originally Posted by Qsilver7

LOL...I'm sure some of the tech lovers out there just fainted when reading you haven't paired your phone.

I know. I'm in a convertible to drive it and contemplate deep thoughts like why I can't just take the roof off my house too, not to talk to somebody.