BMW's open mobility just took another turn toward more connectivity.
USA Today reported Thursday that owners of late-model BMW vehicles can now tap into information powered by Microsoft's Azure Cloud for its new BMW Connected app. The publication says owners will be able to get alerts about real-time traffic increases via their smartphones and Apple Watches, so they'll be able to leave their current locations before the gridlock can grow any worse, for example.
The Azure Cloud backing was part of the automaker and Microsoft's joint announcement Thursday, rolling out the new BMW Connected service app during Build, the tech company's annual developers conference. The iOS app will be compatible with 2014 or newer BMW models as of today, with it being able to sync with models dating back to 2011 soon thereafter, according to USA Today.
"This is all about safety and convenience through an app that learns all about who you are and what you do," Randy Cavaiani, BMW's director of partner and product marketing, told USA Today. "The cloud is critical to something like this, where in order to scale the service you need tremendous computing capacity to deal with adding users and their data as well as growing partner services."
The Azure cloud has been used by Ford, Toyota, Volvo, Nissan and now, BMW.
"The idea is simply to use the power of our cloud service to create a branded experience for the customer," Sanjay Ravi, who works in the automotive space for Microsoft, told USA Today. "Every consumer today wants a personalized experience. To do that, you need to weave in the intelligent cloud and its ability to provide real-time machine learning and data analytics on a huge scale."
As part of the automaker's partnership with Microsoft, BMW Connected will also feature in-app suggestions once your car is parked. So, say you found your spot, but still need to get to your final destination — whether by foot or hopping on public transportation. The app's built-in "last mile" features will suggest the best possible way for you to reach that destination.
"That last mile option is very big in Europe where people use many modes of transportation, and in time we think it will prove useful here as well," Cavaiani added.
BMW is definitely mashing the dash on more connectivity in further open mobility.
