iOS 13 Apple Music and BMW's iDrive problems

Read the comments. It clearly says it’s solved in iOS 13.2 Beta 3. So, install that or wait for the official release of iOS 13.2. It should be out before the end of this month.

I can confirm that, after upgrading to 13.2, I can now select tracks within playlists using the steer wheel controls on my 2015 BMW X5. Looks like they’ve solved the issue from what I can tell.

Please note that I have a found a strange but effective work around ....for the ones owning an Apple watch.

Instead of starting to play the playlist from your BMW or from the iPhone "Music" app, you can go in the "Music" app of the Apple Watch, connect to your iPhone, enumerates the playlists ...and start to play it from there. Then, strangely, the functionality works perfectly: if you start playing the list as such, you can ehn browse and select any track of the playlist from the steering wheel, of your BMW as it used to be before 13.1 upgrade.

Clever idea! This worked for me on my iPhone. I set a playlist to play when I started a "run" in my running app (MapMyRun), started the "run" and then stopped it after the music started. The music then stopped, but when I went to the Music app and hit play, I was able to control playback from my steering wheel/the console knob thereafter. I even stopped the car when I went into a store, and then when I plugged my phone in again afterwards, the controls still worked.

This will be obnoxious to do until Apple fixes the bug, but at least I can control a playlist without fumbling on my phone while driving.

Installed iOS 13.2 Beta 3 on my I-Phone, all i-Drive functions in the BMW 3 series 2015 back to normal. This includes Playlist track selection from the steering wheel that didn’t work before.

I believe all should be back to normal in the next iOS update from Apple.

updated to 13.2 last night and everything is back to normal. i can once again select different song using my steering wheel scroll bar and from my idrive knob. It has been torturous these past few weeks. i have a 2016 340i xdrive

I think Apple has fixed this problem

just updated my iPhone X to 13.2.2,

and without any repairing or reseting my iDrive system,

my 2016 bmw with iDrive 4.0 is working like how it used to be now!

I can do all the music control thru steering wheel and the iDrive control knob

I too have this issue with my Series 1 from 2016. I couldn’t change anything with my steering wheel knob.

However I’ve found a workaround. This worked for me every time I’ve tried it.

• Enter your car and turn it on
• The iDrive system turns on and immediately tries to connect to the last paired Bluetooth device (in my case it’s an iPhone X with iOS 13.3.1 developer beta 3)
• Force the connectivity by selecting your iPhone with your center console iDrive knob.

By some unknown reason if the car connects to your iPhone automatically and starts playing the music, you lose control over what’s playing through your steering wheel.

If you’re fast enough and you click the knob to select the iPhone to connect, the steering wheel knob works flawlessly along with your center display, the one in front of your steering wheel.

If you are not fast enough or don’t remember to do this every single time, just turn off your iPhone’s Bluetooth and turn it back on, force the connection on your iDrive and you’re good to go.

Tried iOS 13.2 and the issue has been fixed.

I completely agree with you, Apple’s lack of transparency is disappointing.

@Jas-Singh93

If you *start* playing any given playlist from your Apple Watch, you should regain remote control of the specific track you want to plan of that playlist from the iDrive. But the IOS13.1+ issue will reappear on your iDrive you choose another playlist from the iDrive. The point is to start from the watch at anytime change playlist.

At least this is what I experience on our two BMWs.

I‘ve the same problem with my bmw x1. I found a solution. Install a alternative music app like „soor“ from appstore. then create a new playlist. Start this playlist with „soor“. Now it should work again.

Greetings from Germany

So I think I have found a solution I added a new playlist to my iPhone last night and lone behold the skipping on the tracks works. So it would seem it is an issue with playlists that were existing before the upgrade.

I will try and remove some other playlists that are downloaded to my phone and re add the to see if that fixes it.

iOS 13.2 Beta 3 appears to have fixed the issue for me. Playlist track selection via iDrive is working, and the steering wheel controls function as they should. Just hoping this fix is here to stay.

2016 Mini Cooper S F55 (EntryNav ID4)

Hi. A temporary fix is to create a shortcut to run a playlist with the songs you want to listen to. When in your vehicle, via Siri run your shortcut using voice control. The Songs in the playlist can then be controlled using idrive and by the wheel on the steering. I’m on iOS 13.1.3 and this resolved my issue in not being able to change tracks using the vehicle input when connected to my vehicle over Bluetooth.