EV maker Rivian is working on an integration with the Apple Watch that will allow users to control and monitor their vehicles directly from their wrists, the company’s Chief Software Officer Wassym Bensaid said in a post on X.
The feature will enable Rivian owners to check vehicle status, battery range, and climate settings, as well as lock and unlock doors, activate lights or the horn, and locate the vehicle with pedestrian-friendly navigation guidance. Users will also be able to confirm whether windows are closed and start or stop charging remotely.
“Both will work very nicely together, soon,” Bensaid wrote on Saturday, without specifying whether Rivian plans to launch a standalone Apple Watch app, as Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Volvo and Honda have recently done.
In addition to remote control, the integration is expected to offer glanceable information such as battery level, charging status, and vehicle lock state, along with real-time notifications for charging errors, completed sessions, security alerts, and software updates.
The tease comes months after Rivian added support for Apple Music, including immersive Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, to all its vehicles. That integration, announced last year, became available to Apple Music subscribers in Rivian EVs last August.
Bensaid commented on Sunday a Reddit post where a Rivian Gen-2 owner named the infotainment lag as “ridiculous” and “embarassing” guaranteeing the team is working on the issues.
“Agree. UI performance is not where it should be,” Rivian’s Software chief stated. “There’s a compound set of issues from some apps that are affecting the overall behavior. We’re working on it and will get it addressed.”
A separate mobile app update featuring a redesigned interface is expected later in April, Bensaid said in an earlier post.
Earlier this month, Rivian released a software update focused on improving ride comfort in its R1 Gen 1 and Gen 2 vehicles. The update uses what the company described as “intelligent algorithms” to better analyze sensor data and adapt to uneven terrain.
Rivian produced 14,611 vehicles and delivered 8,640 in the first quarter of 2024, slightly ahead of the company’s prior guidance. U.S. sales totaled 11,070 units during the quarter, down 26.6% from a year earlier, according to data from Motor Intelligence.
Rivian shares were down slightly in premarket trading at $11.45 on Monday. The stock is down about 13% so far this year.
