[bde]

Hi All,

Upgraded to 2024 x3 M40i from 2020 one.

0 issues with idrive or airplay connection in 2020 and it NEVER Lost sync while driving. Have i13 pro with 17.4.1 ios and latest idrive software update now. Had the same phone with ios 17 on 2020.

This pos 2024 loses connection about once a day and can't reconnect until you shut off the engine- exit and enter the car again- works perfectly fine after every time.

Tried rebooting phone/restarting idrive with volume-no help.. It actualy sees iphone but can't sync with it. It tries to reconnect as well but can't seem to do so on the idrive srceen. My iphone can connect to BMW (says connected) but BMW unit can't connect to iphone.. Again, this is all until you shut off the car and start it again- works perfect like nothing happened.

It is extremely annoying to drop connection as you are talking over the phone. It's very unsafe too... Is this bmw picking garbage covid chips due to shortage and filling their cars with this crap which works worse than a kia!?

Any ideas besides most likely needing an idrive unit replacement? What a pain in the a**!

Thanks!

[ContactPatch]

Mine does it sporadically too, might go 3 to 4 months with perfect connections, then it drops a few times and all is back to normal. Not sure what it is, but it heals itself until the next disconnect on a '23 M40i.

[bocabimmer]

Originally Posted by ContactPatch

Mine does it sporadically too, might go 3 to 4 months with perfect connections, then it drops a few times and all is back to normal. Not sure what it is, but it heals itself until the next disconnect on a '23 M40i.

I’m about the same, once a day definitely isn’t normal.

[IAmSpeed]

It's probably a Bluetooth issue and specificlly it's probably on iPhone rather than iDrive.

[BlueBlackM40]

Genius at local dealer taught me this and it helped a lot of my iPhone connection issues on my new M40. Unpair the iPhone from the car and remove it from your iDrive connections list (complete delete). Quick reset iDrive and phone. Go to re-pair and make sure the handshake comes from your BMW (e.g., select your phone from BMW menu, not your BMW from phone Bluetooth menu). Apparently making the BMW the primary initiator of the Bluetooth handshake matters.

YMMV

[GDEvans]

Originally Posted by bde

This pos 2024 loses connection about once a day and can't reconnect until you shut off the engine- exit and enter the car again- works perfectly fine after every time.

Does it do it in the same location every time?

I had a problem with my CarPlay connection every day on my commute when I boarded a ferry across a river. The person collecting the toll had a handheld device which connects to the ferry via wifi. Every time they approached my car the CarPlay connection dropped out, and reconnected as the person walked away. All I can work out is that their unit was on the same wifi channel as the BMW wifi, and that unit caused the car signal to be overpowered. Unfortunately you cannot change the wifi channel used by the car.

I had a similar issue with GPS occasionally on the same ferry. The car's position on the satnav would freeze on the side of the river where the journey started. When I continued the journey, the car would move on the sat nav screen (using the car speed and direction to estimate change of position), but would be in the wrong place by about the width of the river. About 20 mins later it regained a GPS lock and positioned me correctly. This issue did not affect my TomTom GPS. Very strange.

[TXGrey]

Originally Posted by GDEvans

Does it do it in the same location every time?

I had a problem with my CarPlay connection every day on my commute when I boarded a ferry across a river. The person collecting the toll had a handheld device which connects to the ferry via wifi. Every time they approached my car the CarPlay connection dropped out, and reconnected as the person walked away. All I can work out is that their unit was on the same wifi channel as the BMW wifi, and that unit caused the car signal to be overpowered. Unfortunately you cannot change the wifi channel used by the car.

I had a similar issue with GPS occasionally on the same ferry. The car's position on the satnav would freeze on the side of the river where the journey started. When I continued the journey, the car would move on the sat nav screen (using the car speed and direction to estimate change of position), but would be in the wrong place by about the width of the river. About 20 mins later it regained a GPS lock and positioned me correctly. This issue did not affect my TomTom GPS. Very strange.

This is the primary answer…. (See other related threads). I don’t use CarPlay to/fom work each day because it drops in the EXACT same locations every time (and then proceeds to have many of the same issues as OP). But on weekends, I use CarPlay almost exclusively and it works fine. It’s just the one dang area on a certain road… it has to be a Wifi/Cell related in my case (whether that is the car’s issue or my 13 Pro’s issue, not sure).

[Bimmerforlife]

Why don’t you just plug your iPhone in with a cable?

[GDEvans]

Originally Posted by Bimmerforlife

Why don’t you just plug your iPhone in with a cable?

The cars are only equipped with wireless CarPlay. It does not work with a cable.

[GDEvans]

Originally Posted by TXGrey

This is the primary answer…. (See other related threads). I don’t use CarPlay to/fom work each day because it drops in the EXACT same locations every time (and then proceeds to have many of the same issues as OP). But on weekends, I use CarPlay almost exclusively and it works fine. It’s just the one dang area on a certain road… it has to be a Wifi/Cell related in my case (whether that is the car’s issue or my 13 Pro’s issue, not sure).

It is not the phone. I changed phones (currently on an iPhone 12), and the problem reoccurred.

Changing jobs helped. I no longer travel on the ferry. Since then I have not experienced the CarPlay or GPS issues!!

[bocabimmer]

Originally Posted by GDEvans

It is not the phone. I changed phones (currently on an iPhone 12), and the problem reoccurred.

Changing jobs helped. I no longer travel on the ferry. Since then I have not experienced the CarPlay or GPS issues!!

Well there’s your answer. If you have these issues: move, change careers, divorce, abandon your kids, dye your hair, and assume a new identity. 🤣

[TXGrey]

Ok - too funny…. So what happens to me this morning? I jump in the car (after using CarPlay on the way home yesterday… since you know, you all got me motivated to try it)… and my phone doesn’t connect… AT ALL. No CarPlay, no iDrive… nada. And it WON’T connect (while driving I mean), no matter what I tried, turned off, etc. So finally I get to work parking garage, delete everything on the car, and the phone, and reconnect. Seems to be working now. I’ll see how it performs on the way home.

Life is full of irony…. You just have to learn how to laugh at it.

[GDEvans]

Originally Posted by bocabimmer

Well there’s your answer. If you have these issues: move, change careers, divorce, abandon your kids, dye your hair, and assume a new identity. 🤣

It isn't quite that bad. The witness protection programme provided the new identity, a new house and a new career. The hair dye hides the gray patches.

Fortunately there wasn't any space on the programme for the wife and kids...