Aux usb port issue

[tfunk88]

Hi, if I connect my phone to the usb port in the armrest instead of Bluetooth according to bmw I should be able to play music through it. I know in my truck the music sounds much better through a direct usb connection vs when I’ve tried Bluetooth. However, when I select “auxiliary device” in multimedia it says no device connected. Any ideas?

Annnnnd I just realized that when I’ve tried this I haven’t turned off the phone’s Bluetooth…would that be the issue?

[RED_Y_]

There is dedicated AUX port with 3.5MM audio jack connection in the arm rest, and this is what are you switching to. Check this video out:

[tfunk88]

Yep, I know about the 3.5mm Jack, but I should be able to play through the usb. When I went to my car during lunch and plugged it in to the usb it suddenly started playing through the usb…but then it wouldn’t when I tried again. Each time I plug it in now it briefly says “Reading” but then goes back to “not connected”. Maybe it’s my cable. It charges the phone but it’s hit or miss as to whether it’ll play music through it. But at least now I know it CAN be done.

[tfunk88]

Apparently this is a pretty common issue after doing some googlin’. It seems the head unit doesn’t put enough power to the usb port in a lot of vehicles so it doesn’t work well.

Some people got lucky and got a new head unit for a different reason and boom, their usb port started working. And some people have had success using a 1ft Apple cord

[pjaneiro]

Not to hijack the thread, but both my USB ports can't detect any devices, just like OP I should be able to read my music from my iphone on either port, but nope, both ports charge tho, but even inserting a simple USB key formatted fat32 with mp3 or mp4 files, still nothing, it shows usb not detected, is there a way i can test this out ?

[corduroy]

Originally Posted by pjaneiro

Not to hijack the thread, but both my USB ports can't detect any devices, just like OP I should be able to read my music from my iphone on either port, but nope, both ports charge tho, but even inserting a simple USB key formatted fat32 with mp3 or mp4 files, still nothing, it shows usb not detected, is there a way i can test this out ?

I recently have had something like this happen to me. My USB port in the arm rest has quit recognizing a 256GB Samsung USB drive with music, but I can plug stuff in and it will charge. Hell, I can still update my maps (with a different USB drive I think). I have no idea.

[tfunk88]

I ordered a replacement usb/six port from getbmwparts, we will see if that fixes it!

[tfunk88]

Originally Posted by tfunk88

I ordered a replacement usb/six port from getbmwparts, we will see if that fixes it!

Annnnnd it didn’t fix it lol

[Qsilver7]

Originally Posted by tfunk88

Annnnnd it didn’t fix it lol

More info could be helpful. For example, I don’t know your model year X5 you have…which means I don’t know which version of iDrive you have. You could have ID4, ID5, or ID6. And are you trying to connect an iPhone or an Android phone?

Which version of iDrive do you have? When I plug a thumb drive into the USB port in the center armrest (I have the ID4 version)…I select USB after pressing the MEDIA button around the iDrive controller knob

I think I also have a selection for external devices…but I don’t remember how to select music from my phone since I don’t have much of any music on my phone that I’m currently listening to.

Don’t forget that you have an owners manual embedded in iDrive. You can quickly go directly to the topic highlighted on the screen (in the manual) if you press the OPTION button…and it should give you a selection to go to that topic in the owners manual. Or, you can use the keyword search feature in the owners manual and quickly start typing in what you want to look up and you’ll see a list appear that you can select from. You can see an example below using the word TOW to find out info about that topic.

[tfunk88]

I have a 2016, so idrive…5, I think? Oops…found out it’s idrive 4 lol

I have choices for external devices. I have usb port, Bluetooth, and aux input (the 3.5 cable Jack)

My phone is an iPhone X

With the original usb port that came with the car the charging level is REALLY low…which is fine because I’ve since read that BMW says don’t use that port to charge stuff. However, it won’t even connect to the phone to play music. It just says “device not connected” when I try to choose it. One time, and one time only, it actually played music through that port. Since then it has only ever occasionally said “reading…” for a couple seconds and then stops trying to connect.

With the replacement brand new port it doesn’t even say “reading…” at all

[Qsilver7]

Thanks for the additional info. I wonder if an Apple product requires the USB cable that has the 3.5 jack, too. I’m not being of much help plus i have a Samsung…and Android phones may hook to the vehicle differently.

[tfunk88]

Thanks for your time!

My main reason for wanting to connect through the USB port was because I’d read that with the B&O sound system direct connection sounds much better than Bluetooth. I connected my phone to the 3.5 jack and switched back and forth from that to Bluetooth and didn’t notice much of a difference, if any. So now I’m really only hoping I can use the usb port to update my nav map at some point