just got my car back from the stealer. They updated to software 2.49.0 and I got my voice activation back! oh happy days!

 

It almost doesn't matter, really. The mic is so terrible and so prone to picking up all the background and road noise that it's almost useless if you're not at speeds under 30mph.

 

i beg to differ, mine works just fine even at fwy speed and noise. Im too lazy to program the phonebook, but if I tell it to dial a number by digits, works perectly fine

 

The only reason I can think of is that you're not in a ragtop (based on your signature at least). Ragtop + runflats + mini connected with screen = cannot understand me. Also, where I live freeway speeds are 70mph so that probably has something to do with it.

 

Agreed hwy speeds top down its use less, I hear everyone loud and clear. I'm told that its in audible

 

Sorry to drag up an older thread, but after multiple searches, this one seemed as good as any.

I cannot understand why BMW/MINI can't get it together. Maybe its another one of those "Silly Americans" issues like cupholders. They're afterthoughts.

I just bought my first MINI, a 2009 Clubman S. Non-Connect but has BT voice commands. I get the Phone Book Empty and its driving me insane.

I've got an Android, S4 to be exact an everytime I get in the car, my phone starts going off and I see a message stating that MINIxxxxx wants access to your call history and contact list. So I say yes. Never transfers to the car. I have no idea why not.

Samsung has a similar app to Siri so, I may play around with that and see if I can do contact dialing that way. Its an extra step but better than speaking numbers I'll never remember.

 

I just bought my first MINI, a 2009 Clubman S. Non-Connect but has BT voice commands. I get the Phone Book Empty and its driving me insane.
In order to access the voice command phone book to enter a name push the voice command button and say "save name". It will ask for the name. Say it. It will ask again. Say it again. It will ask for the number. Tell it the number. At the end say "save" and it will be in the phone book. Then when you ask for the phone book it will start rattling off all the names in the phone book. When you hear the one you want quickly say "dial". It will connect you. You can put about 20 of your favorite or most popular numbers in that voice phone book.

I've got an Android, S4 to be exact an everytime I get in the car, my phone starts going off and I see a message stating that MINIxxxxx wants access to your call history and contact list. So I say yes. Never transfers to the car. I have no idea why not.
Because when you first paired your phone and the window came up to always ASK to connect you answered yes. Depending on the size of your contacts it may take a couple of minutes for it to transfer. If you answer no it will connect automatically. Your contacts will have been transferred earlier and will not need to be done again.

Samsung has a similar app to Siri so, I may play around with that and see if I can do contact dialing that way. Its an extra step but better than speaking numbers I'll never remember.
I have Siri so I can't answer for Samsung.