Mumbai: The BMW Group has been building companion mobile applications for its entire fleet of BMW and MINI vehicles that integrate advanced location services from HERE, the leading location data and technology platform. The BMW Group is now utilizing the latest 4.x HERE SDK (software development kit), available with the Flutter API (application programming interface). The My BMW App and MINI App have recently launched in 40 countries around the world, including in Japan.
The My BMW App and the MINI App act as universal interfaces with the car, providing information on the vehicle’s status at any time. Depending on the equipment fitted, it also enables remote operation of functions, such as vehicle locating, locking and unlocking of the doors, and monitoring the car’s immediate vicinity (Remote 3D View). Additional functions include sending destination addresses from a smartphone to the vehicle’s navigation system, a clear display of electric charge and vehicle range, and services from Amazon Alexa. The My BMW App and MINI App allow customers to contact their BMW Service Partner directly while receiving detailed overviews of their vehicle’s servicing requirements. The My BMW App and the MINI App make it easy for customers to log-in to any current BMW and MINI model with their personal BMW/MINI ID.
The HERE SDK is a set of programming interfaces that gives access to HERE’s rich portfolio of services, such as in-vehicle navigation, traffic alerts, transit information and fleet management features. The HERE SDK provides worldwide vector maps in over 190 countries and in 60 languages with optimized map data size to minimize download latency and to provide fast response times while still scaling to a high degree of fidelity. Map customization tools enable map content manipulation at various levels e.g. highlighting of important objects on a map by changing colors and icons as well as editing dynamic properties of cartography objects such as buildings, roads and land use.
The 4.x version of the HERE SDK is available for native iOS and Android, as well as cross-platform development with Flutter. HERE SDK 4.x comes in four separate editions. The 4.x Explore edition includes support for multiple map view instances, allows for controlling draw order of map layers, 3D camera control and provides an integrated tool chain for map customization to deliver a personal and branded map experience.
“We are pleased to count HERE Technologies as one of our trusted partners on our journey to provide our customers with state of the art digital services. With HERE SDK and its Flutter edition, we are building the My BMW /MINI Apps on a future-proof technological foundation. Its scalable universal architecture will support future requirements and allows an easy implementation of new functions fulfilling our customers’ requests,” said Dr. Nicolai Krämer, Vice President Offboard Platform BMW Group.
“We are proud for our technology to be the cornerstone of a leading automotive app developer such as BMW. At HERE, we believe that building digital experiences beyond the car on top of our rich content is a key success factor for customer satisfaction and retention. My BMW App and MINI App clearly demonstrate that the HERE SDK is an optimal tool to bring these experiences to life,” said Gino Ferru, General Manager for EMEAR and Senior Vice President at HERE Technologies.
