GPS Cradle - Guess I'll Just Move it and Figure it Out Later

[pej7445]

I promised myself I wasn't even going to touch the Connected Cradle until after my run-in service, so this became the weekend to dive into that accessory.

Once I figured out how to remove the Navi-Prep cover, popping the cradle in place was super simple, and securing the phone in place was easy as well.

I had "pinned" a decent route for today's outing in Google maps, and it was fairly easy to get to that pinned route even after I had the phone clicked into the cradle.  Just hit "Start" and got turn-by-turn directions (on-screen only, no audio- that's next week's project), re-routes if I decided to deviate from what was prescribed and the cradle kept the phone charged (wirelessly) at 100% the whole time.

Unfortunately, I can't take a picture of the phone in the cradle because the camera's in the phone, but I did snap a pic from a bit of a distance so you can get the idea of perspective of where the cradle sits relative to the TFT screen, windshield, etc.  This is the Wunderlich Marathon screen in the "UP"position, just for reference.  No issues seeing all the necessary info on the TFT, and the NAVI screen is at a great height for quick checks of "miles until next turn" type of info.

I'm curious after over a year of use what your thoughts are of the Connected Cradle? I just bought a used 2020 RS and I'm exploring this as an option. Do you also use the Connected Ride App?

"It's a mixed bag, honestly.  The biggest positive is the positioning for better on-road visibility/access.
The downsides have been both technical and physical.
The biggest technical issue is that my phone (an older iPhone XR, admittedly) doesn't automatically pair every time on start up (but it does MOST of the time), so it's not tracking all the rides, mileage, etc.  In my case, if I wanted to make sure all the devices were talking to one another, it just amounted to double-checking the connection before taking off.
Maybe a bigger disappointment was that the sliding "arm" that extends out of the right-hand side and holds the phone in place (laterally, if that makes sense) somehow "warped" and would no longer fit flush with the surface/edge of the phone.  The fix turned out to be a $33 "Repair Kit" that was recently released by the mother ship to address such problems, which amounted to new sliding arm and some other bits and pieces.
Bottom line is I'd strongly recommend moving the Nav to above the TFT, but consider how much you'd be using which functions of the app, what hardware/phone you'd be connecting to it and how patient you'd be with the learning curve(s) getting it all to work together."



Thank you for the quick response. My local BMW dealer has an open box that he's willing to let me explore/test out. If I buy one it will come with a 2 year warranty, hopefully the new design wiill address the earlier design flaw you experienced. My phone is a Galaxy S22+ and it pairs reliably with the TFT. I'm generally pleased with the Connected Ride App so far, but I really can't stand the Nav 6.