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      04-01-2020, 06:12 PM   #1
CeEl
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Latest firmware?

Car going in for 12 month oil change on Tuesday.

Also asked for a firmware upgrade.

Which firmware version is the latest / greatest / recommended? November 2019?
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      04-04-2020, 09:32 PM   #2
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Looks like there is a 2020.03 version... anyone have that yet in North America? Read about it in a German forum.
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      04-05-2020, 02:22 PM   #3
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Let us know if you get it. I am on a 7/2019 version. Overall, pretty stable. The only issue I still have is iPhone overheating on wireless charger after about one hour and I lose CarPlay until it cools down. Not sure if software can fix that though.
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      04-06-2020, 11:50 AM   #4
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Car has a build month of 1/2020. Purchased & delivered last week in 3/2020

11/2019.40 package
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      04-08-2020, 05:43 PM   #5
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Got the car back. Software version is now 03/2020.31

I only spend about 15 minutes in the car playing with the menus. Everything looks pretty much the same to me. I may be wrong on this, but think Spotify is now prominently placed in the media menu (I never use it, it may have been there before). I know some people had issues with it in the past, maybe that’s a sign that it works now?

The tiles reset to default - no big deal, I only use the home screen and a screen with news & weather.

I think the difference in volume between regular radio and satellite radio is now gone - they sound the same to me now in terms of volume. But haven’t really tried it out, just found this by accident and didn’t really experiment with it yet.

What I am really excited about is that the Connected app on my iPhone now works! I can remotely start the car & stop the engine - I never got that to work in the past. That’s a feature I really missed and I am glad it works now.

Other than that I had the grilles replaced with black ones (I bought them Online a couple months ago) and the car detailed. I have a SF Red M40i, and the black grille looks much better than the standard one with cerium grey highlights. My opinion, my taste, don’t mean to offend anyone. Totally in love with the car, detailed it feels like I took delivery of a brand new car again.
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      04-09-2020, 04:09 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CeEl View Post
Got the car back. Software version is now 03/2020.31

I only spend about 15 minutes in the car playing with the menus. Everything looks pretty much the same to me. I may be wrong on this, but think Spotify is now prominently placed in the media menu (I never use it, it may have been there before). I know some people had issues with it in the past, maybe that’s a sign that it works now?

The tiles reset to default - no big deal, I only use the home screen and a screen with news & weather.

I think the difference in volume between regular radio and satellite radio is now gone - they sound the same to me now in terms of volume. But haven’t really tried it out, just found this by accident and didn’t really experiment with it yet.

What I am really excited about is that the Connected app on my iPhone now works! I can remotely start the car & stop the engine - I never got that to work in the past. That’s a feature I really missed and I am glad it works now.

Other than that I had the grilles replaced with black ones (I bought them Online a couple months ago) and the car detailed. I have a SF Red M40i, and the black grille looks much better than the standard one with cerium grey highlights. My opinion, my taste, don’t mean to offend anyone. Totally in love with the car, detailed it feels like I took delivery of a brand new car again.
So much for OTA updates eh? At this rate, I am not sure that 'feature' is ever going to be used. I suppose by 2022, I Drive7 will be obsolete anyhow.

Rob
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      04-09-2020, 04:43 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob_G77 View Post
So much for OTA updates eh? At this rate, I am not sure that 'feature' is ever going to be used. I suppose by 2022, I Drive7 will be obsolete anyhow.

Rob
Agree. I can’t imagine paying the dealers to do the software upgrade is less expensive than paying for the OTA data. Or maybe enable it through the Connected app on the phone only, so the customer pays for data, not BMW. Other than cost, I don’t understand why this isn’t enabled in the US. Assume it works in other countries?
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      04-09-2020, 05:15 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CeEl View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob_G77 View Post
So much for OTA updates eh? At this rate, I am not sure that 'feature' is ever going to be used. I suppose by 2022, I Drive7 will be obsolete anyhow.

Rob
Agree. I can’t imagine paying the dealers to do the software upgrade is less expensive than paying for the OTA data. Or maybe enable it through the Connected app on the phone only, so the customer pays for data, not BMW. Other than cost, I don’t understand why this isn’t enabled in the US. Assume it works in other countries?
I think OTA reliability for a large customer base like the U.S. has yet to be demonstrated before releasing it. Imagine the PR disaster if only 1% of cars would be "bricked" by a butchered software release.

As far as I know, there have been tests in smaller markets like Austria and Switzerland but no major market yet.
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      04-09-2020, 05:57 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by German1967 View Post
I think OTA reliability for a large customer base like the U.S. has yet to be demonstrated before releasing it. Imagine the PR disaster if only 1% of cars would be "bricked" by a butchered software release.

As far as I know, there have been tests in smaller markets like Austria and Switzerland but no major market yet.
The write up from the tech includes that they took the car outside and let it ‘go to sleep’, along with a short test drive afterwards. So you may be on to something, software update seems to be more involved.
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      04-10-2020, 08:01 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CeEl View Post
Got the car back. Software version is now 03/2020.31

I only spend about 15 minutes in the car playing with the menus. Everything looks pretty much the same to me. I may be wrong on this, but think Spotify is now prominently placed in the media menu (I never use it, it may have been there before). I know some people had issues with it in the past, maybe that’s a sign that it works now?

The tiles reset to default - no big deal, I only use the home screen and a screen with news & weather.

I think the difference in volume between regular radio and satellite radio is now gone - they sound the same to me now in terms of volume. But haven’t really tried it out, just found this by accident and didn’t really experiment with it yet.

What I am really excited about is that the Connected app on my iPhone now works! I can remotely start the car & stop the engine - I never got that to work in the past. That’s a feature I really missed and I am glad it works now.

Other than that I had the grilles replaced with black ones (I bought them Online a couple months ago) and the car detailed. I have a SF Red M40i, and the black grille looks much better than the standard one with cerium grey highlights. My opinion, my taste, don’t mean to offend anyone. Totally in love with the car, detailed it feels like I took delivery of a brand new car again.
Black grill always the best with red car! I know because I have one
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      04-10-2020, 09:49 AM   #11
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Black grill always the best with red car! I know because I have one
Picture? Have stock grill in black car would like to see the black one.
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      04-10-2020, 11:59 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by German1967 View Post
I think OTA reliability for a large customer base like the U.S. has yet to be demonstrated before releasing it. Imagine the PR disaster if only 1% of cars would be "bricked" by a butchered software release.

As far as I know, there have been tests in smaller markets like Austria and Switzerland but no major market yet.
You are most likely right. I feel Software will be the end of the traditional luxury car manufacturers similar to how Nokia died because of it. They are simply not adapting fast enough it seams. Soon enough, customers will be expecting auto-pilot capability and other software intensive features that Tesla has and BMW can't even get OTA software updates to work at this moment. It is pretty scary
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      04-10-2020, 02:51 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ToysArs View Post
You are most likely right. I feel Software will be the end of the traditional luxury car manufacturers similar to how Nokia died because of it. They are simply not adapting fast enough it seams. Soon enough, customers will be expecting auto-pilot capability and other software intensive features that Tesla has and BMW can't even get OTA software updates to work at this moment. It is pretty scary
What’s confusing is that they had certain pieces of the software that the customer could update in the E89 (Bluetooth, entertainment, ...) using a USB stick. I can understand that they don’t want to ‘brick’ something critical, like the backup camera or whatever. But would have thought that the software was modular enough that they could allow updates to the library or driver or whatever piece controls the Apple CarPlay functionality and improve that connection OTA or even via a manual update from the app or heck, even old fashioned through a USB stick. I agree with your Nokia analogy - BlackBerry used to be cool once ...
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      05-10-2020, 10:01 PM   #14
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There is a feature in the system to download and install a software update. Any one try that? Would mean not going to the dealer
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      05-10-2020, 10:15 PM   #15
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this site says my BMW with a July 2019 update is current

https://www.bmw.com/en/footer/software-updates.html
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      05-10-2020, 10:53 PM   #16
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this site says my BMW with a July 2019 update is current

https://www.bmw.com/en/footer/software-updates.html
I don't think that site is useful for a BMW with iDrive7. And July 2019 is definitely not the latest. If you want BMW connected app to work, you need to get the dealer to upgrade your software.

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      05-11-2020, 04:50 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Romer View Post
There is a feature in the system to download and install a software update. Any one try that? Would mean not going to the dealer
Doesn’t work yet in USA... BMW just enabled OTA in Germany a couple weeks ago. Don’t know about other countries.
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      05-13-2020, 08:10 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rob_G77 View Post
I don't think that site is useful for a BMW with iDrive7. And July 2019 is definitely not the latest. If you want BMW connected app to work, you need to get the dealer to upgrade your software.

Rob
Mine is still on 7/2019 firmware and the connected app has worked fine since day one. I'm going in for the first service soon and will ask for latest firmware, my luck after the update the connected app will stop working lol.
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      05-14-2020, 06:00 PM   #19
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Mine is still on 7/2019 firmware and the connected app has worked fine since day one. I'm going in for the first service soon and will ask for latest firmware, my luck after the update the connected app will stop working lol.
BMW has just recently started to roll out a November 2019 version OTA in Germany. Assume they consider that the latest ‘stable’ version. And yes, even in Germany the OTA saw update wasn’t working until recently.
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      05-14-2020, 09:08 PM   #20
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I think the latest firmware depends on model year. BMW confirmed my July 2019 is the latest for my vehicle
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      05-14-2020, 09:20 PM   #21
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I think the latest firmware depends on model year. BMW confirmed my July 2019 is the latest for my vehicle
Nope. That is BS.
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      05-14-2020, 10:36 PM   #22
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Nope. That is BS.
Both the dealer and the BMW assist line told me mine has the latest firmware for my vehicle. Not sure why I wouldnt believe both of them?

I have a sDrive 30i Not an M40i if that makes a difference

Everything seems to be working fine. Connect app works, carplay works and is authorized to 2040.

What would the new SW do for me?
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