Playlists

[Costero]

I recently got a 2020 540i xDrive, and pretty much love it, except for the audio software.

Here's my issue: All of the music I listen to is from USB flash drive or Connected Music. I have folders for artists, and within those, folders for albums.
I want to pick an artist, and then listen to all the albums by that artist. When one album finishes playing, it should automatically take me to the next album.

With my old BMW (a 2010 535i Touring), this was not a problem: It did exactly what I want. (The dashboard display wasn't sexy, but oh well.)
I could listen to Blur for 4 hours, then Kings of Leon for 4 hours, etc. etc., without having to touch anything.

With my new BMW, I select the artist, and the system will play the first album AND THEN REPEAT THAT SAME ALBUM. If I want to hear the next album by that artist, I have to go back to the selection menu, find the artist again, find the next album, and hit play. When it's finished, that album will also repeat, until I go back and select the artist again.

One forum (can't remember which) said the fix is to create playlists. I understand that they can't be just any playlists, they have to be formatted the way BMW likes them. I've done that, and my car can't even see the playlists. I've tried putting them in the root, and also in a folder named Playlists; the car can't find them.

Btw, I have copied all of my driving music to the car's hard drive, and playing from there (Connected Music); no change. The bad behavior remains.

I have researched and read and researched and re-read, and I know I'm not the only person frustrated by this, but I've had no luck fixing this; any ideas?
Yes, I know I could play music from my phone via bluetooth, but I don't want to do that, for a variety of reasons (space, convenience, multi-user choice, etc.)

[MarcoZandrini]

Go to 2addicts website and search for playlists. The process to create playlists is in a post.

[Costero]

I did that (before posting here); didn't work.

[MarcoZandrini]

Hmmm, maybe you should contact the BMW NA genius.

[Costero]

...the BMW NA genius.

You mean the BMW hotline? I've already tried the dealer, and they told me to just use my phone to play music. But yeah, I guess I can try...

[MarcoZandrini]

Contact BMW NA and ask for their genius for your car.

[Costero]

Here's the answer I received from the Genius:

Based on your description, I suggest consolidating the tracks that pertain to a particular artist into one folder on your USB or Bluetooth device. For USB and Bluetooth devices, the selected playlist is displayed in your BMW. This can be the result of a search or of a previously stored playlist. The display may vary when the music is played back using a smartphone app.

Further functions are displayed by tilting the Controller to the left. The scope of these functions depends on the selected audio source. In order to select a track for playback, please follow the below steps:

• Connect the USB device at the USB port. The use of the adapter cable supplied with the USB device would be ideal.
• Via iDrive: "MEDIA"
• "USB"
• Or- Select the name of the USB device.
• Select the desired track from the playlist. Starting with the selected track, all tracks of the playlist are played.

If after attempting these steps you still have concerns, please contact your local BMW service center for further assistance. Should you need to access a list of our authorized BMW centers, please visit our website at: www.bmwusa.com, and select “Dealer Locator.”

I tried their suggestion -- putting all tracks for an Artist in the Artist folder, and doing away with the subfolders for Albums -- and it made no difference.

I'm still open for suggestions, and I will also forward the question and history to the service department at my local BMW dealer (but I'm expecting them to say, once again, "Well, that's just the way the BMW system works; you should use your phone to play tunes."

[MarcoZandrini]

How is the USB stick formatted?

[Costero]

FAT32.
There's no problem in playing from a USB (and I have tried a few different ones); the problem is in *how* the BMW chooses to play.

[Costero]

Here's what I received today from the so-called Genius group:

USB Playback for your BMW is not able to function in the manner in which you are requesting. Playback will be specific to whatever category (for example "Album") you select until another selection is made. As a work around, I suggest uploading your music as digital files to a Bluetooth device. I regret any inconvenience this may cause.

Please note, your current and previous BMWs are not equipped with the same iDrive system. As such, they do not have the same functionality.

For technical information beyond what I have provided, I suggest speaking to your authorized BMW service center. They have the expertise and are eager to share their knowledge. Should you need to access a list of our authorized BMW centers, please visit our website at: www.bmwusa.com, and select “Dealer Locator.”