My BMW 4+

In todays digital age everything seems to be over complicated and needs a password or an account to make it work. When you eventually get the device or software working- you wonder if it was worth it!.
Well this phone app is a must for armchair mechanics or the non technical.
Once installed, it initially tells you exactly what is going on with your car without leaving your armchair- engine oil OK: tyre pressures OK: did I close the windows now it’s raining - no matter, at the touch of a button you can close your windows: lock your car: make your car flash its lights as you can’t quite remember on which floor you left your car. Your car has a built in tracker: the app shows you its exact location on a detailed map - very handy if someone “borrows” your car without permission. It also records mileage and a lot of other features. This app is extremely useful and I thoroughly recommend it.

This application documents the sluggish transition of BMW from internal combustion engines to EVs.

For an ICE vehicle being able to set up your destination and check on whether the windows are closed are nice features to have. For an EV, being able to check up on the current charge status, charge progress and build a route plan on long-distance journeys, including planned brake/charging points are necessary. And this application is not yet up to that task. An obvious sign of this is the fact that the map view has a "petrol station" button, even if your vehicle is fully electric. Then there is the emphasis on servicing, despite the fact that EV servicing is limited to checking the tyres and topping up screen wash. Meanwhile, important things like the charge status are not immediately visible as a phone widget or on an Apple Watch screen, nor can you ask for advance warning "your car will be charged in 10 minutes" messages. I am using a better route planner for route planning, and Tronity for vehicle charge status. This costs me a few euros a month-but it's needed to compensate for this application. Finally, I really wish BMW would supply the integration needed for Apple maps to be the EV aware -as they have demonstrated at Apple events. Please BMW: improve your phone integration.

The app itself is very basic vs other manufacturers. It would be interesting to understand why. In terms of the functionality of the app I followed the instructions in order to connect to my car. according to the log within the app I have only made one successful command over the past month and a half, which I put down to it being within range of bluetooth. Remotely I dont think it has ever worked as it flags an error. I’ve phoned technical who then emailed me requesting current software versions etc. The process is laborious, it may work for BMW in order for them to simultaneously handle many of an issue but from a customer satisfaction perspective is archaic and very frustrating. I love my car hate the app I’ve not seen anything more technologically advanced since owning my prior BMW in 2017. On a more serious note if you wish to rely on this app to track your cars whereabouts in the event it is stolen or other reasons forget it.
I’ve since had someone from bmw support email me saying my car needs a software update. I only bought it from a main dealer around June. Instead of the developers commenting on here and providing a number that when you ring is only used to create a reference then puts u in a slow to respond email process how about old fashioned technical support given how much a BMW costs.