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 ever removing your hands from the steering
wheel.
Most menu items on the Control Display can be
voiced as commands. This frees you of having
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.
The voice activation system uses a special
microphone located in the area of the interior
rearview mirror, refer to page14.
Precondition
Using iDrive, set the language that applies for
the voice activation system in order to enable
identification of the spoken commands. To set
the language of iDrive, refer to page86.
Symbols in Owner's Manual
Voice commands
Activating voice activation system
1.Press the button on the steering wheel.
This symbol on the Control Display and
an acoustic signal tell you that the voice activation system can respond to com-
mands.
2.Say the command.
The command is displayed on the Control
Display.
This symbol appears on the Control Display
when you can enter additional commands.
If no other commands are possible, then oper-
ate the equipment via iDrive.
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.
*
{...} Say the specified commands word for
word.
{{...}} Indicates responses of the voice acti-
vation system.{Cancel}
{Voice commands} or {Help}
At a glance
23Reference
Controls
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Running functions directly with short
commands
With short commands you can carry out certain
functions directly, regardless of which menu
item is selected, refer to page285.
Example: selecting the track of a CD
1.Switch on Entertainment sound output if
necessary.
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.Select a setting:
>"Default"
>"Short"
Notes
To operate the phone by voice, refer to
page219.<
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.
>Say the commands and numbers 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
common 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 doors, windows, and glass sunroof
*/
panoramic glass sunroof
* closed in order to
avoid unpleasant outside noise.
>Avoid making other noise in the vehicle
while speaking. 3.Select the music track, e.g.:
{C D track 4}
System says:
{{Track 4}}
Controls
27Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
>Displays on Control Display:
>Brightness of the Control Display, refer
to page86
>Measuring units for consumption, route/
distances, temperature, and pressure,
refer to page86
>Language on Control Display, refer to
page86
>12h/24h clock format, refer to page85
>Date format, refer to page85
>Lighting settings:
>Triple turn signal activation, refer to
page65
>Welcome lamps, refer to page111
>Pathway lighting, refer to page112
>Daytime driving lamps
*, refer to
page112
>High-beam Assistant
*, refer to
page113
>PDC Park Distance Control
*: optical warn-
ing, refer to page89
>Top View
*: optical warning, refer to
page91
>Side View
*, refer to page92
>Rear view camera
*:
>Selecting functions, refer to page93
>Type of display, refer to page95
>Lane departure warning
*: last status, on/
off, refer to page104
>Head-up Display
*: selection, brightness
and position of display, refer to page109
>Automatic climate control: AUTO program
and intensity, cooling function, and auto-
matic recirculated-air control/recirculated-
air mode, temperature, air distribution, ven-
tilation temperature, starting on page117
>Programmable memory buttons: selecting
stored functions, refer to page20
>Positions of driver's seat, outside mirrors,
and steering wheel
*, refer to page44
>Adaptive Drive
*: selected chassis and sus-
pension tuning, refer to page98>Audio sources: volume and tone settings,
refer to page168
>Radio:
>Display of stored stations, refer to
page173
>Switching RDS Radio Data System on/
off
*, refer to page172
>Phone: volume setting, refer to
pages215,220
Central locking system
The concept
The central locking system functions when the
driver's door is closed.
The system simultaneously engages and
releases the locks on the following:
>Doors
>Liftgate
>Fuel filler flap
Operating from outside
>Using the remote control
>Using the door lock
>With Comfort Access
* using the door han-
dles
The interior lamps and the courtesy lamps
* are
also switched on and off with the remote con-
trol. The alarm system
is armed/disarmed at the
same time.
You can find more detailed information on the
alarm system
on page34.
Operating from inside
Using the button for central locking, refer to
page30. The fuel filler flap is not locked.
In an accident of sufficient severity, the central
locking system automatically unlocks the vehi-
cle. In addition, the hazard warning flashers and
interior lamps come on.
Controls
107Reference
At a glance
Driving tips
Communications
Navigation
Entertainment
Mobility
Airbags
The following airbags are located under the
marked covers:
1Front airbags
2Head airbags
3Side airbags
Protective action
To ensure that the safety systems con-
tinue to provide optimized protection,
observe the adjustment instructions on
page42.<
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 are deliberately not triggered in
every impact situation, e.g. less severe acci-
dents 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 instrument cluster and window in the
region of the passenger seat free of foreign
materials, i.e. do not cover them with adhesive
film or covers and do not attach mounts, e.g. for
a navigation device or mobile phone to them.
Do not install cosmetic covers, seat cushions,
or other items on the front seats that are not
especially approved for seats with integrated
side airbags. Do not hang articles of clothing
such as jackets over the backrests.Do not attempt to remove the airbag restraint
system from the vehicle. Do not modify or
tamper with either the wiring or the individual
components in the airbag system. This includes
the upholstery in the center of the steering
wheel, on the instrument cluster, the doors, and
the roof pillars as well as the sides of the head-
liner. Do not attempt to remove or dismantle the
steering wheel. Do not touch the individual
components immediately 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 Sports
Activity Vehicle Center or a workshop that
works according to BMW repair procedures
with correspondingly trained personnel and has
the required explosives licenses. Otherwise
unprofessional attempts to service the system
could lead to failure in an emergency or undes-
ired airbag triggering, either of which could
result in personal injury.<
Warnings and information on the airbags is also
provided on the sun visors.
Automatic deactivation of front
passenger airbags
The occupation of the seat is detected by eval-
uating the impression on the occupied seat sur-
face of the front passenger seat. The front and
side airbags on the front passenger side are
activated or deactivated accordingly by the sys-
tem.
The current status of the front passenger
airbag, i.e. deactivated or activated, is
Practical interior accessories
128
Center armrest front
A storage compartment is located under the
armrest between the front seats and, depend-
ing on the vehicle's equipment, also a cover for
the mobile phone bracket or the snap-in
adapter. Also refer to page212.
Opening cover
Push cover down slightly and press the button.
The cover folds upward.
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 vehicle's speaker system:
>AUX-IN connection, refer to page192
>USB audio interface, refer to page192
Storage compartments
Compartments are located in the doors, in the
center console in the front and rear
* as well as
in the rear console in the X6.
Storage nets
* are located on the backrests of
the front seats.
Do not stow hard or sharp-edged objects
in the storage nets; otherwise there is an
increased risk of injury in the event of an acci-
dent.<
Clothes hooks
When hanging clothing on the hooks,
ensure that it will not obstruct the driver's
vision. Do not hang heavy objects on the hooks.
If you do so, they could cause personal injury to occupants during braking or evasive maneu-
vers.<
BMW X5
Clothes hooks are located near the grab han-
dles in the rear.
BMW X6
To fold out, press against upper edge.
Cupholders
Use lightweight, unbreakable containers
and do not transport hot beverages; oth-
erwise, there is an increased risk of injury in the
event of an accident. Do not force unsuitable
containers into the cupholders, as otherwise
damage can result.<
Front
Slide the cover back.
Navigation
Driving tips
151Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
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 page158.
>Search for "Points of Interest at loc.",
Refer to page152.
Address book
To create contacts, refer to page224.
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
page225.
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".
4.Depending on the selection, select an exist-
ing contact from the list or the type of
address and enter the last and first name.
5."Store in vehicle"
Navigation
Driving tips
153Reference
At a glance
Controls
Communications
Entertainment
Mobility
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, it is possible to
display additional details that are recorded in
the navigation data, e.g. restaurant type: Italian.
"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 display as sym-
bols. The display depends on the map
scale and the category.
3.Highlight the special destination: the desti-
nation 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.
Destination entry using BMW Assist*
A connection is established to the BMW Con-
cierge service, refer to page227.
1."Navigation"
2."Enter address"
3.Open "Options".
4."BMW Assist dest. entry"
Entering special destinations by name
1."Navigation"
2."Points of Interest"
3."Name, A-Z search"
4.Enter the letters.
Depending on the distance, the search may
take some time. The list can contain a max-
imum of 100 entries.
5.Change to the list of special destinations.
6.Highlight the special destination: the desti-
nation is displayed in the preview map.
7.Select the special destination.
8.Select the symbol.
9."Start guidance" or "Add as another dest.".
Satellite radio
174
Satellite radio
General information
The channels are offered in fixed packages.
Packages must be activated by telephone.
Navigation bar
The functions of the symbols of the navigation
bar can also be stored on the programmable
memory buttons, refer to page20.
Managing subscription
Clear reception is required for activating and
deactivating channels. Reception is best when
you have an unobstructed view to the sky. The
channel name is displayed in the status line.
Activating channels
The category Unsubscribed Channels includes
all channels that are not activated.
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"3."Category"
4.Select the category Unsubscribed Chan-
nels.
5.Select desired channel.
The telephone number and electronic serial
number, ESN, are displayed.
6.Dial the telephone number to have the
channels activated.
This telephone number can also be used to
deactivate the channels once more.
Deactivating channels
1."Radio"
2."Satellite radio"
3.Open "Options".
*
SymbolFunction
Changing list view
Selecting category
Entering channel directly
Time shift
Accessing favorites, selecting
the My Favorites category
Managing favorites
Traffic Jump