BMW ConnectedDrive not working

[user-removed]

Plan

Premium

Country

Belgium

Device

Nexus 6P

Operating System

(iOS 10, Android Oreo, Windows 10,etc.)

My Question or Issue

So I have a BWM 1 series for about a week now and was able to connect spotify without any problems until it stopped working once i got back in my car two days ago. It still shows up in my apps, and sometimes I can click it and continue to the next screen but it doesn't load any further than that. I also get a notification on my phone that it's connected.

The problem started when I used the spotify app on my computer and connected to Sonos. But I already changed it in the computer app so the music plays from my computer itself.

The funny thing is that it does play spotify from my phone connected via bluetooth, just not from the app that's in the list.

Any idea how I can fix this? Already tried to reinstall the app, open the spotify app through the connected drive app, and disconnect/reconnect my phone.

[Ale_Lathrop]

I have a 2019 BMW X1 with connected drive and a Iphone 8 (IOS 12.2) everything worked perfectly until the last week.

The bluetooth connects, spotify app is not automaticaly opening, I open it manually on the phone and the driving advice is not appearing, so the car has no control on the app. The spotify logo is not appearing on the car, so I can´t navigate or search with connected drive...

Music starts, and then stops playing suddenly, if more than a song is played, the screen metadata in not changing.

I need help, I hate listening to radio!!

[Daisy]

Hey everyone,

If you're having issues with BMW ConnectedDrive, we recommend you reach out to BMW about this.

Make sure your devices are always up to date. 

Have a nice day! 

[dan1431]

Dear Ms. Hendriks,

Does your latest reply mean that Spotify has closed this issue and is no longer going to investigate it? If so, I am greatly dissapointed and now even more frustrated about the entire situation.

Firstly, I in case you do not know the history of the issue it started back around the end of October, early November 2018 and it took a very long time for one of your colleagues to even acknowledge that there was an issue and that it was being investigated and since then very little info has been provided about the issue.

Secondly, if one contacts BMW about this issue (like I have) they squarely blame Spotify and suggest the customer contact Spotify. Now Spotify via your post is suggesting contacting BMW and that is called Pass the buck, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_passing).

Thirdly, as Spotify, you by virtue of being a big company have ways of contacting the right folks (at BMW) and getting the info in front of their eyes that myself a customer lacks the ability to.

I would kindly suggest either clarifiying your post or speaking with the folks who provide this sort of info to you and kindly suggesting that they re-open the investigation and if Spotify feels that they are not the cause of the issue, that they reach out to BMW on our behalf.

After all many of us pay you for Premium memberships and drive BMW and would like to use Spotify in our cars like we used to do.

[Ale_Lathrop]

Really???

I have the latest version of spotify on my phone 8.5.6. and has issues... my husband has the same phone but 8.5.5. version and works properly on the same car?!
So I suggest to search bugs and issues on your latest version and don’t blame BMW.
Its easier to change to apple music than buying a new BMW.
Regards,
Alejandra

[gooselee1]

Hey Spotify mods, 

If you actually read any of the posts on this topic and others from paying users doing your app testing for you, you'd understand that we aren't having issues with BMW ConnectedDrive, we are having issues with Spotify. This includes multiple devices, multiple auto makes/media systems, and various versions of your software (including the latest versions).

Luckily this is all easily solved by canceling subscriptions and going elsewhere. Bye. 

[chrislhurley]

A very naive response - I very much regret that spotify simply don't understand that the problem is spotify. NOT BMW. I left months ago but hoped that all would be fixed so I could return. No fix = no return.

[jariolle]

To be honest, it is not BMW or Spotify, but both of them. Current Spotify verions are not compatible with BMW software. And in my mind it is BMW's responsibility to get the BMW working as advertized even if the root cause would be the Spotify app.

There is also this view. I'm using Spotify literally at least in 10 differnt HW and environments. And guess what, BMW is the only one not working... Also the last update to BMWConnected app (now talking about Android version) made Spotify partly working. So if it chicken or the egg, I don't care, but these two leading brands should get this finally solved. It's more than 6 months we have had this issue

[HendrikRhl]

Obviously Spotify changed their API or something like that so that BMW is unable to get the current songs/queue with their code made for the old one. So both of them would be able to fix the problem. 1. Solution: Spotify again changes their API so that BMW can work like 2 months ago, second way: BMW updates their code so that it works with the new one. But for now, everyone of them is blaming the other one, hoping that they can save some work and testing. Pretty sad to be honest

[marccarney]

jariolle is exactly right. I bought the car partly because of this great
feature, which I read all about in the glossy brochure.

M

[gooselee1]

I also had many environments where Spotify works fine. Just playing on my phone, web player on laptop, streaming via vanilla BT - basically anywhere that doesn't require a software integration. Casting to Google Home/Chromecast is also fine. But across the board, any use case where I am controlling Spotify from another device and not within the app/web player itself (on multiple types of mobiles devices) - it is broken for me in the newer Spotify versions. So in my perspective, the common issue is Spotify's post-November 2018 versions and thus they have responsibility to fix what they broke. Suppose BMW comes out with a fix. Great - now I'm still left with broken integration to my Kenwood and Pioneer aftermarket units, as well as if I ever decide to get a Mercedes (granted, only one test event while I was renting one). I wouldn't call that success. And responsibility aside, I would hope at least the motivation would be better on Spotify's side. Spotify is more likely to lose more customers if this problem doesn't get resolved. As a few of us have already shown, much easier to drop/replace a streaming service than swap out your vehicle.

[NikDan]

So I just bought a brand new 1 series shadow edition. I have an iPhone XS.

so everything is the latest tech. Drove around in it for a week and then exactly what you describe happened to me.

i paired and re paired the phone.

cried, listened to the radio cried a bit more.

got angry....

thrn i deleted both bmw connected drive app off the phone and re installed. Still didn’t work.

then before I gave up I turned my phone off and on again. Total shutdown and then total re start up.

got back in the car and bang it works.

not sure what I did but it worked.

the other thing to test is try amazon music and Apple Music then you know whether it is a Spotify problem or a bmw problem.

if amazon music and Apple Music work it is more likely a Spotify problem. If they don’t work it is a bmw problem.

[Ale_Lathrop]

Thanks NikDan I will try to repeat your steps.

Untill now, I updated to latest IOS and spotify version, now music plays, metadata is working, but spotify logo disapeared from the car screen, so I recovered the basic function, music plays and I can go back and skip the song... I still can’t search or change playlist on  drive, just on the phone.

[BMWuser]

Please, the Spotify and BMW issues have been there for YEARS!

BMW blames Spotify, Spotify blames BMW...and the users are in between.

If Spotify KNOWS this is only a Connecteddrive issue, then please state exactly what is wrong with Connecteddrive.

The opposite is of course also valid; if BMW Knows this is only a Spotify issue, then please state exactly what is wrong with Spotify.

This might be my last year with Spotify Premium and probably my last BMW, cause the way you both handle your customers are terrible.

[nealesj]

I've just canned my Spotify subscription today as its beyond a joke. And for a premium car brand like BMW, their media integration compared to other manufacturers is very poor.

[FamilyPremiumUs]

Hi,

Spotify is ignoring our ptoblem because we're few comparing to the total number of users. Let's make some noise to make them react soon. Let's put bad ratings on play and itunes stores and on social medias (twitter and facebook). Let's do it in a short timeframe to make the max noise that we can.

I just reviwed the app on the play store with one star and a comment explaining that I have connectivity issues with BMW connected drive for months despite a thead in Spotify community with many comlaints.

[dkra]

The Spotify versions since October / November 2018 function in the BMW times sometimes less, but never completely (control HUD never).

BMW does not feel responsible and certainly not Spotify!

The older versions of Spotify (8.4.78.530 and pre) have worked for me in the F11 and G31, even the change of the mobile phone from Samsung S7 to S10e was no problem. As end customers we are fooled by Spotify and BMW. My personal opinion is that Spotify is the main problem here. Spotify simply does not need to be considerate of a few BMW users.

It's terrible, but I'm still trying to live with version 8.4.78.530.

[cnow]

I gave also a 1- star rating at play store to make some "noise". As version 8.4.78.530 still works with my G02 the root cause is definitely a change in Spotify's API. While their developers can implement this very fast in their app the fancy agile way, it's much harder for a car manufacturer to change their software and to roll it out to their customers (cars). In my opinion it must be ensured that all API changes are backward compatible at least when an API is integrated by companies whose product lifecycles are much longer. 

Kind regards, 

cnow

[jariolle]

---

@cnow wrote:

I gave also a 1- star rating at play store to make some "noise". As version 8.4.78.530 still works with my G02 the root cause is definitely a change in Spotify's API. While their developers can implement this very fast in their app the fancy agile way, it's much harder for a car manufacturer to change their software and to roll it out to their customers (cars). In my opinion it must be ensured that all API changes are backward compatible at least when an API is integrated by companies whose product lifecycles are much longer. 

Kind regards, 

cnow

---

Well, I disagree quite a lot. Yes, Spotify as an Agile software company would most likely fixed this already a months ago, if there would have been an error. It is solely at BMWs responsibility to make their app work with API's they need when they provide and sell such services. You can't stop the developent and you shouldn't either. The BMW connect app has so many other bugs and issues as well. Who else would  fix them but BMW? And to be honest, how every other car maker I know have avoided this mess? BMW's biggest mistake at the first place has been a decision to use the phone and the API instead of full scale Spotify app in the car. Android world is everything else but standard so with this choice it will be more than hard to keep all phone HW and OS versions out there compatible. One managed app in the car would have been so much easier.

Also BMW has always been really bad on any updates. I used my previous BMW 3,5 years and it didn't got a single update during that period. The rest of the world won't stop and wait BMW...

[cnow]

Hi Jariolle,

The Connect APP - which is indeed buggy - has nothing to do with the software of the MMI. I'm not working for BMW or another car manufacturer but for a company which also has partners which provide APIs we use in our business. Integration of a new API is quite a lot work for us as we have to provide that new code in thousands of clients while our partners only have to push the new implementation centrally to their servers. If they would act the way Spotify does, they wouldn't be a partner anymore.

But this is just a best guess. I don't know about the circumstances behind the scenes.

Kind regards,

cnow

[jariolle]

---

@cnow wrote:

Hi Jariolle,

The Connect APP - which is indeed buggy - has nothing to do with the software of the MMI. I'm not working for BMW or another car manufacturer but for a company which also has partners which provide APIs we use in our business. Integration of a new API is quite a lot work for us as we have to provide that new code in thousands of clients while our partners only have to push the new implementation centrally to their servers. If they would act the way Spotify does, they wouldn't be a partner anymore.

But this is just a best guess. I don't know about the circumstances behind the scenes.

Kind regards,

cnow

---

Sure, I know. I don't work for any car company nor Spotify either. But I've been in IT business more than 30 years, so I think I know something as well.

Talking about how BMW needs to update the software in the car is also from 90's. Almost all other cars update their software OTA, just a press of the button..

But comming back to BMW Connect app and Spotify. Not all, but most of the problems actually are there. I believe pretty much all but the HUD and streering wheel buttons...Of course it may require other updates in car as well.

I'm just pretty pist off as I've had my BMW from last November. We are now mid June this year and I have not had working systems for more than 7 months. And as said I'm not talking about Spotify only.