ios7 bluetooth issues with BMW

I have an iPhone 5 with IOS7. I had a problem with Bluetooth in my BMW. My phone book would be displayed, I could launch the dialing but I could not hear through the car's speakers.

Here's a solution that worked for me:

I turned off Bluetooth on the iPhone and then deleted it from the paired phones. I reactivated Bluetooth and paired/connected the iPhone again as if it were a new phone.

Everything works fine now.

It may be that the BMW recognizes the iPhone with the new OS enough to list it in details but not enough to make it fully functional.

My 2012 640i never had a problem with the phone connection. I upgraded from my iPhone 4s to a 5s and the bluetooth would connect and interact perfectly, but the connection would disconnect without notice during calls. Apple replaced my phone, and I went through all the accepted steps to resolve (firmware, setup as new phone, delete and re-pair, etc.) but it's still cutting off.

I'm very disappointed. Other than the iPhone 5 I've had every iPhone and never a bluetooth issue. I'm afraid it may be the hardware in the phone and not the firmware on the car or phone. This is a relative catastrophe as I'm in my car a lot and always on the phone. I'll have to start using a headset now and with a top quality phone and car I just shouldn't have to do that.

I blame Apple, not BMW.

My problem (with a 320d, year 2013, with Pro Navigation and Idrive) is the Internet access.

It was working fine with ios 6 but it stopped working since I updated my Iphone to ios 7. After that I tried it with another Iphone (same model: 4) with ios 6 and it worked fine.

However, BMW Live doesn´t seem to have any problems with ios 7. As as example, I am able to access and update the weather information with the ios 7 iphone. Weird...

Until today (09/12) , the ios7 updates released from Apple didn't solved the problem nor BMW as released a software update to support ios 7.

I have the same issue with iPhone 5S and 2013 BMW X5's bluetooth. It drops the bluetooth connection 100% of the time (without fail), and I need to reconnect it; it's indeed frustrating and maddening but then I think about the children refugees in Syria and I calm down. Will follow this post for possible solutions.

Wow, you are writing my story. This is EXACTLY what I have gone through. Now I am sitting here with a brand new (again) iPhone 5S courtesy of Apple and it STILL is dropping calls from my BMW bluetooth. The worst part for me is that once it drops a call, my phone freezes up and I can not recall with or without bluetooth. It eventually comes around in it's own sweet time. I'm going to try to be more Zen about this whole situation too (children in Syria, so true). Apple SHOULD have considered the platforms, BMW SHOULD update their software, the bottom line is they both should work together if they want to keep their customers happy. I'm reporting the problem to BMW as Apple has already done "everything" they can. *sigh* In the meantime, I too have found there are certain areas I drive in where this seems to happen more frequently. Unfortunately it is my most frequently traveled areas to and from work, but I'll try to be aware and follow this chat... until there is a solution.

I've been having the same problem with my 5s. Never had an issue with my older iphone 4. I've discovered it occurs when I've just started the car (2012 X3) and the address book is still updating/downloading into iDrive. After that finishes, I can place a call and the bluetooth won't drop.

Problem still ongoing. So frustrating. It's safer to use speaker on the iPhone or the wired headset; it would seem nobody from Apple is reading these threads. My only hope for this problem at this point, is ios 7.1.

Thanks lawdad63. That's good insight and I can see this applying to my situation too. My calls usually drop when travelling to and from work, and I think it could be that the calls are initiated early in my journey which means the address book probably is still updating. I will test this theory.

I am also having the same issue (loss of bluetooth connection) with the 5s and my 2013 X6. I "rolled back" to the iPhone 5 and the problem disappeared. I'm now on a different 5s and the problem is back. I'm on iOS 7.0.4 and the latest BMW firmware UPD01006.

I have the same problem with 2013 BMW X3 and iphone 5s with iOS 7.0.4. I didn't have this problem with my iphone 4s. it was so annoying to constantly have the bluetooth connection lost several times on a call, I went to the local BMW dealer to fix or update the firmware. Of course they tested on an iphone 4s and a Samsung Galaxy and found no issues, so they did nothing. The service rep told me to contact BMW customer service. I did and the service agent says there is a bluetooth and multimedia software update for BMWs manufactured after 2010. Not sure why BMWs car owners or the dealers are not notified by BMW of these updates. I was 2 major revisions behind. Go to this website,

bmw.com/update

enter the last 7 digits of your VIN, download the file to a USB drive. Insert the USB drive into the car, TURN ON car engine, go to MENU-> setting -> update software. It was quick and easy. I'm going to drive it for a few days before I can declare this fixed my problem.

Like you, I was excited when I learned this. I was so confident it would help. I'm afraid it didn't help and it's not BMW's fault. As previously said, prior iDevices and other manufacturer's phones work fine - it's just the 5s. I'm so dissappointed.

Keep a good thought for Apple's 7.1 Firmware.

I own a 2008 BMW 328i. My iPhone 4S worked pretty well with the car's bluetooth. The biggest issue was when I was on a call and got a second call. When I answered the second call, the phone would always revert to iPhone mode and I would have to switch it back to BMW.

Recently I upgraded to an iPhone 5S. The bluetooth interface is a disaster. The car always paired with the phone but sometimes it would work and sometimes it wouldn't. No scenario ever worked in the same way twice. I would re-pair the car and the iPhone to see if that helped. It was just a mess.

I decided to give it one more try. This time I decided to turn off all the "sync contacts" modes. So far so good. Every scenario or situation has not come up yet, but it seems to be working.

I have had the same experiences as all here since updating to Iphone 5S from Iphone4....

After many unsuccessful "trial" fixes, I turned off the sync contacts function in BT setting on the Iphone 5S and also cleared the contacts from "Office" where they also were cached, based on lawdad63 observation. Initially, I received the screen message that data was still "transferring" (as the BT "wheel" continued to spin and spin) despite the sync being turned off. However, after about 5 minutes, the tel phonebook and office contacts were empty in the BMW and since then I have not experienced the BT drop. That said, similar to khamburger, I have not yet driven long enough or far enough to assess whether it's a real "fix". Will post again if I learn otherwise.

Separately, I read the user notes on the latest BMW BT sw update and this seems to be addressing issues well behind us (ie references IOS5) with no reference to IOS7. Has anyone benefited from this update? Specifically, shashinka golfer did this improve or change your experience as it seems it did not help stevenremote?

Thank you.

I have a 2012 model BMW 528i. Just replaced my phone with an iPhone 5s. The Blutooth connection keeps dropping during a call. I had been using an iPhone 4s for years and never had a single drop in bluetooth connectivity. I have tried the following measures and there is no improvement:

1. Updated the software in my car.
2. Did a factory reset of the phone.
3. Unpaired and repaired the devices.
4. Did a reset of all phone settings.

I have paired a friend's iPhone 5s with my car and have driven around for an hour continuosly making calls and there was no drop in bluetooth connectivity. I now wonder if there is hardware problem with my phone and have initiated contact with my vendor for a replacement.

I will now try deselectin the 'sync contacts' setting as suggested by lawdad63

Will keep you posted.