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Audi A3: How to Swap AT&T Sim for T-Mobile Audi Connect

If you love your Audi Connect services but don't want to be tied down with an AT&T contract, this article will show you how to switch over to a T-Mobile plan and keep the same functionality.

By Brett Foote - March 23, 2016

This article applies to the Audi A3 (2003-present).

There's no denying the fact that Audi Connect is a pretty awesome service. Providing Audi owners with Google search destination searches, weather, gas prices, city events, parking garage info, Twitter/Facebook integration, and the ability to send destination information from your PC to your car, Audi Connect has a ton of useful and valuable features. But as with anything in life, that awesomeness comes with a price, and that price is the cost of a monthly data contract provided for Audi by AT&T.

The problem is, a lot of people may not have AT&T cell phone service and don't want to pay for yet another data plan, or perhaps they might be looking to save a few bucks a month. Luckily, there is a solution: swapping the data plan over to T-Mobile. While you can't do this directly through T-Mobile, there is a way to obtain their data plan in your Audi, and you can do so at a lower cost than the standard AT&T plan. Here's how to get it done.

Audi How to Switch to TMobile Audi Connect infographic

Materials Needed

  • US Mobile SIM card
  • US Mobile data plan

Step 1 – Purchase SIM card and choose data plan

T-Mobile doesn't directly offer service that is compatible with Audi Connect, but US Mobile uses the T-Mobile network, so you can accomplish the same thing using their services. SIM cards are available for around $5-$10, and data plans start at around $7 a month for 250 MB. Remove the car's factory SIM card and install the new one once your data plan is activated.

Remove the factory AT&T SIM card and install the US Mobile SIM card.
Figure 1. Remove the factory AT&T SIM card and install the US Mobile SIM card.

Step 2 – Set up new SIM card

  • Power up your screen. Go to the Settings menu and press "Data connection." Under the APN setting, make sure the network is listed as fast.t-mobile.com.
  • Go to the data connection menu under settings and set functions as shown.
    Figure 2. Go to the data connection menu under settings and set functions as shown.
  • Select the fast.t-mobile.com APN and enter your user name and password.
    Figure 3. Select the fast.t-mobile.com APN and enter your user name and password.
  • Go to the PIN (SIM) settings screen and make sure "Auto.PIN (SIM)" entry is on.
Set the PIN (SIM) settings as shown.
Figure 4. Set the PIN (SIM) settings as shown.
  • Click on the network status screen and type in the serial number (IMEI) provided by US Mobile with your SIM card.
  • Go to the Data consumption meter screen and select "reset data counter."
  • Finally, complete an MMI reboot by simultaneously pressing and holding "menu," "selector," and the top right "soft key" at the same time for several seconds.
  • Once the system reboots, check to make sure that all the functions are working properly.
Enter the IMEI number provided by US Mobile.
Figure 5. Enter the IMEI number provided by US Mobile.

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