MINI Connected vs CarPlay vs Alexa

Discussion in 'Cooper SE' started by SameGuy, Aug 15, 2022.

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  1. SameGuy

    SameGuy Well-Known Member Subscriber

    YUL
    In our cars, we use CarPlay for just about everything. In our home, however, Alexa rules our domain. Now with MINI connected, how does it all work together?

    Am I to understand that if I have CarPlay active in the SE, I can’t use Alexa, nor can I use MINI navigation (ie on the HUD and center ring)? My iPhone understands the difference between “Alexa” and “hey Siri,” so I was hoping the MINI would as well.

    Bonus question: is there a MINI Connected Alexa skill as there is a BMW Connected skill? As the interface has become so fluid I’ve allowed voice assistants to help me with more and more day-to-day tasks; it would be nice to be able to — for example — precondition the car by voice, rather than looking for and fumbling with my phone.
     
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  3. GvilleGuy

    GvilleGuy Well-Known Member

    I can't comment on Alexa, but for CarPlay and Mini NAV:

    You can be listening to CarPlay audio and still use Mini NAV and be on the Mini NAV screen. CarPlay will still play whatever app you have selected. A short press of the talk button on the steering wheel activates Mini listening to you, and a long press of it activates CarPlay listening to your commands.
     
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  4. endquote

    endquote Active Member

    The "Device Connection" section in the MINI app has something about Alexa but I've not used it.
     
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  5. SameGuy

    SameGuy Well-Known Member Subscriber

    YUL
    Omigosh thanks! I was wracking my brain trying to figure it out, the owners manual doesn’t cover it and I haven’t delved into the Integrated Owner’s Manual.
     
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  6. SameGuy

    SameGuy Well-Known Member Subscriber

    YUL
    SOLVED! The My BMW Alexa skill recognizes my “Cooper”!

    I just whispered to the living room Echo Studio, “Alexa, ask BMW what’s my range,” and she replied I have 132 km range left on my “Cooper”!

    Tomorrow I’ll be out and about in my sister’s Sportage and will ask Alexa on my phone to precondition the SE before we get back to my car. We’ll see, but I’m confident it’ll work.
     
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  8. GvilleGuy

    GvilleGuy Well-Known Member

    Very cool - I may try this out.
     
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  9. zellsun

    zellsun Member

    Working like a charm! Thanks


    Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
     
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  10. GvilleGuy

    GvilleGuy Well-Known Member

    I created a short video of this on my lunch break. @SameGuy - I gave you credit in the video.

     
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  11. SameGuy

    SameGuy Well-Known Member Subscriber

    YUL
    Hah! That’s very magnanimous of you. I’m glad I can contribute to the MINI community. :)
     
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  13. SameGuy

    SameGuy Well-Known Member Subscriber

    YUL
    I opened the Alexa app on the road, 25 miles from home, and asked to precondition. When we pulled into the driveway and I popped the boot to load it with what I bought while we were out, it was a fridge!
     
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  14. endquote

    endquote Active Member

    I don’t use Alexa but this video was still useful just to hear the sound from outside the car. Mine sounds similar and it kind of worried me, but I guess it’s normal? What an awful rattle.
     
  15. GvilleGuy

    GvilleGuy Well-Known Member

    Yep - that is normal compressor sound, especially when it first starts up or in max mode. It gets a lot quieter once it has the cabin at the target temperature.
     
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  16. SameGuy

    SameGuy Well-Known Member Subscriber

    YUL
    Has anybody had trouble activating climate control via the Alexa BMW skill since the backend server issue last week? Mine refuses to work, though it reports everything else properly (status, battery level, etc).
     
  17. SameGuy

    SameGuy Well-Known Member Subscriber

    YUL
    Ok, now it’s completely borked, and a cursory search online suggests that a lot of folks are complaining since a recent skill update. No matter how many ways I try to disable and then re-enable and launch the skill, Alexa always responds with, “Oops! Something went wrong. Please try again later.”
     
  18. Louis W

    Louis W Member

    I tried to precondition earlier today and I couldn't get it to work. The last time I tried was Sunday evening and it worked fine then. Maybe it's some larger issue with the BMW servers?
     
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  19. SameGuy

    SameGuy Well-Known Member Subscriber

    YUL
    Yeah nah now it’s totally borked. I can’t even get my My BMW account and Alexa to link.

    0F59003C-82F2-4BB5-9EAB-8B51FF52ED4D.png B7A667A9-658D-4090-8002-97FE1DBD1EB3.png
     
  20. GvilleGuy

    GvilleGuy Well-Known Member

    My alexa BMW skill stopped working, as well.
     
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  21. SameGuy

    SameGuy Well-Known Member Subscriber

    YUL
    OK, it seems they fixed it. I had to go into the skill in the Alexa app and link my accounts, then launch it.

    It also seems like it’s become a little pickier with syntax: I used to be able to say, “Ask BMW to warm up my car,” and the system would comply with the easy-going, “Alright, I’m beginning to ventilate your Cooper; this can take a while. See you soon.” Now she gets confused until I say, “Ask BMW to ventilate my Cooper.
     
  22. Rogwp

    Rogwp Active Member Subscriber

    Does Alexa have an English accent?
     
  23. SameGuy

    SameGuy Well-Known Member Subscriber

    YUL
    I’ve always kept my Alexa set to the US English, it sounds much more natural than the Canadian. FWIW my wife has her Siri set to the hunky Aussie male voice lol.
     
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