Automakers have been pushing more and more features behind paid subscriptions lately, and remote start is one of the more common ones to get locked away. This new model makes an already expensive purchase feel like you’ll never truly reach the “paid off in full” stage of car ownership that many look forward to.
This new Toyota owner found there might be a workaround for at least one of those pesky subscription features.
New Feature Unlocked—Literally
In a viral video with more than 1.5 million views, content creator Kristen Bravo (@kristenbrvo) shared that the dealership tried to upsell her on the Toyota app, but she didn’t take the bait.
"When we bought my 2025 4Runner, we were told that the Toyota app is like the greatest thing ever because you can start your car from the app. The remote just has, like, lock, unlock, and the alarm," she explained.
