Bloo
Lock and unlock
Lock the doors from the couch. Unlock them from the car park, or from the couch if you are the sort who forgets. The lock state updates as the car reports it, which is honest of it.
How to get it
Lock it. Cool it. Charge it from bed
Bloo is an independent app for Hyundai, Genesis and Kia cars. It talks to the same services the official app does, politely, and then gets out of the way.
3brands, all of them car companies that make you download an app to press a button
3regions: the US, Canada and Europe, in that order of how much we fret about each
0servers run by us, so there is nowhere for your stuff to pile up
The stuff it does
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Everything your car does, on purpose.
Climate
Start the climate with a preset, or let smart climate pick a temperature for the weather where the car is parked. Seat and wheel heat too, where the car has them. Warm, unlike your first date.
Charging
Level, range, time left, and the limit you set, marked on the bar so you can stop worrying about the number.
Find the car
A map with the car on it, and your own phone's position beside it when you allow that. Useful for finding a car you parked in a car park shaped like a sad maze.
AutoLock
Locks the car when you walk away from it. It does not lock you out, which is a design choice we are proud of.
Widgets and a watch
Lock, charge and climate on the home screen, and a watch face with quick controls, tiles and complications. Your wrist, finally, with a job.
Several cars
More than one account, more than one car, and a swipe to move between them. Your household, sorted.
Big screens
On a tablet or a folding phone, several cars sit side by side, in an order you choose, because a single car on a tablet is a waste of a tablet.
Join the testing group
Use the Google account that is on your phone, so Google knows you are allowed in. Join the Bloo testing group. It takes one tap, which is one more than most apps ask.
Install it from Google Play
Open the Bloo page on Google Play, tap Become a tester, then install. Play keeps it up to date, so you never have to think about it again.
Sign in and stop walking to the car
Use your Bluelink, Genesis or Kia Connect account. Your cars appear. You can now lock the car while still in bed, which is the whole idea.
Not on Google Play? Download the APK. The Play copy and the APK copy are signed differently and cannot update each other, so switching means one uninstall first. We are sorry. Google is sorry too, in its own way.
Your data
Your password lives in a locked box. The box is locked, too.
Your Bluelink or Kia password and any service PIN are encrypted on your phone with AES-256-GCM. The key for that is sealed in the Android Keystore, which is a tiny vault inside the phone's security chip. Even we cannot get the key out, and we did not try, because we are not that kind of people.
Your password only goes to your car maker, to sign in and to send commands. Bloo has no server to keep it on. There is no analytics and no advertising, and no crash-reporting service to phone home with your business. The AI summaries run on your phone and go nowhere.
Questions
Straight answers.
Is this the official app?
No. Bloo is independent. It signs in with your own account, the same way the official app does. It is not affiliated with Hyundai, Genesis or Kia, and they have not endorsed it, which is a shame for them.
Which cars work?
Hyundai, Genesis and Kia cars on Bluelink or Connected Car, in the US, Canada and Europe. A feature only appears when your car supports it, the same way your car only does what it feels like.
Does it work on an iPhone?
No. It is for Android phones, tablets, foldables and Wear OS watches. An iPhone would need its own app, and we have not met an iPhone we trust with the keys.
What happens to my stuff if I stop?
Sign out in Settings to delete the stored credentials. Uninstalling removes everything the app kept on the phone. Your car will carry on being a car.
Get in
the car.