2017 F23 and USB music sources

swilson317 · 06-05-2022, 02:25 PM

I have a fairly new F23 that I bought used. So far, I'm finding that the best source of music via USB is my old iPod. But I decided to try my andoid phone. But I couldn't seem to access any music. It seems that I should be able to access music through the media interface with my andoid phone as a source. Am I missing something. A related question is whether the system will support music directly from a USB flash drive?

harma24 · 06-05-2022, 02:37 PM

Yes, the car will support a USB drive full of music files. I keep a drive with MP3's on it in my car.

Kernel Kurtz · 06-05-2022, 04:52 PM

USB flash drive is really the way to go for music source.

swilson317 · 06-05-2022, 05:12 PM

Thanks! I decided to go out and test again and discovered that the flashdrive worked great. I wasn't sure about the folder format, but saw that it found all music...whether under \music or in the root. Cool! Only thing I'm missing is playlist support.

Also...after rereading the manual...I discovered that ability to import music from the flash or copy from a CD. Also cool! That was news to me.

I also tested using my android phone again. It's weird...I have access to previous and next track, but no visibility to artists, albums, tracks, etc. Is that behaving as expected?

So...at this point...the only advantage to the USB flashdrive over the iPod is capacity, but I do like the playlist support of the iPod. That said...can I create a playlist with Windows Media player and copy that over to the flashdrive...as long as the folder structure is the same?

On a separate topic...I drove the car on my first longer drive (3 hrs.) to attend a memorial service for a friend. The drive was effortless and enjoyable and the tunes were awesome! Love the car! Nice upgrade from my Miata, but the Miata is still more fun on the twisties! :-)

swilson317 · 06-11-2022, 12:26 AM

I continue to have problems testing USB flash drives. There sems to be some kind of threhold as to the number of files teh system can handle. I have formatted a 64 GB drive that worked fine with only three or four artists. But as soon as I loaded the thing up, I still can only select three or four artists. What gives? Very frustrating!

harma24 · 06-11-2022, 10:01 AM

Not sure, but that does not sound like normal behavior. I have >2,500 files in >200 folders and have no issue whatsoever.

MarcoZandrini · 06-11-2022, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swilson317

I continue to have problems testing USB flash drives. There sems to be some kind of threhold as to the number of files teh system can handle. I have formatted a 64 GB drive that worked fine with only three or four artists. But as soon as I loaded the thing up, I still can only select three or four artists. What gives? Very frustrating!

With what file format are you formatting the memory stick? I think it has to be ex-FAT32.

MarcoZandrini · 06-11-2022, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swilson317

Thanks! I decided to go out and test again and discovered that the flashdrive worked great. I wasn't sure about the folder format, but saw that it found all music...whether under \music or in the root. Cool! Only thing I'm missing is playlist support.

Also...after rereading the manual...I discovered that ability to import music from the flash or copy from a CD. Also cool! That was news to me.

I also tested using my android phone again. It's weird...I have access to previous and next track, but no visibility to artists, albums, tracks, etc. Is that behaving as expected?

So...at this point...the only advantage to the USB flashdrive over the iPod is capacity, but I do like the playlist support of the iPod. That said...can I create a playlist with Windows Media player and copy that over to the flashdrive...as long as the folder structure is the same?

On a separate topic...I drove the car on my first longer drive (3 hrs.) to attend a memorial service for a friend. The drive was effortless and enjoyable and the tunes were awesome! Love the car! Nice upgrade from my Miata, but the Miata is still more fun on the twisties! :-)

Yeah, it's hard to be the Miata in the twisties!

Here's an unsecure link that shows you how to make a playlist for iDrive: http://mybearbrick.blogspot.com/2017...mw-idrive.html

swilson317 · 06-12-2022, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarcoZandrini

With what file format are you formatting the memory stick? I think it has to be ex-FAT32.

Have tried both ex-Fat32 and NTFS. But I believe the issue is the number of tracks. I re-read the Supplement Entertainment Manual and I quote: "Number of tracks - The information for approx. 40,000 tracks can be stored in the vehicle. However, a maximum of 16,000 tracks can be stored per USB storage
device." I'm not sure whether to interpret that as meaning the number of tracks that are supported in a single USB device or the number that can be transferred to the vehicle at a go.

From what I am seeing, it's not the format of the device, but the number of tracks. That said...maybe I'm being impatient and the system just hasn't had enough time to index the tracks on the USB stick. The shear number of tracks is due to me being a bit old school and wanting mull albums loaded vs. just those song I listen to in a playlist. I will do some more testing.

MarcoZandrini · 12-09-2022, 01:08 PM

I found this: https://playlist-creator.en.uptodown...ndows/download

Creates playlists in m3u and pls formats.

06-05-2022, 02:25 PM	#1
swilson317 New Member 3 Rep 19 Posts Drives: 2017 BMW M240i Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Fremont, CA iTrader: (0)	2017 F23 and USB music sources I have a fairly new F23 that I bought used. So far, I'm finding that the best source of music via USB is my old iPod. But I decided to try my andoid phone. But I couldn't seem to access any music. It seems that I should be able to access music through the media interface with my andoid phone as a source. Am I missing something. A related question is whether the system will support music directly from a USB flash drive?
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06-05-2022, 02:37 PM	#2
harma24 Captain 404 Rep 745 Posts Drives: 2017 M240i Glacier Silver Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: 19.5mi NNW of Boston, MA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2017 BMW M240i [0.00]	Yes, the car will support a USB drive full of music files. I keep a drive with MP3's on it in my car. __________________ Fun Cars (daily drivers) 2001-2016: 2001 Honda Prelude \| 2016 - present: 2017 M240xi Glacier Silver Coupe Family Cars: 1993-2014: 1993 Honda Accord 10th Anniversary Edition \| 2014-Present: 2014 Honda Odyssey Stable-mate: 2019 - present: 2020 230xi Seaside Blue Convertible
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06-05-2022, 04:52 PM	#3
Kernel Kurtz Major 347 Rep 1,020 Posts Drives: 2020 M240i xDrive Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Winnipeg, Canada iTrader: (0)	USB flash drive is really the way to go for music source.
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06-05-2022, 05:12 PM	#4
swilson317 New Member 3 Rep 19 Posts Drives: 2017 BMW M240i Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Fremont, CA iTrader: (0)	Thanks! I decided to go out and test again and discovered that the flashdrive worked great. I wasn't sure about the folder format, but saw that it found all music...whether under \music or in the root. Cool! Only thing I'm missing is playlist support. Also...after rereading the manual...I discovered that ability to import music from the flash or copy from a CD. Also cool! That was news to me. I also tested using my android phone again. It's weird...I have access to previous and next track, but no visibility to artists, albums, tracks, etc. Is that behaving as expected? So...at this point...the only advantage to the USB flashdrive over the iPod is capacity, but I do like the playlist support of the iPod. That said...can I create a playlist with Windows Media player and copy that over to the flashdrive...as long as the folder structure is the same? On a separate topic...I drove the car on my first longer drive (3 hrs.) to attend a memorial service for a friend. The drive was effortless and enjoyable and the tunes were awesome! Love the car! Nice upgrade from my Miata, but the Miata is still more fun on the twisties! :-) Last edited by swilson317; 06-05-2022 at 05:27 PM..
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06-11-2022, 12:26 AM	#5
swilson317 New Member 3 Rep 19 Posts Drives: 2017 BMW M240i Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Fremont, CA iTrader: (0)	I continue to have problems testing USB flash drives. There sems to be some kind of threhold as to the number of files teh system can handle. I have formatted a 64 GB drive that worked fine with only three or four artists. But as soon as I loaded the thing up, I still can only select three or four artists. What gives? Very frustrating!
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06-11-2022, 10:01 AM	#6
harma24 Captain 404 Rep 745 Posts Drives: 2017 M240i Glacier Silver Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: 19.5mi NNW of Boston, MA iTrader: (0) Garage List 2017 BMW M240i [0.00]	Not sure, but that does not sound like normal behavior. I have >2,500 files in >200 folders and have no issue whatsoever. __________________ Fun Cars (daily drivers) 2001-2016: 2001 Honda Prelude \| 2016 - present: 2017 M240xi Glacier Silver Coupe Family Cars: 1993-2014: 1993 Honda Accord 10th Anniversary Edition \| 2014-Present: 2014 Honda Odyssey Stable-mate: 2019 - present: 2020 230xi Seaside Blue Convertible
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12-09-2022, 01:08 PM	#10
MarcoZandrini Major 447 Rep 1,268 Posts Drives: 2018 M240i Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	I found this: https://playlist-creator.en.uptodown...ndows/download Creates playlists in m3u and pls formats.
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