OK. Just bought a 2016 Mini Countryman S ALL4 Park Lane. It has the base audio in the car. In other words, the "Boost CD" radio with no display. Nothing but the amber 2 line display. I have an iPhone 8+ and an iPhone X and both do the same thing. When I connect to the USB port I get nothing. No charging, no USB control of the iPhone. Nothing. I searched in the Countryman forum for the answer, but was not able to find anything on this "base radio" that was after 2016. Last, when I first got the car, I noticed this issue. I went ahead and ordered a new USB/Aux port connector thinking the USB port was bad. I installed in but nothing. All is the same.

So here goes:

Does the USB Port charge a phone?
I only have Tuner, CD, Aux and USB as my source choices. Should there be an option for an iPod?
When I select USB and throw in a USB drive with a few tracks on it (I can't believe I actually still had some MP3 thrown in a folder) it will not play. Does there need to be something special about the files? ie Rights? Who knows where I got these files. Do I have to put it in a specific folder name?
When I connect the iPhone and I select the USB port, I get nothing but a "insert USB" message. Should it control the iPod even if there is no sound to the radio?
Forgetting the connected cable. Can I even play music on Bluetooth? (Phone is paired and I can make and receive calls without any issue. )

Am I missing something or am I never going to connect the iPhone? Seems pretty stupid to me.

I'm a bit shocked that we would have a USB port on a car in 2016 that cannot control phone music or charge the phone. Seems odd to me. Am I missing something?

As always, thanks in advance for the help

 

On the R60 MINI Countryman (includes 2016), you cannot use the standard Lightning to USB cable to connect your iPhone. You need to use the BMW/MINI Y-adapter appropriate for that model. The Countryman came with the 30-pin adapter but there is one available that allows you to connect directly to Lightning rather than using a 30-pin to Lightning adapter. I'll take a look and see if I can find part numbers. Even with this adapter, you will not get enough power from the USB port to charge your phone. Just enough to keep it from draining as quickly when Waze is running.

Alternatively, you can find a BT adapter such as the "Bovee Bluetooth Car Kit for BMW and Mini Coopers" ( ) and then just charge your phone using a USB Car Charger.

 

to the OP: There are a few posts here and there on the subject. I use the Y adapter described above on my 2011 Cooper S All4. When you plug in your iPhone to it it throws an "iPod" selection on the head unit. Works fine with all my iPhones including my iPhone 11 Pro. I also have an Apple Watch and it's great changing content within the app (examples: Apple Music, TuneIn and Spotify) on my watch without having to use the head unit.

BMW Part Number 61122408012. This is a screenshot of my eBay order from a BMW dealer:

So no....MINI isn't stupid. You can Google around to find the adapter on eBay, Amazon and other online sellers. I would recommend a Lightning cable extender as the Y-Adapter isn't long enough to put your iPhone anywhere but awkwardly under the parking brake lever. The use of the special adapter is found in the owner's manual which you can download here for your 2016: https://www.miniusa.com/content/dam/..._connected.pdf