So more being curious than anything else. With the current cold spell I've found heating the car (PHEV) via the app great, cabin heats quickly and windows all defrosted before I sit in.

 

One of the evenings I was in the car waiting for someone who was delayed and I started to get pretty cold so I turned on the heating from within the cabin (no engine running) using the in car controls but it wasn't really warming up that well.

 

So I whipped out my phone and set it via the app and it immediately began heating, so does it use a completely separate heater when done this way that's not used if done so within the cabin?

The heater is the same (as long as the heat doesn't come from the ICE) - it's a PTC heating element using energy from the HV battery.
However, what you noticed and described in your post I think is some sort of software error (or just lazy programming) of the climate control unit - it has exactly the same behavior in my Formentor, which is basically the same car in different clothes.

However, I found there's a solution for this lack of heating while using the in car controls with the car stopped (no engine, not "Ready") - probably there's some info in the User Manual, but who reads it 😁 ? . If you're trying to heat up the cabin via the infotainment controls - the same way you do while the car is running - it will only use the ventilation, but no PTC heating. So you'll have air at outside temperature blown inside your car.
The workaround is to press the STOP button - as you do when you leave the car, and the infotainment screen layout will change to the "Goodbye" one. On the top/upper bar of the screen, in the left corner (that's on Formentor - might be different to Octavia) you have a "heating button" (see attached picture) - press that one and you'll have stationary heating, without using the phone App.

Cheers for that. I haven't noticed a similar button on the Octavia when on the Goodbye screen but then again I wouldn't have been looking for it there so I'll check next time I'm in it, if it's not there I'll dig around and see if I can force it like you outlined how it can be done in your Formentor.  

So found the equivalent in the Octavia this afternoon, when you're at the Good-bye screen just press the Clima button on the display and that's it, warmer than what it is when actually driving in EV mode. Thanks for giving me a steer.

Glad you found the solution and that it worked! I accidentally found it on mine after almost 1 year of ownerhsip - during my 2nd cold season with the car. Until recently I was also using the App  - just as you mentioned.
However, I fail to understand the logic of those programming the climate control. Why not start the heating from the "normal" Clima interface while waiting in the car? Why is it only possible via the "goodbye screen" of from the App? Is it a bug, or is it some sort of protection feature?
 

Edited 10 January, 20251 yr by SkOmk4

Ok, do sitting in my car as usual waiting for kids training to finish and looking around with the settings after the software update to see if I could spot anything new and I came across the Stationary Air Conditioning section in the e-manager settings (pretty sure it was always there but just never took heed of it)

 

I hit the toggle for use electricity from the HV battery and didn't notice anything but that evening when I unlocked the car and sat into a minute later it was getting nice and toasty! Once I pressed the ignition though it stopped using the battery heater and started to get cool.