Digital e-bike features are often grouped together as security, but they do different jobs. The Bosch eBike Flow app is designed for bicycles with the Bosch smart system. Its free eBike Lock feature uses a phone as a digital key: once locked, motor assistance is disabled until it is unlocked again. That does not stop someone carrying the bicycle away, so a sound physical lock remains essential at a bike rack.
An alarm and location tracking require different equipment and a different payment arrangement. eBike Alarm uses an installed ConnectModule and the paid Flow+ service. Unexpected movement can set off audible and light signals and send a notification to the rider’s phone; if the bike is stolen, the app can show its location. The app also works without a ConnectModule, but those alarm and tracking functions will not be available.
Before choosing such a system, check whether the particular e-bike has the Bosch smart system and whether a ConnectModule can be fitted. Digital locking, an alarm and tracking can complement one another, but none replaces securing the bicycle to a solid rack.