The VW app is falling short in every area that matters. For over a week, it’s been stuck showing my car at 80% charge with one door open—neither of which is true. The actual charge is 55%, and there’s been no update. This kind of stale data makes the app unreliable for even basic monitoring.Beyond that, remote controls like lock/unlock don’t exist at all. The app also fails to show nearby chargers or let me search within a specific area. And the navigation software? It routinely ignores Electrify America stations—even when they’re close by and offer free charging for 30 minutes even though that mainly apply to everyone. Instead, it routes me to paid stations, which feels like a missed opportunity or worse, a deliberate oversight.For an EV experience that’s supposed to be smart and connected, this app feels like a half-built prototype. VW needs to fix the sync issues, add remote functionality which is long due, and overhaul the navigation logic to prioritize cost-effective charging. Right now, it’s more frustrating than helpful.

We purchased our 2022 VW Atlas SEL R-Line Premium earlier this year and both the vehicle and this app have been a complete nightmare. There are so many electrical problems with the car that over the last 6 months it has been in the shop for nearly three months. With this app specifically, we will get notifications that the doors are open when we are driving on the highway and they are clearly closed. The car will start itself randomly with nobody around and the keys not even with us. The stereo system will sometimes not work at all and other times not shut off until the battery is disconnected. You might think it’s just the stereo but the entire vehicle’s computer system is controlled through the stereo. Things like lane assist, crash avoidance, climate control. Navigation, and absolutely everything else. Speaking of lane assist and crash avoidance, it will sometimes not work at all even in a situation where a collision is probable and sometimes it will go crazy, jiggle the steering wheel, apply the brakes and scare the crap out of us when no other vehicles or even stationary objects are nearby. I could write a novel on just the electrical issues with this vehicle but I would rather you Google Atlas Electrical Problems and see just how many other drivers have similar issues. Some are down right gut wrenching. Please do not purchase a VW Atlas unless you are interested in being disappointed and having $60,000 worth of buyers remorse.

This is an abysmal app that is essentially worthless aside from the fact that it DOES accurately express charging details and DOES ultimately engage climate control (within 1-2 minutes) and it does express actual miles. Aside from this the app is so glitchy and frustrating it makes me want to sell my 2023 ID4. It’s a shame an otherwise great company like VW would choose to outsource such vital technology to a company that sullies the driving experience and sours me on a vehicle I otherwise love. Issues: 1) While using the car’s internal WiFi it blocks my ability to perform basic search functions on my iPhone while stopped. 2) Often times Maps will not work wirelessly - EVEN WHEN WIFI IS DISABLED! Infuriating. 3) Only when connected via USB will CarPlay work normally as expected. So Volkwagen, if you’re reading this know that if you lose me as a customer it will be exclusively due to this awful technology. All CarNet seems to want to do is sell me a $20/month Verizon subscription which I do not want or need. And my Verizon app always comes up as a distraction to ask me if I want to “activate.” I’ve never had a car in the last decade that doesn’t provide free, seamless WiFi integration to support basic CarPlay functionality. And worse yet, when you speak with someone from CarNet they seem to know nothing at all aside from the suggestion I add $20/month to my lease payment by purchasing a Verizon plan.

The Volkswagen engineers are considered some of the smartest people on earth. Engineering that has amazed me. They build some of the finest machines on the face of the earth. And then they publish (or farm out to another company) this woefully inferior car integration app. Hyundai Blue Link and others are far superior. And when I say superior I cannot stress it enough. The developers of this app should be ashamed and would be if they ever used another one. I have never seen a commercial product be so glitchy. I just tried to use it to lock the doors of our Atlas and it told me I have no cars in my garage. Later I’ checked it again and voilà the car is there.Hopefully some manager somewhere is reading the reviews. And making changes somehow. I say that and then see reviews that mention it hasn’t changed in five years. I regret not waiting for the Hyundai Palisade to be available. You might think I am being a little bit overboard on selecting a vehicle based on their app. To some degree I am. But there are other things about the Atlas that are disappointing. Engineered very well but the value for what you get dollar for dollar is not even close to other manufacturers. One more thing the subscription is expensive compared to other companies.I’m glad we leased this time. It probably will be our first and last Volkswagen.