BMW has announced that its car owners will be able to control the GoPro camera using the vehicles's on-board infotainment system.
With the new feature, BMW owners will be able to start or stop recording, as well as also select between six pre-set modes: "Leisure Drive Facing Out, Night Driving, Sport Drive Facing Out, Drive Camera Facing In, Winding Road Time-lapse, and Straight Road Time-lapse."
"Working with GoPro to design this integration was remarkable," says Phil Johnston, Head of BMW Group AppCenter USA. "'Creative' and 'insightful' just begin to describe the experience. GoPro is a natural fit for BMW enthusiast drivers. The power and flexibility of the BMW Group App Integration Platform coupled with GoPro's advanced camera technology brings new, safe, and engaging experiences to the enthusiasts that were previously not possible. When the camera is connected to the car, it allows GoPro's app to present context-appropriate presets that allow the enthusiast to capture the perfect shot."
BMW car owners who have a 2012 or later model and equipped with BMW Apps or Mini Connected will be able to download a new app in July this year. To access the action camera from the car's infotainment system, the GoPro camera should have Wi-Fi capability. The upcoming app should be installed on an iPhone, which is connected to the vehicle.
Once all the above requirements are met, the app will be ready to be configured. Users will be able to control the GoPro camera via iDrive and also display a near-to-live image on the screen of the car's infotainment system. BMW car owners will be able to see recording time, battery life of the camera as well as signal strength on the dashboard display.
Adam Silver, GoPro Director of Strategic Product Opportunities says that the company wants drivers to record their on-road experience with the action camera. The partnership with BMW is the initial step for GoPro to deliver such experience to drivers.
The integration between the car and the camera is intended to lower any distractions to the driver while trying to record a driving experience. The app can control only one camera at a time. Users who want to take videos from various angles will have to take multiple takes.
Check out the video of the action camera on the BMW M3/M4 with GoPro app integration.
