iPod issue

[tom10422]

I have a 160GB iPod (Classic now). While it is getting on in years, it seemed to work fine with the i3. However, in the month or so of having the i3, the iPod seems to lock up consitently just before song 100 (on random) is played, more like 96 or 97. Tonight was the third time I've had to reset it. Most of the 160 GB is filled with Apple Lossless music with album art.

My previous car seemed to forget that it was in random and started playing in song order. So, maybe it is the iPod.

Any suggestions? How big of a flash drive does the i3 support? Thought about getting a 256GB memory stick and converting everything to FLAC.

 

[Sparky]

I too have the same iPod. I got very frustrated playing it through usb on my last BMW. It would stop and I'd have to reset it. There were a few other issues I can't remember. I finally just assumed that the iPod and BMW were not completely compatible.

I'm having similar issues playing the spotify app on my iPod touch with the i3.

I don't think BMW has there connectivity chops together.

 

[stumbledotcom]

I have an iPod Classic in the E90 and an iPod Nano 4th Generation in the i3. No significant problems. Have to reset the Classic once or twice a year. No more in the car than when playing through headphones. (The Nano doesn't get a chance to crash because I reset it on a monthly basis by syncing new podcasts.)

The iPhone on the other hand has been very problematic since iOS 8 was released. Apple introduced a bug in the Music app that makes it impossible to use Playlists other than sequentially. There also are well documented Bluetooth issues across multiple car brands. Both are definitely Apple issues because devices running iOS 7 work fine still.

 

[roofless]

Picked up an i3 for an extended test drive yesterday. Tried to connect my wife's iPod classic using the iPod USB cable from her 328i (they didn't give us a cable for the i3), but it didn't work -- the display in the car said "Reading..." for a while, and then "Unsupported". The display on the iPod never showed that it was connected to the car.

The iPod works in the 328i -- could it be that the i3 uses a different cable?

 

[Sparky]

Update:
Took out my iPod touch and plugged in my iPod classic via usb cable. Works flawlessly. So far, after a couple of weeks, no reset required.

 

[WoodlandHills]

My iPod Classic has intermittent connection issues. It always connects first thing in the morning, but if I make a stop a few minutes later and shut off, it struggles to connect again. Often I have unplug and replug to get the car to see it, other times it works flawlessly. Sometimes it starts right up and other times it takes two or three minutes to get there.

 

[Schnort]

My wife has an iPod classic. It usually works just fine in her Honda Odessey

Then stops for a few days, then magically starts again.

Black magic, I tell you. Voodoo.

 

[roofless]

If you're connecting your iPod Classic using a cable, are you using the BMW cable with both the USB and mini-plug connectors, or just the iPod's USB cable?

 

[WoodlandHills]

I use the Apple cable. I never knew BMW sold their own cable.

 

[roofless]

@WoodlandHills, thanks for the quick reply.

Once you connect your iPod, are you able to control everything from the iDrive interface? And if you leave the iPod connected, does it sleep when you turn off the car?

The BMW cable plugs into both the USB jack and the adjacent mini jack (at the same time). I'm not sure what functions the mini jack provides, but I was under the impression you needed both for total integration, at least for older iPods/iPhones.

 

[WoodlandHills]

Yes, when it connects, I have full control from the iDrive Controller. It shuts off when the car is shut down, not sure how long it waits, but the iPod is always dark when I come out in the morning.

 

[stumbledotcom]

The BMW cable plugs into both the USB jack and the adjacent mini jack (at the same time). I'm not sure what functions the mini jack provides, but I was under the impression you needed both for total integration, at least for older iPods/iPhones.

The BMW Y-cable (USB and mini-jack on one side, 30-pin on other) is required for vehicles produced prior to September 2010 (cable was included at delivery). Cars produced from September 2010 on work with the standard USB cable that comes with your mobile device. The Y-cable reportedly works in post 9/2010 vehicles but the standard USB cable will not work in older ones. I use a 4th gen iPod nano (2008-9) plus plain USB cable in my i3 and have no issues.

 

[stumbledotcom]

Yes, when it connects, I have full control from the iDrive Controller. It shuts off when the car is shut down, not sure how long it waits, but the iPod is always dark when I come out in the morning.

Does the iPod have a full charge? If not, you might try charging it from a wall outlet or computer. The iPod Classic I use in the '09 E90 once behaved in a similar manner. I finally realized the iPod's battery was depleted. The car's USB would wake it up after a while but it would never charge more than a few percent. After I charged it in the house, I didn't have any issues. If it's not the low battery, the only other option I can think of is a software restore through iTunes.

 

[tom10422]

Well, I think my iPod is just old. Amazon had a big sale on PNY flash drives a while ago and I picked up the 256GB one. Converted all my Apple Lossless music to FLAC and loaded the flash drive. Only done a couple of drives just using the flash drive for music in the i3, but so far it seems to work fine. Might just be me, but I think the music is slightly better sounding from the flash drive than off the iPod. It certainly loads up much faster when turning on the i3 than the iPod did.

 

[roofless]

An update on my previous post: I was able to get my wife's iPod classic to work using the iPod's cable instead of the BMW cable. It took the i3 about 10-20 seconds to detect the iPod, but once it did, it worked as expected. I tried this yesterday, so I can't say yet whether the iPod charges while connected, but it should.

I did notice a few quirks:

• When I first connected the iPod, I hadn't set it to random (shuffle) mode, so the songs started playing in alphabetical order of song title. That isn't unusual, but I couldn't find any way to turn on random playback using the iDrive controller, I had to disconnect the iPod, turn on random mode there, and reconnect it. Just curious if there's a way to do this from iDrive.
  
  Unlike every other BMW we've owned, there are apparently no controls on the steering wheel that you can use to move to the next/previous song, you have to use the arrow buttons on the console.
  
  The bin under the armrest with the USB connector has no cover, so you have to disconnect or cover the iPod when you leave the car if you don't want it to be seen. The USB connecter in the glove box, which would be a better option for the iPod, is only for data transfer, according to owner's manual.

 

[roofless]

Apparently the ordered list tags don't work as expected in my previous post.

 

[WoodlandHills]

I have an iPod classic with an Apple cord and I can access the various songs in a playlist using the roller on the right side of the wheel under the Mode button...... Do you have the base audio or the HK?

 

[roofless]

We have the base audio. Didn't notice a roller under the mode button, I'll ask my wife to take a look. Thanks!

 

[stumbledotcom]

When I first connected the iPod, I hadn't set it to random (shuffle) mode, so the songs started playing in alphabetical order of song title. That isn't unusual, but I couldn't find any way to turn on random playback using the iDrive controller, I had to disconnect the iPod, turn on random mode there, and reconnect it. Just curious if there's a way to do this from iDrive

With the iPod playing and the Media screen active on the iDrive display, press the Option button that's behind the controller. One of the options is Random playback.

 

[roofless]

The roller under the mode button on the steering wheel does allow you to move back/forward in your playlist, though not quite like the dedicated arrow keys. When you move the roller, the display behind the steering wheel shows the current selected song title in a one-line display, and you have to press the roller to select that song.

Although the iPod Classic worked using the iPod cable in the i3 loaner my wife was using, it does not work at all in her own i3, which I picked up today. Whether I use the iPod cable or the BMW USB adapter cable, when you connect the iPod the display says "Unsupported" immediately, doesn't even try to read first. I tried hooking up my iPhone 6 using its cable, and that worked fine.

The loaner i3 was a Giga with the Technology Package, which includes Professional Navigation, but did not have the upgraded HK audio system. The "real" i3 is a Mega without any upgrades. Do any of you who got the iPod Classic to work do so without the Technology Package?