The mobile phone, another ally for controlling your car

It was only to be expected in an age when everything runs through a mobile phone app. The smartphone has become an indispensable element for almost everything and is used to control all kinds of activities. Among them, the car could not be left out, and it is becoming increasingly common to have an app that connects to the car and allows its activity to be monitored. In this way, the two most common elements of our everyday lives, the car and the phone, are linked to get the maximum efficiency out of them.

Manufacturers know how important the smartphone is to us and are looking for the best way to integrate the functionality of these devices to make them useful when it comes to managing the vehicle’s status. More and more of them offer a connectivity function for the two main platforms, Android and iOS, making it very easy to use the various elements of the infotainment system from the phone itself, or the apps installed on it from the car’s screen.

But there are also other ways of using both systems, since there are applications that are being prepared to interact with the autonomous driving projects the companies are working on. One of them will allow, sooner than we think, the car to move around the car park until it finds a space and parks in it. Whenever the driver wants, they only have to activate the app and the car will return to the exit, also autonomously.

The connectivity of cars through mobile apps is becoming more and more important and functional. The mobile apps applied to cars can also transmit to the smartphone the data collected by the car’s sensors. If the car is equipped with systems that measure tyre pressure, kilometres travelled, range based on the fuel tank level and other data, this can be sent to the phone, so that the overall condition of the vehicle can be known. It is useful, for example, to keep track of when the oil needs changing, the condition of the tyres and other matters that affect the safety of the car.

Some models, such as the Range Rover Sport, can be remotely controlled via a mobile phone, a milestone in the automotive industry that promises new applications in the very near future. Unfortunately, some computer security specialists revealed a security flaw that allowed access to the app and taking control of the car. A setback for the brand that has not left it in a good position and has raised certain doubts about the need to rethink this type of application.

Although one of the apps for these devices that young people are likely to like least is that it can be used to send their parents’ mobile phones any incident with the car. Whether it exceeds the maximum speed or suffers any kind of breakdown or unexpected incident. The car transmits all this data and helps to have more complete control over the driver’s actions from a distance.

The union between vehicles and mobile device technology is becoming increasingly close and it is possible that within a very short time it will be indispensable. In fact, it is already being considered that potential buyers may include among their preferences the type of connectivity and the functions a car shares with the phone as one of the important points when choosing a new car. Technology is getting closer to the car and soon they will be inseparable. What do you think of this fusion between phone and vehicle? Do you think it is truly useful or is it just another accessory that can be done without?