# Audi Connect subscription



## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

Should Audi Connect be included as part of the Tech Pack?

The configurator certainly suggest that (actually states it!) and even talks about a 36 month subscription.
I was therefore expecting a data SIM card to be included when I picked the car up, but no such facility.
Sales guy wasn't sure. Having re-read the car's spec and the configurator, I'm sure it should be included.
Have I misunderstood something? Just want to check with you guys before going back to the dealer..


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

you get a licence for 36months, sim is your problem... you have to buy it.
Also says service upto every 19000 miles but you dont get the fuel for free to do those miles.

Audi Connect Infotainment Services
An external data source is required to enable the Audi Connect Online Infotainment Services ("Infotainment Services").
One of two can be used:
• A separate SIM card with data option (which can be inserted into the vehicle SIM card reader). If 4G usage is required the SIM card will also need a 4G option. When a separate SIM card is used, hands-free phone calls are possible by connecting a different mobile telephone via Bluetooth hands-free profile. For mobile phone and software compatibility, please visit www.audi.co.uk/phonecompatibility or your local Audi Centre; or
• On capable mobile phones, the phone's data connection can be shared with the vehicle via personal hotspot/tethering, although using this method may result in high consumption of your mobile phone battery.


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## pcbbc (Sep 4, 2009)

Normally recommended is one of these 3 PAYG 4G Trio Data SIM Pack with 12GB Data.

12GB will be more than enough to last you for a whole year of Google map downloads, traffic and petrol prices. A lot cheaper for most people than a second SIM on their existing data plan, and more convenient than sharing your phone WiFi (which I believe you have to manually enable each time).

However make sure you phone does not connect toi the WiFi and chew through the data allowance downloading updates and the like. There is an option in the MMI to prevent WiFi sharing of the SIM data connection and only allow for the MMI.

When your year is up, just purchase another. There's also a 24 month 24GB version on Amazon, which is better value. Not used that myself though.


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## captainhero17 (Apr 10, 2018)

Toshiba said:


> you get a licence for 36months


The fact that they offer Audi connect as a feature (a paying feature) and then lock you out via some licence expiry is despicable.
Audi connect is either 300eur or even 500eur option last time I checked. How can they make you pay for something and then ask subscription for it?

Its not like buying a navigation unit and having 3 year free updates. Because you can still use the navigation (although the maps may be outdated).

The Audi connect to me is a huge disappointment and thank god I did not pay for it (since the car was 2nd hand). I was expecting a lot more from the description they gave for the feature.

The only good part of this feature is the Audi traffic information (which to be honest should have been integrated with the VC Navigation - given how it costs 1200GBP or 1500 eur)
But thats just me


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Each region is different and it's down to the local importer...
UK connect is free with Nav so its all part of the same package/cost/subscription.

Over the next 5 years more and more cars will be going down the subscription route both in terms of ownership costs and direct services. Reoccurring revenues, it's what's driving digital transformation


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## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

Toshiba said:


> you get a licence for 36months, sim is your problem... you have to buy it.
> Also says service upto every 19000 miles but you dont get the fuel for free to do those miles.
> 
> Audi Connect Infotainment Services
> ...


Many thanks for the helpful responses. The penny finally dropped! The Tech Pack includes (or included) a thing (Audi connect, 36 month subscription) that you can't actually use until you buy something else (a SIM card). Brilliant. I know its not a lot of money but when you have paid so much in the first place it's more the principle of the thing, as others have said. The salesman at the local dealership just told me on the phone that if you order the tech pack now (2019 model) it _does_ include an embedded SIM, but I'm glad I didn't wait as the price of most models has apparently gone up about £700 on average and some things that were previously included (heated seats, he said) have been taken out - and other things added (e.g. embedded SIM!). All quite confusing. Hey ho, off to buy a cheap payg SIM to see if this Audi Connect is actually worth bothering with. I suspect it might not be, but we'll see...


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## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

pcbbc said:


> Normally recommended is one of these 3 PAYG 4G Trio Data SIM Pack with 12GB Data.
> 
> However make sure you phone does not connect toi the WiFi and chew through the data allowance downloading updates and the like. There is an option in the MMI to prevent WiFi sharing of the SIM data connection and only allow for the MMI.
> 
> .


Sounds like excellent advice. Thanks. That's just the sort of thing I would normally overlook and end up with a nasty surprise.


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## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

Blade Runner said:


> ... the price of most models has apparently gone up about £700 on average and some things that were previously included (heated seats, he said) have been taken out - and other things added (e.g. embedded SIM!). All quite confusing. Hey ho, off to buy a cheap payg SIM to see if this Audi Connect is actually worth bothering with. I suspect it might not be, but we'll see...


Er, I think I could have worded that a bit better. I didn't mean that they were now going to make you pay extra for seats; that would be ridiculous, even by Audi standards :lol: The sales guy's comment must have related to the 1.8 models, as the TTS and TTRS still have heated front seats as standard (according to the configurator at least), irrespective of trim level. Don't know what was included before with the 1.8 TFSI models, but even the Black Edition now doesn't get heated seats (they are included in the Comfort and Sound pack at £795).


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Anyone any idea what Audi are asking for renewal of a Connect subscription at the end of 36 months. There must be quite a few early Mk3 owners who are now out of their initial 36 month subscription.
I've read on an A3 forum that several people have contacted Audi at the end of their (12 month) subscription and been given another year FOC. But I've also seen figures of a few hundred quid mentioned.


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## Omychron (Sep 9, 2016)

ZephyR2 said:


> Anyone any idea what Audi are asking for renewal of a Connect subscription at the end of 36 months. There must be quite a few early Mk3 owners who are now out of their initial 36 month subscription.
> I've read on an A3 forum that several people have contacted Audi at the end of their (12 month) subscription and been given another year FOC. But I've also seen figures of a few hundred quid mentioned.


I just renewed mine. In Belgium they charge 170€ for a 2 year extension.
Not sure what they make of that in the UK, but should give you an idea...


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

If you're the Original owner AUK are renewing them for 12 months FOC - you will need to speak to your supplying dealer and they should be able to help you. It's not something you can do yourself.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Omychron said:


> I just renewed mine. In Belgium they charge 170€ for a 2 year extension.
> Not sure what they make of that in the UK, but should give you an idea...





Toshiba said:


> If you're the Original owner AUK are renewing them for 12 months FOC - you will need to speak to your supplying dealer and they should be able to help you. It's not something you can do yourself.


Thanks guys.


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## F1SpaceMonkey (Nov 21, 2015)

Blade Runner said:


> Toshiba said:
> 
> 
> > you get a licence for 36months, sim is your problem... you have to buy it.
> ...


Its not worth it. I binned the dedicated SIM card after a year. its a gimmick.


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## captainhero17 (Apr 10, 2018)

F1SpaceMonkey said:


> Blade Runner said:
> 
> 
> > Toshiba said:
> ...


Exactly, its a 500eur/440GBP gimmick. I hoped that it will do lots more but it even fails to do the things that they advertised. The only thing that is remotely useful is the: location, address synchronisation from Audi connect website of MMI app; and the Audi traffic report. (which again I say should have been part of the navigation package instead of being bundled with Audi Connect).


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

Works great for me, 
Nav destination sent direct to the car, RSS feeds read out, live/real traffic updates and occasionally i'll browse for either weather or petrol prices. And all for the cost of a sim.


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## se9boy (May 21, 2017)

Picking up on an earlier post, has anyone successfully connected the MMI onto a mobile phone hotspot (iPhone SE) as opposed to using the SIM card in the glovebox? I've tried following the instructions in the manual but my MY17 car says "service unavailable".

I can connect the phone to the car WiFi but only have a small monthly data allowance on my prepaid SIM which I'm using up really fast so I'd prefer to use my mobile phone data (as I don't pay for it!)

Many thanks,

Steve


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## jonp (Mar 26, 2016)

yes you can connect to your iPhone, turn your iPhone hotspot on, go into your car setting and connect to your phone via wifi. hope this helps


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

se9boy said:


> Picking up on an earlier post, has anyone successfully connected the MMI onto a mobile phone hotspot (iPhone SE) as opposed to using the SIM card in the glovebox? I've tried following the instructions in the manual but my MY17 car says "service unavailable".
> 
> I can connect the phone to the car WiFi but only have a small monthly data allowance on my prepaid SIM which I'm using up really fast so I'd prefer to use my mobile phone data (as I don't pay for it!)
> 
> ...


Yes it works fine with the iPhone SE. The trick is that you have to have the Settings > Personal Hotspot screen active on your phone while you are waiting for the car to connect, which can take a few minutes sometimes. You have to do this every time you want to connect.

A lot of the stuff with Audi Connect is a useless gimmick but things I find useful are -
Live traffic info - invaluable I use it on most journeys even when I know where I'm going. It has saved me getting stuck in long jams many times.
Being able to send locations to your car from your laptop.
Online music streaming via the VC and MFSW - I use Napster as well as internet radio.
I like the Google Earth view on the nav map.
I've got speed camera warnings loaded up as Audi Special Destinations.
Occasionally info about local parking or petrol prices can be useful.


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## Omychron (Sep 9, 2016)

On Android I use the Bluetooth connectivity with RSAP to allow the car to connect to the internet.
No action required on the phone, it is automatic and requires about 30 seconds to connect.
Does iPhone not support a similar feature?


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## Gh0sty (Sep 7, 2017)

I contacted Audi regarding connect when i bought my 15 a couple of months ago, they were very helpful and renewed it for a year fox, you just need to either email customer services, or do what I did, speak to them on chat on the audi site.

Live traffic is good and petrol pricing, but that's about it for me really.

if you engage your personal hotspot on an iphone before leaving the house, it should auto connect, ive just got an X with stupid amounts of data, so did a few tests. Now i just have to wait until my data sim runs out.


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## se9boy (May 21, 2017)

Hi, do I need to remove the data SIM from the car to get it to recognise the phone, I just can't get the car to see the phone (works fine the other way around though).
Thanks.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

se9boy said:


> Hi, do I need to remove the data SIM from the car to get it to recognise the phone, I just can't get the car to see the phone (works fine the other way around though).
> Thanks.


Maybe. Try it and see if it helps.


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## se9boy (May 21, 2017)

Got it! Only works with the SIM removed from the car.

Thanks all.


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## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

ZephyR2 said:


> se9boy said:
> 
> 
> > Picking up on an earlier post, has anyone successfully connected the MMI onto a mobile phone hotspot (iPhone SE) as opposed to using the SIM card in the glovebox? I've tried following the instructions in the manual but my MY17 car says "service unavailable".
> ...


Could I just quiz you about a couple of the things on that list?
1. 'Online music streaming via the VC'. How does that work? I use Spotify via Android Auto, but is there another way of accessing these music services?
2. 'Speed camera warnings'. Do you mean as symbols on the navmap? The procedure I have seen on here doesn't actually involve Audi Connect; it just requires a login to my.audi.com / 'special destinations' and a file download to PC/laptop, which is then copied to an SD card and fed into the MMI.

I had been wondering why you couldn't just download it directly from myAudi to the car? Would seem to be a logical use of the car's SIM card. You can use a similar method with VW's car-net, (i.e avoiding the use of an intermediate SD card) although you have to use your phone's wifi hot-spot or connect the car to your home wifi network. However, it does work. With car-net there is a 'POI' menu option for this 'download update' purpose, but there doesn't seem to be any such option under Audi Connect - just a lot of rubbish about News feeds, Parking Information, City Events.... and - God help us - Twitter. I hope I missed something...

3. And no Google Earth on my list of Audi Connect options. License information page says it expired in 2017!


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Blade Runner said:


> Could I just quiz you about a couple of the things on that list?
> 1. 'Online music streaming via the VC'. How does that work? I use Spotify via Android Auto, but is there another way of accessing these music services?
> 2. 'Speed camera warnings'. Do you mean as symbols on the navmap? The procedure I have seen on here doesn't actually involve Audi Connect; it just requires a login to my.audi.com / 'special destinations' and a file download to PC/laptop, which is then copied to an SD card and fed into the MMI.
> 3. And no Google Earth on my list of Audi Connect options. License information page says it expired in 2017!


1. Web radio, Napster and Amazon music run via the MMI app on your phone. Your phone has to be connected to the MMI in the car whereupon these options appear in the Media menu.
2. Yes that's right. I presume you have to have an active Audi Connect subscription to access Special Destinations on the my.audi site.
3. Google Earth view is a nav menu option which the brochure suggests requires an active Connect subscription. However rumour had it that Audi is moving away from Google's services in favour of it own systems that are being developed with other partners. Street View certainly went some months ago.
Your sig says you have a 2018 TT and the current brochure still says Google Earth view is a function of Audi Connect. So if your car says the license expired in 2017 then there's something wrong there. I'd make a fuss with the dealer. If its advertised on Audi's web site / brochure then you should have it. Not that its a critical function tho.


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## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

ZephyR2 said:


> Blade Runner said:
> 
> 
> > Could I just quiz you about a couple of the things on that list?
> ...


Thanks for that.
1. I will check it out
2. I do have an Audi Connect subscription (for 3 yrs) but hadn't realised that access to the 'Special Destinations' part of the MyAudi site was dependent on that. I now understand your previous post.
3. As for "1"!


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## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

Blade Runner said:


> pcbbc said:
> 
> 
> > Normally recommended is one of these 3 PAYG 4G Trio Data SIM Pack with 12GB Data.
> ...


I got one of these 12GB SIMs and installed it in the car without issue. 
I wanted to keep track of my data usage, so tried to register for a My3 account on the Three website.
The problem was that the site wants to send your login password in a text message, obviously assuming that the SIM will be in your phone. I couldn't see a way around this so had to ring Three's support phone number in the end.
The guy was very helpful and sent me a link by email, which enabled me to "reset" my password and login to the Three/My3 site. The dashboard display just shows data remaining under 'Data Allowances', but that's all I wanted.
Just thought this might be useful info for anyone else buying one of '3's PAYG SIMs.

P.S. The email the guy sent may be the same one that you would get if you clicked "Forgotten your password?" on the login page, but this is not exactly obvious when you haven't yet created one.


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## Toshiba (Jul 8, 2004)

What's the issue with that?
You just read the txt message they send in the car, via the menu...


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## Blade Runner (Feb 16, 2018)

Toshiba said:


> What's the issue with that?
> You just read the txt message they send in the car, via the menu...


You are right, of course. I had overlooked the most obvious thing! Still getting my head around all the possibilities with this Audi connect thing. When I located the text message inbox on the MMI, the texts automatically sent by 3 (presumably when I inserted the SIM card) were sat there..


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