BertL

Enform App Suite Trial Extension

FYI that I received an email from Lexus Enform on the 19th, with the heading "A special thank you: Your Enform App Suite service has been extended for 12 months, free of charge!". The note goes on to thank me for being an early adopter, and that my Enform App Suite trial now expires 2 years from the date I took delivery of my 2013 RX450h. (The email also is very clear that Lexus Enform with Safety Connect, SiriusXM, NavTraffic, NavWeather and Travel Link trials are separate and will expire after the one-year trial if not renewed.)

I believe I was one of the first here on CL to take delivery of a 2013 in June last year, so I have no idea who has or will get one of these emails, but wanted to alert 2013 owners to watch your email you used with Enform registration just-in-case. Unfortunately, I almost never use the Enform Apps and planned long ago to not pay the monthly fee once it became due, so this trial does little for me except to wonder why Lexus really extended the trial -- be it my personal lack of use, Lexus trying to get more users to adopt and use the App Suite, or something else…

BertL

Lexus Enform iOS App Updated - Apr 24

Yesterday, Lexus updated the Enform App in the iTunes App Store to version 2.3.243 for iPhone/iPad users. This is the 4th update since the Enform App became available in January 2012, and the first one since January 2013. Updates include:
- Added account registration capabilities via mobile handset
- Updated Pandora audio library
- Updated Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
- Various product improvements and bug fixes

This morning, I sync'd this update to my iPhone 5, then let it pair as normal with my 2013 RX450h. I started Apps and went to Pandora which worked fine in my garage. I didn't notice any other app changes as I quickly tried each in turn, but perhaps someone else that use them more frequently will. There are some customer reviews in iTunes indicating people having various problems, but my iPhone5 running iOS6.1.3 on AT&T works fine with my truck after this update performing normal cell pairing & connection, phone calls, contact transfer/updates, etc. I didn't have to do anything to the truck, iPhone, or Enform App settings to keep it working after the update.

WARNING: Use of eDestination within the iPhone Enform App itself has been failing with an "intermittent failure" the past couple of hours that I've been trying it. I don't know if this is an app problem introduced with the update, or something with eDestination itself. I've found the latter is not the most reliable service on the web in the first place -- it's been down multiple times when I've tried to use it over the past several months on the web or via my truck, so hopefully it will come back up once people at Lexus HQ get in this morning and resolve their issue.
I have no further information on this update other than this, but for those that make use of Enform Apps, I'd suggest App updates like this are generally worthwhile to hopefully improve reliability or functionality. I'll leave it to droid users to provide an update on their environment if anything has been done to their devices.

vlad_a

Thanks for the info, Bert! I'll watch for this e-mail, if I get one.

I, as well, will not be paying to renew this service. I have very little use for it. In fact, I would prefer the sunglasses holder to the Enform receiver and not paying for the extra hardware in the first place.

rxsuperman

My 2011 RX350 SOS call button function has long expired because I too did not want to pay the fee. I noticed that when I press the button now, it prompts me to push the button again if I want to reconnect with the SOS service. Does this mean that if I am no longer a subscriber, I can still use this service in an emergency provided I pay the fee of course?

kitlz

That's great BertL. I guess it pays to be a guinea pig so to speak. I don't think the Enform App failure is a big deal. It's pretty limited anyway. Please keep us informed about what else you find.

kitlz

I don't have the contract in front of me but I believe if you press the SOS button a second time you are basically agreeing to subscribe to Safety Connect and possibly Lexus Enform as well. The dealer has a credit card number on file when you took delivery in order to initially activate Safety Connect/Enform. So I'd think twice about doing it if you don't want to pay.

Safety Connect is available alone for $150/year. Pricey, yes, but it's a quick way to get in touch with roadside assistance in case of an emergency like a flat tire. Or Lexus will call you if your RX is involved in a crash with airbag deployment.

BertL

Anita, will do. You know how much I like being the guinea pig.

FYI... I think we were both typing in responses at the same time, so sorry for some of the following being a dupe of your post above...

For clarity in case it's helpful to other folks new to this subject, as I think we may be getting things a little mixed up, here's a brief introduction to the 3 components of the Lexus "Enform Family" (at least my version). Go here for a lot more official detail:

-- Enform with Safety Connect is what most of us know here in the US as the "SOS" function, ability for the truck to dial the Lexus call center on it's own if you're in a wreck, Enhanced Roadside Assist, and the Stolen Vehicle Locator. It uses the built-in cellular capability of your truck to connect directly to Lexus and does not require a customer smartphone to operate. Navigation is NOT a prereq for this service. 3rd gen RXs (except for the very earliest 2010's that have a sunglasses holder!) come with a 1-year trial in the US and it's then an annual charge to keep it operational.

-- Enform Destination Services consists of 2 additional capabilities for those WITH Navigation. The first function is access to a Lexus proprietary mapping system on the web or iOS/Android device Enform App to keep up to 200 predetermined destinations in folders which can then be sync'd while you're in your truck to speed entry of addresses and locations within your Nav -- it's most useful for people that pre-plan where they are headed before getting in your truck, then doing a quick sync to pull any changes down. Once they are in your truck, they stay there until you re-sync. In addition while in your RX, you can verbally access a live agent using the built-in cellular capability of your truck, who can find an address or location and send that destination to your Nav on-the-fly. No customer smartphone is required to utilize this service. 3rd gen RXs come with a 1-year trial in the US and it's then an annual charge to keep this operational.

-- Enform App Suite is only in 2013 RX's (and other recent Lexus models) and is what I was referring to in my original 2 posts of this thread. This is a series of applications which include Pandora, Bing, OpenTable, Yelp, Facebook, etc that are available via the MENU on select MY trucks. Use of the App Suite requires installation of the free Enform app on supported iOS or Android devices. Once your smartphone is paired with your truck and you have the Enform app running on your phone, whenever you use one of the apps within the Enform App Suite (like Pandora), your truck will utilize the data streaming plan via your smartphone (on your nickel) for web access. 2013 RX come with a 1-year trial in the US and it's then a monthly charge to keep the apps operational (in addition to you paying for data usage via your own smartphone).

Hope that helps. It initially took me a while to get that straight in my own head, as other brands have varying packaging and different approaches to similar capabilities.

Cruiter

Didn't someone a while back post a link to some device that when installed in your car would utilize all the features in your smart phone (bing, Pandora, facebook, etc) with the NAV system and avoid the subscription charges (assuming you had an unlimited data plan)? If I remember correctly the price (one time to buy and install) was reasonable compared to the monthly sucking sound from your wallet. If I did that, I could keep my trusty 2010 with the swiveling AFS HID lights (that I really love and can't get anymore) till the cows come home. I wouldn't have the fancy spindle grill, but wouldn't have car payments either . Left hand or right hand, Hmmm ???

vlad_a

There ya go
It is silly we have to pay a subscription for apps that run on our own phones.

BertL

Would also agree. There certainly isn't much one gets for $7.95/mo for the Apps themselves, when we also have to pay for data via our own smartphone plan. There is no track record in over a year of any new function of substance being added, that's for sure.

(FWIW, in my new Mercedes-Benz when it finally arrives this summer, their implementation for similar in-vehicle apps is $14.95/month -- BUT, if I'm reading things right, there is no requirement for a personal smartphone, meaning, they include the data in their monthly rate using the in-car cellular connection, making use of something like Pandora nearly 100% of the time more feasible for those of us without unlimited cellular data plans. This is just one of the little things that brands are doing differently trying to connect their electronics with the Internet... More to come from me on the subject after I've had practical experience with the MBZ version...)

Cruiter

Thanks, that's exactly what I was thinking of. Does anyone have an idea of a reasonable fee to have it installed? And if you were to sell or trade up later, how hard would the process be to un-install it w/o harming the original setup?

Lucky for me, I already have the EVO 4G LTE

BertL

I know this is an older post I'm reviving, but today I received yet another email from Lexus as an extension to this subject... the main part of the email I received follows:
I have a 2013 RX450h, and unfortunately don't know anything more than what this says. Hopefully the Lexus Marketing materials will be updated soon for any of you with the latest head units supporting Apps, that may not have received your own email today.

Given this change, I may well give another go at using a couple of these apps, especially Pandora.

Bayman

I received the same email and I wonder what the price will be for Safety Connect.

BertL

https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lex...bscriptions.do

I paid a few dollars less, paying for 4 years up-front vs year-by-year. The benefit seems to be roughly the "cost of money" in a simpel saving account, but hey, a few bucks is a few bucks and I dont have to worry about it for another 3 years. You can continue to cancel and receive a refund at any time for the balance.

vlad_a

Thanks for letting us know! I found the same e-mail in my junk folder. I wouldn't have looked if I didn't see this.