Turn-by-turn instructions on BMW iDrive 8 HUD

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Just picked up a new BMW with iDrive8 and a HUD and noticed how Waze has trouble displaying turn-by-turn instructions, street names etc on the HUD. Unless I first start Google Maps.

Here are the details of the issue.

To have Waze display information on the HUD as seen in the photo below, I first need to perform these steps:

  1. Start Google Maps in my car via Android Auto and start a route navigating anywhere
  2. Cancel the navigation/route in Google Maps
  3. Switch to Waze in my car via Android Auto and put in the destination

Performing these 3 steps, Waze will show the directions and street names on the HUD.

This of course is quite cumbersome and I will probably get tired doing this whenever I use Waze. Still, good to know I can get directions on the HUD provided by Waze when I so wish.

The good news here is how this shows how Waze indeed is capable showing information on the HUD. Only that for whatever reason, for this to work I first need to perform the steps listed above. Just starting Waze and navigating somewhere, I won’t get anything on the HUD from Waze.

I’ve been using Waze pretty much since it was born and having the ability to use it directly integrated in my car these days is awesome! Only wish it would also work on the HUD since it’s so nice having all information you need just in front of you and without having to look away from the road ahead of you when driving.

Anyone else in here with a BMW iDrive 8 HUD solved this somehow? I’ve already made sure I’m on the latest version of everything, both on my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and in my car.

Here’s an example from earlier today where you in the first picture see my route on the main display and in the second picture, the same route on the HUD, provided by Waze after first having performed the steps above.

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Can confirm same behaviour and workaround with BMW i4 running iDrive 8.5.

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Today, I discovered another interesting thing.

If you start a route in Waze in your mobile phone before you get to your car, the route will be picked up by the car as soon as Android Auto connects and the HUD instructions will be present. Just like when you’re starting a navigation using Google Maps in the car before switching to Waze.

Since the tech clearly is in place for this to work, I fail to understand why it’s so hard to have the issue addressed by Google/Waze :thinking:

As I understand it, reporting issues like this in here will have very little effect and probably none at all. Not even sure if there are any Waze devs in here reading these posts? When I just got the car and discovered the issue, I was trying to find a way to get in touch with some form of Waze support but to no avail as I recall it.

What is the correct way reporting issues like this one with Waze, anyone who knows? Also, should it be reported to Waze or Google?

Based on the numbers of users affected by this issue, the low interest from Waze/Google side surprises me a bit.

1 Like
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Same here, same workaround. Been a year now since its been doing this. Id 8.0 with the 11/2024 update
Of note for a few weeks i had the map visible in the instrument screen( like google maps) but thats reverted to just the arrow directions again.