MyToyota Connect explained

Toyota has a new weapon in the race to tempt increasingly tech-focused car buyers – a connected smartphone app that allows basic remote operation and monitoring.

The myToyota Connect app is currently only fully operational on the soon-to-arrive new Toyota Corolla Cross small SUV, a car the brand describes as “the most technologically advanced vehicle Toyota has ever produced”.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new app.

What is myToyota Connect?

MyToyota Connect is the latest smartphone app that remotely connects you to your car. It effectively replaces Toyota Link, which had nothing like the functionality of myToyota Connect.

It’s similar to other connected systems making their way across most brands, although for much of the functionality you’ll need to pay an ongoing subscription after a complimentary 12-month period.

MyToyota Connect requires users to register before allowing them to connect their vehicle by inputting its vehicle identification number (VIN).

Which cars does myToyota Connect function with?

There’s only one Toyota that currently gets the full suite of myToyota Connect functions: the Corolla Cross. There’s a lesser level of functionality that supplies basic vehicle status information to the app.

That’s available for three years on later models of the Yaris Cross (from November 2020 build), Camry (from April 2021), HiLux (from October 2021), Fortuner (from October 2021), LandCruiser 300 Series (all models), Granvia (from September 2021) and Hiace (from September 2021).

How does myToyota Connect work?

MyToyota Connect uses a mobile phone data connection. In Toyota’s case it uses the Telstra network, which provides the best coverage in the country. It obviously relies on having phone range to be able to access the various features and have the car communicate with the app.

Vehicle status

MyToyota Connect can let you know some of the basics of your car, such as the odometer reading, fuel level, remaining driving range and whether the windows and doors are open or unlocked.

There’s also provision to alert you to the pressures in each of the tyres, although given Toyota doesn’t fit tyre pressure sensors it’s not useful for now.

Vehicle location

The app can display on a map where your car currently is and whether it’s being driven. It’s handy for reassurance about where your car is or helping you locate it in a carpark.

Emergency notification

The vehicle’s data connection can be used to contact a call centre in the event of an emergency. That call centre can then contact emergency services. It’s triggered either by the impact of a crash – it doesn’t require any action from the driver – or pressing the SOS button in the cabin.

Stolen vehicle tracking

If your vehicle is stolen the car can be tracked by the Toyota call centre, which can then notify police to its location. First you need a police report then you need to get in touch with the call centre yourself. Toyota claims earlier versions of its connected services have helped track 35 stolen cars.

Basic controls

MyToyota Connect allows owners to remotely lock and unlock their car. Open the app, hold down one of the virtual buttons on the screen of your phone and wait a few seconds for the data to flow and things to happen.

You can also unlock only the boot, allowing someone access to the load area to collect something or drop it off. You can also flash the lights or let out a subtle beeping sound to help locate the car in a carpark. If all else fails, you can remotely activate the horn.

Remote ventilation

The app allows you to remotely start the car and activate the ventilation system. It’s all about cooling or heating the cabin before you get back to the car. It only operates for up to 10 minutes due to concerns about noxious exhaust fumes if the car is parked in a garage.

Driver scores

Toyota has created a system called Drive Pulse, which is a driver scoring system. It monitors driver inputs – throttle, braking and steering – and determines whether you have been driving smoothly or aggressively.

It then apportions a score out of 100. It’s all about encouraging drivers to drive more smoothly, something that should translate to lower running costs.

Trip tracking

The app will store your last 10 trips, showing you start and finish times and locations. It also records the Drive Pulse (see above) score for that trip.

Guest driver monitoring

Got a teenager who borrows your car? The connected app allows you to keep an eye on them. You can pre-set various parameters, including a maximum speed, how far they’re allowed to drive and what times they can use the car.

While the car won’t limit what the driver can do – they can ultimately break all the rules as many times as they want – it will alert the vehicle owner if there are any breaches.

‘Hey Toyota’

As with Apple, Google, Amazon and Mercedes-Benz (among others), the myToyota Connect app has a voice recognition system designed to understand natural speech.

Start with ‘Hey Toyota’ and you can ask the car to select a radio station or open windows. It’s hit and miss, and some of the usefulness of some of the functions – such as asking the car to wind down a window – is questionable given the easy access to buttons.

How much does myToyota Connect cost?

The full suite of myToyota Connect services is included for the first 12 months of ownership of the Corolla Cross. It’ll soon make its way to an updated Corolla before eventually filtering its way across the range.

After that complimentary 12-month period the car will still remain connected via the Telstra network but the only free services are remote vehicle status reports and automatic notification of emergency services.

For $9.95 per month you can add stolen vehicle tracking, the Drive Pulse driver scoring, the ability to be notified of rule breaches when someone else is driving your car, trip tracking functionality and remote locking and unlocking of the doors and starting of the engine to cool or heat the cabin.

Another $2.55 per month – for $12.50 total – provides more advanced navigation functionality, including the ability to send destinations from your phone to the car. It also adds the ‘Hey Toyota’ voice assistant and allows the saving of multimedia settings for up to three people.

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