[wjones14]

I have the latest 7th generation iPod Touch with a bunch of music, playlists, and podcasts on it. My phone is a Samsung Android, so I don't have an iPhone. Apple CarPlay only works with the iPhone, not the iPod.

Anyway, I can connect the iPod to the USB port and play it through the Media function on iDrive. But it seems like it can only find and play music. Podcasts don't show up as far as I can tell. I even copied a few podcasts to a Playlist in iTunes, but only music Playlists show up in the iDrive Media interface.

Does anyone know if the iDrive iPod interface will play podcasts?

[wjones14]

This is probably stating the obvious for most, but there is a simple workaround to play podcasts in the M2. Podcasts are usually .mp3 files, so you can just copy the files to a USB drive. In iDrive, select Media->USB, and you can search and play podcasts. The album art displays on the iDrive screen while the podcast plays.

But I still would like to know if there is a way to play podcasts directly from the iPod.

[mjweimer]

In the same boat...thought I was loosing my mind. I had podcasts working at one point from my 7th gen touch but now it's not working again.

Is yours not recognizing the device via bluetooth if it is in Podcast mode? I don't think I have tried to plug it in to the usb and play...or maybe that is how I got it to work. I'll try again this weekend.

I tried deselecting my phone (iphone) as a bluetooth audio device in the idrive settings menu and made sure to pair and select the touch as a bluetooth audio device in the same set of menus but no dice.

I have no need for carplay and I prefer to keep my music/podcasts/etc. on the touch for use with all of my other audio devices. The tech interface in BMW's is infuriating, my Tahoe connects anything and plays everything with ease. Not as magic to drive though...

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by mjweimer

In the same boat...thought I was loosing my mind. I had podcasts working at one point from my 7th gen touch but now it's not working again.

Is yours not recognizing the device via bluetooth if it is in Podcast mode? I don't think I have tried to plug it in to the usb and play...or maybe that is how I got it to work. I'll try again this weekend.

I tried deselecting my phone (iphone) as a bluetooth audio device in the idrive settings menu and made sure to pair and select the touch as a bluetooth audio device in the same set of menus but no dice.

I have no need for carplay and I prefer to keep my music/podcasts/etc. on the touch for use with all of my other audio devices. The tech interface in BMW's is infuriating, my Tahoe connects anything and plays everything with ease. Not as magic to drive though...

I connect the iPod by USB and never tried Bluetooth. iDrive recognizes the device fine, and allows searching and playing music by artist, album, playlist, displays album art - everything but podcasts. And yes, like you, I used to connect it to the Chevy MyTouch infotainment system in my Camaro and it had no problem with podcasts. It's not only this issue, but IMO, the GM MyTouch infotainment overall is more intuitive and has a better looking UI than iDrive.

[mjweimer]

So I have been playing around with this a bit. I can get my ipod touch to play podcasts via bluetooth or wired but it is not consistent/repeatable.

I cannot explain why exactly (which is maddening) but here is how I can get it to work most often.

Via bluetooth:

First steps: I must first de-select my iphone as a music device in I-drive. Then pair the ipod and select it as a bluetooth music device in I-drive. Turn off car.

Start playing a podcast on the ipod and then start the car. The car will then pair with the ipod and the podcast will start to broadcast over the stereo and show the info on the screen. Here's the rub...it will sometimes allow me to switch to another podcast and other times it will just go silent after the change.

Via USB cable:

With the ignition on/car running and the ipod playing a podcast, connect the USB cable to the ipod and the stereo will switch over to the USB device and start playing the podcast. This works ok but other times it will just start playing the first song in my music library and the podcast's won't play.


Bottom line, I cannot figure out why any of the above works sometimes and not others. It is easy peasy in every other car or other random aftermarket BT device (Chevy, aftermarket Sony radio, Tunai Firefly, you name it).

BMW clearly has done sh!t integration of bluetooth in their cars....add this to the list of things like no text notifications on an iphone unless using car play, etc.

Maybe you can try some of the above and figure out what works best for you.

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by mjweimer

So I have been playing around with this a bit. I can get my ipod touch to play podcasts via bluetooth or wired but it is not consistent/repeatable.

I cannot explain why exactly (which is maddening) but here is how I can get it to work most often.

Via bluetooth:

First steps: I must first de-select my iphone as a music device in I-drive. Then pair the ipod and select it as a bluetooth music device in I-drive. Turn off car.

Start playing a podcast on the ipod and then start the car. The car will then pair with the ipod and the podcast will start to broadcast over the stereo and show the info on the screen. Here's the rub...it will sometimes allow me to switch to another podcast and other times it will just go silent after the change.

Via USB cable:

With the ignition on/car running and the ipod playing a podcast, connect the USB cable to the ipod and the stereo will switch over to the USB device and start playing the podcast. This works ok but other times it will just start playing the first song in my music library and the podcast's won't play.


Bottom line, I cannot figure out why any of the above works sometimes and not others. It is easy peasy in every other car or other random aftermarket BT device (Chevy, aftermarket Sony radio, Tunai Firefly, you name it).

BMW clearly has done sh!t integration of bluetooth in their cars....add this to the list of things like no text notifications on an iphone unless using car play, etc.

Maybe you can try some of the above and figure out what works best for you.

Alright, getting somewhere now! I didn't bother with Bluetooth, but had success with the USB cable. I started the podcast on the iPod first, and paused it. Then turned the car on with the radio already on, and plugged the iPod into the USB port. It didn't switch the iPod automatically like yours. It stayed on the radio. So I just went to the Media menu, selected the iPod Touch, and it started playing the podcast like you said. It displayed the podcast "album art", and the title of the podcast.

It allows navigation to the previous and next podcasts, but does not display a listing of the podcasts or allow searching. So in that sense, you get more functionality by copying the podcasts to a USB drive. But hey, it works!

Sorry about the flash reflection in the picture.

[mjweimer]

Good deal - glad you got it to work.

Yes, the USB works but I lose track of what I have and have not listened to because I am always going between the garage, the car, the truck, etc.