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Unlocking the car from the Kia access app doesn't actually unlock the doors

4800 Views 16 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  shadowmyst87
Is this some kind of bug or something? The doors were locked from myself the previous night. I didn't have the keys with me so I unlocked the doors from the Kia access app. Apps says the doors are unlocked but the doors are locked and the mirrors are folded in. The doors won't open unless I have the keys with me. I hope this is not by design because this make zero sense. Anyone else notice this?
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Is this some kind of bug or something? The doors were locked from myself the previous night. I didn't have the keys with me so I unlocked the doors from the Kia access app. Apps says the doors are unlocked but the doors are locked and the mirrors are folded in. The doors won't open unless I have the keys with me. I hope this is not by design because this make zero sense. Anyone else notice this?
I did notice it but I think the driver side was the only one open. Maybe they designed it like that but I understand the frustration.
I think the App has a default 3 minute timeout on it as well, you need to go in to the settings and setup the profile you want to use when opening the doors, setting the climate, etc.. I don't know if the 3 minute timeout is for the locks as well.
I think the App has a default 3 minute timeout on it as well, you need to go in to the settings and setup the profile you want to use when opening the doors, setting the climate, etc.. I don't know if the 3 minute timeout is for the locks as well.
Nope not for me. The driver side was the door I was trying to open and it won't. Mirrors were always folded in so all the doors were locked
I think the App has a default 3 minute timeout on it as well, you need to go in to the settings and setup the profile you want to use when opening the doors, setting the climate, etc.. I don't know if the 3 minute timeout is for the locks as well.
It might be but that def wasn't my problem. I sent the unlock command as I was standing next to the car. I waited until the app said the command was sent and that the doors were unlocked. That was probably a total of 60 seconds. Mirrors never unfolded and the driver side front and side door could not be opened
It might be but that def wasn't my problem. I sent the unlock command as I was standing next to the car. I waited until the app said the command was sent and that the doors were unlocked. That was probably a total of 60 seconds. Mirrors never unfolded and the driver side front and side door could not be opened
The app's reliability is about 50/50 for me. When I attempt to start the car using the app, I'll get an error message for what feels like 50% of the time. Or if I don't get the error message, it takes so long that I'll reach my car just moments before the car actually turns on. I will probably not pay the stupid high price for this subscription once the free trial ends. It costs too much to be this unreliable.
The app's reliability is about 50/50 for me. When I attempt to start the car using the app, I'll get an error message for what feels like 50% of the time. Or if I don't get the error message, it takes so long that I'll reach my car just moments before the car actually turns on. I will probably not pay the stupid high price for this subscription once the free trial ends. It costs too much to be this unreliable.
The trial is 1 year for the higher teir right? The kia dealership said it's free for 5 years for the basic service
The trial is 1 year for the higher teir right? The kia dealership said it's free for 5 years for the basic service
Correct - one year for the highest tier, but I think the basic tier (even if free for 5 years) only includes basic safety features like emergency calls after a crash, so I'm not impressed. I installed a similar aftermarket remote start system on my 2014 Optima and only paid $99 for 3 years of service. Granted, I also had to pay $500 to get it installed, but the actual subscription service was comparably featured at a fraction of the price Kia is charging.
Correct - one year for the highest tier, but I think the basic tier (even if free for 5 years) only includes basic safety features like emergency calls after a crash, so I'm not impressed. I installed a similar aftermarket remote start system on my 2014 Optima and only paid $99 for 3 years of service. Granted, I also had to pay $500 to get it installed, but the actual subscription service was comparably featured at a fraction of the price Kia is charging.
Yeah i only want the ability to unlock, lock, and remote start the car so hopefully that's a basic feature. Don't know what I'm going to do after 5 years because we shouldn't have to pay for something so simple. My 17 escape I traded in for this has6 that and I never paid for anything
Yeah i only want the ability to unlock, lock, and remote start the car so hopefully that's a basic feature. Don't know what I'm going to do after 5 years because we shouldn't have to pay for something so simple. My 17 escape I traded in for this has6 that and I never paid for anything
If I recall correctly, none of those features are available on the base package. Check your Kia owners portal for the full breakdown.
If I recall correctly, none of those features are available on the base package. Check your Kia owners portal for the full breakdown.
Well I guess I'll be calling the dealship in a year to complain if it's not there because I specifically asked what happens after a year and what the free 5 year plan covers and he said yeah you can do those things
Well I guess I'll be calling the dealship in a year to complain if it's not there because I specifically asked what happens after a year and what the free 5 year plan covers and he said yeah you can do those things
Yeah, unfortunately, the salespeople tend to know less about these cars than the buyers do.

Here's the full breakdown of packages. The free package barely includes anything for our Carnivals since we do not have an electric vehicle and to get basic remote lock/unlock will cost you $15/mo. That's insane!

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Yeah, unfortunately, the salespeople tend to know less about these cars than the buyers do.

Here's the full breakdown of packages. The free package barely includes anything for our Carnivals since we do not have an electric vehicle and to get basic remote lock/unlock will cost you $15/mo. That's insane!

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Well this is some serious bullshit since they lied to me then. That honestly would have made me reconsider buying this car as I always used remote starts and other stuff from the app from my car in the last 4 years.
We get it for 3 years free in Canada but I'm happy with having remote start on the key fob, the software is a novelty but not really fast enough to use consistently. By the time I realize I want to go out I can't be bothered to wait for it to start the car and respond back to me. I can imagine that by the 1-1.5 year mark I will probably stop using the app altogether.
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The app's reliability is about 50/50 for me. When I attempt to start the car using the app, I'll get an error message for what feels like 50% of the time. Or if I don't get the error message, it takes so long that I'll reach my car just moments before the car actually turns on. I will probably not pay the stupid high price for this subscription once the free trial ends. It costs too much to be this unreliable.

Wow, is the app really that bad? I almost exclusively use the app on just about every car I've had that has one. I mostly use it to turn the climate on when it's hot/cold outside. This is a little concerning. Has it gotten any better in the 2 years since this post was made?
Wow, is the app really that bad? I almost exclusively use the app on just about every car I've had that has one. I mostly use it to turn the climate on when it's hot/cold outside. This is a little concerning. Has it gotten any better in the 2 years since this post was made?
Unfortunately no. I've had mine for over 2 years now and the app still is hit or miss. No new features since and climate control only lets you run the car for 10 mins. As for realibilty in that post I would say mine works 80% of the time. The error I always get is to move my car so it has coverage. I'll just hit start again and suddenly it will work. Also after 2 years still no way to turn on the heated steering wheel from the app. It only works if you have the car do a scheduled remote start
Unfortunately no. I've had mine for over 2 years now and the app still is hit or miss. No new features since and climate control only lets you run the car for 10 mins. As for realibilty in that post I would say mine works 80% of the time. The error I always get is to move my car so it has coverage. I'll just hit start again and suddenly it will work. Also after 2 years still no way to turn on the heated steering wheel from the app. It only works if you have the car do a scheduled remote start
I wonder if the car not receiving a signal from the app is due to the poor wifi that the car has. Is there a way to replace the modem that comes in the car with a different one from a different carrier besides Verizon? I'm curious if that would actually work or not. From what I've heard, people have had a lot of problems with the app working ever since Kia switched to Verizon.

I'm aware about the 10 minutes of run time for the climate, I brought this up over in the Kia subreddit. I was assured that you don't need anymore than 10 minutes for the car's interior to get to a comfortable temperature...I don't really believe that, I live in Las Vegas, a car out here definitely needs more than 10 minutes after its been sitting in 115f degree sun for 2 hours during the summer.
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