Has anybody seen this? My 2023 did not arrive with MINI Sharing preparation (option 5GE) so it can’t be retrofitted AKAIK. Can anybody who recently ordered or took delivery say they were offered this feature? Or if it comes already built into the car? Those still waiting can maybe check the VIN decoder sites to see if theirs will include 5GE. https://www.mini.com/en_MS/home/mini-sharing.html MINI SHARING. SHARE YOUR #MINILOVE HOW IT WORKS. As a MINI owner, you can use our pioneering MINI Sharing to share your MINI with your family and friends. All you have to do is accept a booking request using the intuitive app. It's sustainable, individual, flexible – and very MINI. 1 MINI. 10 DRIVERS. MINI Sharing lets you invite up to ten family members, friends or colleagues to share your MINI and become MINI drivers by using our all-in-one intuitive app. The integrated, shared calendar makes it easy to manage bookings in real time, and provide access to the MINI needed. Every user has full transparency of all requested, accepted and finished bookings. A MINI WHEN YOU NEED ONE. It all starts with a booking request to the owner of the MINI. Owners can grant VIP status to favourite drivers enabling them to book immediately without needing to wait for a confirmation. And confirmed bookings can always be overwritten by the owner. This ensures that the MINI owners maintain full control over their shareable vehicle. KEYLESS ACCESS & DRIVING. You can access the MINI with just one click on your smartphone using the app. It's the intuitive, digital key that guides drivers to the MINI, lets them unlock it and start the engine. It connects your device to your MINI via the MINI Sharing module fitted inside and unlocks a whole new world of opportunities. The MINI Sharing app works with almost any smartphone and can be downloaded on the App Store and Google Play Store*. *Available in selected markets. SAFE AND SECURE HANDOVER. The handover process is also managed via the app. After enjoying the ride, drivers only have to return the MINI to the Home Area set up by the owner. Then the car can easily be locked via the MINI Sharing app. As soon as the booking is finished and the car is locked, MINI Sharing creates a trip summary of the journey. The Home Area is defined by a radius of 300m around the home address entered by the owner. A booking can, however, also be finished outside this area. If this happens, the driver and the owner will be notified accordingly. MINI LOCALISATION. Your guest drivers can use the app to make a booking request from their smartphone in just a few clicks. After you have accepted a driver’s booking, and it is about to start, the location of your MINI and directions to it are displayed on their device. The Vehicle Location is the current position of the MINI. Owners know the exact vehicle location as long as there is no on-going booking. But during the booking period, only the driver who started the reservation can see the location of the vehicle in the MINI Sharing app. GET STARTED WITH THE MINI SHARING APP. Get your MINI Sharing module installed by your dealer. Download the MINI Sharing app from the App Store or Google Play Store – and sign up. As soon as your MINI is retrofitted with MINI Sharing technology, you’re ready to add your MINI to your account. By following the steps provided in the app, you can add your MINI as an owner. Once that’s successful, you can use your smartphone to open, drive and close your MINI. Upon arrival at the vehicle, the smartphone on which the app is installed enables your keyless entry to the car. A Bluetooth connection between the device and the MINI makes it possible to open the vehicle doors and start the engine by pressing the start/stop toggle switch. It couldn't be easier.
I’d be more interested in the digital key aspect of it than sharing with 10 other people. Not that I would ever go anywhere without the fob, so I certainly wouldn’t pay 1000 bucks to have the module installed and then €49 a year for the subscription just to say that I have a smart key on my phone like any Hyundai or Kia Comes with as standard equipment.
Is this Apple CarKey or did MINI implement their own solution? It's confusing since BMW allegedly supports Apple CarKey, but it reads like MINI's own solution.
I imagine it’s the same as for Turo; the person borrowing your car has to show proof of having full insurance. Note that this isn’t meant to be a money making scheme like Turo, you are limited to 10 contacts, such as friends and family to whom you might normally lend your car… Not that I’d do that lol. I don’t want my wife driving my car, let alone somebody I see every few weeks.
Originally I had wished I added this option. However the description states “You can access the MINI with just oneclick on your smartphone using the app.”. If it responds as slowly as the other commands in the app, you are so much better off keeping a key in your pocket and using the comfort access button.
I believe the module uses Bluetooth pairing like all the other digital keys out there. “The MINI Sharing app connects with the module via Bluetooth. Therefore, in order to open and close the vehicle and to turn the engine on you do not need an internet connection. The MINI Sharing app, however, connects to the server using the internet, so to create, start or end a reservation, you need to have an internet connection.” It uses Express as well, like most transit fare apps, allowing the phone to stay in your pocket. The internet — and therefore, the dog-slow connection — is only needed for location requests and booking a share, which doesn’t need to communicate with the car as quickly as needing to unlock a door and start the car.
