When using the app on my 2021 R1250gs the navigation on the tft screen only details the details to the next turn etc….no actual road map is shown (the road map is shown on the app itself on the phone). Is this the standard or is there a way to actually get a road map shown on the tft screen?
BMW motorrad connected app and navigation
- Thread starter David64
- Start date
No that’s the way it is, no actual map.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Howe er , if you’d bought a Ducati, the TFT would show the full detail of a GPS map and all the necessary bike-related detail too.
Ducati ahead of BMW in electronics. Who ‘a thought it?
Well that is debatable, I changed my 2 year old Ducati Supersport for the 1250 and part of the reason was that the Ducati had a rubbish black and white TFT that didn't integrate with anything, the wifes monster had colour TFT that also didn't integrate. Perhaps the very latest Ducatis might, but they will be newer than the BMW with TFT.Howe er , if you’d bought a Ducati, the TFT would show the full detail of a GPS map and all the necessary bike-related detail too.
Ducati ahead of BMW in electronics. Who ‘a thought it?
At least with the BMW I can reset the service indicator when I service the things, try doing that with a Ducati.
My mate has just bought a 2022 bike with a TFT screen. He has the sat ready fittings but was going to remove them for a quadlock for his phone for navigation until I told him I had a Navi V going spare. When he saw what it could do, he scratched his head and said "your bike without a TFT shows much the same as mine with TFT on the Navigator unit then but with a satnav?". Makes you wonder why bother with the connected app (which I have and decided not to bother with) and just use the Navigator unit.
There will be several contrary views no doubt but I agree. I’ve had two GS’s with TFT and the Connected app and have still to find a use for it. I think the wonder wheel is excellent but I use it in conjunction with a Nav5/6. Can’t see what else I want/ need…
You haven't worked out that it does everything that the NavV/VI does?
Navigation with spoken voice.
Records all your rides.
Gives all the same sensor readings.
Gives a full map on the phone and next turns details, eta, etc on the dash.
Works with the wonder wheel for dash, Nav, Media, Phone.
Its free.
If you add the connected cradle then it does even more.
Yes - but looked at the other way, what does it do the Nav5/6 doesn’t do anyway?
J biker
Registered user
My cradle fried my Samsung note phone in Spain last year. Instructions come up on tft at the expense of other useful info.
If you are in to serious route planning, use either smartpone/quadlock with tomtom navigation app or Garmin/tomtom mounted on the sat nav cross bar.
The cradle and phone integration are good in theory but are rather basic in function and are not suitable for use in a very hot climate.
200 euros wiser, I now have my old Garmin on the bar above the tft and my (new) phone on a quadlock wireless charging mount on the handlebars. ok, more clutter but still neat, the bonus on tour is being able to search for fuel with the garmin without messing about with the pre planned route on the tomtom app..
Probably depends on the kind of touring and riding you do.
If you are in to serious route planning, use either smartpone/quadlock with tomtom navigation app or Garmin/tomtom mounted on the sat nav cross bar.
The cradle and phone integration are good in theory but are rather basic in function and are not suitable for use in a very hot climate.
200 euros wiser, I now have my old Garmin on the bar above the tft and my (new) phone on a quadlock wireless charging mount on the handlebars. ok, more clutter but still neat, the bonus on tour is being able to search for fuel with the garmin without messing about with the pre planned route on the tomtom app..
Probably depends on the kind of touring and riding you do.
Nothing except being FREE.
so why pay £500+ new or £300+ secondhand fir a Nav when everyone has a smart phone?
Several reasons.
I already have both a Nav 5 and a Nav 6.
The base functionality of the BMW TFT is rubbish - what use is turn-by-turn navigation?
My smart phone is very expensive and when I’m touring, very precious.
Unless I’m missing something, the only way to get value from the Connected app is to buy a cradle AND a second smart phone that I don’t mind the camera getting trashed on.
Next to that, even a new Nav6 looks like a good idea.
FWIW I also have a V4S Multistrada. The Ducati equivalent on-board nav/comms set-up is brilliant - digital, compared to BMW’s analogue. I still opt to use a stand-alone GPS.
Maybe I’m also analogue in a digital world but I have yet to see any properly coherent argument to ditch the GPS…
Huh?
Phone in a Quadlock anti vibration mount and there’s zero camera issues. Why would you buy a second phone?
Youre missing lots. Or deliberately missing lots.
Where you’re getting full digital lcd dash on a 1250 is analogu from is baffling.
Phone in a Quadlock anti vibration mount and there’s zero camera issues. Why would you buy a second phone?
Youre missing lots. Or deliberately missing lots.
Where you’re getting full digital lcd dash on a 1250 is analogu from is baffling.
I guess we just have to agree to disagree on the phone v GPS point, though if I were popping to Tesco on a sunny day, I’m sure an iPhone on a Quadlock mount would be fine.
As for the “full digital lcd dash“ trust me, compared to the state-of-the art Italian (yes, Italian) electronics, the stuff on the 1250 is out of the Stone Age. It looks (and performs) like it was designed by the Ducati graduate trainee.
As I’m always willing to learn new stuff though, please can you tell me how do you control an iPhone on a Quadlock mount via the wonder wheel (which is the one electronic feature I still rate better on my GS than on the Multistrada)? If I could do that, I may begin to amend my prejudice…
As for the “full digital lcd dash“ trust me, compared to the state-of-the art Italian (yes, Italian) electronics, the stuff on the 1250 is out of the Stone Age. It looks (and performs) like it was designed by the Ducati graduate trainee.
As I’m always willing to learn new stuff though, please can you tell me how do you control an iPhone on a Quadlock mount via the wonder wheel (which is the one electronic feature I still rate better on my GS than on the Multistrada)? If I could do that, I may begin to amend my prejudice…
As you seem to hate the BMW system why own a BMW?
Already have. You can run everything the Nav does on the dash. The connected app runs your Nav, Media, Phones tc. All available on the dash using the wonder wheel.
If you haven't worked that out then I've a lovely TomTom rider2 that'd suit you
So what is the purpose of the BMW connected cradle?Already have. You can run everything the Nav does on the dash. The connected app runs your Nav, Media, Phones tc. All available on the dash using the wonder wheel.
If you haven't worked that out then I've a lovely TomTom rider2 that'd suit you
Because I don’t choose bikes on the basis of their navigation integration.
I never said I hate the BMW system. All I said was that I don’t believe the connected app adds anything the Nav5/6 doesn’t already do perfectly well and that the Ducati system is more than one generation ahead of BMW.
Both of those are views I hold to - and I have yet to hear or see anything that would lead any rational person to a contradictory opinion.
Nobody has told me anything I’m missing out on by using the Nav5/6 and nobody with experience of both BMW and Ducati has (or is likely to) said that the BMW system is better than the Ducati.
However, I will endeavour to keep an open mind…
I have to agree with Richard here. If you already own a Navi V or VI and have the nav ready fittings, the Navi does everything you could want. For me, I leave my dash in one setting so I can see my speed, revs, distance remaining on fuel, time etc and can clearly see at a glance all I need to see. I use the Navi unit to check tyre pressures and other bike data via the spinny wheel and primarily for the excellent navigation system which I can connect for voiced instructions via bluetooth enabled speakers in my helmet which also allow comms with other riders. Each to their own but that works perfectly well enough for me and others. I can see if you don't already have a Navi unit then using your phone and the connected app would be useful and all you need is a quadlock cradle and power supply lead.
I don’t own a 1200 / 1250 but did own an 850 with the small TFT screen (as fitted to GS bikes) along with being involved in the Beta testing of the BMW Connected app. Similarly, I am a long term user of Garmin GPS devices, MapSource / BaseCamp and, latterly, MyRoute.
The OP is correct, the maps are shown on the phone, the small TFT screen shows only the direction arrows. This is fine on ‘simple’ roads but maybe less useful in complex road systems or, in my case, central London. It is also more helpful to have voice instructions running, to back up the direction arrows. The new 1600 and the newer RT bikes, both have the bigger TFT screen. These bikes are capable of showing the map of the route on the screen but their operating systems are different to the GS bikes, as the map is shared from the phone to the bike via wi-fi only, whilst the simplified directions are shared via Bluetooth. The GS bikes have no wi-fi functions, hence no detailed map display is available on their small TFT screens.
Could BMW have put map display via Connected on the small screen TFT bikes, a la other manufacturers? Probably, yes. Might they yet? Who knows? Will they put the large TFT screen on future WC bikes? Who knows? Will BMW use different (smaller) TFT screens on future GS models but have them capable of running maps? Who knows? Will BMW switch to Apple Car Play (or similar) and ditch their Connected system? Who knows? Will BMW continue with the wi-fi system? Who knows?
Does the BMW Connect app (or indeed any phone based navigation app) and its use on bikes, trump a dedicated GPS unit or visa-versa? That will depend on assorted factors, including but not limited to:
1. Whether bods are happy to use their phone in a multi-purpose but exclusive role.
2. Whether bods, having shelled out multiple thousands on a bike, want to spank maybe an additional £300 on a standalone GPS device.
3. How easy or otherwise, they find using either a phone based app versus a GPS device and visa-versa.
4. How reliable, at least in the case of the 1600, they find the use of the Connected app, along with its dedicated cubbyhole.
5. To some degree or another, how complicated a route or series of routes (say on a fortnight tour) bods want to make their route planning. Is a dedicated GPS device ‘better’ at this than the Connected app? Yes and no. The positive versus negative, largely depending on the time bods are prepared to devote to learning the ways the phone based apps and modern GPS devices actually work.
In short, decide what is best for you and go with it. If you change your mind later or change bike or BMW change their entire model / navigation system, cross that bridge when and if you come to it.
PS For what it’s worth, I have the BMW Connect app and a Garmin XT running together on my 1600. But hey, that’s just me.
The OP is correct, the maps are shown on the phone, the small TFT screen shows only the direction arrows. This is fine on ‘simple’ roads but maybe less useful in complex road systems or, in my case, central London. It is also more helpful to have voice instructions running, to back up the direction arrows. The new 1600 and the newer RT bikes, both have the bigger TFT screen. These bikes are capable of showing the map of the route on the screen but their operating systems are different to the GS bikes, as the map is shared from the phone to the bike via wi-fi only, whilst the simplified directions are shared via Bluetooth. The GS bikes have no wi-fi functions, hence no detailed map display is available on their small TFT screens.
Could BMW have put map display via Connected on the small screen TFT bikes, a la other manufacturers? Probably, yes. Might they yet? Who knows? Will they put the large TFT screen on future WC bikes? Who knows? Will BMW use different (smaller) TFT screens on future GS models but have them capable of running maps? Who knows? Will BMW switch to Apple Car Play (or similar) and ditch their Connected system? Who knows? Will BMW continue with the wi-fi system? Who knows?
Does the BMW Connect app (or indeed any phone based navigation app) and its use on bikes, trump a dedicated GPS unit or visa-versa? That will depend on assorted factors, including but not limited to:
1. Whether bods are happy to use their phone in a multi-purpose but exclusive role.
2. Whether bods, having shelled out multiple thousands on a bike, want to spank maybe an additional £300 on a standalone GPS device.
3. How easy or otherwise, they find using either a phone based app versus a GPS device and visa-versa.
4. How reliable, at least in the case of the 1600, they find the use of the Connected app, along with its dedicated cubbyhole.
5. To some degree or another, how complicated a route or series of routes (say on a fortnight tour) bods want to make their route planning. Is a dedicated GPS device ‘better’ at this than the Connected app? Yes and no. The positive versus negative, largely depending on the time bods are prepared to devote to learning the ways the phone based apps and modern GPS devices actually work.
In short, decide what is best for you and go with it. If you change your mind later or change bike or BMW change their entire model / navigation system, cross that bridge when and if you come to it.
PS For what it’s worth, I have the BMW Connect app and a Garmin XT running together on my 1600. But hey, that’s just me.
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