BMW API restrictions: Difference between revisions
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==Background== | ==Background== | ||
BMW ConnectedDrive is a subscription-based service that provides remote access to [[BMW]] vehicles through mobile applications & APIs, with tiers ranging from $50 to $150 per year after a free 3-year period.<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-06-27 |title=What You're Really Paying For With BMW ConnectedDrive |url=https://www.bimmer-mag.com/bmw-connected-drive-price/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Bimmer Mag}}</ref> The service enables features such as remote climate control, vehicle location tracking, & electric car charging management through BMW's official mobile applications.<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-01-01 |title=BMW ConnectedDrive App Subscription Products, Store and Services |url=https://www.bmwusa.com/explore/connecteddrive.html |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=BMW USA}}</ref> | BMW ConnectedDrive is a subscription-based service that provides remote access to [[BMW]] vehicles through mobile applications & APIs, with tiers ranging from $50 to $150 per year after a free 3-year period.<ref>{{cite web |last=Wilkinson |first=Rick |date=2025-06-27 |title=What You're Really Paying For With BMW ConnectedDrive |url=https://www.bimmer-mag.com/bmw-connected-drive-price/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251010090329/https://www.bimmer-mag.com/bmw-connected-drive-price/ |archive-date=10 Oct 2025 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Bimmer Mag}}</ref> The service enables features such as remote climate control, vehicle location tracking, & electric car charging management through BMW's official mobile applications.<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-01-01 |title=BMW ConnectedDrive App Subscription Products, Store and Services |url=https://www.bmwusa.com/explore/connecteddrive.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250914161417/https://www.bmwusa.com/explore/connecteddrive.html |archive-date=14 Sep 2025 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=BMW USA}}</ref> | ||
Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform that allows users to integrate various smart home devices & services, including vehicle data through manufacturer APIs, with over 5000+ users of the BMW integration as of September 4th, 2025<ref>{{Cite web |title=Integrations {{!}} Home Assistant Analytics |url=https://analytics.home-assistant.io/integrations/}}</ref>. This number only counts users who did not turn off analytics. | Home Assistant is an open-source home automation platform that allows users to integrate various smart home devices & services, including vehicle data through manufacturer APIs, with over 5000+ users of the BMW integration as of September 4th, 2025<ref>{{Cite web |title=Integrations {{!}} Home Assistant Analytics |url=https://analytics.home-assistant.io/integrations/}}</ref>. This number only counts users who did not turn off analytics. | ||
According to discussions on the BMW i4 Forum, many BMW electric car users use this integration to optimize charging based on solar panel production, time-of-use electricity rates, & home energy management systems.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.i4talk.com/threads/smarter-charging-with-home-assistant.5441/ | | According to discussions on the BMW i4 Forum, many BMW electric car users use this integration to optimize charging based on solar panel production, time-of-use electricity rates, & home energy management systems.<ref>{{cite web |date=2024-05-20 |title=Smarter Charging with Home Assistant |url=https://www.i4talk.com/threads/smarter-charging-with-home-assistant.5441/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240430184320/https://www.i4talk.com/threads/smarter-charging-with-home-assistant.5441/ |archive-date=30 Apr 2024 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=BMW i4 Forum}}</ref> The integration was highly valued by users who paid for BMW's ConnectedDrive subscriptions & expected to maintain API access for their automation needs. | ||
==Incident== | ==Incident== | ||
According to user reports documented in GitHub issue #149750, BMW began notifying users through its Android application in July 2025 about upcoming changes to charge control APIs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/149750 | | According to user reports documented in GitHub issue #149750, BMW began notifying users through its Android application in July 2025 about upcoming changes to charge control APIs.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=2025-07-31 |title=Upcoming API changes notification from BMW · Issue #149750 |url=https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/149750 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251011183206/https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/149750 |archive-date=11 Oct 2025 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=GitHub}}</ref> The notifications stated th''e'' following: <blockquote>''"to ensure the security of your personal data, and to better protect your vehicle, the option of allowing third-party providers to control your vehicle charging will be limited from September."''<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>On August 30, 2025, BMW implemented strict API rate limiting that affected third-party applications. According to GitHub issue #151500, error logs showed HTTP 403 Forbidden responses with messages indicating '''"Out of call volume quota. Quota will be replenished in 00:49:03."'''<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=BMW integration should handle call quota error · Issue #151500 |url=https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/151500 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251026234305/https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/151500 |archive-date=26 Oct 2025 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=GitHub}}</ref> Users reported that the quota appeared to be limited to approximately 100 API calls per 24-hour period, far below the polling requirements of home automation systems.<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-08-25 |title=BMW Connected Drive Quota · Issue #151502 |url=https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/151502 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251026234706/https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/151502 |archive-date=26 Oct 2025 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=GitHub}}</ref> | ||
Between September 1 and September 3, 2025, the Home Assistant community attempted various technical workarounds. According to discussions on the BMW i4 Forum, initial user-agent spoofing proved temporarily successful, with users reporting that mimicking official BMW app signatures allowed continued access.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.i4talk.com/threads/anyone-using-home-assistant-for-their-i4-with-bmw-connected-drive.9126/ | | Between September 1 and September 3, 2025, the Home Assistant community attempted various technical workarounds. According to discussions on the BMW i4 Forum, initial user-agent spoofing proved temporarily successful, with users reporting that mimicking official BMW app signatures allowed continued access.<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-09-02 |title=anyone using Home Assistant for their i4 with BMW connected drive? |url=https://www.i4talk.com/threads/anyone-using-home-assistant-for-their-i4-with-bmw-connected-drive.9126/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251026235026/https://www.i4talk.com/threads/anyone-using-home-assistant-for-their-i4-with-bmw-connected-drive.9126/ |archive-date=26 Oct 2025 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=BMW i4 Forum}}</ref> By September 3, 2025, these workarounds ceased functioning, with community members confirming that BMW had implemented additional detection methods.<ref>{{cite web |date=2025-09-03 |title=Upcoming API changes notification from BMW · Issue #149750 |url=https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/149750 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251011183206/https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/149750 |archive-date=11 Oct 2025 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=GitHub}}</ref> | ||
According to industry analysis by Beebop AI, the restrictions affected over 1.5 million vehicles and disrupted utilities using reverse-engineered BMW APIs for demand response & grid stability programs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.beebop.ai/blog/bmw-api-changes-could-disrupt-utilities-using-unapproved-ev-connections | | According to industry analysis by Beebop AI, the restrictions affected over 1.5 million vehicles and disrupted utilities using reverse-engineered BMW APIs for demand response & grid stability programs.<ref>{{cite web |last=White |first=Neil |date=2025-08-26 |title=BMW API Changes Could Disrupt Utilities Using Unapproved EV Connections |url=https://www.beebop.ai/blog/bmw-api-changes-could-disrupt-utilities-using-unapproved-ev-connections |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250907230105/https://www.beebop.ai/blog/bmw-api-changes-could-disrupt-utilities-using-unapproved-ev-connections |archive-date=7 Sep 2025 |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=Beebop AI}}</ref> The timing occurred days before the EU Data Act's implementation on September 12, 2025, which requires manufacturers to provide users with access to their vehicle data.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2854/oj/eng |title=Regulation (EU) 2023/2854 |website=EUR-Lex |date=2023-12-13 |access-date=2025-01-01}}</ref> | ||
On September 26, after 3 weeks of calm, BMW have made further restrictions blocking access to the API entirely.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-26 |title=BMW Connected Drive - Requires continuous re-authentications and still, errors for Login requires captcha validation #152646 |url=https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/152646 |website=Github}}</ref> | On September 26, after 3 weeks of calm, BMW have made further restrictions blocking access to the API entirely.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-09-26 |title=BMW Connected Drive - Requires continuous re-authentications and still, errors for Login requires captcha validation #152646 |url=https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/152646 |website=Github}}</ref> | ||
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Should BMW respond positively, the communitys goal is to have an open discussion with responsible parties to: | Should BMW respond positively, the communitys goal is to have an open discussion with responsible parties to: | ||
* Understand the real/technical background for killing access for HA and others. | *Understand the real/technical background for killing access for HA and others. | ||
* Work out a permanent solution to make the HA integration (+ other smart home solutions) work again. This may be BMWs official HA integration with modifications. | *Work out a permanent solution to make the HA integration (+ other smart home solutions) work again. This may be BMWs official HA integration with modifications. | ||
** Solution should be able to provide pull data and send commands from and to the cars we own. | **Solution should be able to provide pull data and send commands from and to the cars we own. | ||
** Send command and pull data at a defined frequency whithout additional costs as long as connected drive is already paid/active (e.g. every 5 minutes). This may require a switch to push-based integration which, with BMWs support should not be a problem. | **Send command and pull data at a defined frequency whithout additional costs as long as connected drive is already paid/active (e.g. every 5 minutes). This may require a switch to push-based integration which, with BMWs support should not be a problem. | ||
** Optional live streaming of telemetry data (costs unclear / tbd) | **Optional live streaming of telemetry data (costs unclear / tbd) | ||
==HomeAssistant & security== | ==HomeAssistant & security== | ||