[g4gav]

I'm still quite new to the bmw thing, but iv only just discovered i have a HDD in the car for music. i have a USB too in the glove box too but won't recognise the iPhone i connect to it.....
i have a aux port in centre console and this seems the only way i can connect, is there any retro fits i can do to make it more user friendly?

[Nham68]

You can import music from a USB stick in most formats directly into your HDD. I take a clean USB stick (say 4 GB) and use a very simple folder structure, copy music to the stick, take it to car and import it. If you have m4a audio format it will also display album artwork.

The other way is to use an iPod or iphone : just connect it directly from centre console USB (or glove box on my F31) and you will see the music in Media under external devices. With iphone/iPod, all your same music folders appear...

Spotify also works excellently for me on iphone.

If all that fails, you've got Bluetooth....

[Almaretto]

Many audio formats (flac, mp3, wma, etc) will all display artwork if tagged correctly. It is best to keep artwork to 500x500 pixels.

Internal hard drive is on 20 GB and importing will compress higher quality audio files, so it is not recommended. I have used up to a 2TB external and it reads fine.

[g4gav]

thanks for getting back to me on this, but iv also asked the local bmw dealer for detail on my car including the stereo..... they have nothing on file or systems!

how do you add music , if i can to mine as i don't have no options in the menus when using the dial, i have the usb in the glove box, and tried using it.... but nothing! I'm starting to wonder if my car can't do it.......

[Almaretto]

I just have usb next to auxiliary input in my center storage. I just plug usb in there and select the media button around idrive controller. Then, there is an input option. You could try reformatting usb drive and making sure there are no hidden directories to confuse vehicle.

[poiuytre111]

I also use the usb socket in the armrest with a usb flash drive. I found many 32G drives worked but 64GB were more picky. After trying a few 64G I now have one that works and am loading it with my favourite mp3. I don't have nav so suspect I don't have the hard drive or even the usb in glovebox - couldn't see it when I looked anyway

[Peter_R]

There are so many drives on the market that BMW cannot be expected to test all of them. Some cars are picky with some flash drives. Usually 64gb and upwards.

[plymjack]

Indeed you do need a 32meg USB for it to work - if you dont have one in your glove box look in your centre console....

[g4gav]

right then folks, hope you've all had a good day?

i went to BMW today to find out the spec of my car, as i had nothing with it to say other wise....

to my disgust my cd player is a business unit and not a pro, and to top it of they don't think i can add anything to it to give it extra USB slots in centre arm rest....
so I'm stuck with only AUX in arm rest, this is down to being ordered as a rep car and the only extra i have apparently is sports heated seats...gutted!!!!

my question to the people of this form is can i change the units for a pro as that come with the bigger screen and more usb's and a hard drive?

[Pinewood]

Originally Posted by g4gav

right then folks, hope you've all had a good day?

i went to BMW today to find out the spec of my car, as i had nothing with it to say other wise....

to my disgust my cd player is a business unit and not a pro, and to top it of they don't think i can add anything to it to give it extra USB slots in centre arm rest....
so I'm stuck with only AUX in arm rest, this is down to being ordered as a rep car and the only extra i have apparently is sports heated seats...gutted!!!!

my question to the people of this form is can i change the units for a pro as that come with the bigger screen and more usb's and a hard drive?

you in theory can do this, BUT the cost would be prohibitive. apart from changing the hardware, it would need extensive coding.
easier and cheaper to add a bluetooth system, and connect your phone that way

[g4gav]

Originally Posted by Pinewood

you in theory can do this, BUT the cost would be prohibitive. apart from changing the hardware, it would need extensive coding.
easier and cheaper to add a bluetooth system, and connect your phone that way

any recommendations matey? iv never come across these sort of things before.....

[Pinewood]

Originally Posted by g4gav

any recommendations matey? iv never come across these sort of things before.....

No personal experience but Parrott systems get great reviews.

[dreamspeed]

Originally Posted by g4gav

any recommendations matey? iv never come across these sort of things before.....

I have this one. Works perfectly. The key selling point is that it auto connects properly every time I get into the car. A lot of the Bluetooth adapters require you to manually pair it every time you get in the car, which is a complete deal breaker.

https://www.amazon.com/Kinivo-BTC450.../dp/B009NLTW60

[cdog]

Just a possible heads up. I haven't checked the glove box in our X3 but our 2013 X1 has a USB in the glove box & it does not seem to connect to the system. I suspect it's actually for vehicle diagnostics. Does your system have Bluetooth ? I can't tell from the thread. Seems like Bluetooth would be the way to go but aux is really the simplest if you don't have it. Seems like a pain but . . . you already have it. Of course you'd need to charge your phone somehow & that means wires all over.

[philkiev]

Hi All,

New to this forum but I had a very similar issue. I previously drove a Toyota IQ and it had bluetooth audio as standard. I then bought a second-hand BMW X3 (2013) which does have Bluetooth but not for audio/music. I contacted by local BMW dealership who told me it was impossible to add bluetooth audio to my vehicle and given I hadn't used a wire to connect my phone to play music from my phone when driving for the past 3 years, I was very frustrated (first world problem I guess).
Went on an extensive search on the internet and came across this a solution by Bimmertech (http://www.bimmer-tech.net/shop/bmw-...its/nbt-coding). I was very reluctant at first, given the feedback received from the local dealership. I then read a couple of reviews on Bimmertech and decided to treat myself to the solution.
Can't tell you how happy I am I did! It was such an effortless and easy solution - you download a file onto a USB stick and connect this to your car and follow the detailed instructions the guys at Bimmertech give you. 15 minutes later by X3 had Bluetooth Audio and I was back to my happy days of listening to music whilst driving.

The Bluetooth connection has been excellent, switching from calls to music and vice-versa works beautifully.

Again, great service and instructions from Bimmertech - they will definitely be my first stop next time I need something related to my X3!

Happy to answer any questions on the solution, either in thread or by PM.

[bouchy]

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