Update MBUX 2.6.1
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 40
Likes: 9
From: Philadelphia Suburbs
2025 GLE 63 S SUV
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: May 2018
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From: Illinois
2021 c300 Cab. Arrived 7/28/21 . 24 GLE 450e.
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2025
Posts: 2
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GLE 450e
How do you activate sound drive? I downloaded this update too but couldnt find it. Also is DOLBY atmos supported now? Where would that be to enable it? I have the S25 Ultra and cant seem to see it on the mercedes. Would it work via bluetooth or android auto.
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 784
Likes: 403
From: SWFL
2024 GLE 450, 2009 SLK 300
You activate sound drive with your Mercedes app. Dolby Atmos is supported by using the Apple Music app or the Amazon Music app available on your display. I don't believe it is available via a wireless connection from your iPhone. I did get it to work via a wired connection on my iPhone using Apple Music. Now I just use the music app.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Colorado
'21 AMG53 wDPP & ARC, 19 GLC300 - Former-03 C240,2 ML BlueTecs,20 GLE450 E-ABC,15 Cayenne D,17 Macan
I sure miss my Burmester 3D. My SA dropped the ball on my '21 order when he left it out. It was the best five grand I've spent - on my '20. The car was a COVID disaster, but I'd sit in my garage, enjoying the sound system with massage.
Not a fan of Atmos in my home theater, though.
Not a fan of Atmos in my home theater, though.
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 40
Likes: 9
From: Philadelphia Suburbs
2025 GLE 63 S SUV
It took me less time to install Windows 3.1 and Office 4.3 in a VM on my iPhone and that was with finding and downloading a ton of floppy images from archive.org and figuring out how to get it to work…
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 40
Likes: 9
From: Philadelphia Suburbs
2025 GLE 63 S SUV
MBWorld God!
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 32,222
Likes: 6,281
I sure miss my Burmester 3D. My SA dropped the ball on my '21 order when he left it out. It was the best five grand I've spent - on my '20. The car was a COVID disaster, but I'd sit in my garage, enjoying the sound system with massage.
Not a fan of Atmos in my home theater, though.
Not a fan of Atmos in my home theater, though.
MBWorld God!
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 32,222
Likes: 6,281
Totally not bashing anyone who got the facelift here, it is still a great vehicle and if you got used to the capacitive touch, good job! Please continue to enjoy the vehicle. I am sorry if it sounded like I was bashing or being rude, I want to clear that misunderstanding.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 9,062
Likes: 4,565
From: Maryland
2024 S580
The capacitive touch was a poor design move, but it doesn’t diminish the car overall which is excellent. I would still want the refresh over the pre refresh every time, capacitive touch and all.
At least you GLS and GLE guys have real door handles! My daughter refuses to use the door handles on my S580 because they try and bite her lol
At least you GLS and GLE guys have real door handles! My daughter refuses to use the door handles on my S580 because they try and bite her lol
Junior Member
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 40
Likes: 9
From: Philadelphia Suburbs
2025 GLE 63 S SUV
- Mercedes decides to bless your vehicle with an update prompt.
- You initiate the download. This will take a lot less time if you connect to your home WiFi.
- "Installing" occurs. This took close to 2 hours of driving around for me across multiple days. It will pause when you turn off the vehicle, and it doesn't always resume immediately when it restarts so if you do a lot of short trips it might take longer.
- Once the "Installing" is done, it's not really done. I suspect the "Installing" was actually uncompressing the archive it downloaded and staging the files. The actual install involves another prompt on the screen and takes ~10 minutes. It doesn't seem to require you to be in the vehicle because I got bored, shut it off, and left.
- If you come back later and start the vehicle you'll see a pop-up that says 2.6.1 is installed and now you have MBUX Sound Drive. You don't.
- At some point in the future, for me it was about 20 minutes later, you'll get a push notification to the Mercedes app saying your update is done.
- Again, at some point in the future, for me it was about 30 minutes later, you'll get another push notification telling you that you have a Digital Extra that isn't enabled. At this point you can open the app, click the little car in the upper left, click Manage Digital Extras, then click MBUX Infotainment and scroll down to MBUX Sound Drive. You STILL don't have the feature in your vehicle.
- No amount of leaving and coming back made it appear for me yesterday. This morning when I started it up though I had a new option inside Media for Sound Drive.
My initial review after about 30 minutes of driving is that it's pretty "meh" unless you're driving aggressively. If you're just cruising along it doesn't change anything, and if you stop it gets rid of most of the audio aside from some quiet bass tones. It might be a lot more interesting on a track where you alternate between hard breaking and acceleration.
Also, and I didn't know this before this morning, but apparently this is a collab between Mercedes and will.i.am... I'd guess there's a large percentage of the Mercedes customer base who will not like ANY of the songs included.
Oh, and the update deleted half my personalized settings...
MBWorld God!
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 32,222
Likes: 6,281
The capacitive touch was a poor design move, but it doesn’t diminish the car overall which is excellent. I would still want the refresh over the pre refresh every time, capacitive touch and all.
At least you GLS and GLE guys have real door handles! My daughter refuses to use the door handles on my S580 because they try and bite her lol
At least you GLS and GLE guys have real door handles! My daughter refuses to use the door handles on my S580 because they try and bite her lol
