voice command

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trickydickey

New member
Joined
Nov 26, 2017
Messages
1
Location
Vancouver B.C.
hey - thanks for the add and i have had my I3 now for 3 days
i am playing with all the goodies and trying the voice activation and all i get is a microphone icon on the display
This is a base model so i assuming that it does not work without the tech package or is there some way that i have to activate it

on another issue is when the charge cable is in do the power outlets stay powered up ??? have my dash cam inserted into the dash outlet and it stays powered up all the time the charge cable is in

thanks in advance

there was no owner manual when i purchased it so I am awaiting that as well
 
My experience is that after a delay, the 12vdc sockets do shut down, but don't immediately...in the same timeframe as the radio. That might change(d).

I don't know about the voice commands. FWIW, if you go to the BMW website, you can input your VIN, and then download a user's manual. They have a version for iOS (and, I think Android) on the app stores as well. Those apps aren't as complete as the printed one, but are definitely easier to search!
 
I bought a certified 2018 I3 a month ago. Pushing the voice response button did nothing.

Today, the salesman aided me in getting it to at least respond with a message on the display. If I say "Go home," the car responds with "Navigating home." However, absolutely nothing happens. I tried following with "Start Guidance," but that does nothing. After that first response, nothing more happens.

What frosts me is that their nice Utube videos and the manual tell me totally different things. The video shows a mere touch on the voice button. The car demands the button be held for 3 seconds before anything happens. The video shows a voice response. The car just shows a message on the display. Nowhere except on one set up screen does it say I have to have my phone in the car and Bluetooth paired.

Please tell me that there, somewhere in the world of BMW, is a video or a manual that applies to my I3. If I try to display the Driver's Guide on "My BMW," I just get a message saying it can't be displayed "on this portal, please try another portal." Whatever that means.
 
I believe your 2018 version of iDrive is the next-gen version vs. the OG version on my 2017, but my steering wheel voice button has two functions. A short press and I speak to iDrive. A longer press (perhaps 3 seconds??) and I speak with my Android phone connected by Bluetooth, essentially "OK Google" without saying OK Google. I've seen it mentioned elsewhere that if the car doesn't have the tech package (indicated by the smaller center screen on the US models) the iDrive voice command feature isn't included.
 
No tech package. Small display.

The long press seems to do as you indicate, but the short press does absolutely nothing on mine.

What frosts me is the total lack of documentation.
 
I just checked. After a long press, if I say "Go home," I get the answer "Navigating home." If I do a "OK Google" and "Go home, " I get the answer "OK home." So the I3 is doing something more than just the "OK Google," but not really executing anything. Kind of a hybrid!
 
On my 2013 with the tech package, if I press and immediately release the voice button on the steering wheel I hear a chime. I can then say "help" and it will tell me what commands I can issue. If that doesn't happen on yours, then I'd guess that you don't have iDrive voice command availability.

Doing a long press of the voice button doesn't do anything for me. Although as I think about it, maybe that's because my Android phone is connected via Bluetooth rather than a hardwired USB connection. I've never tried that because I figured it wouldn't allow me to talk to my phone since my car doesn't have Android Auto. Might have to give it a try with a USB cable connection just for fun.
 
FWIW, it's just a Bluetooth connection to my phone, an LG V30 running Android 9.0, nothing wired.
 
Interesting. Maybe it's a change that only works in later model cars. If it activates "OK Google" on the phone, it would be helpful for reading text messages out loud, etc.
 
Huh... I use mine to send texts, read my texts, navigate, play music, open apps, call people, Google search random stuff. I'm betting it's more an issue or setting with your phone, probably not the car.
 
I'm still thinking it is related to my older 2014 car, since the long press doesn't work with either my Android phone or my wife's. And didn't work with our old phones either (we both recently got new phones). Haven't tried plugging a cable in yet.
 
I did the long press this morning and spoke the name of a restaurant in the area. My Android Galaxy Note was in the cup holder and the screen was off. The response was "Here's what I found" and the street locations of two branches of that restaurant in the area displayed on the phone. I'm satisfied now that the long press is simply an "OK Google" to the phone. If I do the same thing away from the car, I get the same thing.

I had hoped it would do more, but trying to find any real description for the feature is frustrating.
 
Just tried again and nothing. If I short press the radio quits playing while the voice conversation takes place. If I long press the radio just keeps playing, indicating to me that the system doesn't even recognize a long press. Didn't have a USB cord handy to test a hardwired connection but will do that at some point just for fun.
 
I finally got time to take a USB cable out to the i3 and test a hardwired connection. Long pressing the voice button on the steering wheel still didn't do anything but this time it did bring up a message on my Android phone saying that my phone was connected "for charging" and to tap that message for other options. One option was "File Transfer/Android Auto". I don't have Android Auto but once I tapped that selection it asked me if I wanted to open "Google" or "Amazon Alexa". I selected "Google" and "Always use this app" and tried it again. This time a long press did indeed invoke Google on my phone. After trying it a few times I disconnected the hardwired USB connection and tried it again and it still works over the Bluetooth connection. So, that is great news. I guess the trick was getting it to pop up the screen to select type type of connection and the default app to use, and it only did that once I had the hardwired connection.

Interestingly the responses from my phone when I do this comes over the phone's speaker and not the i3's speaker, but that's ok. But I guess that shouldn't be a surprise since when I use my phone for voice navigation the voice comes from the phone and not the i3. But when I have a phone conversation going on, the voice comes from the i3. Wonder how it decides where to send the voice...
 
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