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      04-16-2020, 07:38 PM   #1
Ozzie8
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BMW Drive Recorder: How To Guide

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For all of the 8 series owners who did not receive the Drive Recorder (DR) app installed in your vehicle on delivery, I am pleased to present this how to guide to install and enable it. Also for reference my m850i was an April 2019 build.

1. CHECK ELIGIBILITY
Log into the web version (ie not the app) of BMW Connected Drive with your connected drive ID. Under Store you will see a list of the apps that are booked for your vehicle and a list of apps that are available with prices. If you cannot see the DR app then it is likely your car does not support. If you select the DR app you may also get a 'check availability' box so select that and enter the vehicle VIN. In my case the DR app was already listed as available.

2. BOOK THE APP
Select the option you would like - 1 year, 3 year or unlimited. Following the process to pay for the app. If you have not already registered a credit card in your Connected Drive profile then please do this BEFORE you buy the app. Once completed, the DR app should show on the list of booked apps for your vehicle. Please note the DR app only shows as booked in the web version of Connected Drive. It has not yet appeared in my BMW Connected phone app.

That was the easy bit.....now for the tricky dribble. Extreme patience required.

3. CHECK YOUR VEHICLE
Now go to your vehicle and turn on the ignition. Select the apps icon at the bottom of the left hand vertical menu bar. Then scroll down to 'Booked' and you should see BMW Drive Recorder in the list of apps. If you have purchased and booked the app, but cannot see it in your car then wait. This could be anywhere from an hour to 48 hours (more on this later).

4. INSTALL THE APP
According to BMW (since I spoke to the BMW helpline on multiple occasions) the app loads automatically. I was informed that this can take up to 4 days. However I learned there is way to speed this up. Still in the apps window, scroll until 'Installed apps' is highlighted, that is it changes color to red. Now press the 'Option' button on the console next to the selector wheel. Do not press the selector wheel. A dialog box should then appear, scroll to 'Update Apps and services' and select with the selector wheel. A new dialog box should appear with 'Transferring data...'. This step required multiple attempts and calls to BMW as nothing seemed to be happening and there is nothing useful such as % complete indicator (more on this later). Eventually the 'Transferring data...' message changes to 'Apps and services updated'.

5. ENABLE THE APP
After successful installation scroll to 'Installed apps' and select and you should now see the DR app icon. If you cannot see the app I learned there is way to speed up the app enablement. With your engine running, now go to the Power on/off & volume control knob for your main car display and press and hold this button. The screen will go black then after 30-40 seconds the screen will come back on with the standard warning message. No go back to 'Installed apps' and see if the DR icon is there. I completed steps 4 and 5 multiple times over a couple of days.

6. SETUP THE APP
Select the DR icon. The first time I did this I got a blank screen. It actually took nearly an hour for the app to startup and then there is a setup process which is easy to follow. There are two main options 'Manual' and 'Automatic'. Manual means when you are driving you can press the camera button on the console and DR will commence recording. Automatic means if the car detects emergency braking or collision it will automatically record from the car cameras (can be time adjusted in the settings). The app saves your recordings which you can export using a USB.

There you have it gang! Good luck and let me know how you get on.

Some further commentary. I sense the root of all evil here is the BMW Connected Drive back end. Booking the app on the web, very easy. Setting up and using the app in the car, very easy. Everything in between is sort of like a secret process from the book of medieval alchemy. The two things you and your car are constantly battling is the BMW Connected Drive back end. You see, you can never really be sure when its available, and I note this morning as I tried to log in it was down. Of course the back end is hosted in Europe and I'm in Australia, so the perfect European maintenance window happens to be mornings in Australia. Beyond the availability challenges we then have the performance itself. I know the SIM and mobile network my car is connected to is blisteringly fast, but any download action in the car will only be as fast as the back end can push it to the car, and I honestly think this is also a big issue. So that's why my friends it takes multiple attempts, with some inside knowledge and trickery, to finally enable any new app in your 8 series.
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      04-16-2020, 07:57 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozzie8 View Post
For all of the 8 series owners who did not receive the Drive Recorder (DR) app installed in your vehicle on delivery, I am pleased to present this how to guide to install and enable it. Also for reference my m850i was an April 2019 build...
FYI: neither the 'Booked' nor 'Bookable' options exist on US models (as far as I can determine by using mine as a reference). However, I suspect this is just another victim of the 'two nations divided by a common language' problem (or 3 nations, sort of ). Instead, I have 'Subscribe' or 'Subscribed'.

PS: I have the app, just commenting for others.

Thanks for posting!
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      04-16-2020, 08:43 PM   #3
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I don't have the app or anything when I log into the desktop web version. mine came straight from Germany in June 2019, so I'd check but I think it's only after July 2019 models.

P.S. how much does it cost, and why does BMW nickle and dime us in a $140k car??
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      04-16-2020, 08:52 PM   #4
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My build April 2019, so perhaps it is not the date of build, but some sort of geo filter.

It cost $189 for 3 years. I could not agree more given what I paid for my car.
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      04-16-2020, 08:54 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Ozzie8 View Post
My build April 2019, so perhaps it is not the date of build, but some sort of geo filter.

It cost $189 for 3 years. I could not agree more given what I paid for my car.
must be geo filter: here's mine:

Prod. Date:: 2019-05-16

TypeM850I XDRIVE (USA)SeriesG14 (8 Series)Body TypeCABRIOSteeringLeft Hand DriveEngineN63BDisplacement4.40Power390kw / 530hpDriveALLRTransmissionAutomaticColourSONIC SPEED BLUE METALLIC (C1A)UpholsteryBMW INDI. ERW. LED. ELFENBEINWEISS (VAEX)
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      04-16-2020, 11:03 PM   #6
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Ozzie8 great post and very informative for everyone attempting to get Drive Recorder installed.

Resjudicata definitely not a Geo thing from a legal perspective as the 2020 US models all have it built-in. Perhaps another sly angle from BMW to force an "upgrade" for US 2019 8-series owners. Likely though just another ConnectedDrive idiosyncrasy that may take time for them to sort out before it shows up for 2019 M850i owners (back to my soap box on how BMW can't fight their way out of a bag in the terms of software proficiency).

One thing Ozzie8 did not mention at least from my experience when I did my first "on demand" recording via holding the camera button down it required me to click through a legalease statement on not violating local laws. Also, under the app settings in my 2020 it allows me to select the cameras I want functioning in the recording. Normally I leave that at all 4 for the automatic setting but prior to an "on demand" recording I set that to the front/back or front only and of course revert to all 4 afterward.
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      04-16-2020, 11:17 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bloozemanAZ View Post
Ozzie8 great post and very informative for everyone attempting to get Drive Recorder installed.

Resjudicata definitely not a Geo thing from a legal perspective as the 2020 US models all have it built-in. Perhaps another sly angle from BMW to force an "upgrade" for US 2019 8-series owners. Likely though just another ConnectedDrive idiosyncrasy that may take time for them to sort out before it shows up for 2019 M850i owners (back to my soap box on how BMW can't fight their way out of a bag in the terms of software proficiency).

One thing Ozzie8 did not mention at least from my experience when I did my first "on demand" recording via holding the camera button down it required me to click through a legalease statement on not violating local laws. Also, under the app settings in my 2020 it allows me to select the cameras I want functioning in the recording. Normally I leave that at all 4 for the automatic setting but prior to an "on demand" recording I set that to the front/back or front only and of course revert to all 4 afterward.
in terms of laws, there is some local laws about recording people; however, almost every where you can record almost everything while in a "public space" like a public highway or main road.
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      04-16-2020, 11:25 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bloozemanAZ View Post
Ozzie8 great post and very informative for everyone attempting to get Drive Recorder installed.

Resjudicata definitely not a Geo thing from a legal perspective as the 2020 US models all have it built-in. Perhaps another sly angle from BMW to force an "upgrade" for US 2019 8-series owners. Likely though just another ConnectedDrive idiosyncrasy that may take time for them to sort out before it shows up for 2019 M850i owners (back to my soap box on how BMW can't fight their way out of a bag in the terms of software proficiency).

One thing Ozzie8 did not mention at least from my experience when I did my first "on demand" recording via holding the camera button down it required me to click through a legalease statement on not violating local laws. Also, under the app settings in my 2020 it allows me to select the cameras I want functioning in the recording. Normally I leave that at all 4 for the automatic setting but prior to an "on demand" recording I set that to the front/back or front only and of course revert to all 4 afterward.
Thanks bloozemanAZ. I did not put all of the detail in but yes before you enter setup mode you must check the legal release box and yes you can select cameras and time for the automatic recording pre-post incident.

One potential use case will be to film sections of road or pot holes that need repairing to send to the local council.
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      04-17-2020, 03:13 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Resjudicata View Post
I don't have the app or anything when I log into the desktop web version. mine came straight from Germany in June 2019, so I'd check but I think it's only after July 2019 models.

P.S. how much does it cost, and why does BMW nickle and dime us in a $140k car??
Resjudicata looking at Azlar’s recent post the car needs the November software update. My car did have this update applied as I had some sound issues in the car. So potentially the mystery is solved. Don’t when you are planning your next dealer visit.
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      04-17-2020, 09:48 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ozzie8 View Post
Thanks bloozemanAZ. I did not put all of the detail in but yes before you enter setup mode you must check the legal release box and yes you can select cameras and time for the automatic recording pre-post incident.

One potential use case will be to film sections of road or pot holes that need repairing to send to the local council.
Good to hear that what should be expected for a software only function fully functions on a properly equipped 2019. I could only assume that perhaps the 2020s had a different sensor for the pre/post collision aspect but now that you have confirmed it makes sense that is tied into the overall BSM and autonomous driving capabilities released in the 2019s.
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