Online Search Not Working (iDrive)

Arm · Apr 20, 2023

Lately ...within the last few days....the Online Search ability via voice command simply doesn't work.

I press the voice command button, say Online Search, it opens up the dialogue screen, asks for me to state the name of what I want, then the message to the right states "Online Search is not available now, try again later."

I still have ConnectedDrive current and up-to-date. Voice commands work for everything else and manual online search actually works.

Any ideas?

2019 BMW i3s with Professional Package

Arm · Apr 22, 2023

Wow not a single reply...

alohart · Apr 22, 2023

Arm said:
Wow not a single reply...

I'm not familiar with the Professional Package, so maybe you're not in the U.S. However, if you are in the U.S., I'll go out to test online search in our 2019 i3. It could be that online search is down in one market but not in others, so the results of my test might not apply outside the U.S.

tliet · Apr 23, 2023

Probably not helpful to add, but in my 3 years of having the i3 I've literally used the search option not once. The first thing I did was hack CarPlay to be turned on and I've never looked back.

About 2 months ago, the professional package expired as I got some emails of BMW. I enquired if I would lose the ability to use the app and BMW told me that basic remote functions were for life of the car, so I didn't bother taking out a subscription.

Curious how many people use the built in BMW software.

Arm · Apr 23, 2023

alohart said:
Arm said:

Wow not a single reply...

Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with the Professional Package, so maybe you're not in the U.S. However, if you are in the U.S., I'll go out to test online search in our 2019 i3. It could be that online search is down in one market but not in others, so the results of my test might not apply outside the U.S.

I am actually in LA...the Professional Package is the nomenclature for the base package...i.e. no tech package, etc. It's an odd way to refer to the packages but that's how BMW does it apparently.

To your point, it's possible it's down but using it manually works. Let me know if it works for you!

alohart · Apr 25, 2023

I tried Online Search in our 2019 i3 and was surprised by the result (possibly because I have rarely used it). In our 2014 i3, I occasionally used Online Search to find a business whose address I wanted. It seemed to work by using the i3's cellular Internet connection because my paired iPhone didn't have a cellular data plan at that time.

Yesterday, I returned home, parked, and immediately tried using Online Search via a voice command. The response was a voice who told me that Online Search was not possible while driving! My iPhone limits its functionality while driving, and it can take a few minutes after parking for it to realize that I'm no longer driving, so this message seemed to imply that my iPhone was somehow involved with Online Search.

I unpaired my iPhone from our i3 and tried Online Search again. The result this time was a screen that instructed me to pair a phone with our i3 to enable Online Search.

I paired my iPhone with our i3 and tried Online Search again. The result was a valid search result spoken by a voice.

Apparently, Online Search now uses a paired smartphone's cellular Internet connection instead of the car's cellular Internet connection. Maybe that's a change in iDrive version of our 2019 i3 compared with the earlier version of our 2014 i3. Or maybe I don't really understand how to use Online Search.

Online Search seems to be working using a paired smartphone with a cellular Internet connection. Maybe it isn't working as it should if it should use an i3's cellular Internet connection.

frictioncircle · Apr 26, 2023

Hello Arm –

I'm on my second i3 and haven't ever used speech-based online voice search although I do understand the convenience!

Yes, base-level telematics is called "BMW Professional" while the top-level is called "BMW Business" – I don't know why they're named this way but the pattern goes back to at least the 1990s. Back then a Professional head unit would have a cassette deck and you'd have to spring for the Business level to get a CD player!

If your online search is only working through your mobile's cellular connection makes me wonder, does your i3 have a 3G modem which has since been bricked by AT&T's 3G sunset?

https://techbuzz.att.com/explainers/att-is-shutting-down-its-3g-network-heres-how-to-prepare/

Do you know if your telematics unit is 3G or 4G?

vodkag · May 2, 2023

i think it been off and on lately

Arm · May 5, 2023

alohart said:
I tried Online Search in our 2019 i3 and was surprised by the result (possibly because I have rarely used it). In our 2014 i3, I occasionally used Online Search to find a business whose address I wanted. It seemed to work by using the i3's cellular Internet connection because my paired iPhone didn't have a cellular data plan at that time.

Yesterday, I returned home, parked, and immediately tried using Online Search via a voice command. The response was a voice who told me that Online Search was not possible while driving! My iPhone limits its functionality while driving, and it can take a few minutes after parking for it to realize that I'm no longer driving, so this message seemed to imply that my iPhone was somehow involved with Online Search.

I unpaired my iPhone from our i3 and tried Online Search again. The result this time was a screen that instructed me to pair a phone with our i3 to enable Online Search.

I paired my iPhone with our i3 and tried Online Search again. The result was a valid search result spoken by a voice.

Apparently, Online Search now uses a paired smartphone's cellular Internet connection instead of the car's cellular Internet connection. Maybe that's a change in iDrive version of our 2019 i3 compared with the earlier version of our 2014 i3. Or maybe I don't really understand how to use Online Search.

Online Search seems to be working using a paired smartphone with a cellular Internet connection. Maybe it isn't working as it should if it should use an i3's cellular Internet connection.

Interesting. I haven't really paid attention to whether I'm paired with my phone or not during times that I tried. I don't use an Iphone...I use a Pixel 7 and previously a Galaxy S9 where it had no issue working with. There is a setting where one must turn on (at least on my Galaxy) where you have to allow voice to be used during a lock screen via Bluetooth. I know I had that on when on my S9. I'll have to check on the Pixel 7 but there is no equivalent menu setting on the Pixel 7 for that.

Arm · May 5, 2023

frictioncircle said:
Hello Arm –

I'm on my second i3 and haven't ever used speech-based online voice search although I do understand the convenience!

Yes, base-level telematics is called "BMW Professional" while the top-level is called "BMW Business" – I don't know why they're named this way but the pattern goes back to at least the 1990s. Back then a Professional head unit would have a cassette deck and you'd have to spring for the Business level to get a CD player!

If your online search is only working through your mobile's cellular connection makes me wonder, does your i3 have a 3G modem which has since been bricked by AT&T's 3G sunset?

https://techbuzz.att.com/explainers/att-is-shutting-down-its-3g-network-heres-how-to-prepare/

Do you know if your telematics unit is 3G or 4G?

Mine is a 2019 model so it must have 4G but it doesn't use 4G to use Online Search...not in my case anyway. As Alohart pointed out, you use Online Search via your cell phone while connected via Bluetooth to the car. Also as mentioned above, it may be a "permission" issue on the phone where you have to allow the phone's voice service to allow voice recognition while locked and on Bluetooth. I'll have to check that out and hopefully that's the reason why it's not working.

Arm · May 5, 2023

So I have an update:

As I suspected, it had to do with the phone. Since Online Search activates the phone's voice control, if you have the screen OFF on the phone and have not turned on permissions for the phone to allow voice control when locked, Online Search won't work because the phone isn't allowing it.

Once I turned on the ability for the phone to use BT when locked, Online Search worked.

frictioncircle · May 14, 2023

Thanks for the update, Arm... no doubt your reply will help other i3 owners.

Arm · May 16, 2023

frictioncircle said:
Thanks for the update, Arm... no doubt your reply will help other i3 owners.

No worries...that's what we are all here for!

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