New Android Phone with Bluetooth 5.4, can't pair to the car / CIC

evoiii90 · 01-06-2026, 02:07 PM

I have an 2011 E92 M3 with CIC and enhanced premium sound. Until now I was using my now old 2021 Samsung A52, but I just upgraded it to a new Google Pixel 10 with Android 16 vs Android 14 on the Samsung.

All my attempts to pair the Pixel 10 with the car has been unsuccessful, I always get the "pairing failed. Incorrect passkey" after inputting 0000 or 1234 through the iDrive screen when prompted.

I had a long "conversation" with Google's Gemini, in which it recommended various things including lowering some of the Bluetooth config settings on the Pixel 10, upgrading the CIC firmware, which it was already on the latest already, and all sorts of additional suggestions including some through coding, for which I used BimmerGeeks Protool, although many of the coding parameters Gemini suggested were non existent inside the ComBox.

Without listing ALL the things I tried based on Gemini's suggestions, which I can since I captured all the interactions with Gemini on a document, my questions are:

- Has anyone connected ANY newer phone with the latest Bluetooth 5.4 available on the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phones ?. If yes, what specifically did you do ?

- If there is no way to connect these two, I'm assuming the only alternative is to get / install something like the Mr12Volt or equivalent, or go back to an older phone as I was.

As additional background info, The 2011 Combox uses Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. The Pixel 10 uses Bluetooth 5.4+, and according to Gemini, the problem is related to:
"The "Incorrect Passkey" error on a CIC iDrive system—despite you entering the same numbers on both devices—is a specific diagnostic symptom. It means the Diffie-Hellman key exchange (the cryptographic handshake) is timing out or being rejected because the Pixel 10 is using a mandatory security level that the 2011 Combox cannot negotiate."

I know Gemini is just spitting out info it was trained on, and gather from multiple sources including these forums, which is why there's no definitive answer, but it was worth a try...

Any suggestions would we welcomed.

ctuna · 01-10-2026, 05:28 PM

oVeRdOsE. · 01-11-2026, 08:27 AM

did you tried a older Bluetooth AVRCP version under dev option ?

Ive 5.3v unfortunately, can't tell, mine is working.

01-06-2026, 02:07 PM	#1
evoiii90 Private 27 Rep 95 Posts Drives: E92 M3 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	New Android Phone with Bluetooth 5.4, can't pair to the car / CIC I have an 2011 E92 M3 with CIC and enhanced premium sound. Until now I was using my now old 2021 Samsung A52, but I just upgraded it to a new Google Pixel 10 with Android 16 vs Android 14 on the Samsung. All my attempts to pair the Pixel 10 with the car has been unsuccessful, I always get the "pairing failed. Incorrect passkey" after inputting 0000 or 1234 through the iDrive screen when prompted. I had a long "conversation" with Google's Gemini, in which it recommended various things including lowering some of the Bluetooth config settings on the Pixel 10, upgrading the CIC firmware, which it was already on the latest already, and all sorts of additional suggestions including some through coding, for which I used BimmerGeeks Protool, although many of the coding parameters Gemini suggested were non existent inside the ComBox. Without listing ALL the things I tried based on Gemini's suggestions, which I can since I captured all the interactions with Gemini on a document, my questions are: - Has anyone connected ANY newer phone with the latest Bluetooth 5.4 available on the latest iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phones ?. If yes, what specifically did you do ? - If there is no way to connect these two, I'm assuming the only alternative is to get / install something like the Mr12Volt or equivalent, or go back to an older phone as I was. As additional background info, The 2011 Combox uses Bluetooth 2.1+EDR. The Pixel 10 uses Bluetooth 5.4+, and according to Gemini, the problem is related to: "The "Incorrect Passkey" error on a CIC iDrive system—despite you entering the same numbers on both devices—is a specific diagnostic symptom. It means the Diffie-Hellman key exchange (the cryptographic handshake) is timing out or being rejected because the Pixel 10 is using a mandatory security level that the 2011 Combox cannot negotiate." I know Gemini is just spitting out info it was trained on, and gather from multiple sources including these forums, which is why there's no definitive answer, but it was worth a try... Any suggestions would we welcomed. __________________ 2011 Valencia Orange 1M 2003 E46 M3 (1/2 daily driver) 2011 E92 M3 track car (fun) 2011 E92 M3 / 4.2 Stroker Dinan Engine (1/2 daily driver)
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01-10-2026, 05:28 PM	#2
ctuna Lieutenant General 2438 Rep 14,067 Posts Drives: 325xi 06 wagon MT Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Santa Cruz, Ca iTrader: (0)	You might have better Luck on the Idrive subforum . bmw boards and links https://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=99 https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=27 https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2 https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=122 https://bimmerretrofit.com/store/ https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=197 https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=378 https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=16 https://www.e90post.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=368
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01-11-2026, 08:27 AM	#3
oVeRdOsE. Colonel 4723 Rep 2,739 Posts Drives: F25 E91N54 Audi Avnt Cayenne Join Date: May 2018 Location: mtl iTrader: (0)	did you tried a older Bluetooth AVRCP version under dev option ? Ive 5.3v unfortunately, can't tell, mine is working.
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