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.
Most menu items on the Control Display can be
voiced as commands. It is not necessary 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 page87.
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.
*
{...} Say the specified commands word for
word.
{{...}} Indicates responses of the voice acti-
vation system.
At a glance
23Reference
Controls
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Communications
Navigation
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Mobility
Terminating or canceling voice
activation system
Press the button on the steering wheel
or
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" is selected, the commands
for operating CD/Multimedia are read aloud.
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 page251.
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
To operate the phone by voice, refer to
page192.<
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
abbreviations.
>Keep the doors, windows and glass roof
closed to prevent interference from outside
noise.
>Avoid ambient noise in the vehicle while
speaking. {Cancel}
{Voice commands} or {Help}
3.Select the music track, e.g.:
{C D track 4}
System says:
{{Track 4}}
Technology for driving comfort and safety
98
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Coupe: head airbags
3Side airbags in the seat backrests
4Convertible: knee airbags
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
Controls
115Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
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Mobility
USB interface for data transmission
Port for importing and exporting data on USB
devices, e.g. music collections, refer to
page176.
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 drives.
>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.
Opening
Press the button, see arrow.
Settings*
Slide the center armrest on the driver's side into
the desired position.
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 page177
>USB audio interface
*/additional connection
of the music player in the mobile phone
*,
refer to page178
Navigation
Driving tips
137Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
Entering a house number
You can enter any house number stored in the
navigation data for the street.
1."House number"
2.Select the digits.
3.Change to the list of house numbers.
4.Select a house number or range of house
numbers.
Starting destination guidance after
entering the destination
1."Accept destination"
2."Start guidance" or "Add as another dest.".
>Set your "Route preference",
refer to page144.
>Search for "Points of Interest at loc.",
refer to page139.
Address book
To create contacts, refer to page196.
Selecting a destination from the
address book
1."Navigation"
2."Address book"
Contacts with addresses are displayed if
these have been checked as destinations.
If the contacts with addresses from the
mobile phone
* are not displayed, they first
need to be checked as destinations, refer to
page.197.
3.Select a contact from the list or, if neces-
sary, using "A-Z search".4.If necessary, select "Business address" or
"Home address".
Storing a destination in the address
book
Store the destination in the address book after
entering the destination.
1.Open "Options".
2."Store as new contact" or "Add to existing
contact".
3.Select an existing contact, if available.
4.Select "Business address" or "Home
address".
5.Enter "Last name" and, if necessary, "First
name".
6."Store in vehicle"
Storing the position
Your current position can be stored in the
address book.
1."Navigation"
2.Open "Options".
3."Store position as contact" or "Add position
to contact".
Navigation
Driving tips
139Reference
At a glance
Controls
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Mobility
Special destinations
You can search for a special destination, e.g. a
hotel or place of interest, and start destination
guidance to the corresponding location.
The scope of information provided
depends on the particular set of naviga-
tion data you are using.<
Opening the search for special
destinations
1."Navigation"
2."Points of Interest"
The search can be narrowed by entering the
location and type of special destination.
Special destination location
Search for a special destination according to its
location relative to a locality or route.
1."Search area"
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.
Category details
For some special destinations, additional
details can be displayed that are available in the
navigation data, e.g. Italian-style restaurant.
"Category details"
Starting the search for special
destinations
1."Start search"
2.A list of the special destinations is dis-
played.
>"At current location"
Special destinations are listed according
to their distance from the current loca-
tion and are displayed with a directional
arrow pointing to the destination.
>"At destination", "At a different destina-
tion", "Along route"
Special destinations are listed according
to their distance from the location where
the search is being performed.
>Destinations of the selected category
are displayed in the map view as sym-
bols. The display depends on the map
scale and the category.
3.Highlight a special destination: the destina-
tion is displayed in the preview map.
4.Select the special destination.
5.Select the symbol.
6."Start guidance" or "Add as another dest.".
If a phone number is available, a connection
can be established, if desired.
Satellite radio
160
Satellite radio
General information
The channels are offered in predefined pack-
ages. The packages must be enabled by tele-
phone.
Navigation bar overview
The functions of the navigation bar symbols can
also be stored on the programmable memory
buttons, refer to page20.
Managing a subscription
To be able to enable or unsubscribe from the
channels, you must have reception. It is usually
at its best when you have an unobstructed view
of the sky. The channel name is displayed in the
status line.
Enabling the channels
The Unsubscribed Channels category contains
all disabled channels.
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"3."Category"
4.Select the Unsubscribed Channels cate-
gory.
5.Select the desired channel.
The phone number and an electronic serial
number, ESN, are displayed.
6.Select the phone number to have the chan-
nel enabled.
You can also unsubscribe from the channels via
this phone number.
Unsubscribing from channels
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"
3.Open "Options".
*
SymbolFunction
Changing the list view
Selecting a category
Direct channel entry
Timeshift
Opening the favorites, opening
the My Favorites category
Managing the favorites
Traffic Jump
Navigation
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161Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Mobility
4."Manage subscription"
The phone number and an electronic serial
number, ESN, are displayed.
5.Call Sirius to unsubscribe from the chan-
nels.
Selecting a channel
You can only listen to enabled channels.
The selected channel is stored for the remote
control currently in use.
Via iDrive
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"
3.Select "All channels" or the desired cate-
gory.
4.Select the desired channel.
Via the button in the area of the CD/
DVD player
Press the button for the corresponding
direction.
The next channel is selected.
Via direct channel entry
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"
3."Select channel"
4.Turn the controller until the desired channel
is reached and press the controller.
Storing a channel
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"
3.If necessary, open "All channels" or the
desired category.
4.Select the desired channel.
5.Press the controller again.
6.Press the controller again to confirm the
highlighted channel.
7.Select the desired memory location.
The channels are stored for the remote control
currently in use.
You can also store the channels on the pro-
grammable memory keys, refer to page20.
Changing the list view
The list view changes every time the first sym-
bol on the navigation bar is pressed.
Information on the channel is displayed.
SymbolFunction
Channel name
Artist
Track