BMW motorrad connected app and navigation

[Wapping]

The BMW Connected app only works if it is paired to a suitable BMW motorcycle.

I have the app running on my 1600, along with an XT, with voice prompts through my Sena. They do not interfere with one another.

 

[knutk]

When I got my first TFT-bike (1250GSA) I thought I'd give the connected app a chance to proove it self....
I planned a route and loaded the exact route to the connected app as well as to my GPS.

As long as I was able to follow the preplanned route without any detours, the dirctions from the TFT was a nice addition to the GPS.
But tafter a while, I came to a point where the road was closed, and I had to pick a different routing. In this case, as it was a planned road closure, there where signs showing the proper rerouting in order to bypass the closed section.
When I turned off the preplan route and entered the rerouting, it took Garmin less than 5 seconds to display a new route that would lead me into the correct direction. The connected app, however, would not accept a rerouting. It cept nagging about a U-turn all the way until I was back on track....
A couple of days later we where to cross a mountain range that needed a complete replanning and a new rout to be loaded.
As the Connected app requires a dedicated GPX file, and offers no planning tool, the Connected app proved itself utterly useless.

I have also tried to use the connected app for showing speedlimit signs on the TFT. As long as the proper files are downloaded, this works fine. However, after a few hours of riding, the phone is down on the battery, and this requires a way of charging the phone while riding....

All in all, for the way I like to ride, I have concluded that what the Connected App does the best is to empty my phones battery while offering very little else of what the GPS does better......

 

[Morety]

Head up display on motorbike screens is fundamentally different to a car windscreen. In a car, you look through the windscreen. On a motorcycle, most riders look over the screen, rendering it ineffective. Having a form of it, displayed on a helmet visor, would (I guess) be an answer. There are some drop down head up things already (all a bit Star Wars) but I don’t know anyone who has tried the gizmo out yet.

I wouldn't want anything like that on a bike personally, although I find my speed reading and directions read directly off the HUD projected on the windscreen useful in a car. Part of me yearns to back to the simplicity and clarity of something like my old FJ1100's cockpit with a map on the tankbag opened to view the stretch I'm riding.

I managed all my early touring years like that, stopping occasionally to check the route. Heresy to you younger tech hungry guys I know but having been round the block on this I've come to learn that most high tech solutions are compromised in some way or other and prove quite distracting as well as placing too many eggs in one basket. For my generation, a GPS navigator or similar sat in the cradle backed up with a map folded in the tankbag for route planning is all I could ever want or need.

Bikers seem to have become far too needy and pompous (in some cases) about being tech savvy. One of the biggest turn offs to me was when riding a new (then) 2017 Tiger 1200 which I was considering changing my 2007 Tiger 1200 for. The handlebar controls and menu systems proved so utterly cumbersome and over complicated that it completely put me off buying that bike altogether and I ended up with the smarter choice of a 1200GSA. My old Tiger 1200 and my 2016 GSA had one thing in common, and that was clear, uncluttered dials. I actually preferred the LCD screen of the 2016 GSA to that on my 2018 RS, but the one on the early Tiger 1200 was even more intuitive and told me everything I needed at a glance with dead easy and intuitive controls. My phone is kept in the tankbag charging when riding and I prefer to listen to the engine note and what's around me than to music whilst riding, but that's just me and we all have different perceptions of need and necessity. No wrong answer to what seems like a circular argument except you use what you prefer; just don't be surprised to learn with complexity comes a different set of issues to be managed. Touring for me should be relaxing, devoid of anything unnecessary.

 

[GB.]

I don't have a tft bike but I run my iPhone in the connect cradle using the connected app connected to my Sena, I like it a lot, one connection and the nav directions blend in nicely with the music or comms. One connection, wireless charging no more extra cables, what else do you need?

 

[Jayjayuno]

Is there a way to see Google maps on the the tft? I find Google maps much easier to plan routes with and manipulate, alter etc but it would be nice to view it on the bigger brighter tft screen.

Sent from my SM-G991B using Tapatalk

 

[stick]

Howe er , if you’d bought a Ducati, the TFT would show the full detail of a GPS map and all the necessary bike-related detail too.

Ducati ahead of BMW in electronics. Who ‘a thought it?

The Ducati system is limited , problematic, I used the Zumo xt on mine as planning routes is my thing , following a sat nav which does the route for you , limited . Good if you like to get from A to B but as a dedicated route maker and exploring tool , useless.
Garmin and gpx routes far far better.
I have tried using phone apps like Route app , great for planning a route as the computer software works well along with street view as to give you a good idea of roads etc . Tried it on my phone but if you strayed off the route you made it decided to re route and I could not find a way to avoid this . With a garmin pre made route you can go off course but still see the route on the screen and work your way back to it and re join with no issues. That’s useful for detours , and exploring bits of route if you wish , for me the winning feature.

 

[Flipfly]

My cradle fried my Samsung note phone in Spain last year. Instructions come up on tft at the expense of other useful info.
If you are in to serious route planning, use either smartpone/quadlock with tomtom navigation app or Garmin/tomtom mounted on the sat nav cross bar.
The cradle and phone integration are good in theory but are rather basic in function and are not suitable for use in a very hot climate.
200 euros wiser, I now have my old Garmin on the bar above the tft and my (new) phone on a quadlock wireless charging mount on the handlebars. ok, more clutter but still neat, the bonus on tour is being able to search for fuel with the garmin without messing about with the pre planned route on the tomtom app..
Probably depends on the kind of touring and riding you do.

Just fit your phone in a quadlock and leave the cradle in place, works just fine

Mine also overheated, so I asked my wife to bring my quadlock mount from home, when she flew over. Just mounted my phone in the quadlock and the wheel still operated the phone (as long as the cradle is in place and the phone is connected to the cradle).

Worked flawlessly.

I now have a Nav6 that I acquired for a reasonable price, and strangely, my wheel still operated the phone, not the Nav6 when the Nav 6 is in place of the cradle (Winner!).

 

[GSian]

That's good to know thanks, I'm gonna try it tonight. If you switch it over from TFT to NAV, does Nav still work with the wheel? and when switching back to TFT does the wheel work again?

 

[knutk]

Just fit your phone in a quadlock and leave the cradle in place, works just fine

Mine also overheated, so I asked my wife to bring my quadlock mount from home, when she flew over. Just mounted my phone in the quadlock and the wheel still operated the phone (as long as the cradle is in place and the phone is connected to the cradle).

Worked flawlessly.

I now have a Nav6 that I acquired for a reasonable price, and strangely, my wheel still operated the phone, not the Nav6 when the Nav 6 is in place of the cradle (Winner!).

The wheel do communicate with the Nav VI provided the following:
- Nav VI mounted in the dedicated cradle.
- Navigation preperation activated in the bikes computers.
- 'Nav' (vs 'TFT') selected (and displayed in the top left corner of the TFT)

The wheel will zoom the map in/out, and the wheel switches will eneable changing the screens on the GPS. But you still have to push on the GPS screen for any message displayed on the GPS screen.

As a personal note, I think BMW has done a lousy job in utilizing the potential of the wheel controling the GPS.
In a price vs. functions offered the the Nav VI ought to be gold plated in order to justify the price

 

[GSian]

The wheel do communicate with the Nav VI provided the following:
- Nav VI mounted in the dedicated cradle.
- Navigation preperation activated in the bikes computers.
- 'Nav' (vs 'TFT') selected (and displayed in the top left corner of the TFT)

The wheel will zoom the map in/out, and the wheel switches will eneable changing the screens on the GPS. But you still have to push on the GPS screen for any message displayed on the GPS screen.

As a personal note, I think BMW has done a lousy job in utilizing the potential of the wheel controling the GPS.
In a price vs. functions offered the the Nav VI ought to be gold plated in order to justify the price

This is standard operation as you expect. If my understanding is right, think what flipfly is saying is that the wheel will control the phone when the phone is mounted in a Quadlock (or any other for that matter) mount. I just was curious that if changing the selection from TFT to NAV and back would stop it. I'll be trying mine tonight. I can't use the BMW cradle that I have as I now have an iPhone 14 pro max, it doesn't fit.

 

[Morety]

All these gadgets could be "better" in some ways. There's no perfect solution as everyone's perception of need is different. For me, the wheel and a Nav VI give me everything I could want including (I think but I haven't used it yet) the ability to skip way points which was the only gripe I had when I was using a different Garman satnav where it wouldn't allow that. Buying used makes the Nav VI (or V) very affordable and great value.

 

[Flipfly]

This is standard operation as you expect. If my understanding is right, think what flipfly is saying is that the wheel will control the phone when the phone is mounted in a Quadlock (or any other for that matter) mount. I just was curious that if changing the selection from TFT to NAV and back would stop it. I'll be trying mine tonight. I can't use the BMW cradle that I have as I now have an iPhone 14 pro max, it doesn't fit.

Connect your phone to the cradle and then rest it on the seat and the wheel should operate the phone.

If it does (mine does, so I can’t see why yours wouldn’t) then all you need is the quad lock (or similar) phone mount.

 

[knutk]

This is standard operation as you expect. If my understanding is right, think what flipfly is saying is that the wheel will control the phone when the phone is mounted in a Quadlock (or any other for that matter) mount. I just was curious that if changing the selection from TFT to NAV and back would stop it. I'll be trying mine tonight. I can't use the BMW cradle that I have as I now have an iPhone 14 pro max, it doesn't fit.

I have no experience using the phone cradle. However, using the Nav VI when selection is in NAV mode, the wheel and it's switches work on the NAV only.
In order to do anything in the TFT (Phone, music etc), you have to revert to the TFT mode). Also, if your system is in NAV mode and the phone rings (and the phone is paired to the TFT), the mode will automatically switch back to TFT, so no additional mode-change is required
In the TFT mode, the wheel or it's switches has no connection with the nav cradle.