[ElectroGeek]

just seeing what everyone thinks..

the app is basic, and not reliable..

how is it BMW can't make a advanced app, from it I should be able to do anything.. but no I can barely unlock and start the car.. seriously disappointed in BMW

[Paladin1]

FWIW, the Audi app isn't any better....

[doctorttt]

I'm a first time BMW driver. My view is that the Connected Drive app is something that's good to have but not a deal breaker. BMW, with its slogan as the Ultimate Driving Machine, is not known for software programming, so my bar on the app is much less. The downside of the app is that it is slow; otherwise, it is functional.

[kkratochvil]

If you search the forums, you'll find that your "it sucks" metaphor is pretty much shared by most. For those of you that haven't had it break yet, be wary, as your time will likely come!

If you're using iOS, just start reading the most recent Reviews in the App Store. I'm on just day 3 of it working fine with my G06. I went from early January to mid-March without it working at all on my F15. In troubleshooting it on my F15, it got to the point nothing worked (couldn't connect to the store, RTTI didn't work and I couldn't even use the SOS button). After over 2 months of troubleshooting by the BMW Assist folks, they finally said: "Well, it has to be a hardware problem, so take it to the dealer." I escalated to "Managers" multiple times before that, which is pretty much useless and complained to BMWUSA Customer Relations 2-3 times as well. (I asked the Customer Relations person: "Have you or any of the Customer Relations folks ever gone out and read the Reviews in the Apple App Store?" Their response: "No, but that's a good idea!". I said that was sad and suggested they read it.

Amazingly, 1 week later and the day before I was taking it into the dealer to get the HW checked out, it all started working again. Everything! Amazing, considering it had to be a HW problem...but nothing was changed.

The reality is that the BMW Assist support folks are HORRIBLE. No one there knows what they're doing. I've been in the technology business for 30 years now. I've never ran into an organization as incompetent with technology as that group. Clearly, it starts with their management at the top of that organization.

It really is giving BMW a black eye, for no reason other that poor leadership in the technology space. While I agree with those that say "The Ultimate Driving Machine" doesn't need an App to work to do that...but it is the future. I know my local dealer has had at least 2 new vehicles returned in the first 30 days because no one could get Apple CarPlay to work on the vehicle and the owner expected that...seems harsh, but it's not unreasonable. To some customers, the technology not working is probably a bigger deal to them than if the xDrive system didn't work...