iSmart not working for MG ZS [SOLVED]

[1MGEVUSER]

I have been trying to use the iSmart App most of the day but after first showing the car details at around 13:40, it has stopped working...

I have tried some most of the suggestions on this forum, including clearing the App cash, the phone cash, logging off the app and phone, locking unlocking the car using the key fob, switching the phone off for a few minutes and back on again. Also tried with the WiFi on and off. The phone coverage is great, with 4 bars out of 5.

In desperation, I uninstalled the App and re-installed it again.
Not only it's not showing the car details but it shows that the car GPS is somewhere near Bruxelles!

It knows where I am in UK and if I click on Find My Car, it shows the route to take to that destination.

Not a great start with the MG experience, after all I only collected the car today...

Any help it's appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[N2STY]

Have you tried it after putting your car and ready mode?

 

[1MGEVUSER]

Have you tried it after putting your car and ready mode?

Yes. Tried also with the USB cable and without it. Nothing seems to work.

 

[N2STY]

Sometimes of battery reset will fix the problem or even a factory reset as the wrong time zone can cause problems

 

[DBedford]

I have been trying to use the iSmart App most of the day but after first showing the car details at around 13:40, it has stopped working...

I have tried some most of the suggestions on this forum, including clearing the App cash, the phone cash, logging off the app and phone, locking unlocking the car using the key fob, switching the phone off for a few minutes and back on again. Also tried with the WiFi on and off. The phone coverage is great, with 4 bars out of 5.

In desperation, I uninstalled the App and re-installed it again.
Not only it's not showing the car details but it shows that the car GPS is somewhere near Bruxelles!

It knows where I am in UK and if I click on Find My Car, it shows the route to take to that destination.

Not a great start with the MG experience, after all I only collected the car today...

Any help it's appreciated.
Thanks.

Did you run through iSmart functions with the seller before driving away?
We went through it with Bristol Street Motors in detail, and checked all functions, and those additional items I had listed before leaving the showroom.

 

[1MGEVUSER]

Did you run through iSmart functions with the seller before driving away?
We went through it with Bristol Street Motors in detail, and checked all functions, and those additional items I had listed before leaving the showroom.

Yes, and it worked for a couple of hours.

I will be checking the time zone in the car tomorrow, not sure I have the time tonight.

Sometimes of battery reset will fix the problem or even a factory reset as the wrong time zone can cause problems

I didn't want to resolve the issue by getting to the battery... I really shouldn't.

How often is likely for this problem to reoccur once hopefully sorted?

 

[N2STY]

Depends on how often you use the car Ares gets used daily never had any problems
Maybe just try the factory reset give it a cleaner slate

 

[Daver]

I've experienced very similar problems and tried the same possible remedies,which I reported on another thread on this forum. I'm pleased to say that, as a last resort, I did the 12 volt battery disconnect and the app is working again, for the moment at least! No obvious reason for it suddenly stopping after working fine for my first week of ownership. Hopefully I won't have to repeat the 12v disconnect/reconnect!

 

[RobinH]

The MG server that the app connects through goes offline quite frequently. Mine wasn't connecting an hour ago but it is now.

 

[1MGEVUSER]

Depends on how often you use the car Ares gets used daily never had any problems
Maybe just try the factory reset give it a cleaner slate

How do you do a factory reset?

I've experienced very similar problems and tried the same possible remedies,which I reported on another thread on this forum. I'm pleased to say that, as a last resort, I did the 12 volt battery disconnect and the app is working again, for the moment at least! No obvious reason for it suddenly stopping after working fine for my first week of ownership. Hopefully I won't have to repeat the 12v disconnect/reconnect!

How long would the 12V battery needs to be disconnected for?
Will other car settings still work OK after the disconnect?

The MG server that the app connects through goes offline quite frequently. Mine wasn't connecting an hour ago but it is now.

I will try again in the morning... ...before calling the dealer.

This is weird... The app will not scan the car but it knows that the car is parked. It shows this on the Remote control screen.

Also, if I tap on the central lock, it will unlock the car, and the wing mirrors open up.

Well...
NOW IT WORKS!!!!!

It must have been to do with the MG Servers.

Hopefully I won't need to be tearing my last few remaining hair agai soon.

There must be a way to check if the Server is down, so to avoid all the stress and various resetting and impairing, and resetting passwords, and all the plethora of things I had to try throughout the day.

I hope that MG takes note of this and make people have a good experience.

 

[rpannell]

It may be the MG server but it may be where the car is parked. Connection to the car appears to be quite data intensive and if the car is parked in an area with a poor mobile signal, it will not connect. In rural Devon, I've been caught out by this a few times.

 

[1MGEVUSER]

That's good to know.
At my home the mobile signal is near full strength.

 

[Ruislip Resident]

That's good to know.
At my home the mobile signal is near full strength.

Just another funny to be aware of. Very occasionally when doing the car status check it says the sunroof is open when it's not. If you do it again it will then show as closed. It made me flap the first time this occurred. The car was hone and I was away. I had to look via my Ring doorbell to confirm it was closed!

 

[1MGEVUSER]

Yes, this happened to me last night!
Just when I got to bed, I had another look at the app and it showed "Sunroof Open".

It made me get dressed back again and physically go to the car to check it... ...it was closed.

Is there a way to report this and other bugs to the software developer?
Has anyone tried this?

 

[Gadget Geek]

Another "quirk" of iSmart is when you pre-heat or pre-cool the car, sometimes it says "operation failed" when in fact the car is heating or cooling as requested.

I think they must have written the software in Q Basic on a ZX Spectrum (anyone remember those good old days?)

 

[1MGEVUSER]

That little computer seemed so powerful then!

My first 'AMAZING" computer was an Amstrad back in 1985. I learned a little Basic code to try for the first time.
It's really amazing what your average smart phone can do nowadays!

So easy to take things for granted.
It's scary and exciting to think what the future will give us. My guess is, we will all have AI implants. No phone to hold in your hand.

Love the new car.
Keep looking at the battery percentage to see how the car perform with my drivings style.
Being that is the SR version there is a little apprehension but I am sure I will feel better after a couple of charges.

Here she is.

 

[Lovemyev]

Yes, this happened to me last night!
Just when I got to bed, I had another look at the app and it showed "Sunroof Open".

It made me get dressed back again and physically go to the car to check it... ...it was closed.

Is there a way to report this and other bugs to the software developer?
Has anyone tried this?

When the App was first released, it also displayed the status of the electric windows ( open / closed ).
It was a 50/50 chance that it reported correctly.
So, they removed the facility and it’s never returned.
So, the moral appears to be :- If you can’t fix it, then just remove it !!.
First pass of the health check will normally either miss report the status of the Sky roof and the interior temperature status will be blanked out.
I always run the health check twice for this reason.

 

[1MGEVUSER]

I ran the health check several times after balancing the tyres, as they where all over inflated at 3.2 Bar.

The information on the app never got updated, until after several hours, then it showed the correct data.

The gummy thing is that the front 2 tyres update the app quickly but had to wait hours for the rear ones.

 

[Lovemyev]

I ran the health check several times after balancing the tyres, as they where all over inflated at 3.2 Bar.

The information on the app never got updated, until after several hours, then it showed the correct data.

The gummy thing is that the front 2 tyres update the app quickly but had to wait hours for the rear ones.

Yeah - The App can report different / random tyre pressures on the same day and in different ambient temperatures to be honest.
I have three different manual methods of checking tyre pressures and checked each of them for accuracy against each other.
I picked a day when the ambient temperature was cool ( ish ) and set all the pressures to 2.7 Bar.
Checked them the following morning in the car and they all matched at 2.7 Bar.
But after a while this figure tends to drift around a bit.
Could be accurate or just very temperature sensitive of course, or an inconsistency in what the App reports ?.
I have just dropped into the App and health checked it twice and this is what it is reporting right now.
Ambient temperature is around 25 degrees with a light cool breeze here in Wales.

 

[1MGEVUSER]

Temperature will affect air pressure. You'll get lower readings in the winter and higher in the summer.

Happy to report that the tyres data is still showing correctly.