What is it about car apps that make them so unreliable?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mark W
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Mark W

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So, I'm on my fourth car that has an app for it. I use the apps are various times for various reasons, but the most important function to me is the remote start feature to either warm or cool the car. If I had to guess, I would say that the apps work maybe 65% of the time? It is so frustrating when it doesn't work.

Nissan Leaf - 40%
Honda Clarity - 65%
Hyundai Ioniq - 60% (until recently, it has not worked at all for the past month)
Chevy Bolt - 95%

It seems that others I talk to have the same experience. What is it that makes this so difficult for automakers to get right? I can't say it's cell reception. The reception for AT&T (and Verizon) is pretty rock solid in my area.
 
Mark W said:
So, I'm on my fourth car that has an app for it. I use the apps are various times for various reasons, but the most important function to me is the remote start feature to either warm or cool the car. If I had to guess, I would say that the apps work maybe 65% of the time? It is so frustrating when it doesn't work.

Nissan Leaf - 40%
Honda Clarity - 65%
Hyundai Ioniq - 60% (until recently, it has not worked at all for the past month)
Chevy Bolt - 95%

It seems that others I talk to have the same experience. What is it that makes this so difficult for automakers to get right? I can't say it's cell reception. The reception for AT&T (and Verizon) is pretty rock solid in my area.
Click to expand...
On the Inside EVs forums I read about the problems people have with their vehicle apps and give thanks that both my Clarity PHEV and MINI Cooper SE have been working reliably for years.

I had problems getting the Clarity app set up in 2017, when we got the first Clarity around, and one problem when it stopped working for everyone for a short period of time. Otherwise, I've had nothing to complain about.

If everyone in my situation was trumpeting weekly, "My app is still working!" perhaps the problems you've experienced would seem minor in comparison (though, of course, not minor for you and fellow app sufferers). I could be both lucky and wrong--maybe many have simply abandoned their apps because they're so unreliable.

Look how cute the Christmas theme for the MINI app is (it's animated so the snow is continuously falling):

upload_2022-12-10_9-33-56.webp

I love that the app depicts my exact MINI Cooper SE colors and accessories.
 
teslarati97 said:
Are the telematics services using 3G or 4G/5G?
I still see a hood scoop. :D
Click to expand...

It appears 3G is history. From the report I received following my SE's 2-year maintenance appointment, here's the part about the 3G Sunset update:
upload_2022-12-10_14-13-59.webp


No, you do not see a hood scoop here (and, no, I didn't erase it in Photoshop to match my scoopless SE):

upload_2022-12-10_14-14-43.webp
 
Mainly because car builders writing apps gets you the same quality you'd expect from an app writer building a car...

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk
 
bwilson4web said:
You are forgiven.

Until 2G cell service was turned off by the cell networks, our BMW i3 App was pretty good. As for the Tesla App, it uses Bluetooth for critical functions and 4G(?) for the rest.

Bob Wilson
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. I was not aware of that.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
At one time the BMW could for a fee get upgraded to G3. The only function lost was the App. My wife had already turned off GPS tracking so the remaining functions were not worth it.

Bob Wilson
 
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