iPod playlist and radio station control

jco23 · 02-20-2023, 07:59 PM

Hi all,

just bought a 2017 BMW X3 xDrive28i.

it appears to have most of the addon packages including technology.

Two questions:
1. When I connect my iPod nano, the music plays fine, but I cannot seem to select a specific playlist - just search, artists, or songs selection
2. is there a way to change the radio station with the steering wheel? I know the "mode" button just toggles between the audio sources, but I'd like to just navigate from one station to the next without moving my hands from the wheel.

before you mention apple carplay, I do NOT have an iPhone (Google Pixel 6), and would prefer to use the cars integrated system rather than fiddling with my phone and worrying about the bluetooth connectivity.

thanks!

pungo · 02-21-2023, 10:34 AM

Welcome to the forum...
1. I use a USB stick with music so can't help with nano playlists.
2. The steering wheel controls can change radio stations, hell, you can even change them with voice commands. Have you even tried using the steering wheel controls?

jco23 · 02-21-2023, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pungo

Welcome to the forum...
1. I use a USB stick with music so can't help with nano playlists.
2. The steering wheel controls can change radio stations, hell, you can even change them with voice commands. Have you even tried using the steering wheel controls?

i did, but only got the volume and mode to change using the right side of the wheel.
really, just want to toggle through the presets - not sure if I have to enable a specific setting.

jco23 · 02-21-2023, 01:21 PM

i figured it out finally!

scrolling the wheel on the right-side of the steering wheel allows me to scroll up/down on the stations/presets. then pressing the wheel selects that station. however, it only shows on the heads up display for me rather than on the nav/radio screen.

as for the playlists, I had to select "search" first. but when doing so, it starts to play the first 2 seconds of the song and then gets stuck repeating (like a broken record). I suppose the issue could be with my out-of-date iPod, so I'll try another device.

pungo · 02-21-2023, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jco23

i figured it out finally!

scrolling the wheel on the right-side of the steering wheel allows me to scroll up/down on the stations/presets. then pressing the wheel selects that station. however, it only shows on the heads up display for me rather than on the nav/radio screen.

Glad you "figured" it out

jco23 · 02-24-2023, 08:49 PM

so another update to this - not sure if anyone else has had this experience, but when I attempt to play songs from the iPod nano (4th generation), it takes a while for the car recognize the songs, and even longer to recognize the playlists. this is fine, but what's frustrating is that when attempting to play a song from a playlist, it will just repeat the first 2 seconds over and over again (I let this go for a solid minute before giving up). however, when I use an iPod touch (1st generation), it still takes a bit to recognize the songs/playlists, but it plays them fine. so I'm not sure if there is some sort of software incompatibility issue, but just for others to know in case this helps them.

02-20-2023, 07:59 PM	#1
jco23 New Member 2 Rep 11 Posts Drives: BMW X3 Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	iPod playlist and radio station control Hi all, just bought a 2017 BMW X3 xDrive28i. it appears to have most of the addon packages including technology. Two questions: 1. When I connect my iPod nano, the music plays fine, but I cannot seem to select a specific playlist - just search, artists, or songs selection 2. is there a way to change the radio station with the steering wheel? I know the "mode" button just toggles between the audio sources, but I'd like to just navigate from one station to the next without moving my hands from the wheel. before you mention apple carplay, I do NOT have an iPhone (Google Pixel 6), and would prefer to use the cars integrated system rather than fiddling with my phone and worrying about the bluetooth connectivity. thanks!
	Appreciate 0 Tweet Quote

02-21-2023, 10:34 AM	#2
pungo Colonel 880 Rep 2,547 Posts Drives: Z4MC-X3-35i-525i, Corrado G60 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: MD iTrader: (5) Garage List 2011 BMW X3 x35i [0.00] 2001 BMW 525i [0.00] 2007 BMW Z4 M Coupe [8.76]	Welcome to the forum... 1. I use a USB stick with music so can't help with nano playlists. 2. The steering wheel controls can change radio stations, hell, you can even change them with voice commands. Have you even tried using the steering wheel controls?
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-21-2023, 01:21 PM	#4
jco23 New Member 2 Rep 11 Posts Drives: BMW X3 Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	i figured it out finally! scrolling the wheel on the right-side of the steering wheel allows me to scroll up/down on the stations/presets. then pressing the wheel selects that station. however, it only shows on the heads up display for me rather than on the nav/radio screen. as for the playlists, I had to select "search" first. but when doing so, it starts to play the first 2 seconds of the song and then gets stuck repeating (like a broken record). I suppose the issue could be with my out-of-date iPod, so I'll try another device.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

02-24-2023, 08:49 PM	#6
jco23 New Member 2 Rep 11 Posts Drives: BMW X3 Join Date: Feb 2023 Location: Maryland iTrader: (0)	so another update to this - not sure if anyone else has had this experience, but when I attempt to play songs from the iPod nano (4th generation), it takes a while for the car recognize the songs, and even longer to recognize the playlists. this is fine, but what's frustrating is that when attempting to play a song from a playlist, it will just repeat the first 2 seconds over and over again (I let this go for a solid minute before giving up). however, when I use an iPod touch (1st generation), it still takes a bit to recognize the songs/playlists, but it plays them fine. so I'm not sure if there is some sort of software incompatibility issue, but just for others to know in case this helps them.
	Appreciate 0 Quote