Kia Adds New Updates to Kia Connect

Over the last few years, many automakers have shared plans and concepts for connected services to enrich their consumer’s lives when behind the wheel. Out of all of them, Kia Corp seems to be the only automaker serious about it. Back in January 2024, Kia launched Kia Connect with over-the-air (OTA) updates via a subscription service. Since then, the automaker has been steadily improving and upgrading the service to give consumers more personalized options and features. The most recent batch of updates made 153 changes, including music streaming with SoundCloud, improvements to the EV Route Planner, and adding new voice commands.

“The array of intelligent changes available in this latest update is strong proof that over-the-air updates deliver significant improvements that enable the vehicle to get better throughout the ownership experience…At Kia, we are always looking at ways to make our vehicles better, and our customers now get to enjoy these improvements several times a year, without having to do anything.” – Sjoerd Knipping, Vice President of Marketing and Product at Kia Europe and Managing Director of Kia Connect

Consumers can subscribe to this service to get access to the Kia Connect Store, and then OTA updates to download and install the latest available software to keep consumers up to date with what’s new. We took a look at some of the apps available through this service on the Kia EV9, the first vehicle to showcase what Kia Connect can do. Kia Connect apps on the Kia EV9 include remote access through Kia’s phone app or online portal, display themes like we saw in the Kia EV3 reveal, customizable lighting patterns, remote parking assist that automatically parks the car for consumers, and a Boost app to increase the performance of the vehicle. The newest changes to the Kia Connect service will make driving the car all the more enjoyable.

Streaming services in cars are becoming ever increasingly popular. No longer just films and TV shows, consumers want to be able to listen to and discover new artists. With SoundCloud and Amazon Music, consumers get access to over 375 million tracks from 40 million artists. Even better, this service is supported by voice recognition. Hear a song you like? Just ask the app to play more similar songs without having to look up the artist and do it manually.

Initially released in 2023, Kia launched the EV Route Planner for the EV6 and Niro EV. An app that can make the driving experience of a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) less worrisome, the app uses the navigation system to detect charging stations along the route the driver is currently taking. Able to mark waypoints, drivers can see where nearby charging stations are and plan ahead for their next pit stop.

We know the number one reason consumers aren’t going electric is the fear they’ll get stranded with nowhere to charge up. Apps like the EV Route Planner can put such fears to rest. It even automatically adds charging stations to the route if the vehicle’s current charging level isn’t sufficient to reach the driver’s destination – this would mean it only works if a destination has already been selected in the navigation system, but it’s still pretty helpful. Now available in split screen, drivers don’t have to worry about switching between apps to keep an eye out for the next charging point either.

Every new Kia BEV going forward comes with a one-year trial that includes two free OTA updates for the vehicle’s navigation maps and infotainment system. After the one year trial, a subscription is needed to keep Kia Connect active. Prices aren’t too bad, starting at $6-$20/month and $59-$199/year. Want to get behind the wheel of a BEV from Kia and check out Kia Connect for yourself? Find a new Kia at Miami Lakes Automall.

Photo Source/Copyright: Kia Media