91 Audi connect not working due to MMI Privacy Mode at PDI MY2018
91 17 55 2048436/3 November 2, 2017. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 91 number 17-46 dated
August 31, 2017 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

A3, A4, S4,
A5, S5
Cabriolet,
Q5, and Q7

2018

All

With MMI Navigation plus

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision

Date

Purpose

3

-

Revised title (Updated)
Revised Service (Added step 13 and photos)

2

08/31/2017

Revised header data (Updated header data)

1

07/24/2017

Initial publication

After PDI is performed, the customer states that the Audi connect
services are not functioning. There is an error of “The myAudi
Server is currently unavailable. Please try again later” along with
an active LTE connection including data bars over the “LTE”
symbol (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Audi connect error in MMI.

Technical Background
Starting with MY18 (CW22/17 production date), vehicles with MIB2 Navigation (PR code 7UG) and with Audi
connect (PR code EL3) now have a new feature called “Privacy Mode”. When activated, this feature turns off the
internal telephone module in the MMI only (the connected gateway stays active). These vehicles will now have
privacy mode turned on by default when the vehicle leaves the factory. Privacy Mode is automatically turned off
when the vehicle is taken out of transport mode.

Page 1 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

However, there is a known MMI software concern that prevents the MMI from being able to reach the Audi
connect backend server after the car is taken out of transport mode. A work around is available to fully re-enable
the Audi connect services (service section).
Tip: The option to turn off the MMI’s internal telephone module is still available to vehicles built before
CW22/17. The option is listed under the Telephone settings menu in the MMI.

Production Solution
A solution is currently being worked on.

Service
Follow the repair steps below to reset the telephone module in the MMI to allow Audi connect to function fully. If
there are no LTE bars and no data arrows over the “LTE” symbol, then move the car outside where it can obtain
a strong signal from AT&T. If after moving the vehicle outside there is still no LTE reception, then this TSB does
not apply.
1. Check the MMI in the glovebox, and if a removable SIM card is inserted then remove it. The USA market
does not use removable SIM cards for MIB2 with embedded SIM. If a removable SIM card is inserted it can
prevent the MMI from being able to use Audi connect services.
2. Press the “MENU” button and select “Audi
connect” from the main MMI Menu (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Audi connect in main menu.

Page 2 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

3. Use the Right Drawer Sub-menu (Move the
Main MMI Knob to the right) and select
“Privacy” (Figure 3).

Figure 3. Right sub-men option, “Privacy”.
4. Next select “Deactivate data connection”
(Figure 4).

Figure 4. Deactivate data connection.
5. The MMI will now show a message of “The data connection was restricted” and the MMI should
automatically revert back to the main menu.
6. Next select “Audi connect”, then select
“Activate data connection” (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Activate data connection.

Page 3 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

7. Next select “Switch on data module”. This will
turn on the LTE data module (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Switch on data module.
8. Wait briefly until you see the message “Data module is on”.
9. Next, the vehicle CAN BUS system must be put to sleep. Disconnect any ODIS scan tool from the OBD
port. Roll all windows up and shut all doors and lock the car for 2-3 minutes.
10. After car has been off long enough to let the CAN BUS go to sleep, turn the engine back on. Allow the
MMI system to fully initialize (can take 1-2 minutes).
11. Next Navigate to “Audi connect” then to “Google Earth” and select “Activate and display Google
Earth map” and wait for it to load. The customer may want to use the Right Drawer Sub-Menu and select
“Refresh” if there are any missing services in the Audi connect main service list.
12. If Audi connect still does not work then repeat steps 9-11 and let the car sit locked for 30 minutes.
13. If steps 9-11 do not work then perform a full
factory reset on the MMI: Press MENU >>
Settings >> Factory settings >> Select all
entries >> Restore factory settings >> Yes,
delete now and restart system (Figure 7-11).
Note:
If the customer has already taken delivery of the
vehicle, please note that all customer
information stored in the MMI will be deleted
Figure 7. Select Settings from main menu.
including any Bluetooth pairings, Wi-Fi custom
password, and the Audi connect Key User
pairing for remote services.

Page 4 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Figure 8. Select Factory settings.

Figure 9. Select all entries.

Figure 10. Select Restore factory settings.

Figure 11. Select “Yes, delete now and restart system.”

Page 5 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Warranty
Claim Type:

 110 up to 48 months/50,000 miles.
 910 if before retail sold.
 G10 for CPO Covered Vehicles - Verify Owner.
 If vehicle is outside any warranty, this Technical Service Bulletin is informational
only.

Service Number:

9196

Damage Code:

0039

Labor Operations:

Reset MMI Telephone module

9196 9999

20 TU

Diagnostic Time:

GFF

No allowance

0 TU

Road test prior to service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Road test after service procedure

No allowance

0 TU

Technical diagnosis at dealer’s discretion
(Refer to Section 2.2.1.2 and Audi Warranty Online for DADP allowance details)
Claim Comment:

As per TSB #2048436/3

All warranty claims submitted for payment must be in accordance with the Audi Warranty Policies and Procedures
Manual. Claims are subject to review or audit by Audi Warranty.

Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2048436) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.
©2017 Audi of America, Inc. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest
information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any
time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these
materials be modified or reposted to other sites without the prior expressed written permission of the publisher.

Page 6 of 6
© 2017 Audi of America, Inc.
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of Audi of
America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.