
Telephoning
176
Telephoning
The concept
Your BMW is equipped with a full mobile phone 
preparation package. After pairing a suitable 
mobile phone with the vehicle once, you can 
operate the mobile phone via iDrive, the buttons 
on the steering wheel or via voice commands.
Once a mobile phone has been paired with your 
vehicle, it is automatically recognized as soon 
as it is inside the vehicle while the engine is run-
ning or the ignition is switched on. You can 
store the pairing data for up to four mobile 
phones simultaneously. If several mobile 
phones are detected at the same time, the 
mobile phone last paired can be operated via 
the vehicle.
Using the telephone inside 
the vehicle
Using the snap-in adapter*
The so-called snap-in adapter, a holder for 
mobile phones, allows you to charge the mobile 
phone's battery and connect the mobile phone 
to your vehicle's outside antenna. This ensures 
better network reception and consistent repro-
duction quality. Please contact your 
BMW center to find out for which mobile 
phones there are snap-in adapters available.
BMW discourages the use of mobile 
phones or other mobile communications 
devices inside the vehicle without a direct con-
nection to an outside antenna. Otherwise, inter-
ference between vehicle electronics systems 
and the mobile communications device cannot 
be ruled out. In addition, there is no assurance 
that the radiation which results from transmis-
sion will be dissipated from the vehicle inte-
rior.<
Avoid operating a mobile phone recognized by 
the vehicle via the mobile phone's keypad, oth-
erwise malfunctions may result.
For your safety
A car phone makes life more convenient in 
many ways, and can even save lives in an emer-
gency. While you should consult your mobile 
phone's separate Owner's Manual for a detailed 
description of safety precautions and informa-
tion, we request that you direct your particular 
attention to the following:
Only make entries when the traffic situa-
tion allows you to do so. Do not hold the 
mobile phone in your hand while you are driving; 
use the hands-free system instead. If you do 
not observe this precaution, your being dis-
tracted can endanger vehicle occupants and 
other road users.<
Suitable mobile phones
Please ask your BMW center which mobile 
phones with Bluetooth interface are supported 
by the mobile phone preparation package and/
or which mobile phones are compatible with the 
snap-in adapter. By virtue of their particular 
software versions, these mobile phones sup-
port the functions described in this Owner's 
Manual. Malfunctions may occur with other 
mobile phones.
Care instructions
You can find what you need to know about car-
ing for your mobile phone in the separate Caring 
for your vehicle brochure and in the mobile 
phone Owner's Manual.
Operating options
You can operate the mobile phone* using:
>The steering wheel, refer to page10
>iDrive, refer to page181
>Voice commands, refer to page185
*
ProCarManuals.com 

 177
Entertainment
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips Communications
Navigation
Mobility
Making phone calls with the 
BMW Assist system*: BMW Assist 
calls
You can use the BMW Assist System via the 
hands-free unit for BMW Assist calls.
When the status information "BMW Assist" or 
"BMW Service" is displayed in "Communica-
tion", only BMW Assist calls are possible.
It may not be possible to establish a telephone 
connection using the mobile phone while a con-
nection is being established to BMW Assist or 
while a call to BMW Assist is already in 
progress. If this happens, you must unpair the 
mobile phone and the vehicle if you wish to 
place a call with the mobile phone.
Start-up
Pairing the mobile phone with the 
vehicle
The following prerequisites must be met:
>The mobile phone is ready to operate
>The Bluetooth link in the vehicle, refer to 
page180, and in the mobile phone are acti-
vated
>Depending on the mobile phone, some 
default settings may be necessary for the 
mobile phone: e.g. via the menu item Blue-
tooth switched on or the menu item Con-
nection without confirmation.
>For pairing purposes, define any number as 
the Bluetooth passkey, e.g. 1. This Blue-
tooth passkey is no longer required after 
pairing has been successful.
>The ignition is switched on.
 Pair the mobile phone with the vehicle 
only when the car is stationary, to avoid 
endangering the car's occupants and other 
road users by being distracted.<
Switch on ignition
1.Insert remote control all the way into the 
ignition lock.
2.Switch on ignition without operating the 
brake or clutch or pressing the start/stop 
button.
Preparation via iDrive
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
3.Press the   button to call up the start 
menu.
4.Call up the   menu by pressing the control-
ler.
5.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
6.Select "Bluetooth" and press the controller.
7.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller 
ProCarManuals.com 

Telephoning
178 until "Bluetooth" is selected and press the 
controller.
8.Select "Phone" and press the controller.
Preparation via the mobile phone
9.Further steps must be carried out with the 
mobile phone and vary depending on the 
model. Please refer to your mobile phone's 
operating instructions, e.g. under the topics 
of Searching for a Bluetooth device, Con-
necting or Pairing.
Pairing
Depending on your mobile phone, you will see 
messages, first in the mobile phone's display or 
on the Control Display, requesting you to enter 
the same Bluetooth passkey previously deter-
mined by you.
Message on the Control Display if the Bluetooth 
passkey can be entered via iDrive:10.Select "Add device" and press the control-
ler.
11.Enter the Bluetooth passkey.
Depending on the mobile phone, you will 
have approx. 30 seconds to enter your 
Bluetooth passkey on the mobile phone 
and the Control Display.
12.Select "Confirm passkey" and press the 
controller.
13.Wait several seconds until the list of paired 
mobile phones is displayed on the Control 
Display and "Phone" is selected.
To interrupt the mobile phone's pairing with the 
vehicle:
Select "Refuse connection" and press the con-
troller.
The next time you use the mobile phone inside 
the vehicle, it will be recognized within no more 
than two minutes as long as the engine is run-
ning or the ignition is switched on.
As soon as a mobile phone is detected by the 
vehicle, the phone book entries stored on the 
SIM card or on your mobile phone are transmit-
ted to the vehicle. Refer also your mobile 
phone's operating instructions, if necessary. 
This data transfer depends on your mobile 
phone and can take several minutes; please 
ProCarManuals.com 

 179
Entertainment
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips Communications
Navigation
Mobility
refer to your mobile phone's operating instruc-
tions, if necessary.
Up to four mobile phones can be paired, one 
after the other. If a fifth mobile phone is paired, 
the pairing data for the last mobile phone on the 
list is deleted, refer also to the information 
below.
List of paired mobile phones
All mobile phones with pairing data stored by 
the vehicle can be displayed. If several mobile 
phones are detected by the vehicle at the same 
time, the mobile phone at the top of the list can 
be operated via the vehicle.
You can change the order of the mobile phones 
on the list. As long as a mobile phone from this 
list is selected, you cannot operate the mobile 
phones via the vehicle.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the 
 button to call up the start 
menu.
2.Call up the   menu by pressing the control-
ler.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Bluetooth" and press the controller.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller 
until "Bluetooth" is selected and press the 
controller.
6.Select "Phone" and press the controller.
7.Select the desired mobile phone and press 
the controller.
8.Select "Move device up"and press the con-
troller.The selected mobile phone moves up one 
position on the list.
Unpairing the mobile phone from the 
vehicle
Should you no longer wish to operate your 
mobile phone via the vehicle, you can delete the 
mobile phone's pairing data.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button to call up the start 
menu.
2.Call up the   menu by pressing the control-
ler.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Bluetooth" and press the controller.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller 
until "Bluetooth" is selected and press the 
controller.
6.Select "Phone" and press the controller.
7.Select the desired mobile phone and press 
the controller.
8.Select "Delete device" and press the con-
troller.
The unpaired mobile phone is deleted from 
the list.
The phone book entries which were trans-
ProCarManuals.com 

Telephoning
180 ferred from your mobile phone to the vehi-
cle are also deleted in the process.
Activating/deactivating the Bluetooth 
link
The use of Bluetooth technology is not 
permitted in all countries. Observe all 
applicable local regulations. You can tempo-
rarily disconnect the Bluetooth link between the 
vehicle and the mobile phone, if necessary.<
If the Bluetooth link is deactivated, you can no 
longer operate the mobile phone via the vehicle, 
and other devices with a Bluetooth interface 
can be used in combination with the mobile 
phone, e.g. a laptop.
To temporarily deactivate the Bluetooth link 
between the vehicle and your mobile phone:
1.Take the mobile phone out of the snap-in 
adapter and switch it off.
2.Press the   button to call up the start 
menu.
3.Select the   menu and press the controller.
4.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
5.Select "Bluetooth" and press the controller.
6.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller until "Bluetooth" is selected and press the 
controller.
7.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
 The Bluetooth link is activated.
8.Select "Bluetooth communication active" 
and press the controller to activate or deac-
tivate the link.
Adjusting volume
Turn the knob during a call to select the desired 
volume.
This volume for the hands-free system is main-
tained, even if the other audio sources are set to 
minimum volume.
You can also adjust the volume with buttons on 
the steering wheel, refer to page10.
The setting is stored for the remote control cur-
rently in use.
ProCarManuals.com 

Telephoning
182 4.Select "Dial number" and press the control-
ler.
Ending a call
1.Select the phone number and press the 
controller.
2.Select "End call" and press the controller.
Selecting a phone number from the 
phone book or from a list of stored 
phone numbers
Phone numbers you have dialed, received calls 
and phone book entries are stored in lists when 
the mobile phone is connected to the vehicle via 
Bluetooth. If the caller is listed in the phone 
book, the name of the entry is displayed instead 
of the phone number.
You can select the desired subscriber from the 
list and establish the connection.Five lists are available:
>"A - Z" 
The entries in your mobile phone's phone 
book, consisting of names and phone num-
bers, are sorted alphabetically.
>"Top 8"
The eight numbers dialed most frequently 
from the "A - Z" phone book are automati-
cally stored in the Top 8 list. The list is 
sorted by frequency.
>"Redial"
The last eight phone numbers you have 
dialed are automatically stored. The last 
number dialed is at the top of the list.
>"Missed calls"
The phone numbers of the last eight 
rejected calls are stored. This requires the 
telephone number of the caller to have been 
transmitted.
>"Received calls"
The phone numbers of the last eight 
accepted calls are stored. This requires the 
telephone number of the caller to have been 
transmitted.
Selecting phone numbers from phone 
book
The "A - Z" list is available for your phone book 
entries. The phone book entries appear on the 
Control Display.
1.Select "Phone" and press the controller.
2.Select "A - Z" and press the controller.
3.To limit the number of displayed entries, 
select the initial letter of the desired entry 
and press the controller.
ProCarManuals.com 

 185
Entertainment
Reference
At a glance
Controls
Driving tips Communications
Navigation
Mobility
1.Establish connection.
2.Move the controller backwards until the 
bottom field is selected. 
3.Select the desired touch-tone button
 and 
press the controller.
Each selection is transmitted immediately 
and is confirmed by a tone, depending on 
the type of mobile phone you are using.
Switching between mobile 
phone and hands-free system
From mobile phone to hands-free 
system
You can continue ongoing calls outside of the 
vehicle's Bluetooth range via the hands-free 
system as long as the engine is running or the 
ignition is switched on. Depending on your 
mobile phone, the system automatically 
switches to hands-free mode.
With mobile phones that do not automatically 
switch to hands-free mode:
>Depending on the type of mobile phone you 
are using, you can continue the conversa-
tion via the hands-free system, if necessary. 
Refer to the display on your mobile phone and/or your mobile phone's operating 
instructions.
>Press the   button above the storage 
compartment. The changeover can take 
several seconds.
From hands-free system to mobile 
phone
If you are making a call via the hands-free sys-
tem, you can also continue the call via the 
mobile phone, if necessary, depending on your 
mobile phone model. Refer to the display on 
your mobile phone and/or your mobile phone's 
operating instructions.
Operation by voice 
commands*
The concept
You can operate your mobile phone without 
having to take a hand off the steering wheel. 
During your entries, you will be guided in many 
cases by announcements and questions.
The same prerequisites apply as for operation 
via iDrive, refer to page181.
Symbols in the Owner's Manual
Saying commands
Activating the system
1.Briefly press the   button on the steering 
wheel.
A sound signal indicates that you can say 
commands.
2.Say the command.
The text or numbers that the voice com-
mand system has registered will appear on 
the Control Display.
{...}Say the specified commands word for 
word.
{{...}} Indicates responses of the system.
ProCarManuals.com 

BMW Assist
194
Displaying transmitted data
Select a received message, if applicable, and 
press the controller.
Dialing a phone number or transferring 
an address for destination guidance
1.Select "Options" and press the controller.
2.Select a menu item:
>Press "Call" to make a telephone call. A pre-
requisite for this is that your Bluetooth 
mobile phone has been paired with the 
vehicle.
>Press "Select as destination" to transfer the 
address to the navigation system for desti-
nation guidance.
Adapting BMW Assist
Displaying and updating services
If the services offered by BMW Assist change, 
you will be notified. In that event you may 
update the service functions.
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.3.Turn the controller until "Settings" is 
selected and press the controller.
4.Turn the controller until "BMW Services" is 
selected and press the controller.
5.If necessary, move the highlight marker to 
the uppermost field. Turn the controller 
until "Service Status" is selected and press 
the controller.
The currently available BMW Assist ser-
vices are displayed.
6.If necessary, select "Options"and press the 
controller.
7.Select "Update services" and press the 
controller.
Terminating services*
When you terminate the services, the connec-
tion to BMW Assist is deactivated.
ProCarManuals.com