You are prepared to get inside the car once you have downloaded the map update or purchased the dealer’s USB disc with the update. Put the USB disk containing the most recent map data into your car’s USB port. The navigation update mode is automatically switched on by the Control Display. Choose “OK” to launch the update. The entire upgrade process could take anything from 30 to 90 minutes. You are not required to wait for the update to be finished. During the upgrade procedure, you can continue use your car and navigation system. Go to your map and press OPTION on the iDrive controller to restart the updating process. Next, choose “Navigation data update.” Please keep the USB disk in place until the update is complete. The navigation system will restart itself after the update has been installed successfully. This ends the updating process. Please navigate to “Navigation,” choose “Settings,” “Position and version,” and then pick “Version information” to view the currently installed map version.
In This Article...
Why and How Should You Update the Navigation Maps on Your BMW in 2022?
Once upon a time, all that was required for basic maintenance on a car was occasional tire replacements and routine oil changes. There’s more to it, though, if you want to maintain a contemporary BMW with an iDrive operating at its peak.
Maintaining your BMW’s iDrive should be a frequent effort, just like maintaining any other aspect of your car, whether it’s updating your iDrive software or downloading BMW maps to the factory navigation system.
In fact, Bavarians advise performing BMW sat nav updates at least twice annually and preferably more frequently.
Go to your iDrive navigation view, open the settings menu, and scroll down to Navigation system version to check the map version in your BMW. The region, version, and year of your current map are displayed. It’s time to update if it’s older than a year. Do you have a MINI Cooper? Read more on the navigation upgrade for the MINI Cooper.
Do I Possess NBT, CIC, or NBT Evo? Advanced Navigation System
In addition to introducing newer, more sophisticated hardware and quicker CPUs to accommodate new capabilities, BMW is always working on iDrive interface updates. Each BMW’s iDrive system (or head unit, which is its key component) determines not just whether or not these amenities are there, but also the car’s price. A 200 GB hard drive or full screen zoom for video playback may not be absolutely necessary for you in some cases when the financial disparity is that great.
However, there are some significant differences between the iDrive models that will actually matter for a driver who enjoys using the car’s system to stream music from numerous devices, watch movies on the BMW display, or utilize their preferred smartphone apps. Additionally, you are not forced to use your current system if something is missing.
Fortunately, there are aftermarket options available, such as the navigation retrofits offered by BMW Tech, that let you improve the iDrive for a fair price. However, you must first identify what you now have and the features offered by your current iDrive in order to know how to retrofit it and what you will receive with the new system. So, how can you find out what version of iDrive your BMW has?
NOTICE: This manual is intended for BMWs with the Navigation System Professional (S609A) and Live Cockpit Professional (S6U3A). Visit the free VIN decoder and enter your VIN to see if your car has it. You will notice option S609A in Vehicle Options if you have it. If you have a lighter version of pro nav, options like S6UNA, S6UPA, or S606A are available. Our blog entry on the fundamental BMW navigation systems has more information about it.
Do I have GPS in my BMW?
A very advanced navigation system that is fully integrated and installed in your BMW offers a variety of methods for entering data and can be customized to meet your needs. First, you can use the BMW ConnectedDrive portal or BMW Connected App to submit an address or location to your BMW in advance of your trip. When you’re driving, you can access it through your notifications. Select “Navigation” from the main menu or click the “NAV” button on the iDrive controller to manually enter a destination while inside the car. To select “Route Guidance” on the map screen, tilt the iDrive controller to the left and scroll up. Depending on how much information you want to provide, you may enter anything from a postcode or just the name of the town or city to a full address that includes the street name and house number. You have a variety of options for entering the information within each section. You can turn and pick each character using the iDrive, type each letter using the touchpad on top of the iDrive, utilize the voice assistant to recite the information, or use the touchscreen’s digital keyboard. After entering the necessary amount of information, simply scroll down and choose “Start Guidance.” As an alternative, you can conduct a points-of-interest search using your BMW’s connectivity, and the online feature will return current results from the Google database. Previously visited addresses are displayed in the recent destination menu and can be quickly accessed again. From here, frequently visited locations can be saved as favorite buttons. Simply use the iDrive to mark the location, then press and hold the corresponding favorite button. When you arrive at your desired location, the navigational assistance immediately terminates. By selecting “Route Guidance” from the left map menu once more, followed by “Stop Guidance,” the guidance can be be manually halted at any moment. As an alternative, you can simply say “Stop Guidance” while pushing the voice assistant button on the steering wheel. The BMW Professional Navigation System has a ton of additional useful features. Please see the integrated owner’s manual in the vehicle for more details, or get in touch with your local BMW Center.
Why won’t my BMW’s navigation work?
Allow the iDrive to restart by holding down the power button for 20 seconds. Possibly fix it Allow the iDrive to restart by holding down the power button for 20 seconds. Perhaps repair it
How can I identify my BMW with NBT?
The 5 Series E60/E61 was the first production vehicle to have CCC iDrive in 2003. After that, the X5 and X6 were added to additional BMW models until 2009. Throughout its existence, CCC iDrive benefited from two updates, which were released in 2007 and 2008. Some BMWs built in 2009 have the CCC head unit in addition to the new CiC controller (placed on the center console). These vehicles were regarded as “Hybrid” CCC/CiC iDrive systems but are essentially still CCC iDrive vehicles. Display resolution for the 8.8-inch, 640×240-pixel CCC iDrive system.
CCC Between the CCC and the CiC, the iDrive Systems’ antiquated LVDS transmission protocol necessitates an 8 pin, 8 wire link. Your IMI-1000 will be set up to work with the 8-wire LVDS connectors if your system is a CCC system.
If you have any of the following, you can determine if you have CCC iDrive:
1. 2x DVD/CD DRIVES: CCC iDrive Systems use a DVD drive to store and read the satellite navigation map data. If the main head unit has two DVD slots, the iDrive system is a CCC system.
2. The CCC menu system differs from other iDrive systems in that it has a center I and four primary menu items that correlate to the rotary controller’s directional “left, right, up and down” movements.
3. Determine whether you have the NAV option;
The 8.8-inch TFT/LCD display (measured diagonally)
5. Rotary Controller Type – One of the three CCC iDrive rotary controllers are what you will have.
An illustration of the CCC iDrive System, which has a rectangular metal LVDS connector, is seen below.
How can I get free map updates for my BMW navigation system?
Several times a year, changes to the maps are released. They are offered in the BMW Shop as a one- or two-year subscription. If you have a current subscription, you can use the BMW Update Manager to obtain the most recent refresh from the BMW Connected Drive portal and update your map data. You’ll need a 64GB FAT-32 formatted USB drive and the methods below to accomplish this.
- First, use the icon in the site top to connect into your My BMW Account. Go to “My Vehicles” by navigating.
- Choose the vehicle for which a map update is desired.
- Go to the “Map update” section. If a new map version is available, a notification will appear.
How can I tell if the software in my BMW is current?
How will I be informed when an upgrade is ready? Similar to when other new software is made available to your phone, any newly available update packages will be instantly announced as a notification on your BMW control display or on your smartphone via the BMW app.
What version of BMW iDrive is currently in use?
In 2021, BMW announced the BMW Curved Display and the 8th iteration of iDrive. BMW offers iDrive 8.0 on the following models: Active Tourer BMW 2 Series (U06)
If my BMW has Apple CarPlay, how do I know?
Among the most popular vehicles on the road today, BMWs are prized for their cutting-edge technology.
Apple CarPlay is one of such features. With it, you may use the BMW’s dashboard screen to access the apps on your iPhone.
Several inquiries about this function will be addressed in this article, along with information on its availability across the whole BMW lineup.
BMWs with iDrive 5 or later equipped have Apple CarPlay available. Since 2019, BMW has offered this as a free upgrade on newer vehicles equipped with iDrive 7.
One feature that many potential BMW owners find to be quite appealing is Apple CarPlay.
Continue reading to find out which BMWs support Apple CarPlay and how to add it to a BMW that doesn’t currently have it.
Which maps is BMW using?
Pre-installed navigation systems in new automobiles are now practically irrelevant due to the explosive growth of smartphone navigation apps like Google Maps and Waze over the past several years.
However, this does not necessarily imply that the auto industry has given up the fight. In no way. Many of them have actually adopted plan B, and as a result, they are currently collaborating with navigation experts to develop new features that would update their mapping solutions with contemporary capabilities.
BMW, for instance, has partnered with HERE Technologies, a pioneer in the field of navigational software and the creator of a number of cutting-edge mobile applications.
This time, the purpose is as basic as it could be. As part of the collaboration, HERE Predictive Routing is being upgraded for BMW Maps, a component of the BMW Operating System 8.
Predictive Routing’s intended use is something you may infer from its name, to put it briefly. Your routes and destinations are learned by the system, which then tries to identify patterns that could be used to anticipate future journeys.
But because it can monitor things like traffic conditions, the location you’re about to utilize, the usual departure time, and more, the whole thing is considerably more complicated. Additionally, depending on all of these variables, it makes an educated guess as to where you want to go, after which it offers the best route there as well as a more precise departure time.
For instance, if you use your BMW for your daily commute, the predictive routing feature should be able to quickly figure out what time you usually leave for work and should then provide you the fastest route to take before you leave the garage.
BMW is the first user of the cloud-based predictive routing, according to HERE, who also noted that multiple OEMs’ mobile devices and automobiles can also use the same capabilities.