I've been upgraded to 8.5, but it was done directly by the dealer during a repair. I haven't heard of anyone anywhere getting 8.5 ota yet.

 

Did you get Motorway Assist with 8.5 and does it work in the U.K. or is it no different to previous release due to U.K. legislation?

 

No highway assist yet, but I think I read that it wasn't coming to the UK until the first half of next year. I'm also not sure whether it'll be automatically available or whether I'll need to pay extra for it.

One thing I noted with the 8.5 update was the resolution of the maps in the navigation screen seemed to be much sharper/more roads being displayed (e.g. it seems to show a lot more city side roads from a wider zoom level). I don't know whether it is just displaying the underlying data more clearly (taking advantage of the extra graphical power in mgu5?), or if there was a change in the underlying map data associated with 8.5. I recall that highway assist will require 'better' map data to make sure your car is in the right place for HA to operate, so maybe the difference is just wishful thinking on my part

 

To save any confusion and based on my experience over the last couple of days, IDrive OTA Update 07/2023.67 is in fact IDrive 8.5 but does not include "Motorway Assist" in the UK.

The update is not without install issues and seems to crash and require manual reboots, but does sort itself out in the end.
Dont perform if you need to get out in a hurry - it takes some 30+ minutes.

MyBMW App has also been updated.

Tks

 

The only minor annoyance I've spotted with 8.5 (and it really is a minor one) is the image on my car in the vehicle status page no longer matches my car's spec. It shows a non-M-sport iX, wrong wheels and it doesn't have the M60 designation.
Is that the case for anyone with the ota upgrade too?

 

Ha! Hadn't noticed that Eagle eye ! 👀

 

My ix40 was built in July, still haven't received a notification for the OTA. Anyone with an ix40 received the OTA update yet?

 

I've got the update over the air and no issues installing it. Few bugs have shown themselves which still seem to revolve around CarPlay.
It obviously looks significantly different but other than a cosmetic change not sure it has added any functionality. Not really delved into it much, has anyone else?

 

It obviously looks significantly different but other than a cosmetic change not sure it has added any functionality. Not really delved into it much, has anyone else?

I have dug around in it a fair bit and the changes pretty much all seem to be on the front end, i.e. the home screen with quickselect tiles (shame you can't customize the order they appear though) and the climate controls. Other than that, the back end, menus etc. is pretty much identical, and to the extent they've added features, they are pretty minor.

 

Agreed, the biggest improvements are in the Navigation - far better visually and functionally, Efficient Max Range function and the Ventilation / Quickset Taskbar.

Clunkiest operation to date, sending WhatsApp message whilst listening to Radio requires a change of Media to CarPlay then scrolling through to select WhatsApp, then New Message!
I don’t know if a gesture or shortcut can be generated to improve - I’d be interested to know if anyone has a better technique?

I also need to clone two phone Digital Phone Keys to prevent the flip flop when two of its travel.