91 GEN3 Audi connect has no function with SOS LED not green
91 20 20 2061028/1 October 15, 2020.
Model(s)

Year

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

A4, A4
allroad, S4,
A5, A5
Cabriolet,
A5,
Sportback,
S5, S5
Cabriolet,
S5
Sportback,
RS5, RS%
Cabriolet,
A6, A6
allroad, A6
Avant, S6,
RS6 Avant,
A7, S7,
RS7, A8,
S8, Q5,
SQ5, Q7,
SQ7, Q8,
SQ*, RSQ8,
Audi e-tron
quattro, and
Audi e-tron
Sportback

2021 - 2023

All

GEN3

Condition
Customer states:
One or all of the following conditions exist:
 Audi connect services do not function.
 SOS LED is off or flashes red.
 The Roadside button does not function.
 The News and Weather Tiles are missing in the MMI.
 The navigation satellite map view cannot be activated.

Page 1 of 4
© 2020 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.

Technical Background
The 3rd Generation of the Audi connect system was first introduced into the MY20 B9 PI. All Model Year 2021
vehicles, except for Q3, TT, and R8, now utilize the new 3rd Generation of Audi connect. With this new GEN3
system, the SOS light can take longer to turn green after PDI. This new system utilizes a “white label” SIM card
that is not preactivated to any USA specific mobile carrier at the factory. For the USA, AoA partnered with Verizon
as our preferred carrier for the GEN3 system. For comparison, the 2nd Generation of the Audi connect system
utilized an AT&T SIM that was preactivated at the factory.

Production Solution
Not applicable.

Service
Since the 3rd Generation Audi connect system utilizes a SIM that is not preactivated at the factory, the SIM must
go through a “Registration and Pairing” (R&P) process once transport mode is deactivated. The R&P process
typically takes 20 minutes under ideal conditions. However, this process can take up to 1-2 hours depending on
the signal strength and the state of the backend systems. Once the system has completed the R&P process, the
SOS light will turn green. With the GEN2 system, the SOS light turns green almost immediately after transport
mode is deactivated because the R&P process is performed by the backend after the vehicle rolls off the factory
line and is completed before the vehicle arrives at the US port. With the GEN3 system, the R&P process will
always take longer as compared to a GEN2 vehicle. The SOS light, in most cases, will activate after the initial
test drive following the PDI or after the vehicle has had time to go through a long sleep cycle of 30 minutes or
longer.
The steps below explain at a very high level how the activation process works for GEN3 vehicles. This complex
process is why the activation can take a longer amount versus a GEN2 vehicle.
 Step 1: Flight mode (aka Airplane Mode) is deactivated during the PDI process and the telephone module
and SIM wakeup.
 Step 2: The SIM attempts to connect to Cubic in Europe using a roaming data connection that utilizes AT&T
or T-Mobile. If there is poor AT&T or T-Mobile service in the immediate area or inside the service bay, then
this step could fail until the car is moved to an area with a stronger AT&T or T-Mobile signal.
 Step 3: After the vehicle registers with Cubic, the device receives an eSIM profile for Verizon.
 Step 4: Once the Verizon profile is downloaded, the device will disconnect from AT&T or T-Mobile and
attempt registration to Verizon’s LTE network. If there is poor Verizon service in the immediate area or inside
the service bay, then this step could fail until the car is moved to an area with a stronger Verizon signal. A
long sleep cycle of 30 minutes or more may be needed at this point.
 Step 5: Next, the Verizon profile is successfully downloaded, the device will inform Cubic that it will always
use the Verizon network from that point forward (setting Verizon as the default network connection).

Page 2 of 4
© 2020 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.

 Step 6: Cubic will then activate the Wi-Fi profile for the device. At the same time, Cubic will activate dealer
demo mode in the Audi connect backend.
 Step 7: Lastly, the MMI and Gateway modules should download the Audi connect licenses for PRIME and
CARE. This is the point where the SOS light turns green.
If you experience issues with the activation process, then follow the steps below.
1. If the SOS light does not turn green after the PDI test drive, or after the car has been through a long sleep
cycle following the PDI test drive, then allow the car to sit outside with the ignition on for 20-30 minutes with
the engine running. If this has already been done, then move to step 2.
2. Perform a long sleep cycle of 30 minutes or more. To do this, disconnect any ODIS testers, roll up the
windows and close the hood and trunk. Next, lock the doors. Doing this will allow the car to go to sleep
faster.
3. Turn the car on and check the status of the SOS light after 2-3 minutes.
4. After rechecking the system, if the SOS does not go green, then repeat steps 1-3 a second time.
5. If then, the system SOS light does not turn green, then open a web ticket with the Audi connect Technical
Support Team: https://audi.zendesk.com/.

Note:
You will need to use a dealer email address to register. Using a personal Gmail or Yahoo account will not
allow you to register to the site. If this is not possible, then please contact us at [email protected]
so we can verify your dealer credentials.

Warranty
This TSB is informational only and not applicable to any Audi Warranty. This procedure is a necessary part of the
vehicle PDI.

Additional Information
All part and service references provided in this TSB (2061028) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and/or ETKA for the latest information and parts bulletins. Please check the
Repair Manual for fasteners, bolts, nuts, and screws that require replacement during the repair.
©2020 Audi of America, Inc. All rights reserved. The 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

Page 3 of 4
© 2020 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.

these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

Page 4 of 4
© 2020 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.