Vehicle Finder/ GPS Tracking not working

[3pete]

Is anyone else having trouble with the "vehicle finder" in the MyBMW app?

I noticed it wouldn't show me the location recently, and the app tells me GPS is turned off in the car. This happened previously but GPS Tracking check box actually had become unchecked somehow. This time I found it is still enabled.

I tried pulling fuse 115 to reset the TCU and phone commands to the car seem to succeed at the typical 50% rate so the app is able to communicate to the car sometimes.

Anyone else having this issue or any suggestions on fixing it?

 

[EvolvedNonbeliever]

I've had the same issue in my 2018 i3. Today I unchecked the "Vehicle Tracking" box in iDrive, waited a few minutes, then checked the box. At that point, I could locate the vehicle in the MyBMW app again. We will see if this is a lasting fix.

 

[Arm]

Have you guys tried to update the services? My car is in the shop right now but from memory, I believe you go into the IDrive menu and then click the Options on the knob console area..it should bring up a menu that states Update Services or something like that. If it's not in the IDrive menu, try the Connected menu. It's one of those two.

 

[3pete]

I checked my car a few days after the last photo because I was going to intentionally toggle the "GPS tracking" off and then on, only to find it was not checked (despite me not changing anything since the last photo). I turned it back on and was able to track the car in the app for a few days.

Then I checked it to make sure it was working and got this gem of a screenshot indicating that both the GPS tracking was off (I hadn't changed it) AND that I had a 12 mile range on a 100% charge :lol: :

The range fixed itself pretty quickly after that, and a few hours later location tracking came back with no intervention from me. Since then it's worked consistently when I've checked it, so once again I'm left to wonder what is going on on the BMW's server side of things!

 

[BMOHR]

This same problem happen to me. The manual states that i turn GPS on in the Settings, but it is not listed. The GPS tracking screen is not found in my 2015 i3 computer screen. Nothing for me to turn off/on. It has been 7 days since I lost connectivity. I'm hoping it is a
BMW server thing but haven't seen anyone else complaining. Ideas?

 

[eNate]

This same problem happen to me. The manual states that i turn GPS on in the Settings, but it is not listed. The GPS tracking screen is not found in my 2015 i3 computer screen. Nothing for me to turn off/on. It has been 7 days since I lost connectivity. I'm hoping it is a
BMW server thing but haven't seen anyone else complaining. Ideas?

If yours is a 2015, it has a 3G radio and you've likely been disconnected. A lot of 3G owners have reported their service was terminated over the past two weeks.

 

[alohart]

The manual states that i turn GPS on in the Settings, but it is not listed. The GPS tracking screen is not found in my 2015 i3 computer screen. Nothing for me to turn off/on. It has been 7 days since I lost connectivity. I'm hoping it is a
BMW server thing but haven't seen anyone else complaining. Ideas?

For the My BMW app to track your i3's location, your i3 would need to send its location to BMW's servers using its 3G telematics module. Unfortunately, with AT&T's 3G data service discontinued, your i3 can no longer send its location to BMW's servers.

A workaround would be Apple Maps which displays the location of one's parked i3. Apple Maps doesn't use your i3's GPS location for this but uses an iPhone's GPS info so it will continue working without 3G data service. Google Maps on my iPhone doesn't seem to display the location of our parked i3, but maybe it would on an Android device.

 

[frictioncircle]

Last month AT&T and T-Mobile reached an agreement that lets AT&T's 3G customers roam onto T-Mobile's 3G network:

https://www.fiercewireless.com/wireless/t-mobile-not-going-save-alarm-industry-atts-3g-shutdown-aicc

With AT&T's 3G sunset date of February 22, 2022 already behind us, AT&T 3G users get a bit more than four extra months of 3G service until T-Mobile's 3G sunset arrives on July 1, 2022.

That article is geared towards the home alarm industry and towards the end of it it's stated that not all 3G radios are equipped to roam on T-Mobile.

If some folks here are still getting i3 location-tracking service from their 3G telematics then perhaps those radios are now roaming on T-Mobile.

My primary mobile handset is a 3G unit on AT&T and it's still working today, nearly a month past their sunset date. I get texts and incoming calls perfectly but every day my first outgoing call of the day is rerouted to customer service so they can remind me that my mobile will stop working "soon".

My goal is to be the last 3G handset user before they turn off the network.

 

[eNate]

I get the sense BMW threw the switch, not AT&ZT, since or forum friend with the 4G transplanted box was also disconnected.

 

[Anonymous]

I get the sense BMW threw the switch, not AT&ZT, since or forum friend with the 4G transplanted box was also disconnected.

Sort of. To convert from 3G to 4G, and continue with BMW over-the-air services, two things need to happen. First you need to replace the 3G AT&T telecom box with a 4G module. Second that 4G telecom box's ESN number identifying it must be added to the BMW communications server's network database as an account to establish communication.

The first, swapping the telecom box is pretty straight forward, other than there have been some postings that say you also need to upgrade the car's head-unit to be compatible with the 4G telecom box as well.

The second is harder. BMW doesn't seem to have a process in place for individuals to just call up and get a new 4G ESN account established. Some say a Dealer can do it using the BMW service software as part of the installation process, others say no. One person I know of who did the upgrade themselves was unable to get either their Dealer, or BMW NA to actually activate their new 4G telecom in BMW's systems, with no clear reason as to why not, other then telling him "it's not possible".

 

[3pete]

First you need to replace the 3G AT&T telecom box with a 4G module.

BMW says this is not possible (even though it is).

Second that 4G telecom box's ESN number identifying it must be added to the BMW communications server's network database as an account to establish communication.

BMW says this is not possible (and seems to have deactivated the people who have been able to do it "under the radar")

Hmm... there seems to be a theme here... BMW seems to be extremely inept at technology. Yikes, that's pretty embarrassing for them!

 

[Mark Dutch bmw i3 2016 94]

I've had the same issue in my 2018 i3. Today I unchecked the "Vehicle Tracking" box in iDrive, waited a few minutes, then checked the box. At that point, I could locate the vehicle in the MyBMW app again. We will see if this is a lasting fix.

I have done that many times, no fix

 

[Clanduncan]

Apologies if this is off topic but has anybody tried rebooting the Comms module itself? This happened to me a couple of times this year, with the car losing all remote connectivity and data sharing. I rebooted the module by removing a fuse, waiting 10 minutes, reinstalling, then telling the car to update itself as the module reconnected.
Seemed to work for me, don't know if it will help you, but worth a try?

 

[groovyboovy]

I have had this problem, i located the GPS tracker box, under the rear seat, disconnected it, found it had a built in battery, disconnected tha tbattery checked its voltage, was ok, then plugged in all in again. Since then it has worked 95% of the time, usually if its stops updating, seems to work again a bit later on after a drive, so maybe bumps in the road are fixing it?. But can not do any harm to disconnect it and connect it again, it costs nothing.
Rob