The new BMW iDrive system has a new, great Voice Commands system that now supports fresh functions. One of them allows you to control your phone via commands spoken while behind the wheel, therefore eliminating distractions to a minimum.
So, if your phone is connected to the iDrive system via Bluetooth, you can use it to make a phone call, with Voice Commands. All you need to do is press the Speech button on the steering wheel (the one with the little head on it) and say one of the following commands:
Call
Connect To
Make Call To
Dial
Phone
The command must be followed by the name of the person you are trying to reach. The system will then pop-up a window, with the person you chose, asking you if the selection is correct. Saying "Yes" will make the phone call.
What’s even better is that you can use this feature from any iDrive menu. Say you’re in the Navigation screen. You don’t have to back up to the home menu or even the telephone one. You can just press the voice command button and just say what you want the car to do.
Furthermore, all the commands we listed above can be used for basically the same function. Therefore, you’re not limited to just one but can use any of them. Of course, over time, you’ll probably get hooked on using just one.
Other commands for other functions can be used too but you’ll have to check your user’s manual for the key words as they vary by quite a lot, as you could see in the aforementioned list.
In the future, we have a hunch that other systems will take over as technology advances. There’s talk in some hidden corner offices in Munich that gesture control will be introduced in the future but we’re not sure how less distracting that will be.
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