Voice activation system
22
Voice activation system
The concept
The voice activation system allows you to con-
trol operation of various vehicle systems with-
out removing your hands from the steering
wheel.
Individual menu items on the Control Display
can be spoken as commands. It is not neces-
sary to use the controller.
The voice activation system transforms your
oral commands into control signals for the
selected systems and provides support in the
form of instructions or questions.
Coupe: the voice activation system uses a spe-
cial microphone located in the area of the inte-
rior rearview mirror, refer to page14.
Convertible: the voice activation system uses a
special microphone located in the area of the
steering column.
Precondition
Via iDrive, select the language in which the
voice activation system is operating, so that the
spoken commands can be identified. Selecting
the language for iDrive, refer to page80.
Symbols in the Owner's Manual
Saying commands
Activating voice activation system
1.Press the button on the steering wheel.
This symbol on the Control Display and
an acoustic signal indicate that the voice
activation system is ready to receive spo-
ken commands.
2.Say the command.
The command appears on the Control Dis-
play.
This symbol appears on the Control Display
when you can enter additional commands.
If no further commands are possible, continue
by operating the item of equipment via iDrive.
Terminating or canceling voice
activation system
Press the button on the steering wheel
or
*
{...} Say the specified commands word for
word.
{{...}} Indicates responses of the voice acti-
vation system.
{Cancel}
At a glance
23Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
In dialogs that call for a text of your choice, the
procedure can only be canceled using the but-
ton on the steering wheel.
Possible commands
The commands available in each case depend
on the menu item selected on the Control Dis-
play.
To have the available commands read aloud:
For example, if "CD/DVD" is selected, the com-
mands for operating CD/Multimedia are read
aloud
.
Using alternative commands
There are often a number of commands to run a
function, e.g.:
Calling up functions immediately via
short commands
Short commands enable you to perform certain
functions immediately, irrespective of which
menu item is selected, refer to page236.
Example: selecting the track of a CD
1.If necessary, switch on entertainment audio
output.
2.Press the button on the steering wheel.
Setting the voice dialog
You can set whether the system should use the
standard dialog or a shorter variant. In the
shorter variant of the voice dialog, the prompts
and responses from the system are abbrevi-
ated.
1."Settings"
2."Language/Units"3."Speech mode:"
4.To select the setting:
>"Default"
>"Short"
Notes
For information on voice control of the
telephone, refer to page177.<
For voice commands, bear in mind the follow-
ing:
>Do not use the voice activation system to
initiate an Emergency Request. In stressful
situations, the voice and vocal pitch can
change. This can unnecessarily delay the
establishment of a telephone connection.
>Pronounce the commands and digits
smoothly and at normal volume, avoiding
excessive emphases and pauses. This also
applies when spelling out and saying a full
word during destination entry.
>When selecting a radio station, use the
standard pronunciation of the station name.
>For entries in the voice-activated phone
book, only use names in the language of the
voice activation system and no abbrevia-
tions.
>Keep the doors, windows and glass roof
closed to prevent interference from outside
noise.
>Avoid ambient noise in the vehicle while
speaking. {Voice commands}
{Radio on} or {Radio}
3.Select the music track, e.g.:
{CD track 4}
System says:
{{Track 4}}
Technology for driving comfort and safety
90
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Coupe: head airbags
3Side airbags in the seat backrests
Protective action
Observe the adjustment instructions on
page42 to ensure the best possible per-
sonal protection.<
The front airbags help protect the driver and
front passenger by responding to frontal
impacts in which safety belts alone cannot pro-
vide adequate restraint. When needed, the
head and side airbags help provide protection in
the event of side impact. The relevant side air-
bag supports the side upper body area. The
head air bag supports the head.
The airbags have been designed to not be trig-
gered in every collision situation, e.g. not in
minor accidents or rear-end collisions.
Do not apply adhesive materials to the
cover panels of the airbags, cover them or
modify them in any other way.
Keep the dashboard and windows on the front
passenger side clear, i.e. do not cover with
adhesive labels or coverings, and do not attach
holders such as for navigation instruments or
mobile phones.
Do not attach seat covers, cushions or other
objects not specifically approved for seats with
integral side airbags to the front seats. Do not
hang items of clothing such as coats or jackets
over the backrests. Do not attempt to remove the airbag retention system from the vehicle. Do
not modify the individual components of the
system or its wiring in any way. This includes
the upholstered covers on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seats and roof posts, as well
as the sides of the roof lining. Do not attempt to
remove or dismantle the steering wheel.
Do not touch the individual components imme-
diately after the system has been triggered,
because there is a danger of burns.
In the event of malfunctions, deactivation or
triggering of the airbag restraint system, have
the testing, repair, removal and disposal of air-
bag generators executed only by a BMW center
or a workshop that works according to repair
procedures of BMW with correspondingly
trained personnel and that has the required
explosives licenses. Unprofessional attempts to
work on the system could lead to failure in an
emergency or to undesired airbag activation,
either of which could result in personal injury.<
Warning notices and information about the air-
bags can also be found on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of the front
passenger airbags
An analysis of the impression in the front pas-
senger seat cushion determines whether and
how the seat is occupied. The front and side air-
bags for the front passenger are activated or
deactivated by the system accordingly.
The indicator lamp above the interior
rearview mirror shows the current status
of the front passenger airbags, deactivated or
Practical interior accessories
106
USB interface for data transmission
Port for importing and exporting data on USB
devices, e.g. music collections, refer to
page162.
Observe the following when connecting:
>Do not use force when plugging the con-
nector into the USB audio interface.
>Do not connect devices such as fans or
lamps to the USB audio interface.
>Do not connect USB hard disks.
>Do not use the USB interface to recharge
external devices.
Center armrest
Storage compartment
The center armrest between the front seats
contains either a compartment or the cover for
the snap-in adapter
*, depending on the equip-
ment version. For more information about this
mobile phone base plate, refer to page 179.
Opening
Press the button, see arrow.
Settings*
Slide the center armrest into the desired posi-
tion on the driver's side.
Connection for external audio device
You can connect an external audio device such
as a CD or MP3 player and play audio tracks
over the car's loudspeaker system:
>AUX-IN port, refer to page163
>USB-audio interface
*, refer to page164
Storage compartments inside
the vehicle
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, you
will find compartments beside the steering col-
umn
*, in the front doors and in the center con-
sole
*.
There are nets
on the front-seat backrests.
Storage compartments in the rear
console
Depending on your vehicle's equipment ver-
sion, the following storage compartments can
be found in the rear console:
>Storage tray
Navigation
Driving tips
129Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
1."Search destination"
2.Select the location where the system is to
search for the special destination:
>"At current location"
>"At destination"
>"At a different destination"
>"Along route"
Special destination category
1."Category"
2.Select "All" or a specific category, e.g.
hotels or restaurants.
3."Route Points of Interest"
*
Category details
Additional details can be displayed for some
special destinations, e.g. Italian restaurants.
1."Points of Interest"
2."Category details"
Starting the search for special
destinations
1."Start search" after the criteria have been
defined.
2.A list of the special destinations is dis-
played.
>Special destinations "At current loca-
tion" are listed according to their dis-
tance from the current location and are
displayed with a directional arrow point-
ing to the destination.
>Destinations of the selected category
are displayed in the map display as sym-
bols. The display depends on the map
scale and the category.
>Special destinations "At destination",
"At a different destination", "Along
route" are listed according to their dis-
tance from the location where the search
is being performed.
3.Highlight the special destination. The desti-
nation is displayed in the preview map.
4.Select the special destination.
5.Select the symbol. Destination guid-
ance to the special destination is started.
If a phone number is available, a connection
can be established, if desired.
Entering special destinations by name
1."Name, A-Z search"
2.Enter the letters.
Depending on the distance, the search may
take some time. The list can contain a max-
imum of 100 entries.
3.Change to the list of special destinations.
4.Highlight the special destination. The desti-
nation is displayed in the preview map.
5.Select the special destination.
6.Select the symbol to start destination
guidance.
Displaying special destinations in the
map
To display symbols of the special destinations
in the map:
Satellite radio
150
Satellite radio
You can receive over 100 different channels
with high sound quality.
The channels are offered to you in predefined
packages. To receive the channels of your
choice, you must have the corresponding pack-
ages enabled.
With this new technology, signal losses
can occur from time to time and result in
audio interruptions.<
Enabling or disabling
channels
Enabling the channels
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Ensure that reception is reliable. It is usually
at its best when you have an unobstructed
view of the sky.
2."Satellite radio"
3.Open "All Channels" or the desired cate-
gory.
4.Select the channel.5.If the channel has not yet been enabled,
then a phone number and the ESN elec-
tronic serial number are displayed.
6.Call the phone number to have the channel
enabled.
The channels can be disabled again via this
phone number.
Disabling channels
The channels can be disabled by phone. To do
so, have the electronic serial number ESN
ready.
1."Satellite radio".
2.Open "All Channels" or the desired cate-
gory.
3.Open "Options".
4.The electronic serial number is displayed.
5.Call Sirius to have the channel disabled.
*
USB-audio interface/mobile phone audio interface
164
USB-audio interface/mobile phone audio
interface
Connectable devices
iPod / iPhone, mobile phone or USB devices
(MP3 player, USB flash drive). These devices
can be operated via iDrive.
Standard audio formats, e.g. MP3, WMA, WAV
(PCM) and AAC, and playlists in the M3U format
can be played.
Due to the large number of different audio
devices/mobile phones available on the market,
it cannot be ensured that every audio device/
mobile phone is operable on the vehicle.
Ask about suitable audio devices/mobile
phones at your BMW center.
Connecting
Lift up the center armrest.
1AUX-IN connection for audio playback:
TRS connector 1/8 in/3.5 mm
2USB interface
iPod
To connect the iPod use the BMW cable
adapter for Apple iPod. For more information,
contact your BMW center or go to the Internet:
www.bmw.com
To play audio tracks over the vehicle's loud-
speaker system, connect the iPod to ports1
and 2.The iPod's menu structure is supported by the
USB-audio interface/mobile phone audio inter-
face.
USB storage device
To connect the device, use a flexible
adapter cable to protect the USB inter-
face and your USB device against physical
damage.<
To play audio tracks over the vehicle's loud-
speaker system, connect the USB device to
port1.
After the device is connected for the first time,
the information on all tracks (e.g. artist, type of
music) and the playlists are transferred from the
USB device to the vehicle. This procedure may
take some time. The duration depends on the
USB device and the number of tracks.
During transfer, you can select the tracks using
the directories and file names.
After transfer, you can call up the tracks using
the information and playlists.
Information from up to four USB devices can be
stored in the vehicle, or a total of about 16,000
tracks.
If a fifth USB device is connected, the informa-
tion stored in the vehicle on the tracks of the
first USB device is deleted.
Music tracks with integrated Digital
Rights Management (DRM) cannot be
played.<
Starting audio playback
If the audio device has a device name, the name
is displayed.
1."CD/Multimedia"
2."External devices"
*
Navigation
Entertainment
Driving tips
165Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
3. Select the symbol.
The name of the audio device may appear.
If, for example, an iPhone is connected to the
USB interface at the same time that an audio
device is connected to the AUX-IN port, the
audio signal of the AUX-IN port is played.
Information about the track
If information about a track has been stored, it is
displayed automatically:
>Artist
>Album title
>Number of tracks
>Track file name
Track search
You can call up the tracks using the playlists
and information. With USB devices you can also
call up tracks using the file directory.
1."CD/Multimedia"
2."External devices"
3. Select the symbol.
The name of the audio device may appear.
4.Select the desired category, "Genre", "Art-
ist".All entries are displayed in a list. The "A-Z
search" is available depending on the num-
ber of entries.
>Open "A-Z search" and enter the
desired entry.
>Select the desired entry from the list.
5.Select additional categories if desired.
The tracks found are listed. Not all catego-
ries need to be selected. For example, to
search for all tracks by a certain artist, call
up that artist only. All of the tracks by that
artist are then displayed.
6."Start play"
Restarting a track search
"New search"
Random play sequence
You can play the tracks in the selected list in
random order, e.g. all tracks of a single artist.
1.Open "Options".
2."Random"
Fast forward/reverse
Press and hold the button for the corre-
sponding direction.
Notes
Do not expose the audio device to
extreme environmental conditions, e.g.
very high temperatures, refer to the operating
instructions of the audio device. Otherwise the
audio device may become damaged, which
could compromise safety while driving.<
Depending on the configuration of the audio
files, e.g. bit rates greater than 256 KBit/s, the
files may not play back correctly in every case.
Notes on connecting
>The USB-audio interface acts as the power
supply to the connected audio devices, pro-