Zendrive SDK v8.3.0 Release Notes
Product Information
Zendrive SDK
Product Version
Version 8.3.0
OS Support
This version supports Android 12 and iOS 15.
Release Date
June 1, 2022
Zendrive SDK 8.3.0: New Features
The following new features have been added to Zendrive SDK for Android 12 and iOS 15:
Minor Fixes to Improve Trip Start Detection
Description: In SDK v8.3.0, we occasionally observe trips which are recorded and sent to the Zendrive backend even when a trip did not occur in reality. This event occurs approximately once in 5 to 10 days, and the trip length is usually well under 500 meters.
Criticality: Medium Resolution or Workaround: The Zendrive team is investigating this issue and will fix it through either a remote configuration or through a new SDK release. Please expect a communication from your Customer Success representative in this regard.
SDK v8.3 Feature Descriptions
1. Business Hours
Description: Enables Commercial Lines fleet managers to configure work hours for each user, thereby ensuring that trips are tracked only during those hours. This feature enhances end user experience by defining business hours and personal hours.
Explanation: The Business Hours feature allows Commercial Lines fleet managers to set business hours for their users, during which time only, SDK can track their trips. Fleet drivers can use the Pause Tracking feature to pause trip tracking for a selected time period within the set business hours.
How it Works: Zendrive SDK uses public APIs to refresh business hours, once the period is set by the fleet manager. When the business hours are updated, SDK sends a callback to the application with the updated information. When the user pauses auto trip tracking on the app, the SDK pauses tracking immediately, and reports the pause trip duration to the Zendrive backend.
Benefit: Driver privacy: This feature ensures that fleet drivers are not tracked outside of business hours.
2. Scalable Vehicle Limit
Description: The Zendrive SDK now allows users to tag multiple vehicles using beacons.
Explanation: Zendrive SDK supports vehicle tagging using either beacon or Bluetooth since v8.2. Tagging vehicles with beacons or Bluetooth devices works for Personal Lines insurance cases, where a typical household might operate 2 vehicles, under a single policy. In this case, Zendrive SDK provides built-in support for 2 vehicles per user (per SDK install).
However, in the case of Commercial Insurance (CL), a CL fleet could operate thousands of vehicles. Users could pick up any random vehicle to drive for every new job that they take up. In such cases, there may be 1000s of vehicles being shared with 1000s of drivers. Solution: Beacons: Zendrive has redesigned the vehicle limit solution to enable a user to associate with more than 2 beacons. This will be useful in Commercial Lines use cases where a driver could typically drive any vehicle in the fleet. Extending Car Bluetooth Limit: Pre-SDK 8.3.0, the limit on Bluetooth devices per SDK install was two, which is now extended to 10.
Benefit: This workaround stretches the benefits of vehicle tagging to commercial lines as well.
3. HeartBeat v2.0 - Improved Reliability
Description: Improved heartbeat service, with better reliability and scalability is achieved in HB v2.0 in Zendrive SDK 8.3. HB reliability has been achieved by addressing the Generation and Upload components of the HB service. Note: The heartbeat service generation logic available in HB 1.0 still applies.
Explanation: The Zendrive SDK periodically generates heartbeat data based on signals received from the device OS:
Android Activity Points Geofences
iOS Geofences
Zendrive SDK tries to periodically upload the generated HB data points along with the following information, each time the Uploader services are executed:
Trip Upload
GPS and Motion
Trip Summary
Heartbeat Upload (exists currently with HB 1.0)
Benefit: Greater scalability and reliability of HB data helps customers glean a clear idea of their users’ connectivity status at all times.
4. Android 12 Support
Description: Zendrive provides support for Android 12 (targetSDKVersion 31) from Zendrive SDK v8.3.0 onwards.
Explanation: From Zendrive SDK v8.3.0 onwards, customers can safely upgrade their applications to targetSdkVersion 31. The following is an explanation of what compileSDKVersion and targetSDKVersion mean:
compileSDKVersion: This refers to the Android version that will be used to compile the Zendrive SDK and the customer application. In order to obtain access to the new APIs introduced in Android 12, customers would need to upgrade the compileSDKVersion of their application to Android 12
targetSDKVersion: This refers to the Android version on which the application was designed and tested.
5. Collision - New iOS Deep Learning Model
Description: SDK 8.3.0 comes packaged with a new Deep Learning model for collision detection for iOS.
Explanation: The new Deep Learning model has been tuned to improve precision of collision detection, especially for higher confidence numbers.
For Example:
For all collisions at 120 second callback: Precision remains constant at 78%.
For confidence numbers above 75 and faster callbacks (20 seconds and 60 seconds): Precision improves from 85% to 89%.
6. Collision: Direction of Impact (Beta)
Description: Estimates the direction of impact and includes that information in the collision callback API to Zendrive SDK.
Explanation: A new ‘Direction of Impact’ parameter has been added to the SDK collision callback and FNOL APIs. This parameter will indicate the estimated direction of impact for iOS and Android, as follows:
iOS: Front, Side, Rear, Other
Android: Front, Other
Notes: The ‘Direction of Impact’ feature is in the beta stage of development, as its accuracy is yet to be proven in the field. It does not require any special configuration or activation. This feature will undergo upgrades over time to improve its accuracy.
Benefit: The estimate of the direction of impact allows for better informed response in both ACN and FNOL use cases, as follows:
FNOL: Insurers can pre-order vehicle parts or assign repair jobs based on an estimate of the direction of collision impact.
ACN: Emergency responders can also be better prepared while responding to emergencies.
7. New Phone Use Events
Description: Two new events for phone distraction while driving have been added to Zendrive SDK v8.3.0.
Explanation:
Hands-free Phone Calls: The SDK uses OS APIs to detect an ongoing phone call where the user is not speaking directly over the phone, but is using a BlueTooth device or some other hands free device.
Passive Distraction: Zendrive SDK can detect the occasions when the user’s phone screen was turned on, but the user was not actively interacting with the phone (such as browsing, texting and so on). For example, the user could be listening to music, watching a video or referring to a map while driving.
Notes:
Zendrive SDK allows customers to tune these two phone distraction events for their users. For example, they can stipulate the minimum speed threshold above which an event should be detected.
These events are currently reported by Zendrive SDK via the Trip Callback. These events will not affect either the trip score or the Zendrive insurance score.
Benefit: Keeping track of handsfree phone calls and soft distractions such as a lit screen helps to educate users that any distraction while driving can be dangerous.
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