Hey, I was wondering how many folks have decided to pay for the BMW App Subscription.
The Connected Services subscription isn't specifically for the My BMW app which works with reduced functionality without any subscription as long as the cellular data network used by one's i3 is still active. Without any subscription, the My BMW app supports sending navigation destinations to an i3 (important to me), shows where an i3 is parked if GPS location is turned on in the i3, opens and closes windows remotely, and supports a few other control functions.
In the U.S., the Connected Services subscription enables additional features on BMW's ConnectedDriver servers, some of which affect My BMW app's functionality and others, functionality within an i3 such as enabling real-time traffic info (RTTI) on the navigation map, Internet searches, custom iDrive apps that display weather, news, etc.
I did not renew the Connected Services subscription for our 2019 i3 because RTTI isn't very real-time much of the time in Honolulu making it less valuable (it might be better elsewhere). Being able to monitor the status of our i3 wasn't that important to me, either. I did occasionally miss being able to search the Internet for a navigation destination.
I don't know what I will do when the Connected Services subscription for our 2021 i3 expires. Maybe I'll let it lapse until next November hoping for a 20% off Black Friday sale that some U.S. i3 owners are currently able to take advantage of.
