
Telephoning
194
Telephoning
The concept
Your BMW is equipped with a full mobile phone 
preparation package. After pairing a suitable 
mobile phone in the vehicle once, you can oper-
ate the mobile phone via iDrive, with the buttons 
on the steering wheel and by voice.
A mobile phone that has been paired once is 
automatically detected again with the engine 
running or the ignition switched on as soon as 
it is in the vehicle interior. The logon data of up 
to four mobile phones can be stored simulta-
neously. If several mobile phones are detected 
simultaneously, the respective last mobile 
phone paired can be operated via the vehicle.
Using a phone in your vehicle
Using snap-in adapter*
The so-called snap-in adapter, a mobile phone 
cradle, enables the battery to be charged and 
the mobile phone to be connected to the exter-
nal antenna of your vehicle. This ensures 
improved network reception and a consistent 
voice reproduction quality. Ask your BMW cen-
ter which mobile phones snap-in adapters are 
offered for.
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 operating instructions for a 
detailed description of safety precautions and 
information, we request that you direct your 
particular attention to the following:
Only make entries when traffic conditions 
allow 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 distracted 
can endanger vehicle occupants and other road 
users.<
Suitable mobile phones
Ask your BMW center which mobile phones 
with a Bluetooth interface are supported by the 
mobile phone preparation package or which 
mobile phones snap-in adapters are available 
for. These mobile phones support the functions 
described in this Owner's Manual with a certain 
software version. Malfunctions can occur with 
other mobile phones.
Care instructions
You can find valuable information on this topic 
under Care, starting on page239 and the oper-
ating instructions for the mobile phone.
Operating options
You can operate the mobile phone* using:
>Buttons on steering wheel, refer to page11
>iDrive, refer to page16
>Voice commands, refer to page205
>Programmable memory buttons, refer to 
page22
Avoid operating a mobile phone detected by 
the vehicle with the keypad of the mobile 
phone, otherwise malfunctions can occur.
Placing phone calls with 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 log off the 
* 

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mobile phone from the vehicle if you wish to 
place a call with the mobile phone.
Commissioning
Pairing mobile phone in vehicle
The following prerequisites must be met:
>Suitable mobile phone: the mobile phone is 
supported by the full mobile phone prepara-
tion package. Information on this subject is 
also provided on the Internet at: 
www.bmw.com
>The mobile phone is ready to operate.
>The Bluetooth link on the vehicle, refer to 
page199, and on the mobile phone is 
active.
>Depending on the mobile phone, the mobile 
phone may need presetting: e.g. using the 
following menu items:
>Bluetooth activated
>Connection must be allowed without 
requiring further confirmation
>Reconnect
>Depending on the mobile phone model, the 
setting energy saving mode can, for exam-
ple, result in vehicle failing to detect the 
paired mobile phone.
>For pairing purposes, define any 4-16-digit 
number as a Bluetooth passkey, 
e. g. 25081107. A long and complex num-
ber offers the best protection against unau-
thorized access. This Bluetooth passkey is 
no longer required after pairing is success-
ful.
>The ignition is switched on.
Only pair the mobile phone with the vehi-
cle stopped, otherwise the passengers 
and other road users can be endangered due to 
a lack of attentiveness on the part of the 
driver.<
Switching on ignition
1.Insert the remote control as far as possible 
into the ignition lock.
2.Switch on the ignition by pressing the Start/
Stop button without depressing the brake 
or clutch pedal.
Preparation via iDrive
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
3.Press the   button to open the start 
menu.
4.Press the controller to open the   menu.
5.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
6.Select "Bluetooth" and press the controller. 

Telephoning
196 7.Move the highlight marker to the second 
field from the top, select "Phone" and press 
the controller.
8.Select "Pair new phone" and press the con-
troller.
9.Select "Start pairing" and press the control-
ler.
The Bluetooth name of the vehicle is dis-
played.
Preparation with mobile phone
10.Additional operations must be carried out 
on the mobile phone and differ depending 
on the model, refer to the operating instruc-
tions of your mobile phone, e.g. find, con-
nect or pair under Bluetooth device. The 
Bluetooth name of the vehicle is also shown 
on the mobile phone display.
11.Select the Bluetooth name of the vehicle on 
the mobile phone display.
Pairing
Depending on your mobile phone, you will first 
be requested consecutively via the display of 
your mobile phone or iDrive to enter the Blue-
tooth passkey you specified.
12.Enter the Bluetooth passkey.
Depending on the mobile phone, approx. 
30 seconds are available for entering the 
Bluetooth passkey on the mobile phone 
and on the Control Display.
13.Move the highlight marker to the third field 
from the top, select "Confirm passkey" and 
press the controller.
14.Wait several seconds until the "Communi-
cation" menu is displayed.
The next time you use the mobile phone inside 
the vehicle, it will be recognized within a few 
minutes as long as the engine is running or the 
ignition is switched on.
With some mobile phone models it may 
be necessary to make certain settings for 
a permanent Bluetooth link, e.g. via the menu 
item Authorization or Secure connection. Refer 
to the operating instructions of your mobile 
phone.< 

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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 your vehicle. This transmission is depen-
dent on your mobile phone, refer to the operat-
ing instructions of your mobile phone if 
necessary, and can take several minutes.
If not all phone book entries are displayed:
>Transfer all phone book entries from the 
SIM card to the mobile phone if necessary.
>It may not be possible to display phone 
book entries with special characters.
Up to four mobile phones can be paired consec-
utively. When you pair a fifth mobile phone, the 
pairing data of the mobile phone for which the 
pairing data were stored first in the vehicle will 
be deleted.
Checking if pairing is unsuccessful
>Is the mobile phone supported by the 
mobile phone preparation package? Infor-
mation on this subject is also provided on 
the Internet at: www.bmw.com.
>Do the Bluetooth passkeys on the mobile 
phone and the vehicle match? The same 
Bluetooth passkey must be entered both on 
the mobile phone display and via iDrive.
>Have you required longer than 30 seconds 
to enter the Bluetooth passkey?
>Only a limited number of devices can be 
connected to the mobile phone. Delete the 
connection to other devices if necessary.
>The mobile phone no longer reacts? Switch 
the mobile phone off and then on again or 
disconnect the power supply.
To repeat pairing:1.Select "Restart pairing" and press the con-
troller.
2.Repeat steps 9 to 14.
If pairing was repeatedly unsuccessful, contact 
BMW Customer Relations.
To call BMW Customer Relations:
Select "Help" and press the controller.
The phone number of BMW Customer Rela-
tions and information required for pairing is 
shown on the display. With mobile phones 
already paired, you can select the phone num-
ber of BMW Customer Relations to establish 
the connection.
List of paired mobile phones
The mobile phones for which the vehicle has 
stored the pairing data can be displayed. If sev-
eral paired mobile phones are detected by the  

Telephoning
198 vehicle simultaneously, you can operate the 
mobile phone highest up in the list via the vehi-
cle.
You can change the order of the mobile phones 
in the list. As long as a mobile phone is selected 
in this list, the mobile phones cannot be oper-
ated via the vehicle.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Press the   button to open the start 
menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
4.Select "Bluetooth" and press the controller.
5.Move the highlight marker to the second 
field from the top, select "Phone" and press 
the controller.
6.Select the desired mobile phone.
With two drives:
>Move the controller backwards to 
change into the bottom field.
>Select the desired mobile phone and 
press the controller.
With a single drive:
>Select the desired mobile phone and 
press the controller.7.Select "Move device up" and press the con-
troller.
The selected mobile phone is moved 
upward by one position.
Unpairing mobile phone from vehicle
If you no longer want to operate a mobile phone 
via the vehicle, you can delete the pairing data 
of the mobile phone.
iDrive, for operating principle refer to page16.
1.Switch off the mobile phone.
2.Press the   button to open the start 
menu.
3.Press the controller to open the   menu.
4.Select "Settings" and press the controller.
5.Select "Bluetooth" and press the controller.
"Bluetooth" is selected.
6.Move the highlight marker to the second 
field from the top, select "Phone" and press 
the controller.
7.Select the desired mobile phone.
With two drives:
>Move the controller backwards to 
change into the bottom field.
>Select the desired mobile phone and 
press the controller. 

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With a single drive:
>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 and the lists of 
stored phone numbers are also deleted.
Activating/deactivating Bluetooth link
Bluetooth technology is not approved in 
all countries. Observe the applicable local 
regulations. Temporarily deactivate the Blue-
tooth link between the vehicle and the mobile 
phone if necessary.
If the Bluetooth link is deactivated, you cannot 
operate your mobile phone via the vehicle and 
other devices with a Bluetooth interface can be 
used via the mobile phone, e.g. a laptop com-
puter.<
To temporarily deactivate the Bluetooth link 
between the vehicle and your mobile phone:
1.Press the   button to open the start 
menu.
2.Press the controller to open the   menu.
3.Select "Settings" and press the controller.4.Select "Bluetooth" and press the controller.
5.Move the highlight marker to the second 
field from the top, select "Settings" and 
press the controller.
6.Select "Bluetooth communication active" 
and press the controller to activate or deac-
tivate the link.
 The Bluetooth link is activated.
 The Bluetooth link is deactivated. 

Telephoning
202 2."End call" is selected:
Press the controller.
Dialing a phone number from phone 
book or a phone number stored in a list
Phone numbers you have called, incoming calls 
and the entries of the phone book are stored in 
lists when the mobile phone is connected to the 
vehicle via Bluetooth. If the caller is entered in 
the phone book, the name of the entry is dis-
played 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.
>"Redial"
The last eight phone numbers you dialed 
are automatically stored. The last number 
dialed is at the top of the list.
>"Missed calls"
The phone numbers of the last eight calls 
that were not accepted are stored. This 
requires the telephone number of the caller 
to have been sent.
>"Received calls"
The phone numbers of the last eight 
accepted calls are stored. This requires the 
telephone number of the caller to have been 
sent.
Dialing a phone number 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 first letter of the desired entry and 
press the controller.
4.Select the desired entry and press the con-
troller.
5.Select "Call" and press the controller.
The system dials the number.
If different phone numbers are stored in the 
mobile phone under one name, e. g. office and 
home, the name is shown once for each phone 
number.
You can change a phone number stored in the 
phone book, e.g. to call a specific extension:
1.Select "Phone" and press the controller.
2.Select "A - Z" and press the controller.
3.Select the desired entry and press the con-
troller.
4.Select "Add digits" and press the controller.
5.Change the phone number. 

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directly through the BMW Assist concierge ser-
vice.
The concierge service must be enabled sepa-
rately by the BMW Assist Response Center.
Calling up information
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller forward to select 
"Communication".
3.Change to upper field if necessary. Turn the 
controller until "BMW Assist" is selected 
and press the controller.
4.Select "Concierge" and press the control-
ler.
5.Select "Start service" and press the con-
troller.
The BMW Assist Response Center will connect 
you with a BMW Assist concierge.
Displaying transmitted data
Select the received message if necessary 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.
BMW Assist My Info*
Using the BMW Assist Internet portal, you can 
transmit addresses and phone numbers into 
the vehicle using text messages.
1.Press the   button.
This opens the start menu.
2.Move the controller forward to select 
"Communication".
3.Change to upper field if necessary.
Select "BMW Assist" and press the control-
ler.