PSA: Do not trust the latest MyPorsche app

[whitex]

TLDR; don't trust the MyPorsche status of your car. It will show you fake status to keep you happy. It will no longer admit that it has no connection to your car.

Ever use your app to make sure your Taycan is all locked up, safe and sound? You check your app and it tells you a comforting "just updated, all is well" status?

As I recently discovered, it could be a lie. I already learned that "your windows are open" is meaningless, as my app shows it most of the time (even after following the instructions to memorize the windows "final position"). The latest update of MyPorsche seems to be designed to pacify customers (perhaps executives to which the software contractor demoed the new App). It looks snazzy, but if it cannot connect to your car, it will give a fake "it's all good" message, even though your Taycan could unlocked and possibly on a tow truck somewhere. It could be some happy status from some time earlier. At least the old app had a connection indicator which usually told me the car not communicating.

I ran into that recently. What gave it away as fake "don't worry, all is well" was that the battery state of charge was 83% even though that was the level I charged to at home, but since have driven way farther than 2% could possibly take me. ( after I went out to the car to check, it was at 75%). Ok, the fact that it didn't show windows open was also suspicious, but I held onto false hope that maybe they fixed that problem. I started the pre-conditioning as I wanted to pre-heat the car, but noticed the time on the preconditioning kept resetting to 52 minutes whenever I restarted the app - while with the app on the screen, it would count down the minutes. One sign of trouble was when I went to stop pre-conditioning, it would error out.

At least they didn't fake this out yet, probably this one got away from their testing, to be added at future date - if the server cannot talk to the car, connect to a happy emulated car in the cloud.

I have seen this approach in some apps in the past. I even saw this being implemented at a large company for their app, but it was a messaging/email type app, and marketing insisted we should never ever show the customer that server connection is broken - "just show the customer no new messages" - developers actually had to remove a feature which would tell the customer that the app is unable to talk to the server. Official justification - "customer seeing that there is a problem connecting to a messaging server creates customer dissatisfaction", so in other words, "lie to the customers to keep them happy". While I find it a questionable practice for a messaging app, personally I think it's completely unacceptable for a car security status.

I bet the fake demo went well with the executives - look sir, everything is working well, look how quick the app now updates its status - see, it says "just updated"!

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[Scandinavian]

I guess the Just updated refers to the app updating from the server. But that leaves the update between car and servers, that does not update as frequently. So I can understand some delays but no idea on the frequency.

There May be a valid reason for only having regular updates between the car and servers? If the cr would be online all the time, it would require the LTE module to be active at all times. And that would draw energy. Not sure how many modules the car also would need to check, but if most of the PCM is active, it will draw about 500 watts. Most of that of course by driving the displays I guess, but ECU’s also draw power.

 

[B61]

Why spending time with unreliable app at all?
I’m using unofficial app, written by @featherless ….

they are also not able (or willing?) to answer on a very simple question: how they calculatedtotal average consumption 17.3kwh/100km, if records shows over 24khw/100km?

 

[whitex]

I guess the Just updated refers to the app updating from the server. But that leaves the update between car and servers, that does not update as frequently. So I can understand some delays but no idea on the frequency.

There May be a valid reason for only having regular updates between the car and servers? If the cr would be online all the time, it would require the LTE module to be active at all times. And that would draw energy. Not sure how many modules the car also would need to check, but if most of the PCM is active, it will draw about 500 watts. Most of that of course by driving the displays I guess, but ECU’s also draw power.

In this particular case the SoC percentage was from when I left the house over 6 hours earlier. The PCM was definitely ON while I was driving for about 20-30 minutes. I logged-in to pre-heat the car before going back home. It let me start the preconditioning (but didn't actually start it) and showed it was pre-conditioning, but in reality it was not. After realizing the preconditioning time kept updating back to 52 minutes every time I opened the app, I went out to the car to check, then started pre-conditioning manually.

I agree that the "just updated" probably means from the server, which is now faking a car to pacify customers if it cannot talk to it. However, this is a customer facing message which replaces the connection icon, so it should not rely on customer's interpretation of what it could mean in Porsche's current implementation. Porsche does not make their implementation information public either - so how is customer supposed to know how their back-end software works? Are they expecting every customer to hack their network to pull their source code to reverse engineer it (if so, please point me such official statement, saying customer have full Porsche permission to hack any Porsche network - I could have some fun with that). Maybe "just updated" means the screen update, which happens 30-60 times per second - every time you look at your phone screen, it has just been updated. Using such semantic distinction just makes the company look sleazy, like they are trying to pull a fast one on their customers.

Porsche app appears to be very poor design, and they are now "putting lipstick on a pig" by making it look pretty while hiding errors from customers. Sad.

 

[Scandinavian]

In this particular case the SoC percentage was from when I left the house over 6 hours earlier. The PCM was definitely ON while I was driving for about 20-30 minutes. I logged-in to pre-heat the car before going back home. It let me start the preconditioning (but didn't actually start it) and showed it was pre-conditioning, but in reality it was not. After realizing the preconditioning time kept updating back to 52 minutes every time I opened the app, I went out to the car to check, then started pre-conditioning manually.

I agree that the "just updated" probably means from the server, which is now faking a car to pacify customers if it cannot talk to it. However, this is a customer facing message which replaces the connection icon, so it should not rely on customer's interpretation of what it could mean in Porsche's current implementation. Porsche does not make their implementation information public either - so how is customer supposed to know how their back-end software works? Are they expecting every customer to hack their network to pull their source code to reverse engineer it (if so, please point me such official statement, saying customer have full Porsche permission to hack any Porsche network - I could have some fun with that). Maybe "just updated" means the screen update, which happens 30-60 times per second - every time you look at your phone screen, it has just been updated. Using such semantic distinction just makes the company look sleazy, like they are trying to pull a fast one on their customers.

Porsche app appears to be very poor design, and they are now "putting lipstick on a pig" by making it look pretty while hiding errors from customers. Sad.

I completely agree with you, I am in no way defending Porsche’s attempt for on line car. We all know it is quite bad in the app. Their navigation and destination in app and in the webpage is not even worth commenting on. I can send routes or destination to the car. It states that destination has been sent to the car, but nothing is received in the car 6 times out of 10 for me lately. Maybe Porsche have reverted to more reliable pigeon post, do I will wait a few days.

isn't there a saying in english

you can’t make a silk purse out of a pigs ear , or similar?

It is very sad with the performance of Porsche in this area. But even worse I think is their complete Ostrich mentality, by not answering Smartmobility complaints or communications about updates etc.

It is such a great car to drive but it starts to wear thin now. There are many new great cars coming along as alternatives, so one day there will be one that has the same driving pleasure, and then I am out.

 

[Tooney]

But reviews on the forum are the newly updated MyPorsche app works great on their Apple Watches.
There's always somebody who is never satisfied....

 

[Scandinavian]

But reviews on the forum are the newly updated MyPorsche app works great on their Apple Watches.
Somebody is never satisfied....

Depends on if you like a snapshot from your Apple Watch that is 300 km out in odometer and completely wrong on charge level etc.

Here is my Apple Watch shot today

As you can see that is Just Updated!!!!!


And here is the screenshot from the app at the same minute .

Not even that can they manage!

 

[Tooney]

Depends on if you like a snapshot from your Apple Watch that is 300 km out in odometer and completely wrong on charge level etc.

56% vs 72%?
188km vs 225km?
Details, details, ....
But hey, the image of your Taycan on that watch is great!

 

[whitex]

Depends on if you like a snapshot from your Apple Watch that is 300 km out in odometer and completely wrong on charge level etc.

Here is my Apple Watch shot today

As you can see that is Just Updated!!!!!


And here is the screenshot from the app at the same minute .

Not even that can they manage!

Perhaps the watch app and phone app teams each created their own virtual AI Taycan in the cloud with its own AI delusions. Neither may be reflecting actual car status. You see, demos to executives and marketing do not require real cars. As long as there are pretty pictures, checks are signed, contractors are paid, employees get bonuses.

Of course there is also the possibility that occasionally we are in fact viewing someone else's car status.

 

[whitex]

Depends on if you like a snapshot from your Apple Watch that is 300 km out in odometer and completely wrong on charge level etc.

Here is my Apple Watch shot today

As you can see that is Just Updated!!!!!


And here is the screenshot from the app at the same minute .

Not even that can they manage!

If the apps are correct, your Taycan lost 16% of battery in one minute. How fast does a Taycan have to drive to use the entire battery up in ~6 minutes?

 

[anonymouse]

isn't there a saying in english
you can’t make a silk purse out of a pigs ear , or similar?

Yes (although usually "sow's"). Very appropriate.
As is another English phrase, "it's like putting lipstick on a pig". Shiny app, same crap architecture behind.

 

[sbalaji]

This new app update and possibly server updates they have is causing the vehicle to not connect to the servers. My trip data and sOC has not updated on the mobile app since Jan 20th. We all buy an expensive car with brand name and this is the status ? With no real updates to us or even announcements. Quite disappointing.

 

[whitex]

Yes (although usually "sow's"). Very appropriate.
As is another English phrase, "it's like putting lipstick on a pig". Shiny app, same crap architecture behind.

Or "you can powder a turd, it don't make it a donut"

 

[Leawood CT]

Or "you can powder a turd, it don't make it a donut"

Or "you can dress it up in a little tuxedo, but it is still a turd in a punch bowl".

 

[FrozenBerries]

Perhaps the watch app and phone app teams each created their own virtual AI Taycan in the cloud with its own AI delusions. Neither may be reflecting actual car status. You see, demos to executives and marketing do not require real cars. As long as there are pretty pictures, checks are signed, contractors are paid, employees get bonuses.

Of course there is also the possibility that occasionally we are in fact viewing someone else's car status.

Hey hey GenAI has some hallucinations OK. They are using cutting edge technology

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