[Mandinca]

I am really hoping someone can help me before I completely lose my mind.

2016 F85.

I bought an MMI box from eBay, it looks just like any other MMI with the added harness, bluetooth antenna, USB connector etc.
At first I had an Android phone so set it up to use AA. I programmed the radio preset 8 to be the Aux in as it says to do in the instructions and connected the harness and optical cable as per the instructions. I tucked everything away and also tucked away the BT antenna and the USB port (didn't use it).

So my issues are :

AA is sporadic. Most of the time Spotify works but then for no apparent reason at all it just doesn't. The only thing that seems to fix it is to turn the car off and on again - hardly ideal on the highway :-)
Also, the phone.....this is the part that is driving me insane. Almost every time someone calls me they can hear me but I can't hear them. If I dial out it is the same problem, they can hear me but I can't hear them. Here's the really bizarre part......if I just use the phone as a normal phone handset when this happens the phone is somehow posessed and won't dial out at all.....as if the MMI has control of it.

So then my Android reached the end of it's life so I bought an iPhone 12.
Went to use Carplay and everything worked as it should.....once. Now the iPhone is doing exactly the same as the Android did. Spotify works most of the time but the phone functions might just as well not be there.

Tonight I tried to use the maps and get directions - the carplay voice control didn't appear to work so I switched over to the BMW OEM and tried voice control - it clearly couldn't "hear" me.
When I went back to Carplay the maps were open with the directions for the destination !!!

This thing is so random and I do not do random with tech. It either works or it doesn't - this has a mind of it's own....and mostly doesn't work.

Lastly, when any of this is happening I can't even use the in car (BMW OEM) BT phone option. It's as if the MMI somehow has control.

Does anyone please have any suggestions before I give up and rip this POS out ?
Like I said, the Spotify works most of the time but the phone....it's so unreliable that I can't use it.
I asked the seller on ebay and they said - try plugging it into the USB port....very helpful, what is the point of having BT then ?

Thanks in advance and sorry for the rant - it's infuriating me.