BMW Snap-In Adapters: Music/Media vs. Connect
Published on March 30, 2016
BMW used to publish a PDF document that listed all available Snap-In adapters for current smartphones and mobile phones. However, this doesn't seem to be the case anymore, as I've tried to contact different retail partners and BMW support and they all refused to provide such a document. So I began researching myself and here's what I came up with. This is, of course, only current to date (March 30th, 2016).
Music/Media vs. Connect
Both the Music/Media and the Connect adapters offer the same functionality with one small difference. While the Music/Media adapters are capable of delivering an analog and a digital audio signal, the newer Connect adapters only support digital audio. Now don't think that you're best off with the Music/Media then, as different car options require different models. Here's what is required: if your car is equipped with the option 6NS, you are required to use the Connect Snap-In adapters with digital audio. If you have an older BMW model with the option 6NF, you must use the Music/Media range of adapters. If you are trying to determine which of these options your car has, check a VIN decoder such as this one by entering the last 7 digits of your VIN:
Hardware Revisions
The adapters are split up even further than just by smartphone model and Music/Media vs. Connect. They also differ among themselves. Let's look at two examples here.
BMW Snap-In Connect iPhone 5
- 84.21-2 351 308-01, hardware revision 1.0, date 07/17/2013
- 84.21-2 351 308-02, hardware revision 2.0, date 11/22/2013
- 84.21-2 351 308-03, hardware revision 3.0, date 01/31/2014
While it is basically the same adapter, it does feature different hardware revisions and improvements over the previous versions. Simply put, you should go for the later ones. The iPhone 5 and 5s share the same exterior design, but there's an additional Snap-In adapter which is now sold with iPhone 5/5s compatibility. Different product number, but essentially it's the hardware revision 4.0 of the iPhone 5 adapter.
BMW Snap-In Connect iPhone 5/5s
- 84.21-2 289 718-01, hardware revision 1.0, date 03/31/2014 and 03/14/2014
Final Thoughts
In my opinion, the best way to go about this is to research on eBay, look at used Snap-In adapters and their photographs and write down the numbers. This will let you know what's on the market and what would be the best choice.
Image credits: BMW AG.