I just took delivery of my (first) mini (Jane the 2nd) on 11/5.
I have Connected with Nav.

My sales person was saying the same thing about the above - voice commands not working. I pressed the button randomly while the radio was on and noticed that something happened (it muted the radio) so I just kept hitting the volume increase button and then I suddenly heard the voice.

I was driving at the time and then just started speaking to it after listening to the 3 help bits of text (and it was acknowledging my use of the "Continue" command to hear it all). I told my sales person this and she was surprised.

For those that don't seem to have it working, try that if you haven't. I just did it randomly and was pleasantly surprised.

PHIL

 

I don't have Connected or Nav. I tried the random button press with the radio on and it did nothing.

 

Evidently the 2013 Voice Activation delete only applies to units without Connected. If you have Connected you still have Voice Activation. As previously mentioned, there is supposed to be a fix for the rest of the 2013s coming early in the calendar year 2013.

 

I've been searching for the past several days for this list. We have an 09 S Hardtop that was my wife's and not my daughter's, and I just got me a 13 S convertible with Connected. Voice Activation works for both, but I can't get a comprehensive list of the commands in one single place. It's been mostly trial and error, and quite frustrating.

If anyone could direct me to such list, I'd be eternally grateful.

Cheers,

 

Well I stirred the pot again to see what floated to the top. Talking with my MA this is the current info available. Funny how the more I ask the more details come out. This is a quote.

"I just recalled what I was told in training. When i was in training this discussion did come up about Voice Command. The instructor I had is now our Regional Technical Engineer. The vehicles with out MINI connect comes with a radio that on the technical side we call a RAD2, the RAD2 is built on very basic technology that does not communicate with the module(COMBOX) that is nessessary to make voice command functional. The MINI connect vehicles comes with what we call on the technical side a CIC which is the head unit and also an additional unit call a COMBOX that is what needed to make voice command work. RAD2 vehicles have no COMBOX= no voice command. Nor can they communicate with a COMBOX, until they build a different radio SVS functions will not be available with out MINI connect. Hopefully that clears up some stuff."

I also asked how it worked in the 2012 models and not in 2013. His answer was that they wanted to add a satellite module to the car so they removed the voice command module to free up space.

My MA says he is still checking if Mini will issue a retro-fit kit to add the voice commands back to the 2013. IMHO if they need to add hardware to get it back it's not going to happen. I'm betting we're just out of luck.

If that is the case I feel I deserve compensation for that feature not being there. It was listed as a feature in the literature, my MA told me it was there and even went over how it worked when I picked up the car. So I expected it to work. Now I don't get it! If I had known it didn't work I may have opted for the Connect option. Just my opinion.

 

Just had our 2013 Roadster back to the dealer for a non functioning voice command. When we took delivery last September they could not get it to work. First return visit was today and it took them half a day of fiddling around to come back and tell us it was a discontinued option. This was a known problem? Someone should notify their people.

 

Several sources including MINI USA and my dealer have reported that MINI dealers were notified that the function had been deleted on 2013s without Connected. Maybe your dealer didn't pass that notification on to its own personnel. In any event, there is supposed to be a software fix coming in "early 2013". I asked my service adviser about it in December and he confirmed that was what he had heard. diver7 just posted that it might be a hardware issue and if that is the case, doubts that it will get fixed. That is not what my SA told me, however.

 

I finally heard back from my MA with this response:

"Keo has not received any updates for his technical support. I emailed my sales support team, who let us know about upcoming changes or bulletins from the factory or technical side, and they said there was nothing in the pipeline as of now as far as changes or retro-fits for the voice command for non MINI Connect vehicles.

I will let you know if/when there is an update. With all the info, or lack thereof from above, I dont think there will be any changes incoming for the voice command button."

Based on this response I think we are out of luck on this one. I also talked with a Mini Customer Service Rep about this issue. They didn't offer anything more and said that they would log my complaint and pass the information on to the dealer.

Very disappointing...

 

this is complete BS as I had the software on my 2011 updated and I am now also missing the voice activated function. It really makes me angry because instead of FIXING the issue with it not working well, BMW/MINI just decides to screw the customer out of a feature completely by removing it.

Complete BS. I dont know why I keep buying BMW products..they have the absolute WORST customer service

 

These two posts go back probably to September 2012. It is now mid March 2013 and I have followed up with MINI USA multiple times saying that Zach never got in touch with me. The answer was that he had tried but was unable to contact me. I have given them my email address, home phone, and cell phone and there has been no messages left on any of those. I can only conclude that this is a bunch of BS lies. Looks like schatzy was right.

As I posted previously, the SA at my dealer told me back in December that he understood a fix was coming sometime in "early 2013". I am due for my first MINI-paid oil change in another 800 miles so I will press the dealer again when I go in.

I was looking at getting a CM for my wife this year but I have now totally ruled that out. MINI USA's poor customer service has cost them a sale this year and more in the future. While overall, I love my MINI, when it comes time to get rid of my current one, I doubt that I will be a repeat customer.

 

Hey check out this post: https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...command-2.html

Apparently he has heard from Mini USA and they called his dealer and told them how to re-activate the voice command module.

 

I cam across this old thread about the 2013 voice command button not working on cars without the Mini-Connected option. I didn't realize, or had forgotten that Mini discontinued them. I took my '13 MCS for it's first service today, and mentioned that it had never worked. They explained that they needed to look at what options were on the car to see if it could be reprogramed. A few hours later, i get a voice mail, stating that they tried to reprogram and it didn't work, so they initiated some sort of technical request with Mini USA and they would let me know the outcome.

They called back a few hours later to tell me that they would need to keep the car overnight, Mini authorized the replacement of the radio and some other parts (should have asked what that meant). Anyways, will update on the outcome. They gave me a '12 Roadster to drive around and loving it

 

This is great news. Thanks for posting. I am calling my dealer SA tomorrow. Did the voice buttom work in the Roadster?

 

Subscribed

 

Yes, the voice button works on the '12 Roadster, it also does not have the Mini-Connected option. I hoping they finally fixed this, but I won't believe it until I see it. I'm wondering what's going to happen, if anything, to my Sirus radio subscription.


BTW- This is happening through Crevier Mini.
A

 

Good to know. Thanks. We will see what Camarillo has to say.

 

I was told back in March that my voice activation didn't work because of the Bluetooth option I had. You need to have option 6NE and I have 6ND. It would be good to know what they replace in your car. Then I can take that info to my dealer and tell them I want the same thing. Please post details if you can.

 

Confirmed with the dealer that the radio has been replaced this morning. The car is being reprogrammed today , which takes a while is what the SA said.

 

It was too good to be true, after them having my car for 2 days, and a new radio, they confirmed that the 2013 voice command was officially discontinued for 2013 with the options in my car.

That really blows. Will now need to reactivate my Sat radio subscription, hopefully that won't be a hassle.

 

Well tha blows..

Someone please hack the stupid button to at least activate Siri on my iPhone...

 

Y'all know that the main front button on the iphone does the same thing as the steering wheel button. That's what I use anyway.

 

Yea, but I got the dumb do-nothing button on the wheel staring me in the face!

 

You just found out what MINI USA told me some months back. I posted their reply to me previously but was hoping something had changed. After buying my 2013 Roadster I was planning to buy a CM for my wife but the way this whole thing was handled left such a bad taste in my mouth I changed my mind. Got her a Cadillac SRX instead. Customer service on the SRX has been excellent so far and the voice command worked fine from the start with both of our HTC and Samsung Android phones. No such luck with MINI. Other than this issue, I love my Roadster but it just might be my one and only MINI purchase.

 

I got a justa MINI last month and when I complained about the voice commands not working, they said bring it in for reprogramming (and maybe some hardware, I'm not exactly sure). It's there now and they're saying it should be ready tomorrow. I read a post by an R59 owner who went through this last April and it worked afterwards. So I've got my fingers crossed.

 

I was given a 2013 Paceman non-S to drive while my car was being service for a minor issue, and the damn button works in that car! it has almost no options, no sat radio, no nav, just the basic system. I don't understand why MINI can make it work on a new entry level 2013 Paceman but not on a 2013 MCS that cost more.