I’ve got a 128GB Sandisk stick working in the Type A port, but I couldn’t get the Type C port working at all. From what I’ve seen on here, the Type C port won’t accept memory sticks for audio playback in the UK and the US, so maybe it’s the same in Norway?

 

Depends on the symbol you have on the armrest usb-c. Just the power symbol or power and data symbol.

I thought it went missing since 7 or 11/22

 

I plugged in my USB-C SSD in the USB-C port as a test and it worked fine, check your owners manual to see if the USB-C port supports data where you are.

 

Page 261, i4 Owners manual:

 

It looks like might be right, @Squirrel1974 . The symbols might indicate that the center- port and the 2 rear USB-C ports are power only. That's a bummer. Was hoping my memory-stick could be tucked away in the armrest compartment.

@BMWdav does your USB-C ports have the same symbols as mine?
@Marvellous My car is produced end of 11/22.

Now I probably need a low profile Type-A USB memory stick. One that actually is recognized by the car.

 

on the early i4s (data and power symbol = usb stick support):

 

From the pictures (no car yet), oy the type A port supports data. The C.ports are power only.

Waiting for my M50......

 

From the pictures (no car yet), oy the type A port supports data. The C.ports are power only.

More (silent) removal of functionality because of chip availability? Anyway, a bummer.

At least I was able to make use of an old low-profile USB hub I had lying around. Both sticks available as a audio source
AND I can close the lid too 👍

 

A convenient small from-factor SanDisk 256GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive - SDCZ430-256G-G46 is working nicely on the USB A data port.
No change to factory formatting, files & folders copied with Windows.

iDrive let me navigate the drive when folders of music files, instead of individual MP3 / WAV / FLAC files, were on the root of the drive directory structure. When I first tried it with files & folders are on the root, iDrive wouldn't navigate to folders, somehow only seeing the files.

 

Ok, thanks, I'll try and source the exact same Flash Drive locally.
So, if I understood correctly, to be able to browse music-folders - no single music files on the root, only folders.

 

Just out of curiosity - do you think it’d be possible to connect a music player to the USB-A port and use that?

 

That is its purpose.

 

I used a Sandisk Ultra Fit 64 GB in the USB-A port, worked fine. Only thing is I find the folder navigation rather cumbersome to use.

 

since the beginning one usb output/input on the MGU, its more the missing(?) USB hub... that part of chip shortage, Tesla has only one data usb outlet left too.

no 4 plus cable won't work

 

There is no hub - the MGU supports two data USB ports directly: one port is only data, the other is data and power.

Is there power in the USB Type A in your 2022?

 

Oh, another idea could be to replace the power only usb-c outlet with the data usb-c and use the data plug of the usb-a outlet if possible. Probably extension cable needed.

 

It sucks there are variations on the functionality of this port. My F32 had data access to all its ports, so I assumed that it would be carried forward in current generation BMW models. My particular i4 has a fully functional USB-C data port in the armrest, where I have a USB-C native 256GB Samsung FAT32 stick always attached.

 

It sucks there are variations on the functionality of this port. My F32 had data access to all its ports, so I assumed that it would be carried forward in current generation BMW models. My particular i4 has a fully functional USB-C data port in the armrest, where I have a USB-C native 256GB Samsung FAT32 stick always attached.
View attachment 22920

The F32 had three data/power USB ports - two via a hub and one directly to the OEM HU. There is no hub in the i4 OEM HU.

Is there power in the Type A USB in your car?

 

My cup holder USB-A port doesn't have the power "aka lightning" icon but I have confirmed it delivers power and allows for data transfer too, as @tonyquan noted.

 

i can only give you an answer on the usb ports one in the armrest usb c and one in the central console. both are fit for data exfat and fat32. i tried them with map update data and bot works. i didn’t try the backseats usb c for this purpose. i use 256 GB usb c from samsung and a 64GB for usb a from sundisc…

 

it appears that for 2023 production all of the usb-c ports are power only and don’t support data. Rather unfortunate

 

The i4 OEM HU supports two data USB - for MY2023 one port has been disabled by not including the OEM HU HSD cable to the center console Type C port:

OEM HU: A402*3B and A402*7B USB data ports

Center console Type C USB (missing HSD cable from A402*3B to A519*1B):

 

The i4 OEM HU supports two data USB - for MY2023 one port has been disabled by not including the OEM HU LVDS cable to the center console Type C port:

OEM HU: A402*3B and A402*7B USB data ports

View attachment 22949

Center console Type C USB (missing LVDS cable from A402*3B to A519*1B):

View attachment 22950

Given this, is there a retrofit?

 

I can just tell it’s a black coded plug to the black plug of the usb hub underneath the gear shifter on this i4 here. (It’s a pre Ukraine war, contains wiring made in Ukraine so who knows what everything changed.)

iIwill dig deeper if my next i4 comes without data on the usb c

 

How did you remove this part from center console ?

 

I take back my comment about the cost of the port being a few dollars, I should've have known it was going to be typical BMW overbuilt.

Parts plus time required to retrofit is maybe a few hundred dollars, me thinks.

 

Oh yes the always correct wiring diagram from AIR...

 

I was able to plug in a 256 gb usb a memory into the armrest soxket using an A to C adapter.

Then I have exported video files from the car's camera system.

SanDisk 256GB Ultra Fit USB 3.1 Flash Drive - SDCZ430-256G-G46 https://a.co/d/akffjmP

Syntech USB C to USB Adapter Pack... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CVX3516?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

looks like you have a 2022 model that still had data on this port, from the picture.

 

I have similar mini USB-C (USB-A) combo drive that I got from Amazon where I can plug into either. Although I think for mine it only works by plugging it into the center armrest. I leave it there all the time as the usb should have better sound than bluetooth CarPlay...my assumption. I have a slightly off-topic complaint though. My car defaults to the CarPlay (through my iPhone music app) and even when I pause it to try and access the USB-C drive, there's always problem accessing it. It basically keeps playing music from my CarPlay iPhone and no matter how many times I try to click on the Media button or my shortcut on the screen, it's stubbornly hard to access music from the USB-C. This bugs me because it's very difficult to easily switch to/from USB-C. This is not only relating to the usb drive, but there are so many software related issues that are not so user-friendly on this i4. Software is about 2-3 years behind the car's hardware unfortunately. It makes the whole driving experience a little less fun, since most new cars are so software centric.

 

Does changing to USB via the Source menu still work though? It's another click or two but works solidly.

 

I use a 1TB ADATA SD700 off the USB-A port formatted as ext4 (Linux native filesystem). Just make sure permissions are set right on all files on the drive (read/write/execute to all, so 777) since it didn't work with read only for other users.

 

My car is a Feb.2022 built and i have one usb A (data and current) in the cup holder part, one usb C (data and current) in the central console and two usb C (only current) in the central console under the climate display.
In the trunk i have one 12 V power outlet like i have in the central console…

 

Well, that was over a year ago. My car is a June 23 build (MY24) and it only has one single USB-A data port, nothing under the arm rest. All the USB-C are for charging only, and also no 12V in the trunk, unless you have tow hitch. I don't understand the relation to tow hitch, but that's another thing.

 

Do we know if iDrive pulls album art covers from some online service or from the local folder directory? I've filled up a USB stick with a couple hundred FLAC albums (which all include JPG or PNG images) and its 50/50 if I get the cover art to display.

 

Album artwork tags are embedded in the .MP3 files, they are not online. If it’s there along with the images, iDrive will display it. I remember there was some software that would validate and make sure all album artwork is correctly referenced and present.

 

Anyone else having problems with iDrive sometimes refusing to play music off the USB-A?
I'm having an intermittent issue where the car just doesn't want to start playback and even freezes/reboots iDrive. Only thing that seems to fix it is doing the 30 sec power button reset trick.
My first thought was that it might be caused by a combination of high quality FLAC files and a slow USB interface, but most of the time it works flawlessly. Very odd.

 

Anyone else having problems with iDrive sometimes refusing to play music off the USB-A?
I'm having an intermittent issue where the car just doesn't want to start playback and even freezes/reboots iDrive. Only thing that seems to fix it is doing the 30 sec power button reset trick.

I still use an old iPod touch hooked up to the USBA and it works flawlessly about 98% of the time. But every once in a while it just won't play. Sometimes it acts like it can't read any data, other times it shows the albums/song titles but just won't play. Unplugging it doesn't help. Turning the car off and then back on doesn't either. However if I'm in the car longer than 10-15 minutes or so and then switch back to it, it seems to starts up again like there was never anything wrong. All my files are medium bitrate (~150kbps VBR) mp3s.

 

Darn. That would explain why the USB A port near the cupholders can access data but the USB C ports in the armrest and back seat console don’t!