2016 340i Bluetooth Communication System

[thedave3000]

I recently upgraded from a 2013 335i to a 2016 340i and noticed later that the 340i only appears to have one bluetooth microphone located in the headliner just above the drivers seat. In the older 335i there were two microphones, another one located in the headliner above the front passenger seat. The sound quality of the microphone during telephone calls in the 335i was impeccable, like talking to someone right next to you even when traveling at high speeds down the road. The 340i, however, does not measure up the same in the sound quality on telephone calls, especially when making calls over 40mph. The problem is so bad that I've had many people tell me that the road noise is so bad that they can barely understand what I'm saying. If I'm dialing an automated system that responds to voice prompts, it usually doesn't work as the computer cannot understand what I am saying. I have checked the microphone volume level and have tried at all of the various settings from high to low, and nothing seems to help. I believe it is due to the fact that BMW has reduced the number of microphones in the cabin. As petty as this might seem on the surface, it's a big deal especially if you spend a lot of time on the phone when driving making business calls.

Has anyone else noticed this problem or have had similar experience. I have not been able to find anything so far doing internet researches. The dealership tells me that there is a known problem acknowledged by BMW and that it has to do with the software either on my iPhone or on my Apple watch that is causing the problem. This seems completely implausible to me as I had no such problems in the 335i and I had the same phone and watch paired in that vehicle. Would love to hear if anyone else out there has experienced this or if you know of a fix to this maddening problem. Thanks.

[MarcoZandrini]

These cars' electronix are so complex that it seems most dealers throw up their hands when confronted by a problem such as yours. I concur with your belief that the problem is with the car and not the iPhone.

I would ask the dealer if you can try to use your iPhone in a similarly equipped car to see if there's a difference. Your car may have a bad microphone.