BMW Connected – Your Personal Mobility Companion gets an important update, plus availability for Alexa and Android devices starting in October.

• Alexa integration facilitates managing your mobility agenda and vehicle functions from home.
• First mile navigation provides walking directions to your vehicle’s current location.
• Apple Watch app puts important trip information within easy reach.
• BMW Connected for Android expands the service footprint to more customers.

Woodcliff Lake, NJ… October 6, 2016... Beginning today, the BMW Connected personal mobility companion emcompasses new services and additional devices. The launch of BMW Connected Version 3.0 for iOS includes new benefits, such as: Alexa integration, first mile navigation, vehicle service alerts, a battery-saving mode, and an Apple Watch app. BMW Connected Version 1.0 for Android is also now available.

With the announcement of BMW Connected at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and its market launch earlier this year, BMW kicked off its vision of an intelligent, highly personalized network of digital services that integrate the vehicle seamlessly into the life of the consumer. Using its flexible platform – the Open Mobility Cloud – as a basis, BMW Connected services is available anytime, anywhere – inside or outside the vehicle. Additionally, with its ability to create an intelligent BMW ID based on a user’s travel patterns over time, BMW Connected users get a personalized experience over all available touchpoints, including smartphones, smartwatches, and Alexa-enabled devices.

Download BMW Connected for iOS

Download BMW Connected for Android

The update further improves convenience and connectivity. BMW Connected was initially available for Apple iPhone users and starting today, Android-based smartphones will also be supported. The update of BMW Connected also covers the new Apple Watch Series 2. Customers are now able to call up information such as driving times based on current traffic, as well as a map showing the navigation destination on the watch, and use that information without having to take out their smartphone. Plus, integration into Alexa allows users to control vehicle functions from home via voice commands. Typical functions that can be controlled include vehicle door lock and battery charge status.

With BMW Connected, mobility begins before the user gets into the car and does not have to end once they park. Last mile navigation displays the route users need to take from their car to their final destination on their mobile device. The new update to BMW Connected also sees users benefitting from first mile navigation – the route back to their vehicle is now accessible via BMW Connected.

New filter functions allow BMW Connected to be adapted even more precisely to personal needs. For instance, searches for charging stations for BMW i models or BMW iPerformance vehicles can be refined using criteria such as the charging method involved, membership in the ChargeNow network, and the accepted payment method(s). Charging stations which do not meet the selected criteria are not shown. Furthermore, users can access more information on their vehicle, such as the tire pressure and engine oil level.

The new BMW Connected visual design increases ease of use, with upgraded graphics that sharpen the focus on the desired information. In order to increase the run time of the devices in use, BMW Connected now also offers an additional mode which conserves battery life.

Amazon Alexa brings BMW Connected into your home.

“With the availability of BMW Connected as an Alexa skill in USA, customers will for the first time be able to manage their personal mobility agenda and operate vehicle from their homes. The integration between Alexa and BMW Connected is underlining BMW’s promise to constantly integrate BMW Connected into new touchpoints and to expand its digital services,” says Dieter May, Senior Vice President Digital Services and Business Models at BMW Group.

The first version of BMW Connected, available in the U.S. since March 2016, focused primarily on journey management and remote services. Now, BMW Connected is literally coming home. With the availability of BMW Connected as an Alexa skill on all Alexa-enabled devices, such as the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot, it is now possible to use voice commands to check the vehicle’s battery charge and fuel level, for example, as well as lock the vehicle remotely. The BMW Connected Alexa skill allows users to learn about their next scheduled trip, find out what time to leave, and send the destination to their BMW.

“We’re excited to work with BMW to bring their Alexa skill to customers,” said Rob Pulciani, Director, Amazon Alexa. “Never before have BMW and Alexa users been able to control their connected cars using hands-free voice control from their home — and now with the BMW Alexa skill, customers can use Alexa voice technology to lock their car doors, check their fuel level, and more without lifting a finger. We can’t wait for customers to try it out.”

The skill works by using the activation word “Alexa,” followed by the invocation name “BMW,” which allows users to access the relevant functions, e.g. “Alexa, ask BMW when I should leave for my next appointment.” The vision of BMW Connected integrated with Alexa was first revealed earlier this year at CES 2016 in Las Vegas. The vision has now become a reality, and we expect to continue to release more innovative Alexa updates in the coming months. Today, users in the U.S. can access BMW Connected through enabling the Alexa skill and linking their BMW Connected account in the Amazon Alexa app.

BMW Connected for Android.

The BMW Connected portfolio is constantly evolving into other relevant digital ecosystems and touchpoints to broaden and improve the customer experience. BMW Connected for Android is now available in the USA, bringing the service to more devices and more customers.

About BMW Connected.

With BMW Connected, mobility begins before you take the wheel. The BMW Connected service is a digital companion offered in the form of an app for iPhone and Android smartphones, and combines the various functions that assist with everyday mobility requirements. BMW Connected scans for any mobility-related information, such as the addresses and arrival times contained in calendar entries, and notifies the driver of the ideal departure time for arriving at their destination punctually making use of real-time traffic information. BMW Connected easily allows communication from other apps to transfer places and points of interest, storing them as a destination together with the desired arrival time, and then effortlessly importing them to BMW in-car navigation systems with just a few clicks. Additionally, remote services such as locking or unlocking the doors and turning on the ventilation or air conditioning system1 are available at the driver’s fingertips, as well as the ability to notify contacts of their estimated time of arrival displayed on the in-car screen. 1 Depending on vehicle model.

Download BMW Connected for iOS

Download BMW Connected for Android

For more information on BMW Connected North America, visit www.bmw.com/getconnected.

BMW Group In America:

BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; Designworks, a strategic design consultancy based in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 and X3 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 and X4 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 341 BMW passenger car and BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 153 BMW motorcycle retailers, 126 MINI passenger car dealers, and 36 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

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Journalist note: Information about BMW and its products in the USA is available to journalists online at www.bmwusanews.com.

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