Q: I bought my Mini about 3 months ago and my cell phone paired fine, then I went in to have it serviced and they "reset" the bluetooth and now my phone won't pair at all. So I called the dealer they say my phone isn't on the compatible phone list and if I try to pair it again (like they would know?) it would invalidate my warrantee. The list can be found at www.wireless4mini.com. Now the question: Are there SERIOUSLY only 15 phones IN THE WORLD compatible with the "most capable in-vehicle cellular system available today"??? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
A: I was in the same Bluetooth boat as you......Bluetooth is Bluetooth. It should all be the same and should all work together." However, that is not the case. It was explained to me like this. There are several Bluetooth "flavors"or so-called Bluetooth profiles. The BMW/Mini system uses the standard Bluetooth hands-free profile, but Mini has additional commands on top of the Bluetooth standard to transfer phonebook data from the phone to the car. The list on wireless4mini.com only lists the phone which have been tested by the BMW/Mini engineers. Phones that do not support the additional commands may or may not pair or connect to the vehicle and will only have partial functionality at best. Meaning, others may work partially, completely or not at all. Because of this, phones that do not support the additional phone book commands will not work as intended, may present other issues and are therefore not listed as compatible phones.With the number of phones out there and the rate that technology changes, the Engineers would spend all their time testing phones.... As far as invalidating your warranty, that's a bunch of crap! If it worked before, try and pair it again. If it works, great, if not, you may be SOL.