[Fronzdan]

Has anyone gotten the Connected Drive email capability working? In the customer portal, you can setup mailboxes to various email accounts. Presumably this is so you can access mail through Connected Drive as opposed to through your mobile device/BT notifications.

So I have entered account info on the Connected Drive portal, but now trying to make the connection in the car. I found a place where you can enter email username/password in iDrive. What do you enter here? Your Connected Drive credentials or the email account credentials?

[Fronzdan]

Figured it out. It works.

[RSnic]

FronzDan,
This quite useful, particularly since I can only get text messages from my phone to iDrive.

On the Connected Drive portal, what topic is this under as I could not find it under services?

Thanks

[Fronzdan]

It in Settings, Setup Services, email Accounts. Enter all your email account info there. Then when you go to BMW Connected in iDrive, go into Office (not Office from the main menu). Online Mail should be a selection.

So here's the thing, when it works, it works well. I was able to check my inbox, delete emails and send one. But it's not the most reliable. For example, I created a new email (I used Dragon Drive to dictate it too). Got the whole thing composed and sent it. I get an error message something like connection lost. I did actually send it, but it always gives me that error. But worse...every time I get in the car and go to Online Mail it wants me to login to the Connected account as in enter the username and password. That's a total pain in the ass, especially for strong passwords that mix upper, lower case with numbers.

Let me know if you have better luck.

[Tommy_hf]

with my gmail account somehow it only downloads messages from 2012.. .my car didn't exist back then

[Fronzdan]

Originally Posted by Tommy_hf

with my gmail account somehow it only downloads messages from 2012.. .my car didn't exist back then

Are you sure you're not in a Delorean? Maybe it's gone back in time?!

It will only download chunks of emails at a time. Could it be that your gmail inbox still has emails in there from 2012 and it's grabbing the oldest first?

[RSnic]

Originally Posted by Fronzdan

It in Settings, Setup Services, email Accounts. Enter all your email account info there. Then when you go to BMW Connected in iDrive, go into Office (not Office from the main menu). Online Mail should be a selection.

So here's the thing, when it works, it works well. I was able to check my inbox, delete emails and send one. But it's not the most reliable. For example, I created a new email (I used Dragon Drive to dictate it too). Got the whole thing composed and sent it. I get an error message something like connection lost. I did actually send it, but it always gives me that error. But worse...every time I get in the car and go to Online Mail it wants me to login to the Connected account as in enter the username and password. That's a total pain in the ass, especially for strong passwords that mix upper, lower case with numbers.

Let me know if you have better luck.

FronzDan,
Found it; after several tries got it set up

Will try tomorrow
Thanks

[RSnic]

FronzDan,
Was traveling over last several days & tried out on-line mail:

• Whenever we stopped & turned off car, had to enter password -- very tedious!
• Was able to access in-box & had messages read -- nice feature
• Could only reply when parked -- which speed lock can be coded out to take turn this off?
• Couldn't figure out how to use address book or contacts so had key in addresses -- also tedious
• Lost signal in places where my phone had several bars

Am I missing something else?

[Fronzdan]

Originally Posted by RSnic

FronzDan,
Was traveling over last several days & tried out on-line mail:

• Whenever we stopped & turned off car, had to enter password -- very tedious!
• Was able to access in-box & had messages read -- nice feature
• Could only reply when parked -- which speed lock can be coded out to take turn this off?
• Couldn't figure out how to use address book or contacts so had key in addresses -- also tedious
• Lost signal in places where my phone had several bars

Am I missing something else?

Nope, nice summary of exactly what I've experienced. Having to re-enter your Connected password is a deal breaker for me. That username/password is used to unlock your doors with the remote app among other things. I want it to be secure, which means a combination of upper/lower/numeric chars. That translates into one pain In the ass password to enter every time you start your car. And the same goes for the contacts or the lack of sync to any contact list. The feature needs work.

[RSnic]

Originally Posted by Fronzdan

Nope, nice summary of exactly what I've experienced. Having to re-enter your Connected password is a deal breaker for me. That username/password is used to unlock your doors with the remote app among other things. I want it to be secure, which means a combination of upper/lower/numeric chars. That translates into one pain In the ass password to enter every time you start your car. And the same goes for the contacts or the lack of sync to any contact list. The feature needs work.

FrnzDan,

Yup, entering password over & over again got to be tedious to say the leat and add to that entering email addresses was beyond useful!

Maybe they'll do something about it -- live in hope!

[vp]

Originally Posted by Fronzdan

Has anyone gotten the Connected Drive email capability working? In the customer portal, you can setup mailboxes to various email accounts. Presumably this is so you can access mail through Connected Drive as opposed to through your mobile device/BT notifications.

So I have entered account info on the Connected Drive portal, but now trying to make the connection in the car. I found a place where you can enter email username/password in iDrive. What do you enter here? Your Connected Drive credentials or the email account credentials?

Fronzdan, can you please provide steps on how to get the connected drive email working?

I have my mailboxes set up on the customer portal, but when i get into iDrive, i put in the email credentials and keep getting "invalid Username/Password" even though i know they are right.

[vp]

Originally Posted by RSnic

FronzDan,
This quite useful, particularly since I can only get text messages from my phone to iDrive.

On the Connected Drive portal, what topic is this under as I could not find it under services?

Thanks

How did you get text messages to iDrive? I don't have that. Im using an iPhone 6 and have checked every setting on my phone and iDrive but don't see anything to get the text messages working.

Thanks

[Fronzdan]

You have to be sure you have notifications turned on for text messages. Also under Bluetooth settings for the bmw pairing make sure notifications are turned on

[vp]

Originally Posted by Fronzdan

You have to be sure you have notifications turned on for text messages. Also under Bluetooth settings for the bmw pairing make sure notifications are turned on

Its strange, under the Bluetooth settings for the BMW pairing, i don't have a notifications option.

[peikko]

On android it isn't an option until the device (car) asks permission - then you get a request for access message and it shows up in Bluetooth options if you accept.

Is it not a similar set up in iPhone?

[RSnic]

Originally Posted by vpatel787

How did you get text messages to iDrive? I don't have that. Im using an iPhone 6 and have checked every setting on my phone and iDrive but don't see anything to get the text messages working.

Thanks

VPatel787,

First off, my car has Tech package.

The very first time I Bluetooth paired my phone & car, I answered yes to allow SMS messages & something else. Subsequent to that, whenever I turn on phone's Bluetooth, the car & phone pair (usually after a minute or two). Whenever I get a text message, I get an envelope icon in the upper right corner of the map display and I can access the message from the Office menu item (MESSAGES) -- and the Android "robot" voice (sounds like a female Cylon Warrior -- I have a Samsung S4) also announces the message and reads it aloud. Am also playing around with Dragon Voice

Hope that helps!

[vp]

Originally Posted by RSnic

VPatel787,

First off, my car has Tech package.

The very first time I Bluetooth paired my phone & car, I answered yes to allow SMS messages & something else. Subsequent to that, whenever I turn on phone's Bluetooth, the car & phone pair (usually after a minute or two). Whenever I get a text message, I get an envelope icon in the upper right corner of the map display and I can access the message from the Office menu item (MESSAGES) -- and the Android "robot" voice (sounds like a female Cylon Warrior -- I have a Samsung S4) also announces the message and reads it aloud. Am also playing around with Dragon Voice

Hope that helps!

Thanks, when I paired my phone, I didn't get the option of SMS. I'm not sure why because I also have the tech package.

[allachie9]

Sorry if I'm coming to the party a bit late on this one, but I notice in earlier comments posters are complaining that they have to log-in every time they want to use the service.

The way to avoid this, and remain logged in is via The BMW Online Connected Drive portal.

Go to -

Settings > Security Settings > Password Protection in Vehicle

Make sure you select 'Never (use auto login with no restrictions)'.

Click 'Save'.

That's all there is to it, next time you login, you stay logged in.

[wilbur_the_goose]

Strange - I don't have "Password protection in vehicle" as an option.

[Fronzdan]

Yeah we don't have this option on the US portal.

Thanks for posting it though. I sent the image to Customer Assistance and asked why we don't have this.

[allachie9]

Originally Posted by Fronzdan

Yeah we don't have this option on the US portal.

Thanks for posting it though. I sent the image to Customer Assistance and asked why we don't have this.

Good luck, I certainly hope it helps.
Why we have to have all these regional variations (apart from the steering wheel on the 'wrong' side) is beyond me.

[Trevster]

Originally Posted by vpatel787

Its strange, under the Bluetooth settings for the BMW pairing, i don't have a notifications option.

This video shows you got to get the idrive and iPhone setup to communicate