BMW’s Remote Software Update is Ready for 1.3 Million Cars

BMW is launching the world’s largest Remote Software Update today. Over 1.3 million cars equipped with the BMW Operating System 7 will receive the latest features and updates. In four more markets, this deployment will bring features like the Amazon Alexa to your BMW. The update will integrate the newly improved BMW Map’s traditional destination entry as part of this project.

The software update will commence today in Germany, bringing the BMW Operating System 7 to version 21-01. With 20 different models, additional markets globally will follow bringing a total number of vehicles to almost 1.3 million. Many Alexa features will also be available to use in all cars as well. For instance, BMW owners can now listen to music, control connected smart home gadgets, read the news, and add items on their grocery lists directly from their car. 

Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Spain – these are some of the countries where Alexa is currently available for BMW Operating System 7 vehicles. With this upgrade, BMW will also add Brazil, Canada, the United States, and France to the list.

This software update will also cover the BMW Maps navigation system. It is the first to incorporate cloud computing that BMW initially offered last year. The BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant, for example, will now be able to grasp commands more quickly. In the BMW Maps sub-menu, an old screen mask for destination entry will make a return until further developments. 

The remote software update also adds the Lane Departure Warning settings that you can now keep indefinitely. Moreover, the upgrade will include a correction of display error when playing media with Android phones connected through Bluetooth (Android 11). The cover art processes correctly when the music tracks altered after the upgrade. Finally, the software update fixes the Surround View on the control display. Due to the fact that in some BMW Operating System 7 vehicles, the Surround View isn’t properly positioned.