Starting in June, BMW is rolling out over-the-air updates to 1.3 million vehicles worldwide beginning in Germany. The update will improve maps on iDrive 7 and will add Amazon Alexa integration in four markets, including the U.S.
Officially called BMW iDrive 7 Version 21-03, the base update will improve the BMW maps service with cloud-based route calculations that can make real-time decisions about traffic and accidents to get owners to their destinations faster.
The update will also add context-related information, such as store hours and images, to more than 120 million points of interest. Entering addresses will also be made easier thanks to the rollout of “one-box search.” The function allows users to enter the address they are looking for in a single line (like you would on Google) rather than requiring them to fill out several search boxes for country, city, street, number, etc.
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The over-the-air update will also provide improvements to safety systems like Lane Departure Warning. Setting for the function be savable, meaning that you can turn it off permanently if you do not want it and it will only be reactivated when the driver so chooses by accessing the settings.
In France, Brazil, Canada, and the U.S., Amazon Alexa integration will be added with this update. The system will operate in the same way as it does anywhere else, allowing owners to add items to a shopping list, check the news, play music, or whatever else they may need to do with their voice. The system will also link with Alexa in their home, allowing shopping lists to follow them wherever they go.
Finally, the system update will fix a few bugs, such as the error that caused album artwork not to display properly when music is played via an Android device connected through Bluetooth. It will also fix an issue that resulted in Surround View not being positioned on the control display correctly on certain vehicles.
Although the roll-out of the updates is starting this month, BMW warns that it may be delayed in certain markets as a result of COVID-19 considerations.
