My BMW Remote app ready to Play with Android
Stateside and overseas iOS users with a predilection for remotely controlling high-end German autos have had nearly a half year's worth of smug to lord over their Android counterparts. Not so anymore, as BMW's spreading the love and making its Remote app available now for that Google-led contingent on the Play store. The car maker hasn't updated this iteration with any additional perks, preferring instead to keep the user experience consistent and giving drivers of BMW Assist-enabled vehicles the same ability to remotely lock doors, adjust the A/C, blow the horn or trigger the car's lights from afar. The app also includes a maps feature for locating your lost ride (fear not privacy paranoiacs, it's only accessible while the ignition is turned off) and an option to import favorited places from Local Search. Sure, it's a nice olive branch for car owners that once felt left outside the gates of vainglory, but we'll reserve our excitement for mobile-operated ovens. Now that's luxury at its best.
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Smart vehicle control. Multifunctional My BMW Remote app now also available for smartphones with Android operating system.
31.07.2012
Munich. The My BMW Remote app is now available for smartphones running the Android operating system, too. The application can be downloaded for free from the Google Play store (Android Market), and offers all the same functionalities as the iPhone version first brought out in autumn 2010.
My BMW Remote allows users to operate all manner of functions in their BMW from outside the vehicle, without even having to be nearby:
"Remote Door Lock & Unlock" allows the car to be locked and unlocked from a smartphone.
"Climate Control" makes it possible to control the interior temperature by adjusting the auxiliary ventilation and heating settings, and programming the systems by timer.
With "Horn Blow" for sounding the horn and "Flash Light" for briefly switching on the exterior lights, users can trigger acoustic and visual signals to help them find their vehicle in crowded car parks, for instance.
· If the car is out of sight and hearing distance but within a radius of up to 1,5 km, the "Vehicle Finder" function is able to display a map on the smartphone screen showing the way to the vehicle's location. This function is only available when the ignition is switched off, thereby making it impossible to track the vehicle's movements.
Finally, using Google Local Search, users are able to import points of interest (POIs) from their smartphone into the vehicle's navigation system via the message list.
"By extending our My BMW Remote app to Android devices as well, we are responding to the recent rapid spread of this operating system," explains Dr Eckhard Steinmeier, Head of BMW ConnectedDrive. "Google Android is the fastest-growing software platform for smartphones and tablets, so we are now delighted to be able to offer our customers the remote app functions on this operating system, too."
Both My BMW Remote apps can be used in conjunction with a valid BMW ConnectedDrive contract in all current models equipped with BMW Assist. The range of functions may vary depending on the model, year of manufacture and destination market. Customers receive detailed information regarding this when downloading the application.
