Review Insights · App Store
Kia Access
Kia America, Inc. · 387,161 ratings · ★ 4.7
4.7
★★★★★
387,161 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 45 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"work"
10 negative reviews mention this · 22% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Kia optima hybrid 2017. Doesn’t work with my car, I used to use Kia eServices app." - faflove
2
"start"
9 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★★ "programming. There should be 2 different auto start times per day not only one" - snowplow1225
3
"remote"
9 negative reviews mention this · 20% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Constantly Says Commands Worked When They Didn’t. Kia Connect is far too expensive for an app that only works when it feels like it. The biggest issue is reliability. I’ll send an unlock command, the app says the vehicle unlocked, but when I get to the car, it’s still locked. The same thin…" - CamPel937
4
"access"
8 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "LOL. Your 2 factor ID won’t allow me to scroll up to access the request text button. I just get the upper border of both buttons. If course the “cancel” button works fine but the one needed to get a text apparently only works if I hit a very s…" - Icarly56
5
"works"
8 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "LOL. Your 2 factor ID won’t allow me to scroll up to access the request text button. I just get the upper border of both buttons. If course the “cancel” button works fine but the one needed to get a text apparently only works if I hit a very s…" - Icarly56
6
"been"
8 negative reviews mention this · 18% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Not easy to use!. I’ve had nothing but trouble since I purchased my Kia have not been happy at all with the car and certainly not the app and they charge you way too much to get any of the features that you really want!" - orangespice70
7
"working"
7 negative reviews mention this · 16% of all complaints
★★★★★ "App stopped working. My App stopped working" - Qbshdjxb
8
"doesn"
6 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Kia optima hybrid 2017. Doesn’t work with my car, I used to use Kia eServices app." - faflove
9
"vehicle"
6 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Constantly Says Commands Worked When They Didn’t. Kia Connect is far too expensive for an app that only works when it feels like it. The biggest issue is reliability. I’ll send an unlock command, the app says the vehicle unlocked, but when I get to the car, it’s still locked. The same thin…" - CamPel937
10
"service"
6 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Kia optima hybrid 2017. Doesn’t work with my car, I used to use Kia eServices app." - faflove
11
"remote start"
6 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Constantly Says Commands Worked When They Didn’t. Kia Connect is far too expensive for an app that only works when it feels like it. The biggest issue is reliability. I’ll send an unlock command, the app says the vehicle unlocked, but when I get to the car, it’s still locked. The same thin…" - CamPel937
12
"worked"
5 negative reviews mention this · 11% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Constantly Says Commands Worked When They Didn’t. Kia Connect is far too expensive for an app that only works when it feels like it. The biggest issue is reliability. I’ll send an unlock command, the app says the vehicle unlocked, but when I get to the car, it’s still locked. The same thin…" - CamPel937
📋 All 45 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
Kia optima hybrid 2017
Doesn’t work with my car, I used to use Kia eServices app.
App stopped working
My App stopped working
LOL
Your 2 factor ID won’t allow me to scroll up to access the request text button. I just get the upper border of both buttons. If course the “cancel” button works fine but the one needed to get a text apparently only works if I hit a very specific part of the upper border. Maybe you could allow me to scroll, or at least allow the app to go into landscape mode so I can access the button? If not then the app is useless to me and will not be renewed.
programming
There should be 2 different auto start times per day not only one
Constantly Says Commands Worked When They Didn’t
Kia Connect is far too expensive for an app that only works when it feels like it. The biggest issue is reliability. I’ll send an unlock command, the app says the vehicle unlocked, but when I get to the car, it’s still locked. The same thing happens with lock commands. The app says the vehicle is locked, but it’s actually not.
Remote start is even worse. The app frequently tells me the vehicle is running, only for me to walk outside and find that the car never started at all.
For the price Kia charges for this service, it should work every single time. Instead, it’s a frustrating guessing game. An app that controls critical vehicle functions needs to be dependable, and unfortunately Kia Connect simply isn’t.
Remote start is even worse. The app frequently tells me the vehicle is running, only for me to walk outside and find that the car never started at all.
For the price Kia charges for this service, it should work every single time. Instead, it’s a frustrating guessing game. An app that controls critical vehicle functions needs to be dependable, and unfortunately Kia Connect simply isn’t.
What A Jike.
This app is worthless. I am handicapped and I try to start my vehicle once in a while. But no, the app won’t let me. What kind of bs. is this. Fix this nonsense.
Not easy to use!
I’ve had nothing but trouble since I purchased my Kia have not been happy at all with the car and certainly not the app and they charge you way too much to get any of the features that you really want!
Greedy
I understand charging for more features, but not providing ANY basic functionality in free version is beyond poor customer service.
Right to repair
Not in MA
Remote start from phone
How do I access Kia access to use on my phone?
Kia access don't work
My kia access is not working, car won't start when I go to activate it. I can think of a lot of things to do with my $200. FIX THIS NOW🤬🤬🤬
Clunky and slow
Like the massive bulky physical key for my EV6, this app takes forever to log in and do the obvious, everyday things like unlocking, charging, starting. It has too many features and is not seamless or natural in its every day utility. This app is only helpful as backup, not as every day access. It has lots to learn from other EV access apps such as Tesla.
Lock feature unreliable
No matter where I am, the lock/unlock feature is very unreliable. It only works less than half the time. It will say it’s locked, only to find out it’s unlocked. It will also say it is unlocked when it is not. We can’t ever trust it! And you can’t lock the car without the key, so that’s really unsafe! We once went out of town and my car remained unlocked for a weekend because there was no way to lock it without the fob (my neighbor checked it several times and tried locking it with the button) and the app wouldn’t work!!!!
Kia Connect Activation Flow Is Completely Broken
Update: I contacted customer service again, and unfortunately they still cannot provide any timeline for a fix. The only information I was given is that there is an issue with my account.
At this point, it has been over 3 days and I still cannot log into the app.
Whoever worked on the activation/deactivation flow needs to seriously revisit this feature.
For the past two days, Kia Connect has been completely unavailable for me. There was no notice, no explanation, and no ETA provided. The activation flow is confusing, unreliable, and leaves customers with no visibility into what’s happening.
The whole purpose of Kia Connect is convenience and remote access to the vehicle, but when the service goes down or activation fails, customers are left stranded with no information. It’s incredibly frustrating to pay for a connected service that can suddenly stop working without any communication from Kia.
At a minimum, Kia should:
* Provide proactive outage notifications.
* Give clear status updates and estimated resolution times.
* Improve the activation/deactivation experience so users aren’t stuck in limbo.
* Consider compensation when customers lose access to paid services for multiple days.
This experience has been disappointing and has significantly reduced my confidence in Kia
At this point, it has been over 3 days and I still cannot log into the app.
Whoever worked on the activation/deactivation flow needs to seriously revisit this feature.
For the past two days, Kia Connect has been completely unavailable for me. There was no notice, no explanation, and no ETA provided. The activation flow is confusing, unreliable, and leaves customers with no visibility into what’s happening.
The whole purpose of Kia Connect is convenience and remote access to the vehicle, but when the service goes down or activation fails, customers are left stranded with no information. It’s incredibly frustrating to pay for a connected service that can suddenly stop working without any communication from Kia.
At a minimum, Kia should:
* Provide proactive outage notifications.
* Give clear status updates and estimated resolution times.
* Improve the activation/deactivation experience so users aren’t stuck in limbo.
* Consider compensation when customers lose access to paid services for multiple days.
This experience has been disappointing and has significantly reduced my confidence in Kia
Weather?
The weather app has disappeared from my dash display. What’s the reason for this?
Gas
Malfunctioning
Not Good
Awfully difficult to IMPOSSIBLE to have this set up on 2 different phones.
What now
Been using since i bought the vehicle ‘22 now i can’t log in. I’ve deleted and reinstalled and still wont work
Notification on verification
The app required a verification, but it did not prompt me and I left my car. My car was unlocked all day and I would’ve relied on the system to tell me that, but due to the verification not active or the app not active. I did not know so when I got to the car and saw the door still unlocked, I went into the app and realized I needed to verify.
Kia Access
85% of the time this feature doesn’t work
Very poor
The app hasn’t worked in 2 months. No one at Kia can fix it🤬
Inconsistent
This app is great and convenient when it works well. But it often doesn’t I’d say almost half the time I get some kind of error message. That there’s not enough battery power to support remote commands. Or there’s some kind of communication error. And if one is parked somewhere where there’s not good cell service, then one is out of luck.
Too much, too long to use
Poor functionality!☹️sometimes it just stops working. Often takes too long to turn car on. Temp is not easy to update. Don’t even try having to reinstall or complete an update 😭😭
Legit dollar-tree quality. Embarrassing.
Basic remote start if equipped, lock, and unlock from a phone is not a premium feature anymore. It is basic. Ford has been doing this seamlessly for over five years for free. The fact that Kia wants to charge a subscription fee after the trial for this broken, slow piece of junk is an absolute embarrassment.
The Kia Access app feels as bad as it looks too. It is the slowest, most static app on my phone. There is zero button responsiveness, no feedback, and it takes 30 seconds of spinning just to figure out if a command went through. Half the time it just logs you out or freezes on a blank loading screen.
To top it off, the virtual assistant is completely useless. I asked it a simple question: "Do I have an appointment scheduled today?" it vomited five paragraphs of text explaining how to book an appointment and pick a preferred dealer. It didn’t even answer the question.
Remarkably unintuitive, lazy execution, exactly like my experience shopping with Kia. Not surprised. But hey I am throwing in my application to vibe code the Kia access app! Couple days tops!
The Kia Access app feels as bad as it looks too. It is the slowest, most static app on my phone. There is zero button responsiveness, no feedback, and it takes 30 seconds of spinning just to figure out if a command went through. Half the time it just logs you out or freezes on a blank loading screen.
To top it off, the virtual assistant is completely useless. I asked it a simple question: "Do I have an appointment scheduled today?" it vomited five paragraphs of text explaining how to book an appointment and pick a preferred dealer. It didn’t even answer the question.
Remarkably unintuitive, lazy execution, exactly like my experience shopping with Kia. Not surprised. But hey I am throwing in my application to vibe code the Kia access app! Couple days tops!
rip off
Can’t believe that nothing works without a subscription no tracking, no remote start, no climate control, all these are included on other manufacturers of $45000 vehicles as part of purchase price. KIA wants an additional $25 /month forever
Stolen car
Help report to fbi help
locking/unlocking from app
unless i am within 10 ft of my car the app sucks to unlock/lock. everytime i try just inside my house it never once has worked for me. defeating the purpose of wanting to just lock from anywhere. only thing the app is even good for is to show me my gas percentage. don’t recommend
Disappointed
Somehow my Kia was no longer activated and any attempt to activate has been met with endless cycling that does nothing
Not worth it
Pain in the neck
Broken
The app hasn’t worked for a week or two, and I haven’t received any notification from Kia about it. I’ve read online that there are plenty of people with the same problem. Not sure what I’m paying for.
Horrible app
when you go make a payment, it makes you login again. It’s awful app. You should fix it.
App no longer works
Stop working and Kia has been of no assistance.
App is Not Intuitive
App isn’t user friendly. It is difficult to use and not intuitive.
Kia connect not working
Kia connect hasn't been working for over 6 months , and no one has been able to help me with the problem.
Utterly useless for cars older than 2022
Kia discontinued the eServices (UVO) app in May and encourages Kia owners who had been using it to download this app instead. DON’T BOTHER. It is useless. I mean, I can log in, and it has my vehicle listed as linked to my account, but it doesn’t actually DO anything. (I don’t NEED or WANT an app to make a service appointment, that’s what I have a bleeping phone for.) My car runs regular monthly diagnostics but can no longer upload the results to my account, which is the main thing you want an app like this for. So the old app doesn’t work anymore, and the new app doesn’t do anything. Might as well delete them all. What a slap in the face to longtime Kia owners.
Drains battery
Apparently, if you leave your key fob in the car or close to the car and not drive it for a week or two, the battery goes dead because parasitic battery draw
Verification codes
I’m not a fan of the constant verification codes when I’m trying to use the app. There is already a Face ID. We have more then one driver that uses this car, and only one email to send the code to, or phone number. If I can’t reach my husband , I can’t verify its use. Absolutely awful!!!’
Inconsistent and Unresponsive
A recent update removed my ability to activate my ventilated seats under my custom remote start controls. Please add this back as soon as possible!!
Having to update every two months not happy
You know who I am my parents subscription
Inconsistent
Love the capabilities and the overall performance. The start up option within the app isn’t consistent- AT ALL! I also have the option set for my doors to lock when I remote start and that NEVER works. I’ll walk out and my car never turned out because the feature didn’t work! Very frustrating.
Mal funcionamiento
The app is not working well most of the time doesn’t work
Questionable…
… software engineering.
More Features Needed
Good for locking doors and remote access. Doesn’t track diagnostics of vehicle easily. We are overdue for an oil change and the app doesn’t tell us. Tells us how much gas you have but no indications on oil life. Service history is difficult to locate on the app.
Do better
The app needs a lot of help. Works when it wants to work.
Super buggy
This app rarely updates. I’ve found it as useless as it is useful. If I were Kia, I’d invest way more in tech. This app should be way better.
Sentiment summary
93%
Positive (4-5★)
2%
Neutral (3★)
5%
Negative (1-2★)