Hey @450X-Owner
Bluetooth Music and Call controls are now live!
We’ll be rolling out the update to all of you in batches starting today and over the next few days, watch out for an email in your inbox notifying you of the update when we push it for your Ather 450X
Bluetooth music and call controls are available exclusively on the Ather 450X. 450 Plus owners will get the update as well, which brings in some improvements and bug fixes.
What’s in this update? (10.1.0, Atom)
Music control
- Shows album art (Android only), song name, and artist.
- Skip to next/previous song, play/pause music on the dashboard
Tested and works with Apple music, Spotify, YouTube Music, PowerAmp, Amazon Music, JioSaavn, Gaana, and Google Podcasts. Other apps may be supported.
Call alerts and control:
- Shows the caller’s name or phone number.
- Accept/reject calls
Make sure to grant access to your contacts to see the name of the caller on the dashboard. Call alerts currently work with only regular phone calls and not through WhatsApp/Zoom etc. Google Duo is supported on Android devices.
Other improvements and fixes:
- Improvements to the reliability of auto cut off indicators, and an option to disable auto cut off indicators
- Slight increase in indicator sound levels based on feedback
- Real-time efficiency indicator will now consider the efficiency of the last 10 seconds of riding, rather than throttle input for more accurate feedback about your riding style
- Added half a second delay for park assist switch combo (Brakes + indicator center switch + start switch) to prevent clashes with Bluetooth controls
- Fixed current ride showing 0.0 km while riding
- Other minor fixes based on feedback on the beta releases, and issues reported.
Smartphone, meet the Smart Scooter
We’ve also revamped the Ather App with a new UI and for a better user experience and built it completely from scratch. The Ather Android App is now native, which improves performance and reliability.
Android users can download the Ather App update through the Play Store once it’s live in the next few hours, and iOS users will get the update in a few weeks.
What’s new in the app update?
- Rebuilt from the ground up as a Native Android App
- Revamped home screen
- Restructured location/maps functionality: moved into easy quick access features right on the home screen
- Search a place: Search a location to send to your scooter
- Find a charger: Quickly access nearby AtherGrid locations
- Locate your scooter: Find your scooter on the map
- Ride stats: Moved to the home screen. Shows a preview of your last ride. Click on “See All Rides” to view your older rides
- Redesigned support screen.
- Added a beta chatbot feature in “Report an issue”
- Redesigned profile screen
Pairing for the first time
To get started, link up your Android/iOS smartphone to your Ather 450X in 3 simple steps:
- After installing the update (OTA and App updates), turn on the key and Bluetooth would be turned on by default
- Your Ather 450X will start advertising itself as a Bluetooth device and you’ll see the scooter pop up.
- If you’re using an Android device, head over to the app > Profile > Bluetooth, and follow the instructions to complete the pairing process. The Ather Android app is mandatory to use Bluetooth features.
- For those with iPhones, head to your phone Settings > Bluetooth and pair your scooter. No app required.
- To pair multiple devices, disconnect from any connected devices and pair the new device. When multiple devices are paired, the dashboard will attempt to connect to the device which broadcasts first.
Once your scooter and smartphone are paired up, the Ather 450X will automatically connect to the phone once you turn the key on. You can head to your dashboard > Settings > Bluetooth to turn off the features.
Oh, that’s not all, the software stack that powers intelligence and connectivity on the Ather 450X & Ather 450 Plus brings together a multitude of services right from the front-end to firmware to the data pipeline. It’s probably one of its kind in the Indian auto industry and we thought it deserves an identity of its own. Going forward the entire vehicle software stack will be referred to as Atherstack.
And we thought, why stop there? Let’s name out OTAs too. So starting with this OTA, we have one. This one is called Atom. Atherstack Atom. Any guesses for the next one?