It’s been out since iDrive 7. BMW has an agreement with Spotify, this integration will last as long as this agreement will last.

Source: BMW Estonia RF

 

It’s been out since iDrive 7. BMW has an agreement with Spotify, this will last as long as this agreement will last.

View attachment 47638

Source: BMW Estonia RF

Thanks. Let’s hope it sticks. Its a remarkably good perk of the platform, and much better fidelity than anything XM offers.

 

...and the Spotify connectivity is rock solid (I assume it is satellite based.)

The car would require a satellite receiver, which it doesn't have.

Spotify will be buffering its reception so it can play when there is a temporary loss of signal. I wonder how clever Spotify is with that. It could, for instance, increase the buffer if it detects a poor signal or even automatically download content but I don't know how 'intelligent' Spotify is or if the implementation in the i4 is different to what we use on our phones.

 

In the US it might have one. Since we get SiriusXM. Though it's entirely possible they are just pulling that from the cellular data.

 

I assume the car is running on a different cellular network than whatever your phone is running then

 

Yeah, that’s certainly possible. If it’s cellular, it’s pulling a lot of data because the audio is not heavily compressed.

 

BMW has a partnership with T-Mobile for cellular connectivity. So if you're using a different carrier for your smartphone, your service quality will vary based on location and other factors. https://www.t-mobile.com/benefits/bmw-car-wifi-plan

I'm curious how big the offline cache is for Spotify in iDrive (the number of songs it can save locally in case of service outage). I'd love the ability to sync playlists for offline playback like in the mobile app, even if we needed to add local storage in the car via a USB stick.

 

I'm curious how big the offline cache is for Spotify in iDrive (the number of songs it can save locally in case of service outage). I'd love the ability to sync playlists for offline playback like in the mobile app, even if we needed to add local storage in the car via a USB stick.

Not happening in iDrive 8.x, at most it will buffer the whole, currently played song. It would be a very nice feature, but Spotify app won't even start if there's no service.

 

In the US it might have one. Since we get SiriusXM.

Then how does the Sirius XM signal get delivered to our cars? 😜

Well I'll be able to tell my wife at supper that that is the thing I learnt today. Didn't know that satellite radio was 'a thing'. I wonder if that is because of the low population density of a lot of NA. Or if it's 'a thing' in Europe also.

(Still tempted to ban @rollermonkey for the sticky out tongue)

 

NGL, I had to go read up on Sirius XM before posting to even confirm they still delivered radio via satellite. Seems to be still the way in N.Am., what with all the satellites they still operate. I already knew they were still around because of how often they send me mail begging me to sign up, though.

 

That's right, SiriusXM currently (Jan. 2025) operates 7 satellites in a mix of geostationary and elliptical orbits. Europe went with a different terrestrial tech (DAB/DAB+) so my understanding is that most EU vehicles don't include a satellite receiver antenna.

Compression remains a HUGE issue with satellite broadcasts, including satellite TV. The best use case is if you want to listen to news or sports on longer road trips where FM coverage isn't consistent or available.

 

I will also be able to report that I learnt what NGL stands for.

I don't know, you youngsters today.

 

One SXM channel here was so bad. One time my next door neighbor (M3 Competition) called me over, wanted to upgrade his HK audio system. So I listen to what he's saying. Turns out it's that particular channel (no treble, no bass, low bit rate). Switched to another SXM channel and there was plenty/sufficient fidelity/treble/bass. But it may not have been his favorite type of music lol. (That bad SXM channel on his M3 was equally bad on my X5 too.)

 

The best use case is to store the music you like on your device and not need an external connection of any sort.
News or sports? Not in my car you don't!

 

The best use case is to store the music you like on your device and not need an external connection of any sort.
News or sports? Not in my car you don't!

I wish BMW offered the option of wired CarPlay/Android Auto for better sound quality. Almost every other manufacturer that offers wireless also provides the option for wired

 

Based on this thread and the claims of higher audio quality, I fired up the native spotify app in the car for the time in 2 + years. I find it unusable; on the short trip back from taking the kids to school (15 mins) all it did was load stuff and never got to the home screen. Will it eventually catch up?

 

Yes, but the initial load is painful on marginal cell service. Once you get your playlist going it can survive on much less bandwidth. Lots of favorites and really long playlists kill the initial startup. Switching playlists is also slow with limited bandwidth, it seems to try to reload everything again to make sure it’s up to date.

 

I have a true dead spot about 5 miles north of me. Spotify seems to buffer about half a song only. So if you try to skip in that dead zone you get nothing. It also seems to forget I like shuffle enabled after a few days or perhaps when it reconnects. I have some playlists downloaded to my phone so I just use Bluetooth link as a backup, but it is convenient to have Spotify directly in the car - at least for me. (I don’t use car play.) Running Spotify from both at the same time doesn’t work well, they compete for control, so I sometimes have to make sure my Spotify phone app is killed to avoid issues.

Sirius/XM technically has a terrestrial capability as well as satellite, not sure if they still use it. They also can dedicate different bandwidth for each channel (with an overall limit). Generally the low channels get more and the higher and talk channels get less, but they do work just about anywhere you can see the sky. The ones I like always sound awful, no plans to pay when my free trial ends, I just use downloaded playlists when no cell service. (I haven’t experimented with their internet only channels.)