App Update + Connected Services Overhaul

iTim314 · Mar 8, 2023

It appears Toyota has updated their app and overhauled their pricing structure for their connected services.

Connected Services | Toyota Owners

Unlock a world of entertainment and connectivity with Toyota's Audio Multimedia and Connected Services. Discover how Toyota is redefining the driving experience.

www.toyota.com

There are now three plans:

Music Lover ($15/mo)
Integrated Streaming allows you to browse and play through your existing Apple Music® and Amazon Music™ accounts using your vehicle's connection so you can enjoy your music on the road. Remote Connect is also included.

Go Anywhere ($15/mo)
Drive Connect is a great way to stay connected on the road. With up-to-date navigation, live-agent navigation assistance and a seamless virtual assistant, you won't need to worry about getting lost. Remote Connect is also included.

Premium ($25/mo)
Drive Connect and Integrated Streaming help you stay connected on the road with up-to-date navigation, live-agent navigation assistance, and a seamless virtual assistant while being able to browse and play your Apple Music® and Amazon Music™ content. Remote Connect is also included.

Plus an optional add-on:

Wi-Fi Connect ($25/mo)
Connected by AT&T, Wi-Fi Connect is your gateway to keeping up with important information while on the go.

What I cannot figure out at this moment is if they really took away basic Remote Connect features (lock, unlock, remote climate, charge management, etc.) from an already-expensive standalone subscription. Are they making us buy one of these joke of a packages? Or have they caved and included Remote Connect for everyone?

If they did the former, they have some balls…

Regarding the app, they finally fixed the mileage bug. Hooray. Now the charging schedule is broken.

SDGTR · Mar 8, 2023

I don't understand the integrated streaming thing. Don't Apple and Amazon Music already work through Android Auto or CarPlay? Are they saying that in order to use Amazon Music through Android Auto I will now have to pay $15/mo?

And yeah, it's not clear if Remote Connect will still be available at $8/mo or if you will be forced to pay $15 or $25/mo for it.

And I don't know what the mileage bug is but the inaccurate charging info is still there. It shows the charging session from this morning but says I only used 9kwh when the ChargePoint station reported almost 12kwh. The app also says that I charged for over 15 hours. It was 2.5 hours.

Drexlex · Mar 8, 2023

SDGTR said:
I don't understand the integrated streaming thing. Don't Apple and Amazon Music already work through Android Auto or CarPlay?

Yes.

Are they saying that in order to use Amazon Music through Android Auto I will now have to pay $15/mo?

No. You have to pay to use the version integrated into the car's system.

Music Lover ($15/mo)
Integrated Streaming allows you to browse and play through your existing Apple Music® and Amazon Music™ accounts using your vehicle's connection so you can enjoy your music on the road. Remote Connect is also included.

You're buying a data plan for the car, not the music services you already have.

When you use music streaming on your phone, you are using your phone's data plan. Cheaper, but you have to have a compatible phone and you have to connect it (wirelessly). The car system needs no phone.

CoffeeBear · Mar 8, 2023

maybe not the place for this but I've noticed that setting a departure time for charging is pretty far off. Like I set it up for 7:30AM last night but it finished charging around 5:00AM. is the system really that bad at predicting how long it takes to charge?

Tesche · Mar 8, 2023

I was really hopping this info was gonna be that they had cut the cost of remote connect in half. If it was $4/mo I might consider paying for it, $2/mo I definitely would, $8/mo has always seemed not even a little bit worth what you actually get.

srdouville · Mar 8, 2023

They haven't updated Canada with this stuff yet.

SDGTR · Mar 8, 2023

Drexlex said:
Yes.
No. You have to pay to use the version integrated into the car's system.

Music Lover ($15/mo)
Integrated Streaming allows you to browse and play through your existing Apple Music® and Amazon Music™ accounts using your vehicle's connection so you can enjoy your music on the road. Remote Connect is also included.

You're buying a data plan for the car, not the music services you already have.

When you use music streaming on your phone, you are using your phone's data plan. Cheaper, but you have to have a compatible phone and you have to connect it (wirelessly). The car system needs no phone.

Ok. I didn't even know my car had those apps built in. I've never seen them.

Tesche said:
I was really hopping this info was gonna be that they had cut the cost of remote connect in half. If it was $4/mo I might consider paying for it, $2/mo I definitely would, $8/mo has always seemed not even a little bit worth what you actually get.

Yep. Forcing people to pay $15/mo one way or another for the remote app is a good way to piss people off.

iTim314 · Mar 8, 2023

For what it’s worth, I still have “EV Remote Connect” for $8/mo. listed as a subscribable service in my Toyota app. However, that may be because I’m currently subscribed. It may not be available for non-subscribers.

Can anyone — having an expired trial and no current subscriptions — see what capabilities their Toyota app has, and what service subscriptions are available to you? Ensure you have updated your Toyota app.

chuckles70 · Mar 8, 2023

iTim314 said:
For what it’s worth, I still have “EV Remote Connect” for $8/mo. listed as a subscribable service in my Toyota app. However, that may be because I’m currently subscribed. It may not be available for non-subscribers.

Can anyone — having an expired trial and no current subscriptions — see what capabilities their Toyota app has, and what service subscriptions are available to you? Ensure you have updated your Toyota app.

I am a non-subscriber and the app is still advertising the same services as before $8/$80 each. No updates available on the IOS store, assuming I have the latest.

Drexlex · Mar 9, 2023

SDGTR said:
Ok. I didn't even know my car had those apps built in. I've never seen them.

Perhaps I overstated the case. Sorry about that -- the Toyota statement is a little vague, "Integrated Streaming allows you to browse and play through your existing Apple Music® and Amazon Music™ accounts" just sounded to me like you'd access your music account through the car's system.

Maybe they could have said "play your existing Apple Music® and Amazon Music™ phone apps using your vehicle's connection instead of using your phone's data."

Anyway, it's the data plan without maps, and for additional cost, you get maps too.

SDGTR · Mar 9, 2023

So I realized what mileage bug was fixed.

Drexlex said:
Perhaps I overstated the case. Sorry about that -- the Toyota statement is a little vague, "Integrated Streaming allows you to browse and play through your existing Apple Music® and Amazon Music™ accounts" just sounded to me like you'd access your music account through the car's system.

Maybe they could have said "play your existing Apple Music® and Amazon Music™ phone apps using your vehicle's connection instead of using your phone's data."

Anyway, it's the data plan without maps, and for additional cost, you get maps too.

Thanks. Actually I started digging through the infotainment menu and found that when you select Audio then press the Source button, Apple Music and Amazon Music are listed in there.

So it looks like the car might have those apps built in. You have to know where to find them though.

Either way, I see no reason for this $15/mo service unless your phone data plan sucks and you don't have enough to stream either of those apps.

AlexRav4xse · Mar 9, 2023

From my understanding,

Only model years starting in 2023 have integrated streaming and drive connect as an option, as such this change does not affect cars before 2023

Drive connect and Integrated Streaming use AT&T's mobile network, which means if you go into an area with poor signal you won't have access to navigation.

2023 Rav4s come with wireless carplay and android auto. You can easily set up a view as attached below and be able to control your music and have navigation at the same time, for free without any unnecessary Toyota subscriptions.

Not sure why Toyota made this change to the pricing, but they have plenty of time to adjust this as all Toyota 2023 rav4's come with a 1 year free trial of Remote Connect and Drive Connect. So no one will be complaining for now as they get it for free anyways.

Drexlex · Mar 9, 2023

AlexRav4xse said:
From my understanding,

Drive connect and Integrated Streaming use AT&T's mobile network, which means if you go into an area with poor signal you won't have access to navigation.

Navigation does not stop working when there's a loss of network. It only loses the ability to access updated maps.

srdouville · Mar 9, 2023

AlexRav4xse said:
From my understanding,

Only model years starting in 2023 have integrated streaming and drive connect as an option, as such this change does not affect cars before 2023

Drive connect and Integrated Streaming use AT&T's mobile network, which means if you go into an area with poor signal you won't have access to navigation.

2023 Rav4s come with wireless carplay and android auto. You can easily set up a view as attached below and be able to control your music and have navigation at the same time, for free without any unnecessary Toyota subscriptions.
View attachment 192974

Not sure why Toyota made this change to the pricing, but they have plenty of time to adjust this as all Toyota 2023 rav4's come with a 1 year free trial of Remote Connect and Drive Connect. So no one will be complaining for now as they get it for free anyways.

What is that third app on the bottom right? And how did you get three apps on the right? I just get two...

Drexlex · Mar 9, 2023

srdouville said:
What is that third app on the bottom right? And how did you get three apps on the right? I just get two...

Do you have HomeLink programmed in your car?

srdouville · Mar 9, 2023

Drexlex said:
Do you have HomeLink programmed in your car?

Yup

iTim314 · Mar 10, 2023

Drexlex said:
Do you have HomeLink programmed in your car?

It has nothing to do with Homelink.

srdouville said:
What is that third app on the bottom right? And how did you get three apps on the right? I just get two...

That's the "Siri Suggestion" tile on the CarPlay split screen. It decides what to show there and it changes depending on… uh, ¯\(ツ)/¯ . In the screenshot, it's showing the user's smart garage door controller via the Home app.

AutoMatters · Mar 11, 2023

srdouville said:
What is that third app on the bottom right? And how did you get three apps on the right? I just get two...

I can get this same view on my '21 RAV4 Prime with the Premium Package, but I have to use a wired connection (I do not get wireless Apple CarPlay).

Gymnbat · Mar 11, 2023

AutoMatters said:
I can get this same view on my '21 RAV4 Prime with the Premium Package, but I have to use a wired connection (I do not get wireless Apple CarPlay).

I use a dongle for wireless carplay. I get the same view. The only difference between wireless carplay and the wired carplay is that I lose the ability to use the native voice control in the car when using the wireless dongle. A short press on steeing wheel voice button when using the wireless carplay gives me carplay voice control. When plugged in to the cars data port a short press on the steering wheel voice button gives me the cars native voice conrol and a long press gives me the carplay voice control. Hey Siri also activates the carplay voice control.

kletusking · Mar 21, 2023

iTim314 said:
It appears Toyota has updated their app and overhauled their pricing structure for their connected services.

Connected Services | Toyota Owners

Unlock a world of entertainment and connectivity with Toyota's Audio Multimedia and Connected Services. Discover how Toyota is redefining the driving experience.

www.toyota.com

There are now three plans:

Music Lover ($15/mo)
Integrated Streaming allows you to browse and play through your existing Apple Music® and Amazon Music™ accounts using your vehicle's connection so you can enjoy your music on the road. Remote Connect is also included.

Go Anywhere ($15/mo)
Drive Connect is a great way to stay connected on the road. With up-to-date navigation, live-agent navigation assistance and a seamless virtual assistant, you won't need to worry about getting lost. Remote Connect is also included.

Premium ($25/mo)
Drive Connect and Integrated Streaming help you stay connected on the road with up-to-date navigation, live-agent navigation assistance, and a seamless virtual assistant while being able to browse and play your Apple Music® and Amazon Music™ content. Remote Connect is also included.

Plus an optional add-on:

Wi-Fi Connect ($25/mo)
Connected by AT&T, Wi-Fi Connect is your gateway to keeping up with important information while on the go.

What I cannot figure out at this moment is if they really took away basic Remote Connect features (lock, unlock, remote climate, charge management, etc.) from an already-expensive standalone subscription. Are they making us buy one of these joke of a packages? Or have they caved and included Remote Connect for everyone?

If they did the former, they have some balls…

Regarding the app, they finally fixed the mileage bug. Hooray. Now the charging schedule is broken.

Does anyone know if you need the Wi-Fi Connect data subscription service through ATT @ $25/mo to use any of the 3 subscriptions services from Toyota (Premium, Go Anywhere, or Music Lover)? For example will the Go Anywhere subscription @ $15/mo not work unless you have a Wi-Fi data plan subscripton from ATT? If so, then why do they list the Wi-Fi Connect service as an Optional Add-On?? You need data from ATT plan instead of say using Android Auto and your phone's data plan? Sounds very confusing (and expensive) to me. Thanks.

App Update + Connected Services Overhaul

Connected Services | Toyota Owners

iTim314

Connected Services | Toyota Owners

SDGTR

Drexlex

CoffeeBear

Tesche

srdouville

SDGTR

iTim314

chuckles70

Drexlex

SDGTR

AlexRav4xse

Drexlex

srdouville

Drexlex

srdouville

iTim314

AutoMatters

Gymnbat

kletusking

Connected Services | Toyota Owners

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