BYD Seal V2.1.1 · BYD Lab

BYD Austria published this bulletin on 21 Jan 2026 for a roll-out in Q1 2026. Everything below is translated from the German PDF; we have not installed this release on a car.

Overview#

New

Personalised linking of vehicle and user account to store individual driver settings.
Support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay added in selected countries.
Option to activate the voice assistant via the steering-wheel button even when the screen is off.
Extended voice-control functions in the BYD Assistant: switch off heating and switch ventilation mode on/off.
Cloud data management function added.

Optimised

Optimised radio-station switching logic to improve the user experience.
Optimised presentation of the system user interface (UI).
Optimised ICC switch-off conditions so that ICC can also be deactivated when it is not active.
Optimised multilingual system translations.

New features#

Vehicle account linked to a memory function for customisable themes#

Mobile-app functions: log in to the mobile app via QR code; authorisation of the mobile-app key (requires BYD App version ≥ V2.8.0).

Vehicle-side account functions: QR-code login/logout, personal information settings and personalisation settings. Integrated memory functions for seat, mirrors and electric steering column, customisable themes, ambient-lighting memory, cloud-key unlocking and account login (availability depends on the model and equipment).

Personal information settings – change avatar: only locally stored images can be used.

Available in 32 countries: United Kingdom, Italy, Israel, Hungary, Greece, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, Cyprus, Switzerland, Sweden, Portugal, Norway, Malta, Romania, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Latvia, Croatia, Czechia, Netherlands, Finland, France, Germany, Denmark, Poland, Iceland, Belgium, Bulgaria, Austria, Estonia and Ireland.

Head-unit ‘Account login’ screen with a red notice ‘Wi-Fi or cellular data (subject to fee collection) available’, a QR code, the instruction ‘Open the BYD App, and scan the code for login’ and a ‘No BYD App? Download’ link. — Vehicle-account login is done by scanning the QR code on the head unit with the BYD App.

Head-unit Account Center with a ‘Log Out’ dialog asking ‘Log out the current account?’ with Log Out and Cancel buttons; a Personalized settings panel with a Themes tile is visible behind it. — Logging out of the vehicle account from the Account Center.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support added for selected countries#

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support is added for: Croatia, Romania, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Serbia.

BYD Assistant activation via the steering-wheel controls with the screen off#

Voice-control buttons: with the screen switched off, pressing the voice-control button on the steering wheel wakes the screen and opens the voice bar.

Voice control added for switching off heating and ventilation modes#

New voice commands: “Hi BYD, switch off heating” – heating deactivated. “Hi BYD, switch ventilation on/off” – ventilation switched on/off.

Cloud data management added#

Enabled by default.

BYD states that it takes the protection of your privacy and data seriously. As soon as the vehicle is connected to the internet (Wi-Fi or mobile data), the system automatically uploads only the required, securely processed data to the cloud to ensure service quality and safety.

The three options (Cloud service app, Analysis and Service Improvement, Network security) can be viewed and individually enabled or disabled at any time under: Settings > System settings > General > Cloud data management (Einstellungen > Systemeinstellungen > Allgemein > Cloud-Datenverwaltung).

Head-unit Settings > System > General with a ‘Cloud-based Data Processing’ dialog showing three toggles, all on: ‘Cloud service app’ (remote control and real-time vehicle status), ‘Analysis and Service Improvement’ (improve vehicle performance, optimise driving experience, smart driving services) and ‘Network security’ (prevent cyber attacks and security threats). — The three cloud-data switches under System > General; each can be turned off individually.

Head-unit ‘Cloud-based Data Processing’ notice: cloud-based data processing is required for basic Vehicle System services, can be set via ON/OFF options, refers to the BYD Vehicle System Privacy Statement, and notes that Vehicle System Cellular Data must be on or WLAN connected; an OK button closes it. — The explanatory notice shown before the cloud-data switches; a network connection is required for these services.

Optimisations#

Optimised radio-signal switching logic#

New radio functions: supports automatic switching between FM and DAB and searches on its own for alternative stations with identical content, improving switching speed and stability when changing stations.

When the conventional broadcast signal is weak: automatic switch to streaming radio with identical content to keep playback uninterrupted.

Optimised system UI presentation and text hints#

A Reset function has been added to the navigation-bar customisation screen.

Reset settings → Bluetooth is enabled by default.

Head-unit Settings > System > Version tab with ‘Version update – Upgrade’, ‘Version Details – View’, ‘Restore settings – Reset’ and ‘Factory Reset – Reset’ entries, a rocket illustration and the version string 13.1.33.2510254.1. — 'Restore settings' on the Version tab; after a reset Bluetooth is now on by default.

Head-unit navigation-bar editor, Control tab, with Done and Reset buttons at the top, icons such as Back, Split Screen, Air Mode, A/C On/Off, Recent Tasks, Screen Rotation, Front Defrosting, Ventilate, Screen OFF and Circulation, and the hint ‘Drag or tap the icon to add/delete’. — The new Reset button (top right) restores the default navigation-bar layout.

What we have not verified#

This is a translation of BYD Austria’s bulletin, not a test: we have not installed V2.1.1 on a Seal.
The bulletin was published by BYD’s Austrian importer. The release itself is the European one, but roll-out dates are given for Austria, and a few items are country-specific (radio services, interface languages, legal notes).
Availability of individual features can depend on trim, model year and the head-unit hardware.