The unveiling of the facelifted BMW 5 Series came with a couple of very interesting upgrades. While the world focused more on the design changes, there was one very important change happening inside the car as well. The infotainment system got better and now comes with more features. And, finally, wireless Android Auto. But some owners of previous models felt left behind.
Well, that’s no longer the case. BMW announced a while back that it will be offering free over-the-air updates for its cars and that’s what they are delivering today. The Germans just announced a massive OTA update for about 750,000 cars fitted with the iDrive 7 operating system that will offer all the new functions introduced on the facelifted 5 Series. This, therefore, becomes the largest over the air update ever rolled out by a European manufacturer.
The upgrade includes new, expanded and enhanced functions, such as BMW Maps, Google Android Auto and eDrive Zones. The new software version will be available to customers in Germany from 19 October and can be downloaded to vehicles directly over the air and installed free of charge. Customers will receive a push notification in their vehicle or via BMW App on their smartphone as soon as the upgrade is available.
Following launch in the German market, it will be rolled out in stages across Europe, in the US, Canada, China and the remaining international markets. Installation files are prepared in the vehicle in the background; once this is complete, it rarely takes more than 20 minutes for actual installation, even in the case of major upgrades. Due to the situation with the coronavirus and its impact on availability of support capacity, rollout of the current upgrade may be delayed in individual markets.
It is also important to remember that availability of individual services and enhancements may vary, depending on vehicle equipment options and the region. Vehicles with BMW Operating System 7 produced from July 2020 on already come with the latest version, including all additional functions.
You can view the software version and check for available upgrades in the vehicle settings under Remote Software Upgrade. Remote Software Upgrade is now available for over 20 BMW models and thus for almost the entire BMW fleet.
