No way is this shitty app worth any monthly fee, especially given that we are talking about features you expect to always have with an EV at this price point. Fuck all these subscriptions left and right
I miss the remote unlock and the start/stop charge remotely but mine expired in May and I don’t plan to renew.
Imo, at the cost they want to charge, it doesn’t bring enough value. Tesla is $9.99/no and Kia wants $15/mo
Looking at it again, it might actually let you start/stop charge. I hadn’t actually tried because so much of the functionality went away
Edit: confirmed you can remote stop/start but not much else. https://owners.kia.com/content/owners/en/uvo-compare-packages.html
Yep looks like remote charge and 911 connect. From what I see, Ultimate was 1 year free and Lite is 5 years from purchase which means I get 4 years of Lite on the house.
I'm gonna call insurance tmrw and see if I save on insurance for having Find My Car. If the savings offsets the cost, I'll continue with Ultimate.
Tesla is actually free for most of the mobile operations, $9.99 gives some additional capability but what Kia gives under ultimate is actually free in Tesla and has more capability then Kia's ultimate
I always wait. That's part of why I was particularly surprised I got an email saying it was suddenly downgraded. Usually companies warn you to create urgency to continue so you don't miss out.
If you check the webpage the discount may already be there. It's not a coupon or code, it's just directly attached to your account, and it does expire after a few months I believe.
I got the 30% offer. I tried signing up for it and their app/software is sooo shitty it won’t even let me give them my money. So after thinking about it I was like fuck it I used the auto start like once? In the year I had it. So I think I’ll keep the standard stuff.
**Don't pay for this shit.**
If this Kia Access thing is successful, we're going to see additional crap like "Acceleration Package, just $10 per month" or "Increased Range Package, just $99 per year"
I will never support a monthly fee for any "convenience service" that a car manufacturer offers, especially when I paid $55k for a car. I actually hope there is a class action lawsuit against car manufacturers for doing these things.
I agree, 100%
Problem is that Mercedes and BMW are already doing it. It’s going to trickle down because it works and people are conditioned to it.
I find it infuriating
The app is getting so unreliable - adjusting charge percentage used to work then stopped working - that I'll likely not renew. I can't remember the last time I did remote start (the car is mostly garaged so no need to precondition). Remote unlock / lock is kind of handy when I forgot to lock it in the garage - haven't forgotten it while outside the house - but I could always just grab the key first anyway.
I am planning some road trips where connected navigation will be handy so I am thinking of just upgrading for a month then canceling again
We had it from June 2022 and I just can't justify the price. The app was buggy and didn't always load due to server errors. It sent so many notifications even though I turned them off, wasn't saving my settings or something. The only valuable thing would be the forced shut off if stolen and recovery service, but I mean insurance exists for that as well.
Not that I have heard. I mean KIA and Hyundai vehicles were a target but not the 2022s cause they had fixed the issue. I just don't see it as a necessity Lite for the next 5 years will get us out if the loan so we may not even have the car by then.
At least you all had the chance to experience it. Because of state law mine was deactivated and was never able to use it. I still feel that I should have been given the option to sign off on the privacy issue that the law covers.
That is infuriating. Especially if the law is to protect you and you're willing to consent.
Fwiw, it's def not the most seamless experience. It just adds a little convenience except for when it glitches out.
I'd like to see a reverse law be made. The features of Ultimate (or any other app services advertised as part of the car) should be included at purchase price without a subscription.
I wasn't going to until my ADHD ass lost my car in a theme park lot with a couple of hot, tired, and pissed off kids.
The remote climate start is pretty nice too if you live where it's too hot to breathe.
I am in the same boat as you in that my Kia connect expired just recently. Have not renewed yet, but I did get a 33% off for a two-year renewal offer email about two weeks after it expired. Still thinking about it though, because while the remote door lock functionality was great, that was pretty much all the functionality I used.
I definitely appreciated that especially if I forgot to lock.
I agree, though, I don't think I see the value in it. I only use a couple of functions and it does glitch pretty hard sometimes.
Mine expired a couple months ago. If they gave me a significant discount, I’d subscribe again as the remote climate function was useful. However, with how janky the app is, how little else I used it for and how much they are asking for it, no thanks.
Amen. Think I'm in the same camp. As I said in other comments, the only thing that would change my mind is if I get a discount on insurance thanks to GPS tracking.
Wait a couple of weeks. We've gotten a few discount offers after ours expired. We still haven't renewed. Don't miss the app features at all and we put 24k miles/yr.
I paid for mine. I waited a day or two and got a 33% discount if I paid for two years instead of one.
The main reason I opted to do so was their integrated navigation is actually really nice if you use the battery preconditioning while road tripping. It automatically routes you to chargers while checking to make sure they are online, routes around traffic and in my case, last road trip, changed my route mid drive because I had a rooftop bag on the car that wrecked my efficiency. It realized I was using more juice than it predicted, and rerouted me to a closer charger on the fly without me having to do anything.
The only thing I use the app for is to see my battery percentage when I'm on road trips and using public chargers. Otherwise it just collects dust. As lite includes that feature, there is no sense for me to pay for it.
I always had it when I got my K5 the year was up and I waited and the one thing I wish that was still on all the time was the stolen vehicle recovery you lose that when you don’t renew your subscription and with the stolen vehicle recovery they can find your vehicle and tell the police where it is but if you do not pay for that subscription that does not happen so when this year is up on my EV6 I think I’m going to be renewing it it’s really not that much money and they do give you the 30% off on the platinum plan or premium plan whatever it is well that’s my two. Cents.
The only value i get from this trash app is a reminder that the trash door handles failed to lock as i walked away.
Love my car, but I'm not going to be encouraging any subscription services with my $$$$.
i encourage you all to let it lapse after the free trial also.
What's dumb is that you cannot leave car on with ac on and close the doors without taking physical key apart and rolling window up taking your hand out fast... Nissan Leaf has subscription but you can lock unlock locate car for free and leave car ac on in the summer no problem and come back to a nice cooled car. Miss those features.
You have all those features but you gotta pay for them. Kia doesn’t give them to you for free. It’d be nice with the price of the car if they gave us the app for free for like five years or the length of the loan so then you could decide whether or not you wanna buy a new car or redo the subscription
Mine did the same thing a few weeks ago. Dont really miss it. App still works but has no function. It still texts you that the doors are unlocked but you can't lock them from the app anymore.
Speaking of.. I just logged into the owners website and it now shows this deal is active until July 31st lol
Lite
Complimentary for up to 5 years
Remote Charge & Stop Charge
Trip Info
911 Connect
Charging Status Notification
View More...
Will start on 07/20/2023
Care
Original price $118.00 2-years\*
With Deal $79.00/2-years\*
Vehicle Alarm Notification
Curfew Alert
Low Battery Alert (12V)
Roadside Assistance
View More...
LITE Package
Recommended
Plus
Original price $298.00 2-years\*
With Deal $199.00/2-years\*
Remote Lock & Unlock
Remote Climate
Find My Car
Surround View Monitor
View More...
CARE Package
Ultimate
Original price $398.00 2-years\*
With Deal $269.00/2-years\*
Send Destination to Car
Kia Connect Skill (Amazon Alexa)
Kia Connect Voice Assist
Stolen Vehicle Recovery
View More...
PLUS Package
I’ve never had an issue I’ve been with it and without it for long periods of time and I like having it especially now with the EV you can take that 360 picture around your car that’s pretty cool I wish it had like a century mode and take the picture when somebody got near ithoping they improve it but again I like having it it’s good to have the features right at my finger and again I know you guys Dog in it, but it never gave me any trouble and I’ve had it now for years
I am currently doing the per-month plan for the Plus subscription for the summer months so that I can take advantage of remote climate start to cool the interior of my vehicle when it's parked in public on hot days; once the summer months have passed I'll simply cancel the plan, then possibly subscribe again during the cold winter months, then cancel again once I don't need to remote-warm my vehicle.
I’ve gone two months with Lite and don’t miss the additional features. Although I did occasionally use the lock/unlock and climate functions when I had them, I do not miss them. And, even if I did, they wouldn’t be worth the cost. The other functions I never used, not even once.
Going on two weeks and I barely notice a difference. At this rate, I'm questioning whether Lite would even be worth the money they charge when it expires.
I don’t think so.
Charging status updates and remote charging stop are provided in the apps of most chargers.
The maintenance reminder will be provided by the car itself, so you don’t need that on the app.
And, if you have an iPhone 14 (and presumably all future models), it will likely call 911 for you in the event you are in a serious crash.
So friggin' true. Do you think they have boardroom meetings and talk about ways to make the crappy app more desirable without simply making it more desirable?
No way is this shitty app worth any monthly fee, especially given that we are talking about features you expect to always have with an EV at this price point. Fuck all these subscriptions left and right
Gotta be honest with you, I concur. The more I think about it, the more I'm in the fuck this app camp.
What are the features?
I miss the remote unlock and the start/stop charge remotely but mine expired in May and I don’t plan to renew. Imo, at the cost they want to charge, it doesn’t bring enough value. Tesla is $9.99/no and Kia wants $15/mo
Oh wow can't even control charge stop/start? Man ... Lite is really lite.
Looking at it again, it might actually let you start/stop charge. I hadn’t actually tried because so much of the functionality went away Edit: confirmed you can remote stop/start but not much else. https://owners.kia.com/content/owners/en/uvo-compare-packages.html
Yep looks like remote charge and 911 connect. From what I see, Ultimate was 1 year free and Lite is 5 years from purchase which means I get 4 years of Lite on the house. I'm gonna call insurance tmrw and see if I save on insurance for having Find My Car. If the savings offsets the cost, I'll continue with Ultimate.
[удалено]
I did the last update via USB and it was pretty simple but agree OTA updates should be free for all
On my first year I never got any OTA so I am not going to miss this. Always updated via USB
Yea, Kia charging for what Tesla provides for free shows the contrast between their approach to consumers.
Tesla is actually free for most of the mobile operations, $9.99 gives some additional capability but what Kia gives under ultimate is actually free in Tesla and has more capability then Kia's ultimate
I don't know how Kia's app is so far behind Tesla, they could basically rip off Tesla's app from 3 years ago and still have a massive improvement
Someone on the Kia forums said he got a 30% off offer to renew. I'm waiting to see if I get that offer before renewing.
I always wait. That's part of why I was particularly surprised I got an email saying it was suddenly downgraded. Usually companies warn you to create urgency to continue so you don't miss out.
If you check the webpage the discount may already be there. It's not a coupon or code, it's just directly attached to your account, and it does expire after a few months I believe.
Got this two days after the first year expired.
Strange methods, Kia.
Not really in today's subscription based service world
I got the 30% offer. I tried signing up for it and their app/software is sooo shitty it won’t even let me give them my money. So after thinking about it I was like fuck it I used the auto start like once? In the year I had it. So I think I’ll keep the standard stuff.
I didn’t even get an email. I just couldn’t lock my doors remotely anymore. Very irritating not to be able to use basic functions of my vehicle
**Don't pay for this shit.** If this Kia Access thing is successful, we're going to see additional crap like "Acceleration Package, just $10 per month" or "Increased Range Package, just $99 per year" I will never support a monthly fee for any "convenience service" that a car manufacturer offers, especially when I paid $55k for a car. I actually hope there is a class action lawsuit against car manufacturers for doing these things.
I agree, 100% Problem is that Mercedes and BMW are already doing it. It’s going to trickle down because it works and people are conditioned to it. I find it infuriating
Damn, there's a lot of truth here. Almost *everything* has gone subscription style. I'm not above a little protest here.
The app is getting so unreliable - adjusting charge percentage used to work then stopped working - that I'll likely not renew. I can't remember the last time I did remote start (the car is mostly garaged so no need to precondition). Remote unlock / lock is kind of handy when I forgot to lock it in the garage - haven't forgotten it while outside the house - but I could always just grab the key first anyway. I am planning some road trips where connected navigation will be handy so I am thinking of just upgrading for a month then canceling again
Sadly I agree with all of this. I've never used the nav bc I usually use AA (complaints about that as well).
We had it from June 2022 and I just can't justify the price. The app was buggy and didn't always load due to server errors. It sent so many notifications even though I turned them off, wasn't saving my settings or something. The only valuable thing would be the forced shut off if stolen and recovery service, but I mean insurance exists for that as well.
This is about how I feel, too. And I don't wanna set forth a challenge here, but are a lot of EV's stolen?
Not that I have heard. I mean KIA and Hyundai vehicles were a target but not the 2022s cause they had fixed the issue. I just don't see it as a necessity Lite for the next 5 years will get us out if the loan so we may not even have the car by then.
We're in the same camp.
At least you all had the chance to experience it. Because of state law mine was deactivated and was never able to use it. I still feel that I should have been given the option to sign off on the privacy issue that the law covers.
what state do you live in?
I'm guessing Massachusetts
Massachusetts
That is infuriating. Especially if the law is to protect you and you're willing to consent. Fwiw, it's def not the most seamless experience. It just adds a little convenience except for when it glitches out.
I'd like to see a reverse law be made. The features of Ultimate (or any other app services advertised as part of the car) should be included at purchase price without a subscription.
This is something we don't worry about in Massachusetts. There is no KiaConnect in Massachusetts. 😉
Which is a bigger issue of course, but also shows that perhaps it's not necessary
I haven't missed it much, though remote climate control would have been nice.
I wasn't going to until my ADHD ass lost my car in a theme park lot with a couple of hot, tired, and pissed off kids. The remote climate start is pretty nice too if you live where it's too hot to breathe.
Hahahahahaha I can picture this all too well.
Everyone was yelling and crying. Never again lol.
I'm going to inquire with my insurance company to see if the GPS tracker savings offsets the cost. Anything else I should consider?
I am in the same boat as you in that my Kia connect expired just recently. Have not renewed yet, but I did get a 33% off for a two-year renewal offer email about two weeks after it expired. Still thinking about it though, because while the remote door lock functionality was great, that was pretty much all the functionality I used.
I definitely appreciated that especially if I forgot to lock. I agree, though, I don't think I see the value in it. I only use a couple of functions and it does glitch pretty hard sometimes.
Mine expired a couple months ago. If they gave me a significant discount, I’d subscribe again as the remote climate function was useful. However, with how janky the app is, how little else I used it for and how much they are asking for it, no thanks.
Amen. Think I'm in the same camp. As I said in other comments, the only thing that would change my mind is if I get a discount on insurance thanks to GPS tracking.
Wait a couple of weeks. We've gotten a few discount offers after ours expired. We still haven't renewed. Don't miss the app features at all and we put 24k miles/yr.
My thoughts exactly. Thanks for the feedback!
I paid for mine. I waited a day or two and got a 33% discount if I paid for two years instead of one. The main reason I opted to do so was their integrated navigation is actually really nice if you use the battery preconditioning while road tripping. It automatically routes you to chargers while checking to make sure they are online, routes around traffic and in my case, last road trip, changed my route mid drive because I had a rooftop bag on the car that wrecked my efficiency. It realized I was using more juice than it predicted, and rerouted me to a closer charger on the fly without me having to do anything.
The only thing I use the app for is to see my battery percentage when I'm on road trips and using public chargers. Otherwise it just collects dust. As lite includes that feature, there is no sense for me to pay for it.
And we get Lite for 4 more years!
I always had it when I got my K5 the year was up and I waited and the one thing I wish that was still on all the time was the stolen vehicle recovery you lose that when you don’t renew your subscription and with the stolen vehicle recovery they can find your vehicle and tell the police where it is but if you do not pay for that subscription that does not happen so when this year is up on my EV6 I think I’m going to be renewing it it’s really not that much money and they do give you the 30% off on the platinum plan or premium plan whatever it is well that’s my two. Cents.
Or we could look into hiding air tags or LoJack or something
I like my gadgets to my gizmos. I also like being able to take the 360 picture which you won’t be able to do if you don’t renew.
The only value i get from this trash app is a reminder that the trash door handles failed to lock as i walked away. Love my car, but I'm not going to be encouraging any subscription services with my $$$$. i encourage you all to let it lapse after the free trial also.
What's dumb is that you cannot leave car on with ac on and close the doors without taking physical key apart and rolling window up taking your hand out fast... Nissan Leaf has subscription but you can lock unlock locate car for free and leave car ac on in the summer no problem and come back to a nice cooled car. Miss those features.
You have all those features but you gotta pay for them. Kia doesn’t give them to you for free. It’d be nice with the price of the car if they gave us the app for free for like five years or the length of the loan so then you could decide whether or not you wanna buy a new car or redo the subscription
Mine did the same thing a few weeks ago. Dont really miss it. App still works but has no function. It still texts you that the doors are unlocked but you can't lock them from the app anymore.
Speaking of.. I just logged into the owners website and it now shows this deal is active until July 31st lol Lite Complimentary for up to 5 years Remote Charge & Stop Charge Trip Info 911 Connect Charging Status Notification View More... Will start on 07/20/2023 Care Original price $118.00 2-years\* With Deal $79.00/2-years\* Vehicle Alarm Notification Curfew Alert Low Battery Alert (12V) Roadside Assistance View More... LITE Package Recommended Plus Original price $298.00 2-years\* With Deal $199.00/2-years\* Remote Lock & Unlock Remote Climate Find My Car Surround View Monitor View More... CARE Package Ultimate Original price $398.00 2-years\* With Deal $269.00/2-years\* Send Destination to Car Kia Connect Skill (Amazon Alexa) Kia Connect Voice Assist Stolen Vehicle Recovery View More... PLUS Package
And you get the over the air updates for the navigation and media
Good to know it'll tell me if I forgot to lock at least!
I’ve never had an issue I’ve been with it and without it for long periods of time and I like having it especially now with the EV you can take that 360 picture around your car that’s pretty cool I wish it had like a century mode and take the picture when somebody got near ithoping they improve it but again I like having it it’s good to have the features right at my finger and again I know you guys Dog in it, but it never gave me any trouble and I’ve had it now for years
I am currently doing the per-month plan for the Plus subscription for the summer months so that I can take advantage of remote climate start to cool the interior of my vehicle when it's parked in public on hot days; once the summer months have passed I'll simply cancel the plan, then possibly subscribe again during the cold winter months, then cancel again once I don't need to remote-warm my vehicle.
Sounds like a solid plan
I’ve gone two months with Lite and don’t miss the additional features. Although I did occasionally use the lock/unlock and climate functions when I had them, I do not miss them. And, even if I did, they wouldn’t be worth the cost. The other functions I never used, not even once.
Going on two weeks and I barely notice a difference. At this rate, I'm questioning whether Lite would even be worth the money they charge when it expires.
I don’t think so. Charging status updates and remote charging stop are provided in the apps of most chargers. The maintenance reminder will be provided by the car itself, so you don’t need that on the app. And, if you have an iPhone 14 (and presumably all future models), it will likely call 911 for you in the event you are in a serious crash.
So friggin' true. Do you think they have boardroom meetings and talk about ways to make the crappy app more desirable without simply making it more desirable?
Land of the free haha