Bosch eBike Flow App Update: Easy on Nerves and More Customised

Bosch has taken the next step in the further development of its eBike Flow App. Those of you who ride an ebike with the Bosch Smart System will notice this by a small hint in the app or on the display about an available update. Here you can find out which new functions are included in the first software update of the 2023 calendar year.

1. Configuring more riding modes individually
2. Trouble-free transport
3. New features for navigation and route planning
4. More languages to choose from

1. Configuring more riding modes individually

The expansion in customising the support levels is likely to be the most relevant topic. With the introduction of the Smart System 2021, Bosch had caught up with other motor manufacturers and introduced changing the settings for the different riding modes via app. However, this previously only applied to the following driving modes:

• Eco
• Tour
• Sport
• Turbo
• Auto mode

Now two more riding modes have been added to this list:

• Tour+
• eMTB

This means: In these two support levels, you can now determine, among other things, up to which limit the torque is exhausted in each mode, how fast the motor responds and up to which speed you would like to be supported by the motor. You can do this several times, i.e. create different profiles. This proves to be an advantage as soon as different people use the same ebike or if, for example, you want to create a profile for everyday use and one for off-road recreational fun.

Important: Of course, only models on which the bike manufacturers have set up the Tour+ and eMTB by default will benefit from the new function.

2. Trouble-free transport

Speaking of standard equipment. If your bike comes with the ConnectModule or if you have retrofitted the electronic theft protection, the second new feature of the software update will also be of interest to you. In the settings of the eBike Flow App, a new option called Transport mode appears in the “My eBike” menu. If you activate this, the eBike system will temporarily switch off the eBike alarm and thus the ConnectModule. All alarm functions such as theft detection, the alarm and tracking no longer function from this point on. The alarm functions will only be activated again when you exit the transport mode in the app.

With this option, Bosch wants to make it easier for you to transport your ebike. If you have your bike with you in the car, on the train, on the ferry or in another means of transport, this is often associated with a certain amount of shaking and jiggling. The integrated motion sensors may not like this at all, so that they become completely irritated and constantly trigger a false alarm. The transport mode is designed to save you from this.

3. New features for navigation and route planning

The third major topic of the eBike Flow app update is navigation. This always involves special rules for S-pedelecs. After all, the legislator in Germany has prohibited them from riding on numerous bike lanes, forest roads and service roads. Consequently, these do not even appear when planning a route. In other countries, however, completely different regulations apply. Bosch has now included this in the algorithm. This is illustrated by the new route profile “Speed”, which you can use to plan your routes everywhere in compliance with the law.

Last year, the navigation and route planning in the eBike Flow app were fundamentally improved. Since then, for example, individual routes can be assigned to these three different route profiles:

• Daily
• Leisure
• eMTB

For the first time, you can now display three specific details under each of these profiles and the additional “Speed” profile in the maps: The “eBike Heatmap” shows routes that are frequented by many people. A kind of “best of” related to the section in which you are currently planning something. If you want to know which of these are best suited for mountain biking, you can display the detail “MTB trails”. And with a click on “Satellite” you can switch from the map view to a simplified satellite view.

Many people probably still prefer to plan their bike tours directly in komoot. If you want to transfer routes from the app to the eBike Flow app, this will only work with routes for which you have selected “Bike” as the category after the app update.

4. More languages to choose from

The Bosch eBike Flow app is also becoming more international. The manufacturer has added Czech, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian to the languages that can be set.

Pictures: Bosch eBike Systems