cuke2u

Is to discontinue surely, not discontinued, which was the question I was answering. How on earth is that cheating when the service is free?
Also, as stated, map updates cannot turn on or turn off features within the MMI as it contains no firmware..

superswiss

Very different situation in the UK. We can't just get a SIM and stick it in the car like in the European market. Audi connect costs a pretty penny here now. Used to be $10/month. Now the cheapest plan is an 18 months subscription at $499, comes out to about $28/month. Street view has been discontinued in the US, as in it no longer works. Audi connect is different in each country. Glad it still works in the UK, but not here.

As for the services changing, that's just how it is. It's in the T&Cs that the online services can be turned off at any moment. I think what's upsetting to some is the fact that Audi continues to heavily market features that are known to be discontinued. All current Audi models as-is will lose Google Earth at the end of 2020. Audi has stated that they are working on updating the MMI for MY19 and newer, but no specifics have been confirmed. At this point no model can be purchased that will have Google Earth or equivalent past 2020.

The other day I came across Audi's mission statement and there are some interesting points in there. Such as Audi connect being expected to make significant contributions to profit. Whatever that looks like, but this stuff is not going to be free for long in countries where it's still free. Audi has a plan here. Of course it's not Audi connect alone. For example here in the San Francisco area Audi is piloting their mobility services such as Audi on Demand. One no longer has to own an Audi in order to drive one. You can just rent whatever model you need or want to drive. Feel like hitting up the canyons in an R8 Spyder w/o all the downsides of owning one, no problem. Just rent one for the day. They are also partnering with luxury condominium buildings where the building comes with a fleet of Audis available to the residents on an hourly basis.

https://www.audi.com/corporate/en/company/corporate-strategy.html#fullwidthpar__ah_1

https://www.us.audiondemand.com/us/service/en_ondemand.html

cuke2u

Interesting and thanks for that, so you guys don't have free data to use Google Earth from the built in Sim card? We get three years free subscription and even those without the MMI high package, SD card based sat nav, seem to be getting it free as well..

farmerjones

Well I guess that explains why I wanted to try and use Street View the other day and I couldn't find how to get it to work....I wondered when this stopped functioning? I would be nice if Audi notified us they were discontinuing this feature instead of just taking it away behind our backs. I mean, we paid for this service when we bought the car...Audi communication is some of the worst I have experienced with car ownership (which is disappointing to a first-time Audi owner).

Bestcar17

Yes, A map update can render features useless/unavailable, case in point "street view" It only works on a map scale below 98ft (30m), 2018 map update only zoom to 100ft, thus rendering street view unavailable. The same can be done to any system/feature that uses the Nav.... data as a source of info.

snagitseven

From the current Audi Connect website:

"Online services are subject to change at any time. Google Earth™ features will not be available after December 2020 for Model Year 2018 and older vehicles."

The first sentence is typical for any subscription offering - no services provider will guarantee that any and all current features will be available indefinitely (if you have cable TV you know this to be true).
The second sentence from this location doesn't state that MY2019+ models will also lose Google Earth nor that there will be a replacement as it may say that in other locations which would be confusing.. I guess further details will become available eventually.

marz1

cuke2u

I would put it more down to the CPU and graphics card are updated in the cars that continue to support Earth beyond 2020. They would need increased processing power for all the touchscreens etc...

rccoleman

That wouldn't apply to the 2019 A4/S4/A5/S5/etc. models that are basically the same as their 2018 brethren..

cuke2u

I wasn't referring to the current A4/A5 but the models that already have the touchscreens, Q3/A6/A7/A8 etc, which the A4/A5 will be getting in 2020...