BMW has started the rollout of the new Remote Software Upgrade for 1.3 million vehicles and more than 20 models, and thus the entire BMW fleet, will be given an upgrade from the BMW Operating System 7 to Version 21-03. Amazon Alexa is also said to be included in four more markets. The upgrade includes improvements, such as the addition of a usual destination entered in BMW Maps. The rollout in Germany started on June 1st 2021, and will gradually cover more BMW Connected Drive markets worldwide. Customers will now be able to use many Alexa features in their car like adding items to shopping lists, check the news, play music etc. So far, Alexa was only available for BMW Operating System 7 vehicles in Germany, Austria, Great Britain, Spain and Italy; this upgrade adds for more countries to the list – France, the USA, Canada and Brazil.

BMW Maps developers also bring back the usual destination search mask. The system is made cloud-based for the first time which makes route calculations significantly faster and more dynamic by combining real-time information. The cloud also contains additional context-related information on over 120 million points of interest, such as ratings, opening hours and images. The POI database is kept up-to-date several times a week at regular intervals. Algorithms are used to filter applicable database to display probable when putting the info, like auto completion. One can also enter the destination by speaking to the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant or BMW controller. 

One of the improvements provided by this upgrade is the Lane Departure Warning settings can now be saved permanently. If customers do not want the lane departure warning, they can disable the function from the settings, the deactivation is saved in the BMW ID. It can be reactivated the same way, from the settings. Another improvement is the cover art is correctly processed when music tracks are changed if an Android phone is paired via Bluetooth. In some vehicle models with BMW Operating System 7 the Surround View on the control display was not positioned correctly, this has also been corrected as part of the quality improvements. 

With BMW Operating System 7 and BMW Remote Software Upgrade, it has been possible since 2018 for BMW drivers to keep their vehicle up-to-date with the latest software easily and quickly. The new functions can be conveniently installed in the car over the air. The installation files are prepared in the background. After that, even the installation of extensive upgrades will rarely take more than 20 minutes. Customers are informed about available Remote Software Upgrade via the My BMW App or on the control display in the vehicle. In addition, the software status can be viewed in the vehicle settings under Remote Software Upgrade and a search for available upgrades can be carried out. Vehicles with software versions older than 20-07 can only install the latest version after downloading and installing the intermediate versions. Only the next possible upgrade is offered for installation in the vehicle. The customer can never install a wrong version.