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Digital companion for MINI owners, new MINI App offers
enhanced digital customer experience with new look and functionality.
Woodcliff Lake, N.J., March 31, 2021.
MINI USA announced today the
launch of a new MINI App that provides customers a
new level of connectivity and digital services for their vehicles.
The new MINI App features a new design along with an
intuitive, simplified user experience, that offers updated features
and information, including services for customers with electrified MINIs.
The new generation app supersedes the MINI Connected App, further
expanding the seamless integration of features to enhance the digital
customer experience. The new MINI App runs on both
iOS and Android operating systems and is now available to be
downloaded free of charge from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
New MINI
App
Features and Highlights
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REMOTE ACCESS TO VEHICLE STATUS AND FUNCTIONS: The
new MINI App is the new universal interface to the
vehicle. It displays information about the status of the vehicle and
offers access to remote services such as locking and
unlocking the doors and locating the car
via the “Vehicle Finder” button.
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AMAZON ALEXA INTEGRATION: The new MINI
App also provides integration with Amazon
Alexa in vehicles from model year 2019 onwards. Once
customers have linked their Amazon account to the app, the voice
service can be activated with the touch of a button on the steering
wheel and prompting “Alexa”. This makes it possible for customers to
use voice control to play music, call up messages, control
compatible smart home devices and access a wide range of functions
via Amazon Alexa.
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SMART SERVICES FOR ELECTRIFIED MINI OWNERS: The
new MINI App offers services for the MINI
Countryman Plug-In Hybrid and the all-electric MINI Cooper SE, with
an improved overview of electric range as well as charging status.
Using the app’s Charge and Climate Timer Function, customers can
optimize the charging process by defining specific time windows and
departure times. In addition, the vehicle’s interior can be
pre-conditioned (heating in winter or cooling in summer) to increase comfort.
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NAVIGATION FEATURES ON THE GO: Destinations are
easy to find using the integrated search function and can be sent
directly from the app to the vehicle's navigation system. It is also
possible to send destinations from third-party apps. The map shows
the current traffic situation, fueling and charging stations as well
as parking facilities.
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THE SHORTEST WAY TO MINI SERVICE. The new
MINI App allows customers to keep an eye on their
vehicle's service requirements. Depending on the preferences set,
customers may receive notifications to the new MINI
App when their vehicle requires service. They can then
schedule a service appointment with their MINI dealer through the
new MINI App. MINI Roadside Assistance can also be
reached via the app in the event support is needed. With
authorization, service staff can see the location of the vehicle and
its status for immediate over-the-air assistance.
Underpinning the rapid expansion of the new MINI
App’s content and its fast-paced rollout is an innovative,
scalable and universal software architecture. This has been developed
fully in-house by the BMW Group using Flutter, an open-source UI
development kit from Google for the Dart programming language.
Its scalable universal architecture will support future requirements,
allowing new functions and customer requests to be easily and quickly
implemented. This helps to pave the way for constant advances, with
rolling updates that allow functionality to be improved and expanded.
The US launch of the new MINI App is part of a
global roll-out that began last July, and by mid-2021 the new
MINI App will have been launched in more than 40
countries and 23 languages around the world.
About MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States,
MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC,
located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and
sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales
organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 116 MINI
passenger car dealers. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in
2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S
Hardtops. Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to
encompass a model range of five unique vehicles.
Journalist notes: Media information about MINI and its products is
available to journalists on-line at www.miniusanews.com.
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