BMW Updates Connected App With Car Keys Support

[matrix07]

Wait a minute...

You wan't me to get out my phone and hold it near my car to unlock it? And then I have to put it in a certain spot inside the car to start the car. Why is this better than the key-fob that stays in my pocket, lets me in my locked car, and to start it from the pocket.

With Apple Watch you don’t even have to take out anything.

 

[trinec]

The Tesla is much faster, better app, true keyless entry (cc card backup), rollercoaster acceleration, drives and turns itself, better handling, better nav/infotainment system, and much better resale. Also, they come to you if you need service. One last thing, I never have to go to a gas station again.

And the lack of missing sound. Just for the "brumm brumm" and exhaust popping I just take a usual petrol powered car and bike

 

[domdomdom]

I’m confused! The original rumours showed screen shots found in iOS 13 with a BMW i8 EV yet the formal press release has completely ignored ALL of their EV range. We have just ordered a new BMW i3 electric vehicle which has yet to go into production. I would love this feature on the new car, but am I going to get it?!

 

[predation]

Why they are the same apart from
Always on display?

So you have to buy a new watch and a bmw. 😂

 

[drew0020]

And the lack of missing sound. Just for the "brumm brumm" and exhaust popping I just take a usual petrol powered car and bike

Nothing beats the sound of a good engine haha!

 

[Subhumanguy]

Nobody has mentioned this but Mazda has had this feature available already on at least 2020 Mazda 3. With registering vehicle on MyMazda App you can use your phone to start/stop engine, lock doors, etc. I was told by the dealer when I got my car in March when this feature with the Mymazda app wasn’t available that the car was equipped with NFC tech and will be able to be used with Mazda app as well as CarPlay. The dealer said Mazda has not included this information in the specs of cars and features and is keeping it secret and will slowly release the feature and information. Still nothing from Mazda on Carplay but definitely works with the Mazda App.View attachment 930157

BMW's Connected app has let you remotely lock, unlock, start/stop the engine for years using the car's built in cellular data connection.

What's new is the ability to use your phone nearly exactly as you would a key via NFC. Does the Mazda only let you perform remote commands rather than acting as an actual key (i.e. if you just have your phone and not your physical key could you drive off in the Mazda?) Currently with BMW even if you remote start with the Connected app you still must have the physical key to drive away.

BMW actually also has a card-style key (ala Tesla) that uses NFC. My car (2020 BMW M340) came with it and I never bothered to even activate it...I feel inspired to give it a try now.

 

[Yammabot]

As I’ve stated previously this is 5 years too late and still in Wish list land. Right up there with car play. Why can’t I have a reasonable solution for my 2013 Toyota?

 

[ggibson913]

It’s a cool feature but not running out to purchase a new car to get it.

 

[FlyBry]

Does anyone know if this is going to work on BMW MINIs as well?

Only on a smaller scale
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So it won't work on my 2020 X3 nor my 2018 440 Gran Coupe? Come on guys! Now it will be interesting to see if this gets the per service treatment and they try to charge you on a yearly bases for this.

The "find my turn signal lever" app may work.
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Nobody has mentioned this but Mazda has had this feature available already on at least 2020 Mazda 3. With registering vehicle on MyMazda App you can use your phone to start/stop engine, lock doors, etc. I was told by the dealer when I got my car in March when this feature with the Mymazda app wasn’t available that the car was equipped with NFC tech and will be able to be used with Mazda app as well as CarPlay. The dealer said Mazda has not included this information in the specs of cars and features and is keeping it secret and will slowly release the feature and information. Still nothing from Mazda on Carplay but definitely works with the Mazda App.View attachment 930157

Hyundai has had similar technology on many of their cars for 4 years. Nothing magic about it when a $19K car has that tech.

 

[MrGuder]

So you have to buy a new watch and a bmw. 😂

For a limited time they are throwing in a new BMW with purchase of Apple Watch. But you must act fast but wait If you call in the next 5 mins we will double your order...that’s right!! Don’t wait, call now!!
(Subscription required, tax tag title not included, supplies limited)

 

[fairuz]

Yes, the two knobs on the steering wheel can do whatever. There's also voice controls. I don't really know why people like bringing up the climate control. How often does anyone actually touch that?



Why would there be? The car can send and receive messages, and it'll actually display the contents of your message on screen unlike CarPlay. Spotify and other audio programs are built in. Superior maps are built in, and any web based maps can be accessed via the touch screen. Netflix, games, an audio composition program, etc, are all built in. Wanting CarPlay is like wanting to be able to mirror your Apple Watch to your iPhone - it'd be a weird and inferior experience.

People are so used to the typical 1/5 car infotainment system that they think the 3/5 car infotainment system that CarPlay delivers is desirable, when really Tesla's 5/5 system is just better - wanting to shove in the 3/5 system would be dumb...

Although now that I think about it, it could probably be done with the current system. Can probably install something on a Raspberry Pi to make it show up as a wireless receiver for CarPlay, then just mirror what it gets to a web server that the Tesla browser can access.

With a subscription. I just want my phone to control that stuff cause that's what it's for. Tesla could easily support CarPlay if they wanted to. Ironically you're complaining about BMW not backporting a feature that Teslas don't even have in the first place.

Climate control, yeah people touch that. If it feels hot, you make it colder. If you're behind a diesel truck, you turn on recirculate. Knobs on the wheel to control the screen don't help make that eyes-free.

 

[kjvmartin]

With Apple Watch you don’t even have to take out anything.

Do I have to activate something on the watch? There should be no steps in the process to enter and start the car, the technology is already perfect. My budget Ford Escape already has an app to start/stop/lock/unlock the car and the key fob is entirely touch-less. Best of both worlds, I can remote start it from anywhere in the world and when not have to carry the key in my hand to operate the vehicle once I get to it.

I do not understand the benefit of adding my car key to my wallet and requiring steps to use it. This is not an advancement.

 

[sinsin07]

Why on earth would someone purchase a car that wasn't a Tesla?

If you can't swing a Model S your stuck with Model 3 and Model Y which are fugly.
If your stuck needing a mini van Model X has cool doors though.
No convertible option.

My cold weather car, BMW 328i HTC.​

My warm weather car, BMW 640i STC.​

My excite ride, old Ducati.​

I know there are BMW haters, but you can find haters anywhere on any subject so its irrelavant.

On a side note, I wish the Telsa drivers would stop eyeballing me every time I slide up to a red light with top down, its creepy.

 

[Techwatcher]

You wouldn't have had this feature yesterday in a Tesla as Tesla still doesn't support this. Tesla has a proprietary system that is similar, but it doesn't support Apple CarKey and, at minimum, requires a powered on phone to work whereas Apple's implementation will work for at least 5 hours after the phone has lost power. Additionally, it isn't yet known if the Apple implementation is more reliable as Tesla's implementation isn't without its quirks.

People would buy a car that isn't a Tesla simply because we're not all optimizing for the same thing nor do we all care for the same things. What's best or worse for any one of us will vary quite a lot. When I was shopping for my latest car I took a good solid look at Tesla and it didn't make sense for me in my situation. Instead I ordered a BMW 5 series PHEV. I'll list what put me off Tesla, but my negatives are reflective of my optimizations and realities... Of course YMMV.

• Tesla has serious build quality issues. Where you're expected to perform an extremely detailed pre-purchase inspection to spot everything from panel gaps to poor paint application. Including insanity such as spotting transportation damage. Not something I expect to be concerned about on a $50K+ car.
• Tesla navigation leaves a lot to be desired. It is not an un-common complaint that the system will direct drivers to inoperable super chargers on road trips that may seriously impede on your ability to complete a road trip.
• Tesla service can be a real crap shoot. Both in terms of reliability and availability. Dealership service can also be a crap shoot, but I have 10+ BMW dealers within 50 miles of my house.
• Privacy is a major requirement for me. Tesla collects a large volume of information from their cars and give you very limited options to limit or control that information. BMW on the other hand allows me a lot of control over data collected, the ability to request all collected data, and if I am feeling very paranoid I can disable the LTE connection in the car entirely.
• Tesla lacks many features I consider basic on cars at this price point. Simple things like FM Radio, AM Radio, SiriusXM, and CarPlay to name a few on the entertainment side. It also lacks HUD, Blind Spot Monitoring on the mirror, a standard Instrument Cluster to name a few on the safety side.
• Tesla also lacks an interior build quality that feels aligned to its price segment and it also doesn't feel like a car that will feel as solid and refined years into ownership.
• Lastly, Tesla seems focused heavily on turning the driver into a passenger and I enjoy driving.

Competition is good for all of us and Tesla isn't the right choice for everyone nor is BMW.

Well said.

 

[MiamiC70]

Apple Watch 5 required? Shouldn't that be 4 or 5, since they're basically the same except for the always-on screen?

Timmy can’t sell you a new watch if it did.

 

[ebika]

You know if you'd bought a Tesla it would have had this feature years ago, and that the Tesla would still be getting new features today?

Why on earth would someone purchase a car that wasn't a Tesla? We make fun of Android phones all the time on these forums for how they generally receive updates for about a year, then they rapidly age as they never get another update after that. Buying a non-Tesla is worse than that - a non-Tesla was generally last updated months-years before you bought it. It was worse than a Tesla when you bought it, and while the Tesla only gets better, everything else gets worse.

Sell your BMW now before you have to pay someone to get rid of it.

Tesla still has some catching up to do on fit and finish.

 

[onlycopunk]

With the Tesla argument, you Americans easily forget there’s a whole world out there in which Tesla is not an option.

BMW and Apple have a far greater global presence.

 

[sinsin07]

With the Tesla argument, you Americans easily forget there’s a whole world out there in which Tesla is not an option.

BMW and Apple have a far greater global presence.

You sound bitter.
Flip the script.
Maybe they didn’t forget.
Maybe they just don’t care because its irrelavant to the choices they have being in America.

To break it down succiently, why would an American car buyer concern themselves with what’s not available outside of the USA. Not a question.

 

[matrix07]

Do I have to activate something on the watch? There should be no steps in the process to enter and start the car, the technology is already perfect. My budget Ford Escape already has an app to start/stop/lock/unlock the car and the key fob is entirely touch-less. Best of both worlds, I can remote start it from anywhere in the world and when not have to carry the key in my hand to operate the vehicle once I get to it.

I do not understand the benefit of adding my car key to my wallet and requiring steps to use it. This is not an advancement.

Apple said that the next version of Car Key would be touchless. This is only the beginning I guess. Features can be added to Car Key just like any app update and this is the major benefit of using the phone. Yes, your app can be updated as well but this is integrated in the system.

 

[onlycopunk]

You sound bitter.

Not bitter at all. Just saying you can’t critique a company’s global product offerings based on the sole state of one market.

Back on topic, this alliance makes sense. If you also remember BMW and Apple have had a long history. BMW was the first auto maker to allow iPod to interface with the stereo to allow the control of music through the head unit what some 20 years ago.

 

[Jmausmuc]

Your next BMW might only have heated seats for 3 months

As services-based economies sweep every industry, it's time for the automotive realm to carry on.

www.cnet.com

Happy I moved away from BMW.

why would you believe Klickbait headlines?
All BMW is doing is what other like Tesla are already doing. Include the heated seats as Standart in front and rear and let you enable the ones in the rear via software if you please.
you can and always will be able to purchase it from the factory indefinitely.

nowhere in the press statement or anywhere else does BMW mention anything about 3 month.

 

[827538]

BMW have become a no-go brand for me. First it was charging a subscription for CarPlay - when $20k econoboxes include it for nothing.
Then it’s charging a subscription to enable things like heated seats.

Very happy with my Range Rover Sport, next car will probably be a Rivian, BMW can’t stop making bad decisions, their EV strategy fell to pieces.

 

[iLog.Genius]

BMW have become a no-go brand for me. First it was charging a subscription for CarPlay - when $20k econoboxes include it for nothing.
Then it’s charging a subscription to enable things like heated seats.

Very happy with my Range Rover Sport, next car will probably be a Rivian, BMW can’t stop making bad decisions, their EV strategy fell to pieces.

Jumping to too many conclusions like they are fact.

Also, their EV strategy didn't really fall to pieces. BMW, like other ICE manufacturers are still trying to find the correct balance on how to transition over to EV while still producing a profit from ICE to help fund the transition to EV. Don't really care what people think about the i8 and i3, those were excellent textbook exercises for BMW. Between all 3 German marques (BMW, Mercedes, Audi) BMW has shown the most in application through various EV/hybrid vehicles than the other 2 which should set them up nicely going into the future.

As for CarKey, everyone is looking at this like BMW/Apple is marketing this as a more efficient way than current comfort access solutions - it isn't. This is simply a better solution for those who have their lifestyle built around their phone whether it's banking, smart home products, etc. People are moving away from physical keys and cards and this is just going to help them. In the future, the only thing you really need to carry is your phone. Outside of Tesla, BMW is one of very few manufacturers that are embracing the shift and use of technology. Everybody hated iDrive when it was first introduced in the 7 Seres and now it's arguably the best infotainment in the industry.

 

[ipoddin]

I just want my 2019 5 series to support widescreen Carplay in the display. Is that too much to ask?

 

[bluespark]

Wait a minute...

You wan't me to get out my phone and hold it near my car to unlock it? And then I have to put it in a certain spot inside the car to start the car. Why is this better than the key-fob that stays in my pocket, lets me in my locked car, and to start it from the pocket.

Because it works when you don't have your key fob with you. And it lets you share your key wirelessly with someone else (for example, my wife may need my car on occasion, but she's not going to carry the spare fob with her all the time).