iPhone and 2007 MINI Cooper

I dropped my Mini off today at the dealership and spoke with them about the issue. They agreed that it's probably the Nav software version and, since they are reprogramming the computer to install an iPod harness, they are hoping that will fix the issue. I'll post the results here by tomorrow morning.

Hmmm...good to know Lyph3. Thanks. I'm actually going to stick my old iPod 60gig in the mini so I have full access to my music library. Hopefully I can still use the iPhone via bluetooth and have the best of both worlds. Crossing my fingers. 🙂

OK, so it's pretty well narrowed down to a recent software upgrade on the Mini. It seems the cars with the older software worked with the iPhone perfectly, while the cars with newer software don't. Someone on another board reported that their setup worked fine until the service department ran the software upgrade, at which point the address book became scrambled.

My Mini spent the day in the service department. I told them about this problem and they reloaded the software on the system and it's still all scrambled. They have no solutions to offer. GRRRRRR!

Any suggestions on where to take this next?

Brian

BTW, the iPod harness works somewhat as expected. Connecting the iPhone basically seems to do nothing, other than that I got the "incompatible connector" message. Connecting my old 4G iPod Photo however works well. Oddly, you have to select CD1 to navigate songs, CD2 to get play lists, CD3 to get albums, etc. (instead of a more logical hierarchical navigation like on the iPod itself).

Well, here is the definitive "you're screwed" answer I was afraid of, direct from MINI (see below). The upshot is that the iPhone is NOT on the approved phone list and they have no current plans to support it. My dealer indicated that it worked like a charm. Which it did. Until MINI issued the new software update this summer.

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"Thanks for contacting MINI. I am sorry to hear of any problems you are experiencing with the Bluetooth in your MINI.

The iPhone has not been approved by MINI for use in the MINI Coopers. Unfortunately, we can't say whether this particular phone will be compatible in the coming months. The MINI Bluetooth system uses the standard BT Hands-free Profile (HFP 1.0) with additional commands implemented on top of the BT standard to transfer phonebook data from the phone to the car. This enables the user to access their phonebook and dial from the vehicle's communication center.

MINI is working with phone suppliers and carriers to implement the additional commands, however, this support is not based on business agreements and, therefore, MINI has little leverage to influence phone suppliers to include it. Phones that do not support the additional commands may or may not pair or connect to the vehicle and will only have partial functionality at best. Because of this, phones that do not support the additional phonebook commands will not work as intended, may present significant issues, and are, therefore, listed as non-compatible phones.

If there are further questions I can assist with, please feel free to drop me an e-mail. I will be happy to lend a hand."

MINI Customer Relations and Services
Representative
866.ASK.MINI (275-6464)
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Posting a continuing email discussion with MINI USA "customer relations":

From Me to MINI:

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Thank you for the fast and informative email. It was very helpful. However, with all due respect, it actually doesn't entirely explain the circumstances for the following reason:

Early 2007 Mini owners have reported widely online that the iPhone worked perfectly with the Mini Nav/bluetooth system, including receiving all address book information intact. However, later purchasers (my car has an August manufacturing date) are reporting that the contact list is garbled. This also happens to early Mini owners who have the Nav software upgraded by the Mini service department. Formerly working address books turn to garbage after the upgrade.

So obviously the iPhone does support the "additional commands" necessary to transfer the phone book. Many of your customers are using it today. It was a change to the Mini software, not the iPhone that initiated the problem.

So, although I understand that I'm using a phone that is not officially supported, I must point out that it used to work, but now it doesn't, and the Mini upgrade broke it. Also, I was told by my dealer that although it wasn't officially supported, they had customers who had it working fine. That's what convinced me to spend the extra $2,500 on the Nav upgrade. Otherwise, I would not have spent that money.

Finally, I'd like to point out that the iPhone is an incredibly popular phone. If you use one, you'll instantly understand why. It really should be added to the official list. Apple's already done the work to support the additional commands after all.

Thanks for your time.

Brian Reed
A mostly satisfied new Mini customer
San Francisco, CA

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A Follow-up from Me to MINI

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In addition, I would like to point out that the iPhone IS in fact on your approved list. It's on this page:

http://wireless4mini.com/phones.html

I took the liberty of taking a screenshot and attaching it as well for your convenience.

Brian Reed
A New MINI Customer


From MINI to Me

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Thanks for your reply. I am appreciate you bringing this information on the website to our attention.

If you select the "Learn More" link next to the iPhone, we have listed the compatibility at the top of the next page. *This phone will be compatible for MINIs produced after October of 2007*. Again, I am sorry to hear of your disappointment over this phone not being compatible. Should you have additional questions, feel free to reply to this e-mail. I will be happy to answer your questions.

LET’S MOTOR.
MINI Customer Relations and Services
Representative
866.ASK.MINI (275-6464)

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So the upshot is that the iPhone will be officially compatible with iPhones for cars manufactured after October 2007. The rest of us just got a big SOL from MINI.

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From Me to MINI

Yes, I am extremely disappointed. The iPhone compatibility issue is entirely misunderstood at the dealership level and, as such, is being misrepresented. At this point I feel that I was essentially scammed out of $2,500. This is negatively impacting your brand at this point. As a customer, it is reasonable to expect that this will be remedied by a new software release for pre-October 2007s.

That's disappointing and irritating.

Thanks for doing the research into the compatibility problem. So it looks like MINIs that were created between June-September are pretty much incompatible with the iPhone. I would agree that you should send a complaint to MINI... They may be able to fix the software in October by the sound of it.

There is a discussion there under 2nd Generation Minis >> Audio & Navigation. It's pretty much the same as here, with an extra dose of cynicism. 😉

Call MINI USA customer relations (number in thread above) and complain, because they will not come out and say whether they will issue an upgrade for early 2007 minis. >:-<

I had this issue with my 07 MCS JCW that I took delivery on just a couple days ago. When I tested the connection before I placed my order it worked fine. It was frustrating.

However, I updated my iPhone to 1.1.1 last night and re-paired my phone just a few minutes ago and my address book now works. I'll update again if anything changes but for now all is right in the MINI bluetooth/iPhone world.

Keep in mind that 1.1.1 update has taken a long time for some and a short time for others. My iPhone crashed and needed to be restored from scratch and it took about 3 hours. Some have even had to take their phone to get replaced.

I just updated my iPhone to 1.1.1, deleted and re-paired the phone with the Mini and the address book works perfectly! Now I'm wondering if this wasn't, in fact, 'broken' by Mini, but was broken by, say, the iPhone 1.0.2 update? And will it break again with the next update? We're at the mercy of Apple and BMW, and both parties are silent on the subject.

This has nothing to do with Apple - I had 1.0.2 and it was working fine. Had the software updated last week to fix the voice activation feature and the address book stopped working. Upgraded to iPhone firmware 1.1.1 and problem solved. Mini lamed out on this one and then denied it was their problem.

I spoke with San Francisco Mini over the weekend and they said that there would probably be a software update in October to address the issue. They are aware that the Apple 1.1.1 update fixed it already.

Can someone tell me if they have figured out how to get their ipod in the Cooper Mini to shuffle songs? I understand the CD1, CD2, CD3 thing, but I can't find a shuffle option. I am so addicted to shuffle it's ridiculous!