[GT500R]

1. Can set heated seat or steering wheel to automatically come on when car is started and a certain outside temperature threshold is met (I.e. <45*)
2. Preprogrammed 1-7 to anything you want (tire pressure, house navigation, sport displays, etc)
3. Back button literally just continues to go back until you are on the main screen

[Lux700]

Originally Posted by GT500R

1. Can set heated seat or steering wheel to automatically come on when car is started and a certain outside temperature threshold is met (I.e. <45*)

With regards to this function, you have to actually set off before the seat heater switches on, a bit like the doors auto-locking when you set off. I suppose it’s been programmed that way to ensure the car is actually going on a journey rather than remaining stationary.

[OzX3M40i]

My seat heater automatically switches on when the seatbelt is connected.

[mde83]

Thanks for this thread to all who are contributing. I have nothing to contribute yet because my M40i is being built (in the next week) for delivery sometime in December.

The iDrive comments are particularly interesting to me. I currently have a 2016 x3 35i and iDrive has always been a bit of a mystery. I have never used the voice commands except maybe in the first day or two I had the vehicle. Since then its always been a search and find mission through the menus for anything.

[MechX3M40i]

Originally Posted by Yobyot

Have you tried voice commands like, "scale one mile", "scale 800 feet" or that all time #1 hit: "map facing north"?

I'm a big fan of iDrive voice commands.

Also by touching the iDrive controller touchpad with 2 fingers doing the zoom in or zoom out move like you'd do on any touch screen

[MechX3M40i]

Originally Posted by Yobyot

I'm in violent agreement with you.

I am completely stumped why BMW doesn't do this. The crappy list of voice commands in the back of the manual doesn't come close to being accurate.

Two suggestions:

=> You can, for the most part, simply say whatever you want if it is an iDrive menu item, no matter how deep that entry is in the menu system. For example, if you have interior accent lighting and want to change the the color just say, "interior lighting".
=> Wherever you are in iDrive, just press the voice button and say, "What can I say?" This has uncovered some really interesting voice commands for me.

Totally agree but without violence... :

OP - thanks for starting this thread and it could be used as unofficial supplemental tips and tricks to the manual!

Until BMW publishes the official voice command list, How about a new thread listing all the known voice commands that work? I was driving with my wife yesterday and I felt like an idiot at times when most of my comments did not work ( e.g. "go home" did not bring out the navigation function, but "drive home" did!!!)

[Yobyot]

Originally Posted by MechX3M40i

Also by touching the iDrive controller touchpad with 2 fingers doing the zoom in or zoom out move like you'd do on any touch screen

Or, pinch to zoom in or out and flick to move quickly.

I like the voice commands because I've been using them since my E90 in 2006. But I am learning to appreciate the iDrive touchscreen.

In navigation, touch scrolling is so much better than using the controller in "interactive map".

[dan321]

Originally Posted by Yobyot

Or, pinch to zoom in or out and flick to move quickly.

.

I'll have to give that a try!

You're in Boston, right. How is the snow? We used to live in Bolton 'till we moved the FL... the snow is much easier to deal with here

[nogren]

Thanks OP for the thread!
One of the better ideas ever here. :-)

Regarding lack of documentation for voice commands; isn't it like for the manual, it's dynamic and put together based on the options the vehicle got? So many thinks are dynamic...
So without spending yet another big lump of money, they simply write that most headings are available as voice commands, etc..
And probably more AI will make it more clever and better in future models.

[Njerts]

One of the nicest features of iDrive is the 7 shortcut buttons that you can assign to any frequently used feature.
For example to create a shortcut to "Tone" select Media/Radio and the scroll down and highlight "Tone" (don't select) then long press one of the shortcut buttons.

[Yobyot]

Here's another (buried) secret. If you have ZPX which in the US includes 6U8, press the voice control button and say, "Gesture control". Then select "function assignment" to select a function that corresponds to the "two finger point at dashboard" gesture.

My favorite is "Recently used menus" which brings up a convenient, scrollable list of iDrive menu choices.

[Lux700]

My shortcuts...
1. Takes me home - satnav
2. Equaliser
3. Trip computer
4. Safety features
5. Sport displays
6. Ambient lighting
7. Call Mrs

[BobsM3Coupe]

Originally Posted by MechX3M40i

Totally agree but without violence... :

OP - thanks for starting this thread and it could be used as unofficial supplemental tips and tricks to the manual!

Until BMW publishes the official voice command list, How about a new thread listing all the known voice commands that work? I was driving with my wife yesterday and I felt like an idiot at times when most of my comments did not work ( e.g. "go home" did not bring out the navigation function, but "drive home" did!!!)

I can say "I'm hungry" and it will bring up a list of nearby places to eat.

[Yobyot]

Another discovery, from just this morning.

Suppose that you have a) set a button to "Now Playing in Apple CarPlay" to quickly switch to CarPlay, b) you are using Waze for nav and c) you then selected a radio station or radio preset.

In that case, if you press the numbered button you assigned to "Now Playing in Apple CarPlay" in order to return to the Waze nav, you will not switch back to the Waze display. Instead, you will resume playing whatever was playing in CarPlay last time you were using CarPlay audio (duh!).

Solution: use voice control and simply say, "Apple CarPlay" or just "CarPlay". This will switch to the current app in CarPlay without restarting CarPlay audio. Alternative: switch to the home menu, rotate controller to far left "parenthesis-play" icon and select it. (That's the CarPlay icon.)

IOW, "Now Playing in CarPlay:" means exactly what it says.

[strike4A]

Originally Posted by Lux700

My shortcuts...
1. Takes me home - satnav
2. Equaliser
3. Trip computer
4. Safety features
5. Sport displays
6. Ambient lighting
7. Call Mrs

How is 4 different to pressing the button under the hazard lights switch?

[MarkyM]

Originally Posted by Njerts

One of the nicest features of iDrive is the 7 shortcut buttons that you can assign to any frequently used feature.
For example to create a shortcut to "Tone" select Media/Radio and the scroll down and highlight "Tone" (don't select) then long press one of the shortcut buttons.

They are extremely useful, also if you touch them without pressing the assigned function will appear at the top of the centre screen, only complaint is why only 7?, my old E70 had 8 presets

[MarkyM]

Never come across this before on previous cars but when I first washed the X3 I thought wipers wouldn't fold out, consulted manual and if you hold wiper stalk down with car off for a few seconds wiper will do a sweep and stop at the top so you can fold them out to clean windscreen

[shoptb]

Originally Posted by MarkyM

They are extremely useful, also if you touch them without pressing the assigned function will appear at the top of the centre screen, only complaint is why only 7?, my old E70 had 8 presets

Yeah, I wondered the same thing. They replaced #8 with the "Connected Drive" (globe) button. My guess is that they wanted to promote the Connected Drive apps/services.

[Yobyot]

This morning there was a nasty accident on the Mass Pike eastbound. I was racing to catch a train and notice for the first time that the traffic info icon was red. I was sure it used to be yellow when showing traffic delay info.

Turns out, it's color-coded. The manual for iDrive nav (which you have to ask BMW Genius to email you) tells the story.

[Lux700]

Originally Posted by OzX3M40i

My seat heater automatically switches on when the seatbelt is connected.

I noticed that mine came on when I put my seat belt into the fastener today. Last week I could have sworn that it only came on when I drove away!

[jjrandorin]

Originally Posted by MarkyM

Never come across this before on previous cars but when I first washed the X3 I thought wipers wouldn't fold out, consulted manual and if you hold wiper stalk down with car off for a few seconds wiper will do a sweep and stop at the top so you can fold them out to clean windscreen

I think this has been a BMW thing for a while.. at least my 2013s and my current 2016s both do this particular thing, but its certainly not intuitive.

[Yobyot]

If you have a US-spec car with ZPP which includes 6AP, an active BMW Connected subscription and have enabled remote access in iDrive, you can use the iOS and Android apps to request remote 3D Surround View images.

If, after pressing the "refresh view" button in the app, you then press "loading," you can watch the progress of the request or cancel it.