BMW and MINI are integrating Life360, a family app, into their vehicles.
An estimated 50m families around the world already use Life360 to help stay connected with their friends and relations.
Whether planning dinner, meeting with a car pool or wanting to make sure that the kids or grandparents have made it home safely, the Life360 app allows families and friends to communicate and bring each other quickly up to speed.
After signing up to a new private “circle”, users can share their location and make phone calls or chat online. They can also choose to switch off the location-sharing function. It is also possible to create several groups, although members of different circles, such as close and extended family, can only view one another if they are also members of the same group.
The integration of Life360 into BMW ConnectedDrive and MINI Connected allows the car’s navigation system to guide the driver to a circle member’s current location directly through the app. Telephone conversations with group members can be made directly from the application via the car’s audio system.
All that’s required is a live Bluetooth connection between the phone and the car.
The Life360 app is certified for use in BMW and MINI cars with the Apple iPhone and can be downloaded free from the Apple App Store.