Bringing new features including a personal mobility assistant for journey planning and traffic alerts, the latest version of the Mini Connected app has launched.

The new MINI Connected personal mobility assistant includes intelligent functionality and pre-plans journeys using real-time traffic information

The updated app can now automatically access addresses and appointments which the driver has stored in their iPhone calendar and uses this information to plan journeys – a feature already offered on the BMW Connected solution.

The app uses the current location and pre-set destination, with real-time traffic information factored in, to determine the ideal time to leave – and sends users an alert on their smartphone.

Once the driver is inside the car with their device, calendar entries are automatically synced and the navigation system starts.

The new MINI Connected also offers the option of carrying over places and points of interest from other apps and transfer them to the car as destinations for the navigation system.

The app also has an intelligent learning function and can recognise trips made regularly. For example, once Mini Connected learns the driver’s daily route between home and work, it can alert the driver to any unusual traffic delays along their route, and advise that they should leave early to get to work on time.

The driver can also use the app to check the amount of fuel and estimated driving range, enabling them to plan for necessary fuel stops. For the Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4, a hybrid-specific function has been added which, in addition to the battery charge and fuel tank level, also displays the range available on electric power alone and the overall range of the car.

Mini Connected is available now as a free download from the Apple App Store. Android-based smartphone compatibility is in development for the future.