Views on the Volkswagen app?

[DrivenToDistraction]

I have just sync'd my 8.5 GTI to the VW app (set myself up as the primary user etc) and can now do things from my phone app like lock/unlock the car, make the indicators flash (I guess if you have lost your car in a very large car park??), view journey data, average mpg etc etc. I have got VW Connect and VW Connect Plus until Sept 2026 (i.e. 2 years after the car was first registered) and have been looking through what each provides. It is all a bit underwhelming on first read (apart form the auto satnav map updates) so has anyone found that specific app functions provide any real practical benefits?

[JoeGTI]

No, you've pretty much covered it. Its mostly useless 

My wife has an ID4 and there's one useful feature on it with the EV cars which isn't really possible with ICE cars - you can pre-heat (or pre-cool) the car from the app in advance of your journey.

[WelshGolf]

Very pointless, apart from the lock/unlock feature for when I have a brain fart and question if i've locked the car.

[Adam T7]

Very pointless, apart from the lock/unlock feature for when I have a brain fart and question if i've locked the car.

Ditto😂

[Hertsman]

It used to be better, but now integrates into the web page for additional information, which was single sign on, then not, but seems to be single sign on again.

Only use it to see if car locked also, though when go for further information you can get mileage, servicing etc.

My BMW app is a little more useful, you get list to whether windows are up, bonnet closed, locked etc and the monthly mileage tracker is useful for it being a company car, as do not have to get into car to get my mileage

On the whole, they relatively gimmicky and you soon lose interest with it, but not as much as Car Net, which only tried once on another car many years ago, the epitome of useless.

[Exonian]

As Joe says, it’s useful for EV’s where you can precondition the battery and interior before a journey but has little benefit to ICE drivers, although on the same note you can switch the ventilation on which might be useful in warmer temps. The interior doesn’t warm up with the ventilation setting on an ICE car in icy conditions unlike an EV.
Good enough reason to get an ID.3 GTX… 

[Rudedog]

They must have changed it because when I had my 3 year subscription I could tell when each door or bonnet was opened/closed - useful at service time as I could check exactly when it had actually gone into the workshop and when they were looking at the engine.  The driving data helped me work out that my car had gone into a regen which had me very worried the first time it happened.

Still wouldn't pay the silly money they now want for just one year.