Kia Connect, formerly UVO eServices, is a subscription-free

OEM An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...

infotainment and

telematics Telematics is an interdisciplinary field encompassing telecommunications, vehicular technologies (road transport, road safety, etc.), electrical engineering (sensors, instrumentation, wireless communications, etc.), and computer science (multimedia ...

service offered by Kia Motors America on select vehicles for the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

market. The system allows users to make

hands-free Handsfree is an adjective describing equipment that can be used without the use of hands (for example via voice commands) or, in a wider sense, equipment which needs only limited use of hands, or for which the controls are positioned so that the ...

calls on their

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

, stream music, navigate to a POI, and perform

vehicle diagnostics On-board diagnostics (OBD) is a term referring to a vehicle's self-diagnostic and reporting capability. OBD systems give the vehicle owner or repair technician access to the status of the various vehicle sub-systems. The amount of diagnostic inf ...

with the use of voice commands. The integrated in-vehicle communications and entertainment system is developed by

Kia Motors Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...

and other third-party developers. Kia UVO Premium 1

Overview

First launched in the 2011 model year, Kia's UVO entertainment system included the HD radio,

CD player A CD player is an electronic device that plays audio compact discs, which are a digital optical disc data storage format. CD players were first sold to consumers in 1982. CDs typically contain recordings of audio material such as music or audio ...

, and a built-in digital jukebox. The system also interfaces with Bluetooth-enabled phones and utilizes touchscreen and voice command technology. The UVO system is driven by vehicle communications with a smartphone application. Data transfers from the vehicle to the smartphone application utilize the customer's mobile carrier resulting in a subscription-free telematics service. Users of the system are able to interact with their vehicle to retrieve diagnostic trouble codes. Users can also load a point of interest to the vehicle's

head unit An automotive head unit, sometimes called the infotainment system, is a component providing a unified hardware interface for the system, including screens, buttons and system controls for numerous integrated information and entertainment func ...

. Other technologies like

GPS The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...

and

interactive voice response Interactive voice response (IVR) is a technology that allows telephone users to interact with a computer-operated telephone system through the use of voice and DTMF tones input with a keypad. In telecommunications, IVR allows customers to interac ...

are also integrated into the system. Users are able to access the vehicle data on the smartphone application and through a customer web portal. In the 2015 model year, select vehicles launched with an Android-based operating platform to allow flexibility to integrate 3rd-party

applications Application may refer to: Mathematics and computing * Application software, computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks ** Application layer, an abstraction layer that specifies protocols and interface methods used in a c ...

. Certain vehicles have USB (for model years 2014 and later) and

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols, based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by radio wav ...

connectivity (for model years 2015 and later). The service was renamed Kia Connect in September 2021.

Infotainment features

The below table provides a short description of UVO eServices features. Feature availability depends on model and model year.

In-vehicle apps

Beginning with the 2015 Optima, the UVO eServices with 8" Nav system allows users to download applications from the UVO download center for in-vehicle use via the head unit. Currently,

Yelp Yelp Inc. is an American company that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp mobile app, which publish crowd-sourced reviews about businesses. It also operates Yelp Guest Manager, a table reservation service. It is headquartered in San F ...

is available in the UVO download center.

3rd party features

Beginning with 2015 Optima, the UVO eServices with 8" Nav system allows users to connect the vehicle head unit to a

WiFi hotspot A hotspot is a physical location where people can obtain Internet access, typically using Wi-Fi technology, via a wireless local-area network (WLAN) using a router connected to an Internet service provider. Public hotspots may be created by ...

. Once connected to WiFi, most vehicles can access Google local search via a button on the steering wheel to search for POIs via voice recognition. The 2015 UVO eServices with 8" Nav system also supports Siri Eyes Free which allows users to access

Siri Siri ( ) is a virtual assistant that is part of Apple Inc.'s iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and audioOS operating systems. It uses voice queries, gesture based control, focus-tracking and a natural-language user interface to answer qu ...

via a button on the steering wheel for supported

Apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...

devices.

MyUVO.com

Owners of UVO equipped vehicles can register for an account on www.myuvo.com to view information related to their vehicle. Vehicle information available includes vehicle diagnostics, trip info, MyCarZone, and MyPOIs. In addition to viewing vehicle information, users can also view the maintenance schedule for their vehicle and schedule appointments with a dealer. Also, users can earn awards by actively using the website.

Smartphone app

The UVO smartphone app is available in the iTunes and Google Play stores. The app interfaces with the vehicle through a USB or Bluetooth connection. The UVO eServices with 8" Nav head unit requires a USB connection to transfer telematics data, while others use Bluetooth for data transfer. All head units can connect with Bluetooth for phone and audio functions.

2014 re-design

In 2014, the app was re-skinned and new features were added. On compatible 2015 vehicles, the UVO app will display trip information and My Car Zone.

Data transfer

The UVO app serves as a web interface for vehicles that do not have embedded web capabilities. Data is transferred from the UVO head unit to the app via Bluetooth or USB, which is then transferred to the web and viewable from both the app and the web.

UVO versions

UVO

The original UVO was released on 2011 vehicles. Features include voice commands, Bluetooth, jukebox, and a rear-view camera. UVO was replaced by UVO eServices on most models by the 2014 model year. Although the standard version was discontinued, it is still used in 2015 LX, EX Sedonas.

UVO eServices

UVO eServices was the first UVO to interface with MyUVO.com and the UVO mobile app. It was introduced on 2013 model year Optima, Optima Hybrid, and Sportage. In addition to having all of the features on the original UVO, UVO eServices has Parking Minder, Enhanced Roadside Assist, and Vehicle Diagnostics. On 2015 model year vehicles, Trip Info and My Car Zone features are included.

UVO eServices with 7" Nav

UVO eServices with 7" Nav was introduced alongside UVO eServices on some 2013 models. In addition to all of the features of UVO and UVO eServices, the 7" Nav version has Navigation and My POIs. On 2015 model year vehicles, Trip Info and My Car Zone are included.

UVO eServices with 8" Nav

UVO eServices with 8" Nav was introduced on the 2014 Soul. It has all of the features of UVO eServices with 7" Nav, the larger screen accepts swipe gestures, and features are organized in the way that apps are organized on a tablet. On September 22, 2014, an update for the 2014 Soul UVO with Nav system was released which unlocks the eServices including My Car Zone, Vehicle Diagnostics, and 911 Connect. It also includes updated maps and improved navigation features, as well as Siri Eyes-Free.

UVO Premium

UVO Premium was designed specifically for the 2015 K900. It shares most of its features with UVO eServices with 7" Nav. It comes with a completely redesigned user interface and the touch screen from other UVO versions is replaced with a controller wheel on the center console.

Vehicles offering UVO

The following vehicles are UVO capable, available as either an optional or standard feature. The date next to each vehicle indicates in which model year UVO was first available on that specific vehicle. On some models, UVO is not available on all trim levels. North America: * Kia K900: 2015 and newer *

Kia Sedona Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...

: 2015 and newer (current 2015 models available in dealerships without Navigation – LX, EX, do not offer UVO with e-services as standard as stated in the brochure; only the basic UVO which was discontinued; Kia is unable to confirm when 2015 EX, LX models with UVO e-services w/o Nav will be produced) *

Kia Cadenza The Kia Cadenza (also known in South Korea as Kia K7) is a full-size/executive sedan manufactured by Kia. It was launched in 2010 to replace the Kia Opirus/Amanti. As of January 2014, it was sold in South Korea, United States, Canada, China ...

: 2014 and newer * Kia Soul: 2011 and newer *

Kia Sorento The Kia Sorento ( ko, 기아 쏘렌토, translit=Gia Sorento) is a mid-size crossover SUV (formerly a body-on-frame SUV until 2009) produced since 2002 by South Korean manufacturer Kia. First generation (BL; 2002) 2002–2006 Debuted i ...

: 2011 and newer *

Kia Optima Optima is a humanist sans-serif typeface designed by Hermann Zapf and released by the D. Stempel AG foundry, Frankfurt, West Germany in 1958. Though classified as a sans-serif, Optima has a subtle swelling at the terminals suggesting a glyphic s ...

: 2011 and newer * Kia Optima Hybrid: 2011 and newer *

Kia Forte The Kia Forte, known as the K3 in South Korea, the Forte K3 or Shuma in China and Cerato in South America, Australia, New Zealand and Russia, is a compact car manufactured by South Korean automaker Kia since mid-2008, replacing the Kia Spectra. ...

: 2017 and newer *

Kia Sportage The Kia Sportage is a lineup of sport utility vehicles manufactured by the South Korean manufacturer Kia since 1993. Since 2004, the Sportage has been categorized as a compact crossover SUV, while previously it occupied the compact SUV class. It ...

: 2011 and newer *

Kia Rio The Kia Rio ( ko, 기아 리오) is a subcompact car manufactured by Kia since November 1999 and now in its fourth generation. Body styles have included a three and five-door hatchback and four-door sedan, equipped with inline-four gasoline and ...

: 2011 and newer *

: 2015 and newer – Si and above have larger LCDs * Kia Niro: 2017 and newer * Kia Stinger: 2018 and newer * Kia Telluride: 2020 and newer * Kia Seltos: 2021 and newer India * Kia Sonet: 2020 and newer *

Kia Carens The Kia Carens ( ko, 기아 카렌스) is a car manufactured by Kia since 1999, spanning over four generations, and was marketed worldwide under various nameplates, prominently as the Kia Rondo. The initial three generations had a compact MPV ...

: 2022 and newer

References

External links

* {{Telematics Automotive technology tradenames Human–computer interaction In-car entertainment Kia Motors Vehicle technology Vehicle telematics