Next maps update?

[JohnKelly]

Hi all,

I ordered the updated nextmaps on ebay and purchased a lifetime code. It arrived on a memory stick, and I was able to install it. My menu tells me I have the latest maps installed now. It looks exactly the same as before... which is to say nearly colorless and without nearby charging stations or gas stations. Almost nothing except streets. I see others posting pictures of their maps with brilliant color and much more detail. Any ideas what is going on here? The ebayer I purchased from was a long term seller with a perfect record, but is no longer on ebay.

Thanks, John

 

[alohart]

It's been years since I looked at navigation map options in iDrive. However, I believe that there are settings that affect the map's appearance. I know that there are settings that determine the content displayed. Also, the map's appearance changes with the zoom level. So take some time to look at these options.

I have installed almost every update available since we bought our i3 in 2014. I have never seen any appearance or content changes with new updates.

 

[JohnKelly]

Thanks Art, I have gone through all the menu choices (as far as I can determine) and zoomed in and out and can find no options for the map appearance. As I mentioned mine looks different than the pictures I see posted. Bland muted colors and no details beyond streets... can't be right.

 

[eNate]

Are BMW maps split between "onboard" and "online?"

For instance, in my Audi, the actual line-drawn maps and street names / highway designations were stored on the car and updated by USB.

However, the imagery (Audi used a Google Earth layer) was updated via a cellular connection, as were traffic conditions and points of interest.

Since I never purchased the base map update, after a few of freeway ramps near me were relocated, I'd find the Google Earth imagery updated, but not the line drawn map tracing the old offramp location. The car's internal navigation followed the old mapped route, not the new imagery. Likewise, one of the new offramps that would frequently back up during commute didn't jive with the old map, so the traffic data never showed "red" at that location.

So wondering if in iDrive charging points are dynamically loaded and not map-encoded?

 

[JohnKelly]

Well, silly me. It turns out I was not pushing hard enough on the left arrow of the center control button to access the menu choices on the left side of the screen. Working well now, but I did notice there is still a gas station listed near me that has been defunct for years. Also cannot get the map to automatically show charging stations without going through the menu every time... not that I need them, but it weird to have gas stations showing up and not networked charging stations.

 

[Joff]

It can be unintuitive to change the maps to show where all the charging stations are. Took me embarrassingly long to figure it out. I can write up a set of instructions if anyone needs them.