Kia Access app dead?

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The thread is about the phone app that accesses the car. Clearly Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is not appropriate.

Yes WiFi might be nice for updates, although probably a bit slower than updating with a memory device.

Greg
 
With a memory device I have to download the update to the memory device, then put in in the car and upload it. With wifi, I just tell the car to install the update and walk away. Haven't compared the time it takes, but the wifi is certainly easier.
 
That's true, although with the Kia servers being so slow, I'm much happier firing off the download in the evening and getting it the next day. If you have not updated it yet (I have 4 times), you will see.

For the current situation, leaving my car immobile for 6 hours is not my cup of tea.

With good servers it would be more efficient.

Greg
 
Our app worked perfectly for a few months and then just gave errors. Same with the website. It will send "charge ended" alerts and update after the car hits full charge, reporting the mileage and charge level on the website, but real time and on-demand updating, locking the vehicle, preheating etc didn't work. The 1 year UVO "trial" has long since expired and I uninstalled the app a long time ago. There wasn't much there to justify paying a monthly fee for anyway. Frankly I uninstalled the app for my Bolt, too. Just nothing useful there.
 
Almost always it's a poor reception spot where you normally leave the car.

My parking place has not moved since the house was built, but my 2 Fiats had trouble with their reporting back to the servers, but luckily the same parking place is reliable for the Kia...

Also, over time, cell sites can change as well as radiation patterns.... affected by new buildings, changes in antenna structure.

Greg
 
Greg Elmassian said:
Almost always it's a poor reception spot where you normally leave the car.

My parking place has not moved since the house was built, but my 2 Fiats had trouble with their reporting back to the servers, but luckily the same parking place is reliable for the Kia...

Also, over time, cell sites can change as well as radiation patterns.... affected by new buildings, changes in antenna structure.

Greg
Click to expand...

Possibly, but it would be unlikely. It didn’t work anywhere the car was parked. Nor in my garage, but the car was able to report end of charges and update after charging was complete in the garage, so the car had the ability to communicate. I think it was just a glitch in the account.
 
Greg Elmassian said:
so how can you guarantee connectivity? Clearly a public cellular network covers basically wherever you go.

WiFi would rely on free/open access points, not too many of those on the highway right? Like none.

Bluetooth would not work at all of course, not only shorter range, but you would have to go to every computer and request pairing, so not even possible.

The idea is that the car can be reached by the Kia servers, not your phone....

Think of the problem to be solved, connectivity to the car no matter where it, or you are...

Greg
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What I am saying is that 8 hours a day at least your car sits at home. 8 hours it sits at work. Both of these places have wifi. If they a 15 cent wifi modem in addition to the cellular it would make the car more useful 5 years from now when they change their minds about how they support apps.
 
Of the 2 places I don't need remote access to my car is work and home. The car is 30 feet away.

I want remote access when I am nowhere near my car, a store, or when I have forgotten to lock or something else.

Also 5 years from now who cares, new car, new technology, etc.

Greg
 
Greg Elmassian said:
Of the 2 places I don't need remote access to my car is work and home. The car is 30 feet away.

I want remote access when I am nowhere near my car, a store, or when I have forgotten to lock or something else.

Also 5 years from now who cares, new car, new technology, etc.

Greg
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Seriously?
Every winter day I want to start the heat

The most likely places are home and work

Not that the app works very well in the best of times
 
Robert Besen said:
My 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid has wifi and I can easily update the software over my home network while the car is sitting in the garage. Pretty handy. I really wish my Niro had the same capability.
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If the Niro had WiFi onboard, it may be able to wirelessly access Carplay/Android Auto because wifi has the necessary bandwidth to project video.
 
That is the best reason for onboard wifi in my opinion. Sorry about you guys in the colder states, I have heard of snow, seen it in pictures ;)

My 1 one year free subscription is up and I'm kind of operating on principal not spending the outrageous extra cost for remote start. It costs them nothing more. Figured I could do without it, the heater and AC fire up pretty fast.

Greg
 
Still working as of this morning
I am thinking it must have been a software glitch that eventually reset itself.

App is still junk tho

BTW Greg, San Diego, grrr, mutter mutter mutter...........
 
The app for my car is working, except for the past 2 days "find my car" stopped working. Whenever I click on "find my car" I get thrown out of the app.
 
I didn't opt into paying a fee for the app after the first year and didn't notice much difference in usability. Although, I don't use the features very much. It still gives my vehicle charge status, estimated range, start/stop climate, remote battery start/stop, etc... Definitely not going to pay a fee for any upgrade.
 
Robert Besen said:
I definitely don't get start/stop climate with the free version. Are you in the US, and is your phone ios or android?
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I'm in the US and have an iOS phone. Not sure if the climate control actually works as I haven't tried it... However the option seems to be available
 
I got climate control and all the bells and whistles for a year, now I have to pay. During that time climate control worked, although it seemed it reached the set temperature and then turned off, it did not seem to stay on and maintain the temperature.
 
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