BMW G42 sat nav update

Which sat nav does the G42 have?

The badge on the boot only gets you so far, because BMW uses the 2 Series name for more than one kind of car. The G42 is the Coupé, built from about 2021 on rear-wheel-drive-based underpinnings, and the family includes the M240i and the M2 G87. The front-wheel-drive 2 Series Gran Coupé and Active Tourer are separate models, not covered here. Within the G42 itself, the iDrive generation depends on when the car was built:

We have deliberately not given a changeover date. Every date on this page is approximate, and on a car this recent the VIN check is a far better guide than the year on the registration document.

iDrive 7 or iDrive 8 in the 2 Series Coupé

Early G42s are generally understood to use iDrive 7 on the MGU unit, with later cars on the newer iDrive 8. The quickest thing to look at is the screen: iDrive 8 is the generation BMW pairs with its curved display, so a curved display in your 2 Series suggests iDrive 8. For anything less clear-cut, the VIN check gives the answer.

On an iDrive 7 car the map choice is known in advance: across our VIN lookups, iDrive 7 cars use the LIVE maps, and only a few later units are on JOY. With iDrive 8 the order is reversed: VIN first, then everything else, as set out in the steps further down.

• Early cars: iDrive 7 on the MGU unit
• Later cars: newer iDrive 8, as far as we know
• Curved display: a sign of iDrive 8
• M240i and M2 G87: the same split

Over the air until the free period ends, then USB

While the map update subscription or free period is active, an iDrive 7 G42 receives new maps over the air and there is nothing for you to do. To see whether yours is still active, use the My BMW app with the car linked to your account, or your account in the BMW ConnectedDrive Store; the status of the subscription can be checked there.

When the period has ended, the over-the-air map downloads stop. The car carries on navigating with the maps it already has, but roads built or changed since then will not appear. A USB update with an FSC file then keeps the maps current, or you can renew through BMW; can you update a BMW sat nav for free? compares the two.

How to update the maps in your 2 Series Coupé

LIVE comes with one FSC file and goes on an exFAT USB stick; the car picks up the file itself, so nothing is typed in, and the file name should stay exactly as it is. It covers Europe in one package. If your car is one of the later units on JOY, you receive a ZIP archive of FSC files instead, and they go in a folder called FSC on the stick. On cars with the newer iDrive 8, the VIN check tells you whether we can supply a USB update for your unit. If it cannot be confirmed automatically, we tell you before you pay anything. Do the installation with the car stationary in a safe, open spot, and read BMW FSC code explained if you would like the background on activation files.

Apple CarPlay in the G42

On the F22 that came before, CarPlay was something to activate on NBT EVO cars. On the G42 it is normally built in, so our USB activation, which is designed for those older NBT EVO systems, is not a product for this car. Where CarPlay fails to appear, check the My BMW app before anything else, and does my BMW have Apple CarPlay? covers how it differs across the range.

The F22 before it, and the 2 Series that is not a G42

The G42 replaced the F22 Coupé, whose navigation history is far longer: NBT, NBT EVO and EntryNav, each with its own map, all covered in the BMW F22 sat nav update guide. If your 2 Series turns out to be an Active Tourer, it is a front-wheel-drive car with a separate history, and the F45 guide covers the earlier Active Tourer. For another iDrive 7 BMW from the same period, the G20 3 Series guide describes the same over-the-air and USB arrangement.