Xiaomi says iPhone told SU7 to “take a walk”
As CNC reported, on September 30, a Xiaomi SU7 owner in China reported that his parked vehicle unexpectedly moved forward without anyone inside. The case drew wide attention after the owner shared surveillance footage showing the car activating and rolling out of its parking spot.
Xiaomi has released its investigation results on social media, stating that a task group reviewed the vehicle’s backend data and smartphone operation logs with the owner’s consent.
The review revealed that during the reported time window, the vehicle received a Remote Parking Assist (RPA) command from an iPhone 15 Pro Max, triggering the system to move the car forward out of its parking spot. This function operates only when the authorised phone is within Bluetooth range.
The company also clarified earlier confusion during customer service communication, explaining that internal model identifiers were mistakenly referred to as device names, which led to misunderstandings about which phone had sent the command.
Following the announcement, a Weibo user identifying himself as the owner, under the handle @大橘子的小菠萝, publicly confirmed the findings. He wrote:
“Statement: I am the owner involved. The information provided above is accurate. The Xiaomi Auto team verified all data with me in person and confirmed no errors. Thank you to the Xiaomi team for their professionalism and service. Please don’t spread false claims. Thank you.”
Xiaomi Auto vice president Li Xiaoshuang (李肖爽) reposted the owner’s comment, adding: “Clarification as stated above, please take note.”
The owner had previously disputed Xiaomi’s preliminary explanation and requested the release of full operation logs rather than excerpts. The investigation report confirms that the activation was not caused by a hardware or system fault in the vehicle, but rather by a command sent from the connected phone.
The incident has drawn industry attention to the reliability of remote vehicle control functions. Analysts have noted that while features such as RPA improve usability in tight parking spaces, they also raise questions about safeguards, fail-safes, and data transparency.
No injuries or property damage occurred in this case.
Updated: 4/10/2025 China time 3:33 pm
