BMW 3 Series 2018-2023 Owners Manual: USB connection

General information

Mobile devices with a USB port are connected to the USB interface.

• Mobile phones.
• Audio devices such as MP3 players.
• USB storage devices.

  Common file systems are supported. FAT32 and exFAT are the recommended formats.

A connected USB storage device will be supplied with charge current via the USB interface if the device supports this. Follow the maximum charge current of the USB interface.

The following uses are possible on USB interfaces with data transfer:

• Playing music files.
• Playing videos.

Follow the following when connecting:

• Do not use force when plugging the connector into the USB interface.
• Use a flexible adapter cable.
• Protect the USB storage device against mechanical damage.
• Due to the large number of USB storage devices available on the market, it cannot be guaranteed that every device is operable on the vehicle.
• Do not expose USB storage devices to extreme environmental conditions, such as very high temperatures; refer to the owner's manual of the device.
• Due to the many different compression techniques, proper playback of the media stored on the USB storage device cannot be guaranteed in all cases.
• To ensure proper transmission of the stored data, do not charge a USB storage device via the onboard socket, when it is connected to the USB interface.
• Depending on how the USB storage device is being used, settings may be required on the USB storage device, refer to the owner's manual of the device.

Not compatible USB media:

• USB hard drives.
• USB hubs.
• USB memory card readers with multiple slots.
• HFS-formatted USB storage devices.
• Devices such as fans or lamps.

Functional requirement

Compatible device, with USB interface.

Connecting the device

Connect the USB storage device using a suitable adapter cable to a USB interface.

The USB storage device is displayed in the device list.