Hello, I am going to be buying a mini! I am going to order one as my dealer does not have one with the options I want. I am thinking of getting the connect system without Nav. I have an iphone but am currently using a windows phone. My question is are there any advantages using the connect system if you do not use an iphone? What works and what does not? I am mostly interested in the music and phone functions. Any advise or help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

As far as I know MINI Connected is Apple-only and will stay as such, until the F56 launches. So I don't really see the point to owning one, unless you have an iPhone.

 

I have MINI Connect with Nav and love it!
I have an Android phone so some of the features don't work, but overall it's been nice. Navigation with traffic works, 4 phones or devices can be paired and 2 will run at same time for those with Bluetooth music players or like me a company and personal cell phone. Phonebooks are visible with both phones.
Voice command functions still work. Armrest cradle snap in adaptors are only available for iPhones though.
Be sure and order your car with Sirius/XM as that is no longer a standard feature in 2013
on any model.
You say you have a i phone, so that could be used in the cradle as a music player and could possibly run the MINI connected app available on iTunes.

 

I had the exact same question and finally just took my Android smartphone with me to a dealer, sat in a Mini-connected car, and figured it out.

On the main Mini Connected menu, only one of the six items requires an iPhone. Everything else is wonderfully functional without Apple. I paired my Bluetooth and streamed Pandora into the Mini's speakers effortlessly from my Galaxy S3. Other features in Mini Connected - like speed limit warning chimes, etc - need no smartphone at all in the loop. In fact, I estimate less than 20% of the Mini Connected functionality really requires iPhone - and he stuff that does I'd never do driving anyways (like Twitter and Facebook). And if I am carrying an iPhone-equipped passenger, they always have the capability to do so.

In all, I walked in trying to validate my decision NOT to get Mini Connected solely on fears of non-iPhone functionality limitations, and walked away convinced that Mini Connected was almost a must-have. It also nicely makes use of the dinner-plate-sized real estate on the speedometer (which otherwise looks a little TOO cute for my taste).

One more thing - I left out Sirius because I figured with Pandora streaming directly to the MINI sound system, there was no need for satellite radio.