ios7 bluetooth issues with BMW

Feedback on my software update, the BMW software update didn't work. The problem is not solved. I did turn off the sync contacts and see if this resolves the problem. The car was in a constant "trasnferring data" mode. I'll test it again this morning and If it doesn't, I'm returning my 5S and going back to the 4S while the 5S is still under warranty. Based upon the data on the Apple website both the iphone 4S and 5S use Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology. Has anyone tried the 4S with iOS7? Before I traded in my 4S, I did upgrade to iOS7 for a few weeks, I don't recall if I had any problems.

HI Suthran, I tried your steps this morning and it worked today. no dropped bluetooth on my calls today. I agree with your comments and did the same action, moving my key contacts to my favorites and then selecting sync favorites. it worked today. I'll let you know if this continues to work in a few days. thanks.

p.s. I sure wish some one from Apple is reading about this issue and comes up with a fix.

2008 BMW 328i - iPhone 5s - IOS 7.0.4

Following up on my previous post....

1. I don't have any issues wit BT dropping out. My issue is incoming and outgoing calls and whether there is any audio thru the car (even though BT is shown to be paired).

2. Receiving a call seems to be no problem. However, today, I was on a call and then a second call came in (call waiting). When I switched to the second call, the iPhone switched back to iPhone mode and the radio audio returned in the car. I will admit that I had this same problem with the iPhone 4S.

APPLE....PLEASE HELP!!

I do not know whether you have a USB port in your car. If you do, it should allow you to update the software using a USB drive. Please refer to your owner's manual for information on this.

This is the website where you can download your software - http://www.bmw.com/com/en/owners/connected_drive_services/mobile_devices/bluetoo th_software_update.html

You will have to start off my entering your car's Vehicle Identification Number usually found on your registration card. The site then gives you a list of software available. Select the most latest version and download it.

Let me know it goes.

I was banging my head against the wall for the past week. I got a new phone, downloaded the software but nothing was working.

The simple switching off of the 'sync contacts' did the trick.

Now the bluetooth works perfectly with no disconnections outside of bad cell towers.

Thank you so much for this fix!!!!

Have been having the identical problems with my 5s. Spent countless hours troubleshooting with Verizon until they finally sent me a new 5s. New phone made no difference whatsoever. Constantly dropped calls and the phone also freezes. I have to reset the phone in order to be able to make or receive a call. The bluetooth drops and then switches me to phone only with no way to switch back to hands free or even speaker - sometimes the mute and speaker icons just disappear from the iPhone application. Annoying and dangerous. I will try not syncing contacts but that removes a major capability for hands free dialing of contacts. Whose responsibiliity is it to fix this? Apple? BMW? Both? How do we get the message out. I had no issues whatsoever with my 4s - it was bluetooth bulletproof. My friends are having no problems with their new iPhones in their existing cars including Audi, Acura, Lexus, Prius.

IMHO, since there is no problem with the iPhone 4S Running iOS6 and iOS7 with the BMWs, the problem is with the iPhone 5s with ios7 combined with the way BMW implemented Bluetooth 4, which is what the iPhone 4S and 5s use. I am syncing with my short favorites list (20 entries) and it is working. The bluetooth cuts outs when trying to an update with my full contacts list which has several hundred entries. So is the BMW bluetooth bandwidth sufficient to support a voice call and contact data transfer simultaneously? Very little information has been provided by BMW on the bluetooth spec and which revisions are fully tested and supported. Until BMW fesses up to the technical community and provides the spec and support details on which bluetooth revision is supported, this will remain a problem. I have no problem with my 2009 Honda civic or my mom's 2007 Acura TSX, just the 2013 BMW X3.

thank you Shashinka. I think you're spot on. Ever since I received my 5s, my contacts take a very long time to transfer - sometimes as long as 10 minutes. I have few additional contacts since I switched from the 4s, which was bulletproof, so I think your hypothesis is a likely winner. I'll give this a try and will hope for the best until BMW takes responsibility. I also have no problems with my husband's 2012 Acura MDX or any other of my bluetooth devices. My 2012 535 is in the shop today and I'll make sure that I notify my technician and client advisor of this blog.

Here is what I received from BMW Customer Service today. Please contact them directly with any thoughts or rebuttal to this at customerrelationships@bmwusa.com. My BMW technician told me that the Comm Device on my car was showing up as having issues and they are replacing it -- not sure if that will do anything but it's worth a try.

On Jan 29, 2014, at 5:25 PM, CustomerRelations@bmwusa.com wrote:

Thank you for contacting BMW of North America, LLC regarding Bluetooth® Wireless Technology in your vehicle. I was sorry to read of your dissatisfaction.

We are continuing to work closely with Apple on the validation of the iPhone 5 for BMW vehicles and will be able to announce relevant developments in the future. Unfortunately, Apple did not distribute the iPhone 5 earlier to automobile manufacturers than to the general public, so we will address any issues of concern after our evaluation of the device. We anticipate app compatibility will continue as will the ability to access one’s song library using the BMW controls and screen. The specific feature, Plug-in, which works through BMW Apps to replicate the look of the iPhone interface, will not be available at launch. The full scope of compatibility between the iPhone 5 and BMW Group vehicles will be known once the validation process is completed, and we appreciate your patience as we work through the process.

All Bluetooth® Wireless Technology information for your vehicle is available at your fingertips at www.bmwusa.com, under the “Owners” section, “Bluetooth® Technology.” Please review the list of compatible phones and approved software versions, which have been tested for each BMW model. If your phone is not listed on our website, we cannot guarantee functionality with our Bluetooth® system.

Since our website is frequently updated, please visit www.bmwusa.com to access the most current information.

The BMW Customer Relations and Services Department is available Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 9:00 P.M., Eastern Standard Time. You can reach us at 1-800-831-1117.

Sincerely,

Melissa Knueven

Customer Relations and Services

Representative

I recently updated to an iPhone 5S from an iPhone 4 and have become aware of the problem as described by lawdad63 in his post of 16/1. From pairing my iPhone 4 with my 2013 X5 when I picked it up from the dealer I never had a problem, but my new 5S takes about 3 minutes "transferring information..." every time I start the car; during this time any call made or taken seems to be at risk of having the bluetooth connection drop. Today I visited the BMW dealer who suggested I download and install the latest software from the BMW website - I have done this but it has made no difference. The dealer seemed to have no awareness of this problem - surprising given the content of this forum. I guess I'll try switching off Sync Contacts in the interim.

I have taken cues from all the suggestions above including unsyncing my full contacts list and only syncing most recent calls and favorites. This eliminates the 3-5 minute updating cycle when I started my car each time. Previously I stated that dropped calls occurred at certain places on my route but now I realize that this was only because I reached those places at the same time from the initiation of my journey and that the update was at the same place in its cycle when I reached those locations. Now that my car is not going through the syncing process, and I have no calls initiated during the syncing process, I have had zero dropped calls. I have also been able to disconnect one call and switch to another call without a problem; I have not tried to go back to the original call yet. I hate to say it, but my BMW 551 GT ALWAYS took 3-5 minutes to update and I hated this feature, although earlier iPhone operating systems seemed to function well with it. I was really glad when another person on this post explained how to unsync the contacts. The bottom line is, I don't think BMW's bluetooth/address book functionality is all that state-of-the-art compared to iPhone (or other smart phones for that matter). They are the Ultimate Driving Machine...not the Ultimate Talking Machine. It no longer drops my calls...that's all I wanted. (Special thanks to lawdad63, Khamburger & Testdrive5 who pointed me in the right direction.)

To Unsync contacts, on your iPhone go to Bluetooth, touch the ℹ on the BMW and unclick 'All Contacts'. I left phone favorites and phone recents and these will still scroll on the center instrument panel controlled from the steering wheel.

Thank you.

Update to my earlier post. I had my 535 in for maintenance and told them about the problem. They did some diagnostics and found that I had a defective Comm Box which was coverered under warranty. Since then, I've found that my contacts transfer more quickly and I've only had a few dropped calls - twice they dropped and then immediately reconnected without intervention from me. I'll keep posting if anything new transpires.

Following my showing them some of the posts on this forum, the dealer suggested I take my X5 in and let them check it out. They ended up with some suspicions about the Comm Box and so replaced it. Following this, it doesn't appear that the transferring of information from the phone is happening any quicker - however, about the second time I drove the car after it had been in the shop, I received a call during the dreaded transfer phase. The transfer completed during the time I was on the call, and the bluetooth stayed connected throughout. I guess we'll see....

Rented a new BMW 328i with less than 500 miles on it. This car's Audio System has a significant challenge with IOS7.x iPhone5 and iPhone5s operation. Constant disconnects when streaming music and latest issue where plugging into the USB port causes the car to not start !!! someone at Apple needs to work with BMW Firmware Engineers and demand a fix or lose potential BMW customers.

Just discovered that replacing the Comm Box has had no effect. Bluetooth connection dropped during a call being made while transferring information. I could hear the voicemail message through the car, but I couldn't hang up using the button on the steering wheel. When the call finally disconnected I found that the bluetooth connection between car and phone had been lost and I had to reconnect. Have advised my dealer.