[2msport]

Does anyone else have issues with iDrive displaying none at all, or incorrect album artwork? Quite often it gets stuck on a particular songs artwork. When the next song comes on the image stays the same unless the whole system is reset. I use Pandora which is pretty bad and sometimes doesn't show the artwork at all. Beatport which barely works. And Hype Machine which is actually the best but still gets stuck on certain songs. The songs play just fine but the artwork and song info is messed up. (artwork more often) I use the USB lightning connection exclusively for the best signal possible. My car have the entry head unit with HK. No nav. No tech package. Is that the reason it's not working properly, or does this happen to people with the technology package as well? It's quite irritating. Is there a fix? Do we need to wait for bmw to update the media software to be compatible with software newer than 5 years ago? Any info would be helpful. Do you guys have this problem?

[hoppy6698]

The only one I have issue with consistently is Pandora. It only shows the very first track/record played. All of my other music is loaded onto the HDD in the Nav package. I haven't tried playing direct from a USB yet, so not sure if that would show the right album art either.

[Viffermike]

Actually, I find Spotify has some of those same issues. If you subscribe to Spotify (worth it just for the sound quality difference over anything else alone, IMHO), you can feed it to iDrive three different ways: USB (best audio quality), streaming Bluetooth (middle) and via ConnectedDrive as a BMW App (sadly, the lowest quality). The quirks:

USB: Displays album art; doesn't update song title or album track order info.
Bluetooth: Doesn't display album art; sometimes updates song title or album track info
ConnectedDrive: Doesn't display album art; does update song title and album track info.

Since ConnectedDrive doesn't work without the USB connection, I'm highly disappointed that the sound quality doesn't match the functionality. It makes little sense why it doesn't, and I hope BMW fixes that issue soon ...

[hyperzulu]

I get the best experience from Bluetooth, sadly. With the last update to iDrive, BT works best. Before then it was the same across the board -> album art and track would get stuck often. Now with BT, album art and track always change correctly, but USB is still a nuisance. I just use BT and live with the lack of functionality beyond next and prev track.

[CaliforniaDrew]

That's odd... I use Spotify too, through ConnectedDrive (iPhone 5s connected through USB). Once the phone is plugged in and I have launched the ConnectedDrive app on my iPhone, I never have to look at it again. Through iDrive, I get access to all the Spotify functions (Your Music, Browse, etc...), with full album art and updated song title / album track info.

The display has never gotten stuck on me. Note that while I use Spotify this way, my iPhone is on some sort of a lock screen, showing the Spotify and BMW logos only.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaDrew

That's odd... I use Spotify too, through ConnectedDrive (iPhone 5s connected through USB). Once the phone is plugged in and I have launched the ConnectedDrive app on my iPhone, I never have to look at it again. Through iDrive, I get access to all the Spotify functions (Your Music, Browse, etc...), with full album art and updated song title / album track info.

The display has never gotten stuck on me. Note that while I use Spotify this way, my iPhone is on some sort of a lock screen, showing the Spotify and BMW logos only.

Right. But do an experiment: use Spotify through ConnectedDrive, then use it as streaming Bluetooth, then use it through the USB. Don't touch the volume or tone controls while you do this. You should note that the ConnectedDrive sound is not only lower in volume, but it has nowhere near the resolution that the other two methods have. My theory is that ConnectedDrive only processes Spotify at the service's 96 Kbps mobile default, while Bluetooth has 160Kb of headroom, and the USB connection uses the full "Extreme" 320Kb that Spotify is capable of (at the Premium membership level, anyway).

For the ConnectedDrive to be using the 96Kb rate is just sad -- and short of compatibility issues with Spotify (many of which were fixed in the last iDrive update) or limited processing capability (very possible since ConnectedDrive must be activated for the integration to work), it's pretty much inexcusable.

[2msport]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Right. But do an experiment: use Spotify through ConnectedDrive, then use it as streaming Bluetooth, then use it through the USB. Don't touch the volume or tone controls while you do this. You should note that the ConnectedDrive sound is not only lower in volume, but it has nowhere near the resolution that the other two methods have. My theory is that ConnectedDrive only processes Spotify at the service's 96 Kbps mobile default, while Bluetooth has 160Kb of headroom, and the USB connection uses the full "Extreme" 320Kb that Spotify is capable of (at the Premium membership level, anyway).

For the ConnectedDrive to be using the 96Kb rate is just sad -- and short of compatibility issues with Spotify (many of which were fixed in the last iDrive update) or limited processing capability (very possible since ConnectedDrive must be activated for the integration to work), it's pretty much inexcusable.

Wow. Really good to hear. Or not.. But useful to me. I'm trying to find a way to get album artwork to behave properly with the USB interface but not at the expense of song quality. So in your testing, any audio with connected drive is sub par? Or just Spotify.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by 2msport

Wow. Really good to hear. Or not.. But useful to me. I'm trying to find a way to get album artwork to behave properly with the USB interface but not at the expense of song quality. So in your testing, any audio with connected drive is sub par? Or just Spotify.

So far, just Spotify -- but that's just because I've had benchmarks to compare it to (BT, USB), and upgraded speakers installed that will enhance the differences better than the woeful stock speakers.

I've been meaning to use a benchmark recording to do a comparo between iTunes (most of my files are 256Kb or 384Kb), CD, a high-speed thumb drive via USB, and the on-board hard drive (I have the Tech Package), the latter of which only saves files up to 256Kb and automatically downconverts any files larger than that, according to the Owner's Manual. I've been focusing on a couple of other things, though, when time allows: see this thread.

[hyperzulu]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Right. But do an experiment: use Spotify through ConnectedDrive, then use it as streaming Bluetooth, then use it through the USB. Don't touch the volume or tone controls while you do this. You should note that the ConnectedDrive sound is not only lower in volume, but it has nowhere near the resolution that the other two methods have.

Tried this over the weekend. Mind boggling.

Using Spotify over straight USB sounds better, but it's completely broken. I can't skip to the next song or anything. I've been using BT for a while now. I got an iPhone thinking it would be the best iDrive experience, but again as in my last car, nope.

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by hyperzulu

Tried this over the weekend. Mind boggling.

Using Spotify over straight USB sounds better, but it's completely broken. I can't skip to the next song or anything. I've been using BT for a while now. I got an iPhone thinking it would be the best iDrive experience, but again as in my last car, nope.

Yep. I can skip to the next song and previous song, but nothing changes on the screen ... I choose which method to feed the HU depending on the use. If it's a new album or a playlist (i.e., OK to play front to back or in shuffle mode), I'll use USB. If it's new songs I'm 'getting to know' for my band (80s covers) or if I need to search around the collection or app (i.e., play specific songs multiple times, or searchability), I'll use either iTunes or my car's HDD, or Spotify on BT. I'm just about done with Spotify on ConnectedDrive until the quality improves.

(I came to BMW from a Lexus, which had near-seamless iPhone/iTunes/BT integration, even after iOS updates. BMW's iOS quirks are frustrating, to say the least ... )

[CaliforniaDrew]

Excuse my ignorance, but how does one go about using Spotify through straight USB (without using the App)? I just tried that: get in car, plug USB cable, start Spotify on iPhone 5s... After a moment, phone changes to the Spotify / BMW logos screen, and under the Multimedia tab, I have an entry for Spotify (right under External devices). Using that, everything works...

The reason I am asking is that this is basically the same as when I use the ConnectedDrive route - seems I can't find a way to use Spotify without using the ConnectedDrive app...

[hyperzulu]

You should be able to go back to External Devices and select USB. Oddly enough sometimes on my phone, once it used ConnectedDrive, it would no longer allow me to stream through USB as an external device without disconnecting the cable...

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaDrew

Excuse my ignorance, but how does one go about using Spotify through straight USB (without using the App)? I just tried that: get in car, plug USB cable, start Spotify on iPhone 5s... After a moment, phone changes to the Spotify / BMW logos screen, and under the Multimedia tab, I have an entry for Spotify (right under External devices). Using that, everything works...

The reason I am asking is that this is basically the same as when I use the ConnectedDrive route - seems I can't find a way to use Spotify without using the ConnectedDrive app...

Hyperzulu's right: sometimes you need to disconnect the cable to reset the connection between car and device. Sometimes even that doesn't work; you have to jump-start Spotify manually (close the app, re-open it, select what to playbefore ConnectedDrive takes hold of it) for it to take via USB.

Maddening. But the quality difference is SO worth it.