Why can't the BMW car read the USB?
2 Answers
BMW cars cannot read the USB because the USB drive needs to be formatted. When formatting, select FAT32 (choose it in the file system column during formatting), not NTFS, as most car systems are incompatible with NTFS (BMW can generally read NTFS but cannot write to it). Additionally, songs should be placed directly in the USB drive without any folders. Car music player indicators: Car music players have single-song loop and random play. Random play is labeled as 'rdm,' which is the abbreviation of the English word 'Random.' Function of the car music player: The music player in a car not only provides music enjoyment and radio listening for passengers during daily driving and traffic jams but also enriches the driving atmosphere inside the car. This helps alleviate the boredom of passengers who spend long hours inside the vehicle, offering musical joy and enhancing the pleasure of driving.
I've also encountered the issue where my BMW couldn't read USB drives before, and it was really frustrating. The most common problem is incorrect USB drive formatting - many new drives come in NTFS format by default, but most BMWs only recognize FAT32 format, so you'll need to reformat it using a computer. Also, pay attention to the drive capacity; under 32GB is safer, while drives over 128GB will likely not be recognized. You should also check if the USB port has dust or poor contact - last time I had this issue, it was because a piece of paper scrap was stuck in the port causing connection problems. If that doesn't work, try restarting the iDrive system by holding the volume button for 30 seconds to force a reboot - this trick has saved me several times. Of course, it could also be a file format issue; common audio formats like MP3 and WMA are supported, but older models might not recognize lossless formats like FLAC. If you still can't solve it, it's best to use the factory diagnostic tool to check for error codes - it might just be that your infotainment system needs a software update.
