BMW Labs and IFTTT

[easports82]

Has anyone dipped their toes into the new Labs widget? Activated it yesterday and I'm not totally sold on the implementation and usefulness as it is. Main problem seems that the widget has to be selected in the split-screen for everything to kick in. This leads to a delay on start up (which is inevitable since it relies on the 3G connection to trigger events) and also limits the screen itself: you can only view the status of the IFTTT recipes, so no arrow display for navigation or whatever you're used to on the right side. I haven't used IFTTT before, but it would seem a lot of the BMW options for recipes can be done using a geo-fence, negating the need for labs.

Are there other observations or tips to use it better?

 

[Schnort]

OF course, they don't actually offer anything useful like "text me when my car charging completes or stops".

Well, maybe some things they offer are useful, but missing this feature is really embarrassing.

 

[Schnort]

Grrr, and the dang thing doesn't work unless you have the technology package. I have the absolute base model, and it apparently requires the 'split screen' capability which comes with the "nav pro" option.

 

[hessecmd]

I have used it for the following (which I can also do by just using the android app)

1. Tracking my time at work
2. Turning on my lights when I get home
3. Adjusting the thermostat when I leave/get home
4. Tracking my time at the gym
5. It sends me a message saying "Welcome Home" when I pull in the driveway


If you play around with the app and website you can do quite a bit. They are just starting the integration so I would imagine the possibilities will expand.

 

[user 2331]

I haven't been able to connect to the BMW Labs channel with my connected drive sign in credentials.... Maybe it's another limitation of we Canadian customers?

Anyone else from Canada been able to sign in via IFTTT?

 

[user 2331]

OF course, they don't actually offer anything useful like "text me when my car charging completes or stops".

This would be handy... as would a text for an unexpected charge error (breaker trip, etc)