The long-awaited, much-hyped Apple Watch is officially here. As with most things Apple, the Watch is neither the first such device nor is it a segment leader in any meaningful way (aside from price, which can rocket into five figures depending which options you select). But as is so often the case with Cupertino products, the Apple Watch stands to move smartwatches from the tech-obsessed fringe into the middle of mainstream culture. Could that mean that, a few months down the road, in-car Apple Watch integration could be as ubiquitous as iPhone compatibility is today? Here, a look at the automotive applications of Apple’s tiny wrist-computer, both today and down the road.
Available Now
As of this writing, only two automakers have launched official Apple Watch apps: Porsche and BMW. Each one is basically a miniaturized version of an existing iPhone/Android app, offering the ability to remotely check on your car without having to go through the burden of pulling your iPhone out of your pocket—provided, of course, that both your car and your iPhone (which your Watch is paired to via Bluetooth) can communicate with each other over the internet.
As the name suggests, the BMW i Remote app only applies to the BMW i3 plug-in runabout and the i8 hybrid sports car. BMW had the honor of being the first automaker represented on the Apple Watch screen, having the i Remote app demoed during the Apple Watch unveiling in September 2014, but despite that head-start, the app isn’t all that much different from Porsche’s. Requiring an i3 or i8 with an active BMW Assist contract (part of BMW’s ConnectedDrive suite of digital services), the app displays your plug-in’s battery charge status and range, navigates you back to where you parked, and remotely operates the door locks and climate control system. BMW’s wrist app also offers a Dynamic Range Map to show you if you’ll make it there on your current charge, calculates your driving efficiency with CO2 output estimates, and recommends departure times for maximum battery efficiency, along with reminding you about upcoming service needs.
The Porsche Car Connect app is described as a “remote display and control of your Porsche from your iPhone and Apple Watch.” The app, which was just updated to include Apple Watch compatibility, communicates with 2014-or-newer Cayenne, Macan, Panamera, and 918 Spyder models equipped with Porsche Car Connect. From your wrist, you can lock or unlock the car; fold in the side-view mirrors; check the tire pressure; check your driving range, fuel level, or (if equipped) hybrid battery charge status; and, on plug-in hybrid models, activate the climate-control system remotely so you can arrive to a perfectly heated or cooled car. A GPS locator reminds you where you’ve parked, offering walking directions if you’re in a particularly confusing garage or neighborhood, and the app also lets you remotely check that your windows, doors, and sunroof are closed.
Volvo On Call adds Apple Watch capability with an update slated for the end of June. The free app hosts a standard array of remote control features, including lock/unlock, climate control pre-conditioning, fuel level and odometer readings, GPS car locator, and miles until next service. Volvo’s digital dedication isn’t just limited to Apple: The automaker offers an identical app for the Android Wear smartwatch, as well as supporting the relatively less popular Windows Phone.
The Near Future
Elio, Which Might Exist
Remember the Elio 3-Wheeler? It’s an ambitious daydream-mobile that promises 84 mpg from an enclosed, tandem two-seater for under $7000. As if that wasn’t daring enough, Elio says that a $2000 option will turn the three-wheeler into a cloud-connected mobile device with remote start, navigation, Wi-Fi, and VoIP phone call capabilities—all of which will be available on your Apple Watch. Thanks to the ridiculously named SkyzMatic package, Elio says that vehicle location, trip data, accelerometer readings, and more will be directly beamed from the three-wheeler to your wrist. Of course, all that relies on Elio actually producing a vehicle, something that was originally supposed to happen by December of 2014, but has since been delayed.
Android fans, rejoice: While BMW and Porsche are fawning over the new Apple Watch, Hyundai has already had an app for Android-powered smartwatches out in the wild. Hyundai Blue Link gives your Android wristable the capability to lock, unlock, remote-start, or activate the horn or lights on your 2013-or-newer Hyundai equipped with Blue Link. The app can also navigate you back to your parked car, call roadside assistance, send your selected GPS destination to your in-dash nav, or schedule a service appointment. Hyundai previously promised to bring Blue Link functionality to the Apple Watch “shortly after its release;” a Hyundai spokesperson was not able to give a more concrete date to C/D.
Mercedes is taking the slow approach with its proposed Apple Watch app. Dubbed MB Companion, when the app debuts this fall, its sole function will be end-to-end navigation: Enter your destination on your iPad, iPhone, or Apple Watch, and the smartwatch will navigate you to your car; the Mercedes’ in-dash navigation will take over for the driving portion of the trip, and once you’ve parked, your smartwatch will guide you as you walk to the final destination. Mercedes engineers say that they will add new features to the app in time, but only those that are most viable for the Apple Watch—this won’t be a squashed-down version of Mercedes’ iPhone app.
Volkswagen’s Car-Net app is one of the more powerful car-pairing setups out there. In addition to the standard car app features (remote lock and unlock, the ability to check if the windows and sunroof are closed, navigate back to your parked car), Car-Net lets you set alerts when your car exceeds a certain speed or drives outside of a certain radius—handy for keeping an eye on young or otherwise untrustworthy drivers. While the app has been around for a while, a forthcoming update will bring Apple Watch compatibility, adding the ability to send addresses from your contact list directly to your VW’s GPS system, check your fuel level, or, on the all-electric e-Golf, monitor battery charge and pre-activate the climate control, all from your wrist.
The Semi-Distant Future: A Car in Every Garage, an Apple Watch on Every Wrist?
The biggest promise of Apple’s Watch isn’t the capabilities of the device itself—it’s the notion that Apple’s offering could make smartwatches mainstream. Love it or hate it, Apple became ubiquitous not by inventing all-new technologies, but by refining existing products and making them desirable to a wider swath of users. MP3 players, smartphones, and tablets existed long before the iPod, iPhone, and iPad, but those brand names have far broader recognition than any precursor you could think of.
Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks the Watch will someday replace your car’s key fob, allowing you to unlock your car and drive away without ever having to pull anything out of your pockets. He also thinks the wearable will replace your credit card, your fitness tracker, and of course, your traditional timepiece. Some of this is institutional bravado—outside the spheres of the tech-obsessed, the reaction to the Watch has been mainly to guffaw at its price, which starts at $350 and goes way, way higher. If regular buyers can’t be given a reason to shell out that kind of money for what amounts to a shrunken iPhone with slower hardware, the Watch won’t revolutionize driving or anything else.
Then again, plenty of people puzzled over why you’d want a mini touch-screen computer in your pocket when the first iPhone debuted in 2007, and now look around you: Chances are an iPhone, or a competitor, or a derivative, is within arm’s reach at this very moment. Smartphones have permanently changed the way we interact with our cars, whether it’s through modern internet-linked infotainment systems or the simple act of not having to unfold a paper map to find your way to an unfamiliar destination. Will the Apple Watch, and smartwatches as a whole, do the same? Porsche, BMW and Hyundai seem to think so—and doubtless many of their competitors who are rushing into the space. But in the end, it’s up to us consumers to decide to put our money where our wrists are.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on April 24, 2015; we are updating it as new automotive apps are made available for the Apple Watch. Check back for the latest.
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