IM5 App?

[jamakr4]

Does anyone know what app the IM5 will be using (just normal iSmart like e.g. my MG4 or something new) and are there any screenshots / reviews of it?

 

[KnightRider]

I think it is the same iSmart. It includes a digital key.

 

[MGFour]

It is iSmart, the same as MG4 I the asked the dealer when I viewed the car

 

[KnightRider]

Yes just been updated.

 

[KnightRider]

Does anyone know the complete list of voice commands?

 

[jamakr4]

Does anyone know the complete list of voice commands?

Maybe the same as the other MG's? I don't think MG is going to reinvent the wheel and instead maybe reuse what they already have.

 

[rgledhill]

It's a completely different platform to the other MGs, as it's an IM car not an MG really, so it wouldn't surprise me if it's different too.

 

[jamakr4]

It's a completely different platform to the other MGs, as it's an IM car not an MG really, so it wouldn't surprise me if it's different too.

I also thought so but they also use the same shitty app as the MG4 so yeah..

 

[sidious]

Yes just been updated.View attachment 40948

Is the connectivity OK or as bad as the ratings on play/app store suggest?

 

[jamakr4]

Is the connectivity OK or as bad as the ratings on play/app store suggest?

I don’t know how it is with the IM’s but with the MG4 it’s far from perfect- The problem is that the car will enter a deep sleep mode (after leaving it for some time) in which you can’t pull information via the app and also can’t send instructions (like turn on AC..). I think the idea is to prevent the 12V battery from getting drained. The App for the MG4 is also very buggy and often displays no or deprecated information and so you have to pull manually again which is frustrating. Maybe they fixed it for the IM cars

 

[sidious]

I don’t know how it is with the IM’s but with the MG4 it’s far from perfect- The problem is that the car will enter a deep sleep mode (after leaving it for some time) in which you can’t pull information via the app and also can’t send instructions (like turn on AC..). I think the idea is to prevent the 12v battery from getting drained. The App for the MG4 is also very buggy and often displays no or deprecated information and so you have to pull manually again which is frustrating. Maybe they fixed it for the IM cars

I have the exact same problems with my Citroen PHEV. I don't understand why these billion dollar companies can't get a basic app right.

 

[LenEV2016]

The app isn't the best for the MG4, I would have hoped they sorted it for the IM cars

 

[pvrima]

I don’t know how it is with the IM’s but with the MG4 it’s far from perfect- The problem is that the car will enter a deep sleep mode (after leaving it for some time) in which you can’t pull information via the app and also can’t send instructions (like turn on AC..). I think the idea is to prevent the 12V battery from getting drained. The App for the MG4 is also very buggy and often displays no or deprecated information and so you have to pull manually again which is frustrating. Maybe they fixed it for the IM cars

How long is a ‘long time’? I’ve no problems with the app working with my IM, but it’s slowish and not very fluid as well as needing a face lift. But it works as it says on the tin.

 

[jamakr4]

How long is a ‘long time’? I’ve no problems with the app working with my IM, but it’s slowish and not very fluid as well as needing a face lift. But it works as it says on the tin.

Usually like 24-36 hours or if you leave the car over the weekend (at least in my case).

 

[pvrima]

How long is a ‘long time’? I’ve no problems with the app working with my IM, but it’s slowish and not very fluid as well as needing a face lift. But it works as it says on the tin.

So far so good, but I’ll let you know!

 

[rgledhill]

Sadly the whole connectivity thing is something most companies have been dreadful at. Renault/Dacia has a very patchy app which probably only communicates successfully with the car (Zoe originally, now Megane) about 30% of the time. Most of the time it simply times out and they are too hopeless or disinterested to fix it.
The Stellantis group cars are legendary for having the absolute worst app and connectivity, with even most YouTubers and reviewers failing to get their cars to even pair to their phone's app and account. This is one of the main reasons I'm not buying a car using the Stellantis platform.
The Polestar app was pretty flaky at first as (it turned out) it was using the same connectivity provider as Renault! They switched about 2 years ago and after that, it was generally extremely reliable.
However by far the best has been the VW system. Our ID.3 app works flawlessly 99% of the time.
The "don't drain the 12V battery" thing is a partial myth / excuse by the manufacturer/dealer, as all EVs monitor the 12V battery from time to time and do a top-up charge from the traction battery if required. However this doesn't work very well on many cars, hence the sheer number of 12V battery problems reported on forums, particularly EV forums where we have active connectivity systems, over-the-air updates etc, which require some electronic control units to remain powered up the whole time.

 

[KnightRider]

Hmm, so far, quite happy with the app. The charging at home seems to work. I can open the car & drive away without using the fob. I like the scan of the car - I even showed friends this - when the car was some 800 m away and from indoors. Not sure how it does that. Not Bluetooth?
It's a shame there's only one fob but my wife can get the app & a digital key too .

 

[Coulomb]

like the scan of the car - I even showed friends this - when the car was some 800 m away and from indoors. Not sure how it does that. Not Bluetooth?

The car apps all seem to use the cellular network to communicate. I think most, certainly MG, do this via some central server. So that's three points of potential failure, plus the car could be in a deep sleep.

 

[pvrima]

Hmm, so far, quite happy with the app. The charging at home seems to work. I can open the car & drive away without using the fob. I like the scan of the car - I even showed friends this - when the car was some 800 m away and from indoors. Not sure how it does that. Not Bluetooth?
It's a shame there's only one fob but my wife can get the app & a digital key too .

I just leave everything at home now and only use the App. It's clunky, but I've been surprised how functional and reliable it's been for me given all the bad press it gets. I'd hoped that Zhiji being a JV between SIAC and Alibaba might have had a smoother App, but...

 

[tsedge]

The car apps all seem to use the cellular network to communicate. I think most, certainly MG, do this via some central server. So that's three points of potential failure, plus the car could be in a deep sleep.

The car uses the cellular network to connect to the central MG servers. The app connects to these servers over the internet.

Problems are caused when:

• The car has weak or no signal
• The servers are overloaded or down

Given that the car has wifi, it ought to be possible to connect to home wifi and always have the app working at home. But MG's implementation is poor.

In terms of having the car go to deep sleep, it would not have been hard to have a very low power cellular circuit listening for a wake up message from the network to make the car respond - like Wake-on-LAN for computers.

Also, properly designed the power drain is negligible compared to the enormous HV battery in the car.

There is also no excuse for having to refresh the app multiple times to get proper data to appear. This is just rubbish coding.

It should work seamlessly.

I do wonder sometimes if AI will save us NOT by having software that works, but by it taking on the manual processes of refreshing an app or locking and unlocking a car. So we will think everything is peachy but actually it just navigates a broken mess for us!