BMW Announces First App Integrations For Android Devices.

• iHeartRadio, Spotify, and Pandora Android apps can be controlled through the 5th generation BMW iDrive system in the all-new 2016 BMW 7 Series.
• Streaming now possible over BluetoothTM

Woodcliff Lake, NJ– March 22, 2016… BMW Group announces that the first BMW Apps integrations for Android devices will be iHeartRadio, Spotify, and Pandora – three of the most popular music streaming services. Drivers of the new 2016 BMW 7 Series can safely access and control these services through their iDrive controller and screen while driving. The BMW Apps option originally launched for iOS in 2011 and is now available for Android users.  The new Android integration also signals a continuation of BMW's strong partnership with their current iOS app partners. BMW Apps are designed with convenience and safety in mind: drivers can effortlessly stream their favorite audio, change stations, curate their favorites, and switch between apps.  

In order to use the apps within the vehicle, an Android user with OS 4.2 or later, only needs to download the BMW Connected app from Google Play and connect their phone over Bluetooth to the new 2016 BMW 7 Series with the BMW Apps option.  App integration for all other vehicles equipped with BMW Apps and MINI Connected will follow at a later date.

iHeartRadio with BMW Apps for Android.

iHeartRadio , the leading all-in-one streaming music and digital radio service, is now available on Android devices in a seamless listening experience for drivers of the new BMW 7 Series. Features include:

• Thousands of iHeartRadio’s Live Radio stations from across the country as well as a catalog of more than 20 million songs and 800,000 artists to create personalized Custom Stations.
• A personalized “For You” feature with tailored recommendations based on users’ specific music preferences and listening history.

• Seamless access to saved Favorites, with the ability to easily add or remove stations at any time and ability to browse recently listened to stations.
• The ability to Thumbs up/Thumbs down songs to create a more personalized experience.
• Enhanced music discovery with Live Radio station scan and search feature for thousands of podcasts offering on-demand news, celebrity and entertainment talk show content.

Spotify with BMW Apps for Android.

Spotify – the world’s leading music streaming service – can now be brought into the new BMW 7 Series via most Android devices.

Spotify users – both free and Premium – can enjoy a seamless music , using the iDrive controller to easily and safely::

• Access their own music and playlists or use features like Radio and Browse to find the perfect music for every mood and moment.
• Enjoy an intuitive viewing experience on the car’s high-resolution Control Display.

Premium subscribers can enjoy extra high quality on-demand music (320 kbps) - taking full advange of the on the car’s audio system - as well as ad-free and offline listening.

Pandora with BMW Apps for Android.

Pandora, the world’s most powerful music discovery platform, is now available on Android devices in a seamless listening experience for new BMW 7 Series drivers. Drivers can now:

• Access existing or create new stations using the iDrive Controller/MINI Controller.
• Thumb-up, thumb-down, or bookmark songs to personalize the driver’s Pandora stations from the road.
• Comfortably, simply, safely and intuitively use of Pandora to minimize driver distraction.

Demonstrations of the Android integration are available for press on Wednesday, March 23rd and Thursday, March 24th at the 2016 New York International Auto Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

App integration.
The iHeartRadio for Auto, Spotify, and Pandora apps have been certified by BMW for safe in-car use. The app uses the BMW Group’s A4A (Apps for Automotive) technology and can be downloaded for iOS-based devices from the Apple App Store and for most Android devices in the Google Play Store. Having connected a smartphone to the car via the USB socket or snap-in adapter, and now Bluetooth, and launched the app, users are presented with various functions via the iDrive Controller/MINI Controller, the central display and the car’s audio system. To use the app in BMW and MINI models, the BMW ConnectedDrive Services or MINI Connected option needs to be specified.

The BMW Group was an early driver of smartphone integration and has already certified numerous apps for access in BMW and MINI vehicles. These apps have been optimized for safe use during a journey, can be operated via the iDrive Controller or MINI Controller without distracting the driver, and are viewed in the central display.

About iHeartMedia

With over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners in the U.S. and over 80 million social followers, iHeartMedia has the largest reach of any radio or television outlet in America. It serves over 150 markets through 858 owned radio stations, and the company’s radio stations and content can be heard on AM/FM, HD digital radio, satellite radio, on the Internet at iHeartRadio.com and on the company’s radio station websites, on the iHeartRadio mobile app, in enhanced auto dashes, on tablets and smartphones, and on gaming consoles.

iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s digital radio platform, is the No. 1 all-in-one digital audio service with over 800 million downloads; it reached its first 20 million registered users faster than any digital service in Internet history and reached 80 million users faster than any other radio or digital music service and even faster than Facebook.  The company’s operations include radio broadcasting, online, mobile, digital and social media, live concerts and events, syndication, music research services and independent media representation. iHeartMedia is a division of iHeartMedia, Inc. (OTCBB: IHRT). Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.

About Spotify

Spotify is an award-winning digital music service that gives you on-demand access to over 20 million tracks. Our dream is to make all the world’s music available instantly to everyone, wherever and whenever you want it. Spotify makes it easier than ever to discover, manage and share music with your friends, while making sure that artists get a fair deal.

Spotify is now available in 58 markets globally with more than 50 million active users, and over 12.5 million paying subscribers.

www.spotify.com

About Pandora

Pandora is the world’s most powerful music discovery platform – a place where artists find their fans and listeners find music they love. We are driven by a single purpose: unleashing the infinite power of music by connecting artists and fans, whether through earbuds, car speakers, live on stage or anywhere fans want to experience it. Our team of highly trained musicologists analyze hundreds of attributes for each recording which powers our proprietary Music Genome Project®, delivering billions of hours of personalized music tailored to the tastes of each music listener, full of discovery, making artist/fan connections at unprecedented scale. Founded by musicians, Pandora empowers artists with valuable data and tools to help grow their careers and connect with their fans.

www.pandora.com | Pandora Blog | Pandora LinkedIn | @PandoraPulse  

BMW Group In America

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003.  The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes.  The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 153 BMW motorcycle retailers, 125 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers.  BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

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Journalist note: Information about BMW Group and its products in the USA is available to journalists on-line at www.bmwusanews.com and www.press.bmwna.com.

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