Technical Service Bulletin
91 Audi connect GEN3: No Services in MMI and SOS LED does not turn green after PDI
91 23 22 2061028/5 August 11, 2023. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 91 number 22-03 dated June
3, 2022, for reasons listed below.
Model(s)

Year

A6, A6 allroad,
S6, A7, S7, A8,
S8, Q7, SQ7,
Q8, SQ8, and
RS Q8

2020 – 2024

R8, and R8
Spyder

2020 – 2023

A8 e quattro

2020 – 2021

A4, A4 allroad,
S4, A5, A5
Cabriolet, A5
Sportback, S5,
S5 Cabriolet, S5
Sportback, RS 5,
RS 5 Sportback, 2021 – 2024
RS 6 Avant, RS
7, e-tron quattro,
e-tron Sportback
quattro, Q3, Q5,
Q5 e quattro,
and SQ5
TT, TTS, and TT
Roadster

2021 -2023

TT RS

2021 - 2022

A3, S3, e-tron
GT, RS e-tron
GT, Q4 e-tron,
Q5 Sportback,
and SQ5
Sportback

2022 – 2024

Q4 e-tron
Sportback

2023 - 2024

VIN Range

Vehicle-Specific Equipment

All

Audi connect Gen 3

Condition
REVISION HISTORY
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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 Service Bulletin
Revision

Date

Purpose

5

-

Revised Service (Updated with the latest information)
Revised header (added MY24)

4

06/03/2022

Revised Service (Updated with the latest information)

3

9/16/2021

Revised title
Revised header (Updated Elsa display, added Models Years and Models)
Revised Service (Updated with the latest information)

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 when pressed.
• The News and Weather Tiles are missing in the MMI.
• The navigation satellite map view cannot be activated.

Technical Background
The 3rd Generation of the Audi connect system was first introduced into the MY20 B9 PI:
• MY20 A4 and A5.
• MY21 A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Q5, Q7, Q8, Audi e-tron quattro, and Audi e-tron Sportback.
• MY22-24 A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, Q3, Q4 e-tron, Q5, Q7, Q8, Q8 e-tron, e-tron quattro, e-tron Sportback, etron GT, and RS e-tron GT.
With this new GEN3 system, the SOS light can take longer than previous Audi connect generations to turn green
after PDI. This new system utilizes a “white label” SIM card that is not preregistered to any USA-specific mobile
carrier at the factory. Audi of America partnered with Verizon as our preferred carrier for the GEN3 system for the
USA. For comparison, the 2nd Generation of the Audi connect system utilizes an AT&T SIM preregistered before
the car leaves the factory.

Production Solution
Not applicable.

Service
© 2023 Audi of America, Inc.

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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 Service Bulletin
Since the 3rd Generation Audi connect system utilizes a SIM that is not preregistered at the factory, the SIM must
go through a “Registration and Pairing” (R&P) process after the ConBox/OCU flight mode is deactivated. The
R&P process typically takes 20 minutes under ideal conditions but often requires a subsequent sleep cycle after
flight mode deactivation, a GPS signal is obtained, and the car has been in an area with at least 3-bars of LTE.
In some cases, this process can take up to 1-2 hours, depending on the LTE signal strength, GPS reception, and
backend system availability. The SOS light will turn green once the embedded SIM (eSIM) has completed the
R&P process and is fully operating on Verizon’s LTE network.
For comparison, for the GEN2 system, the SOS light turns green almost immediately after flight mode is removed
because the R&P process is already completed before the vehicle arrives at the US port. With the GEN3 system,
the R&P process will always take longer than 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 how the registration and pairing process works for GEN3 vehicles at a very high
level. This complex process is why the R&P can take a longer time than a GEN2 vehicle.
• Step 1: ConBox: Flight mode (aka Airplane Mode) is deactivated during the PDI process, and the telephone
module and SIM activate. OCU: Flight mode is deactivated when the car is driven at least 25 miles or during
the total PDI test plan (the 25 mile threshold is set to 0 miles in this test plan).
• Step 2: The SIM attempts to connect to Cubic in Europe using a roaming data connection that utilizes AT&T or
T-Mobile (Vodafone Roaming). If there is poor AT&T or T-Mobile service in the immediate area or inside the
service bay, 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, 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.
• 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).
• 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 if the car has already received GPS reception (the vehicle must be placed outside or taken on a test
drive). At this point, barring any issues in the backend systems, the SOS light should turn 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, 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 5 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 5-10 minutes.
4. After rechecking the system, repeat steps 1-3 a second time if the SOS light does not turn green.

© 2023 Audi of America, Inc.

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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 Service Bulletin
5. If the SOS light does not turn green after the second time through steps 1-3, please perform a capacitive
discharge by disconnecting the vehicle 12V battery from the vehicle electronics for at least 60 seconds.
Note: It is no longer required to remove the backup battery from the ConBox as long as the capacitive
discharge is performed for at least 60 seconds while there is no emergency or roadside call active in the
vehicle. Removing the backup battery can damage the control unit due to electrostatic discharge.
6. Let the car sit for 60 seconds (or longer) with the 12v battery disconnected, reconnect the battery and turn on
the ignition.
7. Check and document the eSIM profile currently in use by the ConBox (OCU if A3/Q3/Q4). This can be
accomplished using ODIS. Selected “Checking IMSI number” under “Guided Functions” for diagnostic
address 0075.
Vodafone Bootstrap (Factory) Profile will have a 20-digit IMSI starting with “8988”.
Verizon Operation (Local) Profile will have a 20 digit IMSI starting with “8914”.
Take a screen shot of this value, write it down, or upload it to GFF Paperless.
8. Check the status of the SOS light. If, at this point, the SOS light does not turn green, open a web ticket with
the Audi Digital Business Support Team: https://audi.zendesk.com/. Please provide the IMSI number in your
ticket using one of the methods mentioned in the previous step.
Note:
You will need to use a dealer email address to register for access to the web ticketing system. 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
connect.support@audi.com so we can verify your dealer credentials and then enable you to utilize your personal
email to access the web ticketing system.

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.
©2023 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
these materials be modified or reposted to other sites without the prior expressed written permission of the
publisher.

© 2023 Audi of America, Inc.

Page 4 of 4

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.