BMW Blasts Its Cars' Internal Screens With Aggressive Ads (futurism.com)
- Reference: 0184875480
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/08/06/0414254/bmw-blasts-its-cars-internal-screens-with-aggressive-ads
- Source link: https://futurism.com/advanced-transport/bmw-suddenly-blasts-cars-advertisements
> BMW, showing that it was about as in-touch as its drivers are familiar with turn signals, [4]teased the promotion as a "special surprise." According to [5]The Autopian's coverage and the heaps of complaints online, the ad appears on the center console screen when you start up the car. When the ad's done playing -- a cheap looking animation that doesn't come close to warranting all this hubbub -- it even has the gall to ask you to scan a QR code.
>
> While it does give you the option to play or skip the "festive animation," it's still an annoying extra step drivers have to take before pulling up the map they need or the music they want to listen to. It's also a breach of trust: drivers keep their cars connected so they receive critical software updates, not unexpectedly see ads when they're trying to hit the road. Few owners were pleased. Enthusiasts in the r/BMW subreddit [6]had a veritable meltdown when someone posted footage of the ad playing on their infotainment system.
[1] https://slashdot.org/~schwit1
[2] https://slashdot.org/~fjo3
[3] https://futurism.com/advanced-transport/bmw-suddenly-blasts-cars-advertisements
[4] https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/usa/article/detail/T0459681EN_US/bmw-brings-modern-mobility-to-the-sony-pictures-film
[5] https://www.theautopian.com/bmw-is-showing-commercials-on-their-cars-dash-screens-and-they-want-you-to-think-its-a-treat/
[6] https://www.reddit.com/r/BMW/comments/1v802of/got_this_commercial_in_my_car_today_as_part_of
Crap (Score:4, Informative)
That's just as crap as with my Nissan Qashqai 2021 infosystem, where I have to agree to the terms every single time I start my car. I understand if they ask it after a computer reset, but with every single start is just awful. I understand Kia has the same 'problem'.
Re:Crap (Score:4, Informative)
Same with my Toyota Innova.
I have to tap "Agree" before I can use the car.
After tapping "Agree", it turns on the radio, so I also have to turn that off again. Every time.
I'm not sure what I'm agreeing to, since the terms and conditions aren't listed on the screen.
Re: (Score:2)
Subaru Outback owner here - after every start there are now 13 touchscreen taps that I have to go through to do the "I disagree" (Actually "I agree") and then turn off a series of nanny functions that are just stressing me out.
Re: (Score:2)
The radio always switching on at startup is a real bugbear of mine in my mazda too. I just don't understand why they do it , it would be so easy for the system to remember the state at shutdown and leave it there , but no, switch on each feckin time. FFS.
Re: (Score:2)
I drive a Kia.
I can just start driving, but it displays a warning for a short while, that I can dismiss.
It is still annoying.
I live in Denmark.
Re: Crap (Score:2)
Yeah, I can still drive, but I can't use the infostation until I press agree.
Re: (Score:2)
That was a think way back in the day with my Nissan Leaf too. It's not a legal requirement like they claim either. Other manufacturers like MG don't bother, they just have you agree once when setting it up. No ads either.
Re: (Score:3)
> That's just as crap as with my Nissan Qashqai 2021 infosystem, where I have to agree to the terms every single time I start my car. I understand if they ask it after a computer reset, but with every single start is just awful. I understand Kia has the same 'problem'.
Stupid terms of service popups are nothing at all like monetising your dashboard by displaying you video ads. Don't equate the two. One is bad design, the other is a completely fucking nefarious business practice.
Re:Crap (Score:5, Interesting)
Maybe the reason is because you might allow someone else to drive your car, and they want to do their best to make sure that whoever is driving the car agrees to the terms. This isn't an attempt to claim it is justified, but merely an attempt to understand what their reasoning might be.
Re: (Score:2)
Same in my Hyundai, but it's not that annoying, and it goes away after a minute if you don't touch it.
Also, it's not an AD.
Disconnecting the car? (Score:3)
I'm still rocking my 2010 Honda Civic....fucking love that car. So I don't know how these newer cars are set up. But how hard is it to disconnect them from communicating with the outside world?
Re: (Score:3)
> I'm still rocking my 2010 Honda Civic....fucking love that car. So I don't know how these newer cars are set up. But how hard is it to disconnect them from communicating with the outside world?
Do you want to? I mean I could disconnect mine. Then I lose features I paid for, dynamic maps, traffic updates, the ability to play Spotify on my dash without having to pair a phone, the ability to remotely engage heating, auto fill my logbook, or see the charge to my destination in Google maps, etc. A great many convenience features rely on connectivity.
That said my car has never shown ads, fuck BMW and I highly recommend no one ever buy their cars.
Re: (Score:2)
Why do you need all these features (apart from the remote start)? Just use CarPlay/AA.
Re: (Score:3)
> I'm still rocking my 2010 Honda Civic ...
2001 Honda Civic Ex (136k miles) and 2002 CR-V Ex (62k miles) here, both 5-spd manuals and run great. Keeping them as long as I can.
Boycoot Spiderman (Score:2)
Any time you see an advertisement on something of yours where being ad-supported wasn't an up-front part of the deal, the advertisers are trespassing against you. Avoid their products as a result. Make it very expensive for them to do this.
Fuck that (Score:3)
This is a new low. A lot of people were upset about the heated seats discussion (and the article stupidly equates the two), but that one was kind of silly since that was 100% optional, and you could choose to not have it, or purchase it outright, or have the feature just some of the time. Literally more choice to consumers.
This on the other hand can fuck all the way off. Cars shouldn't show ads. Ever. Period. I understand if you want to use a subscription service without paying for it (does Spotify's free tier work car infotainments systems?), but this is one example where regulators should step in and properly fuck BMW to send a message to everyone else.
And apparently added an app. (Score:3)
The Reddit post said it also added an app to re-watch the ad later, meaning they installed something on the vehicle w/o the owner's permission. Not to nitpick, but that's not cool. I bitched at my dealership once when they put license plate frames on my car, with their name on them, w/o telling me when I dropped it off for service. They claimed it was a promotional thing. I said so... you installed something on my car without my permission? They don't do that anymore.
Do not buy (Score:2)
As LG with their screens, BMW obviously wants to be put on the "do not buy" list. It's a shame, as they do make nice cars offering a good driving experience - even if you have to pick them between the flood of ungainly SUVs. But, as I'm sure most people will agree, ads are simply not acceptable in products you buy. I'm also sure BMW is burning lots of positive karma with this, and sales will suffer because of it. And they'll certainly blame it on the flood of cheaper chinese cars rather than look at their o
In "unrelated" news... (Score:2)
[1]BMW to cut up to 8,000 jobs [dw.com]. The problem isn't limited to BMW but also to other brands. Maybe they should find what customers really want and not what is getting them bigger profit margins only. Especially when cars are become more and more expensive, and car dealers are more interested to sell loans and insurance than actual cars.
People then could stop to buy new cars or look at other brands that are selling cheaper models with less gadgets. It happened with Japanese brands, then happened with Korean bra
[1] https://www.dw.com/en/bmw-to-cut-up-to-8000-jobs/a-78162615
How long before (Score:1)
... the auto industry lobbies governments to declare in-car advertising while the car is in motion to be not a distraction from driving. "Responsibly designed adverts" or some similar tripe.
At least they didn't upload a U2 album to it (Score:2)
Like some investors' darlings would have done.
Another reason.... (Score:2)
not to buy a BMW or any other car with a cellular umbilical cord back to the mother ship.
Hot tip: Renault (Score:2)
My 2026 Renault Scenic never nags me with any license terms, only warns me that using Google will be out of their control. Everything is opt-in. They explicitly tell me how they use my personal info (which is in a totally acceptable manner), that they encrypt everything, and that I have the right to be deleted and/or know whatever they store about me. In fact, they seem so aggressive when it comes to protecting my data, it's as if the people who work there feel the same as I do.
They turned out amongst th
test drive? (Score:3)
How do you even let people test drive a car that has ads in it? Is there a mode they put it in to make the car look good for test drives and then start the ads after the car is in the driveway? I'm sure not buying a car that shows me ads.
Re: (Score:3)
Apparently it was done as a software update at some point. I'd be booking the car in for warranty work to remove it, and getting a substantial refund if they can't fix it.
Re:test drive? (Score:4, Insightful)
Reminder that any car that has an always-on cellular internet connection that you aren't paying for has a connection that's being paid for by the manufacturer, and it must be worth it to them.
If you can, and can get at it, remember that a coax terminator in place of the 5G antenna connection is a pretty good guarantee against your privacy being violated and your possession being treated like it's the manufacturer's.
Re: (Score:2)
Unfortunately doing that will also break the built in breakdown/emergency services auto call system if you have a crash not to mention you won't get any further software updates.