Sprint A900 pairing with BMW Bluetooth

mactigger · 05-25-2007, 02:21 AM

I know there are a lot of people unhappy with the A900/ BMW Bluetooth experience (or lack thereof)... It seems that the new firmware update AB15 fixes everything! I took my A900 to a sprint tech center and told them that my phone resets itself and is just not working with my bluetooth. Within half an hour I had the new AB15 firmware installed and it was a complete success. Not only does it pair perfectly but it also shows signal strength, you can make and receive calls, and even loads the phone book.

I am using it on an '06 525i right now because my '07 328i is in the shop but AFAIK all bluetooth modules on newer BMW's use the same module. I get my car back tomorrow and will post the outcome of the bluetooth on the 328i.

This makes me VERY happy because I was seriously considering switching to a different phone but now I don't have to

chbrules · 05-25-2007, 02:31 AM

Firmware update for the phone? The bluetooth support is a pile of sh*t on this phone, even though it's a nice slim phone. How do you update the firmware?

mactigger · 05-25-2007, 02:51 AM

You can't do it OTA. And don't bother going to a "certified sprint repair center". They wont do sh*t for you. I went to the main sprint offices downtown Long Beach.

I never thought that this POS phone would ever be 100% compatible and it turns out I was wrong. I am way more happy with the phone after the upgrade.

chbrules · 05-25-2007, 03:15 AM

Could you send me their address? I think I'll do this tomorrow.

mactigger · 05-25-2007, 03:24 AM

301 EAST OCEAN BLVD - SUITE 100 , LONG BEACH , CA 90802
(562) 624-5131

But any real sprint service center can help. Please post findings when you have it done.

BLUE LABEL · 05-25-2007, 02:12 PM

i just got the firmware update from my sprint repair center and like you said the signal strength bars have suddenly declared themselves on the nav screen. However i still cant upload my phone book or access the other features in the menu from the idrive screen. Help me out, did you do anything special besides turn on the phone and let the car autodetect the phonebook and numbers?
thanks! I have version a900 ab15 for the firmware

mactigger · 05-25-2007, 08:18 PM

All I did was pair the phone by having the phone search for the car. After that I clicked on communication and then went to A-Z. It took a few seconds to load (maybe 20) but it all loaded fine. I was able to make and receive calls as well as end calls right from the idrive.

I just did this on my 328i with PROGMAN 25.02, however like I said before I did this on an '06 525i with older software and it still worked.

Good luck, and post with any results good or bad.

BLUE LABEL · 05-25-2007, 11:16 PM

well, i did exactly as you stated above. Still i cant get the phonebook to upload it self. I have version AB15 on the phone. My 335 is dec 06 build so i most likely have the earliest progman version. I will have to make an appointment with my serivce center to get it updated since my idrive menu takes forever to load in addition to displaying dvd tracks on idrie menu screen. I was so excited for a few minutes thinking it would FINALLY work!

little more effort and ill report back.

mactigger · 05-26-2007, 01:27 AM

If you have the old PROGMAN then I would definitely take the car in to get updated. You most likely have the pop-up arrow problem which warrants a free upgrade. Make sure to ask the dealership which version they installed. I never told them which version I THOUGHT they should install, just simply asked them to inform me of the version. It was 25.02 which I understand is the newest version to date. When I did take my car in for the upgrade I printed out the SIB with the arrow problem and my service person forwarded it onto the technician as well. I have had the new version for almost a day now and no problems as of yet.

Good luck, I am interested to hear the outcome. I hope it all works out for you!

mactigger · 05-30-2007, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BLUE LABEL

well, i did exactly as you stated above. Still i cant get the phonebook to upload it self. I have version AB15 on the phone. My 335 is dec 06 build so i most likely have the earliest progman version. I will have to make an appointment with my serivce center to get it updated since my idrive menu takes forever to load in addition to displaying dvd tracks on idrie menu screen. I was so excited for a few minutes thinking it would FINALLY work!

little more effort and ill report back.

Any updates Blue Label?

BLUE LABEL · 05-31-2007, 12:27 AM

have my appointment with my SA soon, so will get back to you after that. Still waiting on the progman

jwbender · 07-02-2007, 03:19 PM

The integration between electronics, man, and car have been less than wonderful for me also. First my garage door (homelink) opener in the car didnt work. Then my SOS system claimed it couldnt function. Then, out of nowhere, my bluetooth didnt work. It worked at one point with my A900 (not M) and then the next day, it didnt.

I took the car in and got a new TCU unit. They had to send the unit back to the manufacturer to diagnosis. I really dont care where it goes as long as my BT works as advertised. Well, it didnt. So I sat there in my car wishing I had a better phone. I drove back to my service manager, who was getting tired of seeing me, and told him I wanted my car fixed. Then some crazy pierced kid comes out of the service garage with his phone and it worked fine. Phone book loaded, number dial, voice dial, everything. He then claimed that my phone was the problem. Even though it worked 4.0 five days previous. SO, after all this shiv, I went to sprint, told them specifically I wanted the AB15 software upgrade. The Sprint service girl claimed it would be $35 which pissed me off as it was. Anyway, i went to lunch, came back, and they only charged me $15.

I took my phone to my car and in about 30 seconds, the phone book loaded, recent calls, everything. The voice dial works. Basically, everything works. The only difference that I can tell is that now after every name in my phone book, there is an indication of (m) or (w) to show wether the contact is a mobile or work number (or home).

Really long story short, if you have the a900, look at your software version under Settings, phone info, then version. The S: should read: ES.A900 AB15. This will allow your phone to talk to your bluetooth in the car properly. Without this version on my phone, I could make calls, but I had to use the buttons on the phone and no contacts loaded. phew, what a freaking mess. And to top it all off, my aunt just bought me the iphone.

Any questions, let me know. I hate it when I am frustrated and cant find an answer to a problem!

tambo916 · 01-08-2008, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jwbender

The integration between electronics, man, and car have been less than wonderful for me also. First my garage door (homelink) opener in the car didnt work. Then my SOS system claimed it couldnt function. Then, out of nowhere, my bluetooth didnt work. It worked at one point with my A900 (not M) and then the next day, it didnt.

I took the car in and got a new TCU unit. They had to send the unit back to the manufacturer to diagnosis. I really dont care where it goes as long as my BT works as advertised. Well, it didnt. So I sat there in my car wishing I had a better phone. I drove back to my service manager, who was getting tired of seeing me, and told him I wanted my car fixed. Then some crazy pierced kid comes out of the service garage with his phone and it worked fine. Phone book loaded, number dial, voice dial, everything. He then claimed that my phone was the problem. Even though it worked 4.0 five days previous. SO, after all this shiv, I went to sprint, told them specifically I wanted the AB15 software upgrade. The Sprint service girl claimed it would be $35 which pissed me off as it was. Anyway, i went to lunch, came back, and they only charged me $15.

I took my phone to my car and in about 30 seconds, the phone book loaded, recent calls, everything. The voice dial works. Basically, everything works. The only difference that I can tell is that now after every name in my phone book, there is an indication of (m) or (w) to show wether the contact is a mobile or work number (or home).

Really long story short, if you have the a900, look at your software version under Settings, phone info, then version. The S: should read: ES.A900 AB15. This will allow your phone to talk to your bluetooth in the car properly. Without this version on my phone, I could make calls, but I had to use the buttons on the phone and no contacts loaded. phew, what a freaking mess. And to top it all off, my aunt just bought me the iphone.

Any questions, let me know. I hate it when I am frustrated and cant find an answer to a problem!

Well I went to Sprint today and they updated my firmware to ZB12 from ZA06. I just did an over the air update to ZJ27. Now I need to go back to Sprint to get upgraded to AB15. What a process. I am having the same issues with the phone paired with my car (need to operate everything manually through phone). So I am hoping the firmware fix on the phone will work for me as well.

Thanks for all the help on this forum...it is great. Will report back what I find out for anyone else interested.

tambo916 · 01-20-2008, 08:16 PM

Finally got my samsung a900 working with my 2006 3 series. Went in and got the AB15 firmware loaded. All is good. Phone book loaded and everything.

05-25-2007, 02:21 AM	#1
mactigger New Member 1 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2013 F30 328i Join Date: May 2007 Location: Long Beach, CA iTrader: (0)	Sprint A900 pairing with BMW Bluetooth - SUCCESS! (Not A900M) I know there are a lot of people unhappy with the A900/ BMW Bluetooth experience (or lack thereof)... It seems that the new firmware update AB15 fixes everything! I took my A900 to a sprint tech center and told them that my phone resets itself and is just not working with my bluetooth. Within half an hour I had the new AB15 firmware installed and it was a complete success. Not only does it pair perfectly but it also shows signal strength, you can make and receive calls, and even loads the phone book. I am using it on an '06 525i right now because my '07 328i is in the shop but AFAIK all bluetooth modules on newer BMW's use the same module. I get my car back tomorrow and will post the outcome of the bluetooth on the 328i. This makes me VERY happy because I was seriously considering switching to a different phone but now I don't have to
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05-25-2007, 02:31 AM	#2
chbrules MSVConrad++ 57 Rep 778 Posts Drives: E90 2006 325i \| E92 2007 335i Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Peaches iTrader: (0)	Firmware update for the phone? The bluetooth support is a pile of sh*t on this phone, even though it's a nice slim phone. How do you update the firmware?
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05-25-2007, 02:51 AM	#3
mactigger New Member 1 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2013 F30 328i Join Date: May 2007 Location: Long Beach, CA iTrader: (0)	You can't do it OTA. And don't bother going to a "certified sprint repair center". They wont do sh*t for you. I went to the main sprint offices downtown Long Beach. I never thought that this POS phone would ever be 100% compatible and it turns out I was wrong. I am way more happy with the phone after the upgrade.
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05-25-2007, 03:15 AM	#4
chbrules MSVConrad++ 57 Rep 778 Posts Drives: E90 2006 325i \| E92 2007 335i Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Peaches iTrader: (0)	Could you send me their address? I think I'll do this tomorrow.
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05-25-2007, 03:24 AM	#5
mactigger New Member 1 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2013 F30 328i Join Date: May 2007 Location: Long Beach, CA iTrader: (0)	301 EAST OCEAN BLVD - SUITE 100 , LONG BEACH , CA 90802 (562) 624-5131 But any real sprint service center can help. Please post findings when you have it done.
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05-25-2007, 02:12 PM	#6
BLUE LABEL Second Lieutenant 20 Rep 216 Posts Drives: Montego Blue 335i Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	i just got the firmware update from my sprint repair center and like you said the signal strength bars have suddenly declared themselves on the nav screen. However i still cant upload my phone book or access the other features in the menu from the idrive screen. Help me out, did you do anything special besides turn on the phone and let the car autodetect the phonebook and numbers? thanks! I have version a900 ab15 for the firmware
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-25-2007, 08:18 PM	#7
mactigger New Member 1 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2013 F30 328i Join Date: May 2007 Location: Long Beach, CA iTrader: (0)	All I did was pair the phone by having the phone search for the car. After that I clicked on communication and then went to A-Z. It took a few seconds to load (maybe 20) but it all loaded fine. I was able to make and receive calls as well as end calls right from the idrive. I just did this on my 328i with PROGMAN 25.02, however like I said before I did this on an '06 525i with older software and it still worked. Good luck, and post with any results good or bad.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-25-2007, 11:16 PM	#8
BLUE LABEL Second Lieutenant 20 Rep 216 Posts Drives: Montego Blue 335i Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	well, i did exactly as you stated above. Still i cant get the phonebook to upload it self. I have version AB15 on the phone. My 335 is dec 06 build so i most likely have the earliest progman version. I will have to make an appointment with my serivce center to get it updated since my idrive menu takes forever to load in addition to displaying dvd tracks on idrie menu screen. I was so excited for a few minutes thinking it would FINALLY work! little more effort and ill report back.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-26-2007, 01:27 AM	#9
mactigger New Member 1 Rep 21 Posts Drives: 2013 F30 328i Join Date: May 2007 Location: Long Beach, CA iTrader: (0)	If you have the old PROGMAN then I would definitely take the car in to get updated. You most likely have the pop-up arrow problem which warrants a free upgrade. Make sure to ask the dealership which version they installed. I never told them which version I THOUGHT they should install, just simply asked them to inform me of the version. It was 25.02 which I understand is the newest version to date. When I did take my car in for the upgrade I printed out the SIB with the arrow problem and my service person forwarded it onto the technician as well. I have had the new version for almost a day now and no problems as of yet. Good luck, I am interested to hear the outcome. I hope it all works out for you!
	Appreciate 0 Quote

05-31-2007, 12:27 AM	#11
BLUE LABEL Second Lieutenant 20 Rep 216 Posts Drives: Montego Blue 335i Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Chicago iTrader: (0)	have my appointment with my SA soon, so will get back to you after that. Still waiting on the progman
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07-02-2007, 03:19 PM	#12
jwbender New Member 7 Rep 10 Posts Drives: graphite 335i Join Date: May 2007 Location: VA iTrader: (0)	Success The integration between electronics, man, and car have been less than wonderful for me also. First my garage door (homelink) opener in the car didnt work. Then my SOS system claimed it couldnt function. Then, out of nowhere, my bluetooth didnt work. It worked at one point with my A900 (not M) and then the next day, it didnt. I took the car in and got a new TCU unit. They had to send the unit back to the manufacturer to diagnosis. I really dont care where it goes as long as my BT works as advertised. Well, it didnt. So I sat there in my car wishing I had a better phone. I drove back to my service manager, who was getting tired of seeing me, and told him I wanted my car fixed. Then some crazy pierced kid comes out of the service garage with his phone and it worked fine. Phone book loaded, number dial, voice dial, everything. He then claimed that my phone was the problem. Even though it worked 4.0 five days previous. SO, after all this shiv, I went to sprint, told them specifically I wanted the AB15 software upgrade. The Sprint service girl claimed it would be $35 which pissed me off as it was. Anyway, i went to lunch, came back, and they only charged me $15. I took my phone to my car and in about 30 seconds, the phone book loaded, recent calls, everything. The voice dial works. Basically, everything works. The only difference that I can tell is that now after every name in my phone book, there is an indication of (m) or (w) to show wether the contact is a mobile or work number (or home). Really long story short, if you have the a900, look at your software version under Settings, phone info, then version. The S: should read: ES.A900 AB15. This will allow your phone to talk to your bluetooth in the car properly. Without this version on my phone, I could make calls, but I had to use the buttons on the phone and no contacts loaded. phew, what a freaking mess. And to top it all off, my aunt just bought me the iphone. Any questions, let me know. I hate it when I am frustrated and cant find an answer to a problem!
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01-20-2008, 08:16 PM	#14
tambo916 Enlisted Member 2 Rep 48 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Boston iTrader: (0)	Finally got my samsung a900 working with my 2006 3 series. Went in and got the AB15 firmware loaded. All is good. Phone book loaded and everything.
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