BMW to build its next-generation voice experience on Alexa technology [snip] “The new BMW custom assistant, launching on the first vehicles within the next two years, will enable an even more natural dialogue between driver and vehicle. That’s especially important in the vehicle, where voice may help reduce driver distraction. BMW’s assistant will provide customers the benefits of an intelligent assistant that is a vehicle and services expert, while Alexa will provide the familiar experience many customers already know and love.”
Hold the voice button to launch Siri when CarPlay is connected. She’s more natural and speaks and listens to tens of languages.
Feels very on brand, solve something we all want solved, but do it in the weirdest way possible. I get it though, all their in-house developers are too busy working on the bi-yearly iDrive reskin. /s But more seriously, weren’t they supposed to adopt the far superior Android Automotive OS in 2023? Why do both? Make a single good solution and deploy it everywhere like other manufacturers are doing.
That would still require the in-house developers drop their bi-annual iDrive reskin efforts in order to flesh out the BMW UI/UX of AAOS. /s The choice of a “voice experience” is just aiming for mass-market appeal added to the OS, whichever that might be; Alexa is also the voice assistant for Fire OS, a which currently rides on Android Pie, 10, and 11.
A step backward for BMW... Alexa may be familiar but is generally disliked. Then there is that dreaded privacy thing. My sister in law always seems to be amazed that every time she mentions a product in passing she immediately receives spam on the topic There has got to be money for BMW in it, wonder how much Amazon is paying BMW... wait I don't think Amazon has any cash.
People that don't want their private conversations harvested for marketing, spam and internal development. The abuses have been widely reported and the devices still "listen" when so called mute settings are activated.
That’s still not empirical evidence that devices with (specifically) the Alexa voice assistant are “generally disliked.” I can surmise with equal confidence that because Echo and Fire devices sell by the millions, Alexa must be generally liked.
Watching BMW these days, they'll probably demand a subscription fee for using Alexa. So that would offer a way to opt out of Amazon's data acquisition. Wait, the subscription fee will probably be just to get Alexa to respond to you--the data acquisition will probably continue. /s
Alexa's listening to you is vastly overrated. Just because someone said on the internet that it happens doesn't mean that it's true. I happen to like Alexa, but only for a limited number of features. If Alexa would speak my texts to me while I'm driving, I would use that in a flash. But, then, I let my Mini "speak" my phone calls while I'm driving.
Alexa is always listening — and so are Amazon workers Might be less likely in a car since there's not a constant internet connection, but Amazon (as well as Google and Meta/Facebook) are notoriously callous about privacy issues.
Right, ie thinking you’re flying under the radar just because you won’t have an Alexa voice assistant is having false optimism. If you’re online or connected to the wider world in any way, you are being mined. It’s not asking Alexa to fire up your espresso machine while you’re driving home after the graveyard shift that is going to have Russian troll farms all a-flutter; that mobile phone in your pocket and your MINI Connected service are doing all the heavy lifting. Then when you get home, sit down with that coffee and turn on your television to catch a SportsCenter replay, all the checkboxes you blindly ticked when you first pulled that 65” 4K out of the box after that Black Friday sale are letting pretty much every SEO specialist on the planet know everything about you.
Siri works fine with CarPlay in my current car. I can’t imagine how clunky android will be with some bmw skin I’m in Europe atm with a brand new 118i rental and latest version play is smoother than what I have in my current mini.
I also like that you can short-press for the MyMINI Assistant or long-press for Siri. I can’t figure out how to also get Alexa working (currently via the iPhone), though the center display offers it as a choice.
