Goodbye Google Earth?

[DaveM]

I guess that’s it, after 15 minutes the map on my MY17 A5 reverts to this screen and doesn’t seem to recover to even the basic map overlay. I assume I’ve lost the Google Earth overlay, which I understood was meant to stop on 1 January 2021? Funny how it wasn’t mentioned when I bought it?

 

[Buck]

Mine has started to do the same today.

 

[NHN]

Depends when you bought it, they may not have been aware.

 

[DaveM]

I have a March 2017 registered car and they were talking about it on the forums then, so Audi dealerships must have known?
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-sq5-mkii-discussion-218/google-earth-going-away-2020-a-2938127/

 

[Buck]

Google are having lots of issues with their severs at the minute so might be linked to that so coincidental perhaps?

 

[Buck]

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....ge-with-gmail-youtube-and-other-services-down

 

[DaveM]

Google are having lots of issues with their severs at the minute so might be linked to that so coincidental perhaps?

It’s possible but it hasn’t changed the overlay in 12 hrs and it would have affected all Google mapped cars?

 

[Buck]

I’ll try mine again later today. If so I’ll just change the settings. Will have to live with it!

 

[B5NUT]

Google earth overview has gone. It's nothing to do with the outage a couple of days ago. The removal of the service has been known for over a year it was in an Audi document (in the small print section). Check out the A4 & A3 section there are threads in there which give details about an update available to some cars to get photo mapping back, but the new service is not provided by google any more.

 

[L_G]

Google earth overview has gone. It's nothing to do with the outage a couple of days ago. The removal of the service has been known for over a year it was in an Audi document (in the small print section). Check out the A4 & A3 section there are threads in there which give details about an update available to some cars to get photo mapping back, but the new service is not provided by google any more.

Thread from the A4 forum which has contributions from a couple of members with S5s.

https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/google-earth-satellite-maps.422356/

I had expected the google overlays to end on the announced date rather than 'randomly' stopping on peoples' cars during December.

IME the replacement service isn't as good as google but that something is on offer was a pleasant surprise!

 

[S32B]

Got a message the other day saying the licence expires soon. All others have 12+ months left on them.

 

[DJAlix]

For those with MIB2 High / Technology Pack systems there is a replacement service via a new provider. The graphics are downloaded and stored on demand but you need an update and a valid Audi Connect Licence.

VAG Car Coding is able to perform the needed update, has been rolling this out for a while actually, via genuine firmware and authorised access to the VW Group online service tool to the following vehicles and related models such as S and RS cars:

• A4
• A5
• Q5
• Q7
• Q2
• A3

Updates are ONLY for model year 2017 (MY17) and onwards vehicles ONLY.

A6 and A7 vehicles are not eligible. Currently awning further information re TT and R8 vehicles however we did have an R8 gen 2 v10 working with no issues the other day.

Those with MIB1 and MMI3G Plus or High / Technology Pack systems, Google Earth Overlay is no longer available and there is no replacement solution.

 

[IBaudiSport]

MIB1/MIB2?

I’ve just opened the Audi app to see if it told me whether I’ve got MIB1 or 2. I couldn’t see that, but did see a new ‘shop’ option - shown in the attached file - which offered to sell me a connect licence and r else services. Both options were available up to one day before I’ve had the car three years.

 

[DJAlix]

MIB1/MIB2?

I’ve just opened the Audi app to see if it told me whether I’ve got MIB1 or 2. I couldn’t see that, but did see a new ‘shop’ option - shown in the attached file - which offered to sell me a connect licence and r else services. Both options were available up to one day before I’ve had the car three years.

If you have a B9/9.5 then you have MIB2

 

[AndyS-line]

What current software version are you guys on ?. I have a fix where the Here maps are used and its only a sd card and takes about 15 mins

 

[Exx-on]

What current software version are you guys on ?. I have a fix where the Here maps are used and its only a sd card and takes about 15 mins

I assume this only works on newer (MY17+) cars with the Qualcomm MMI GPU's rather than the older Nvidia chips?

 

[Johnst66daytona]

I have a 66 plate B9 A5 coupe that I purchased at 10 months old in December 17 the car was registered on 21/1/17 and I purchased on 16/12/17 and my Google earth ceased on the 3year anniversary from the date I purchased it, to the day. Coincidences I do believe in but to the day, so although the tech pack 3 year sim card limit was breached in the January of last year the dealership presumably reset this somehow, or maybe it’s just the issue in this thread, thoughts.

 

[Dusty Des]

2017 A5 New here maps uploaded free by Audi

 

[Exx-on]

2017 A5 New here maps uploaded free by Audi

That’s great!

I’m still waiting for a call back from Audi UK to see if mine is updatable...


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[Dusty Des]

That’s great!

I’m still waiting for a call back from Audi UK to see if mine is updatable...


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I was told 2017 onwards.
Just phone Newbury Audi they know all about it, from other posts some dealers dont know or say there is a charge.
My car had to go in for recall so done at same time.

 

[Exx-on]

Chased Audi this afternoon regarding this and the response I got was:

“...tricky on your age car because it’s a MY16 bla bla bla...”

“...very easy on MY17 onwards, it’s a simple update and that’s all...” (not helpful)

“...waiting to hear back from Audi UK to see if there will be a update to fix older models, will call you when I have an answer...”

Overall - there is currently no fix for the older MMI/GPUs and, if I’m honest, I don’t think there will be any time soon.

Very annoying.


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[Dusty Des]

Chased Audi this afternoon regarding this and the response I got was:

“...tricky on your age car because it’s a MY16 bla bla bla...”

“...very easy on MY17 onwards, it’s a simple update and that’s all...” (not helpful)

“...waiting to hear back from Audi UK to see if there will be a update to fix older models, will call you when I have an answer...”

Overall - there is currently no fix for the older MMI/GPUs and, if I’m honest, I don’t think there will be any time soon.

Very annoying.


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Found this. So they could try and do an update can only work or fail to load.

My car is MY2017 and has had the software update to the new Audi Satellite layer that replaced Google Earth and is working perfectly.
The criteria is the Video GPU used in the MMI units if your MMI was manufactured before 2017 it is likely that the Nvidia Chip was used, but from mid-2017 the MMI units had the Qualcomm chips which are compatible with the Audi Satellite update software.
the easy way to see if your car can have the update is to check the Media driver version in the MMI software version screen and look for a "Q" as arrowed if you have this your software can be updated.

The Qualcomm processor version commenced around production week 45 of 2016 (early November). However, there have been some cars built into 2017 that were still using the Nvidia processor.

Production dates are therefore not reliable, you have to look at your software version (specifically the media driver version, which will contain the Q letter). However, if you don't have the "Q" in your media driver version you will have the Nvidia processor, and it cannot be updated to display the new satellite overlays.

 

[Exx-on]

I’m sure mine will most likely be the NVIDIA GPU variant seeing as it has an early 2016 build date - but I’ll check this either way.

I’m more hoping for them to put a fix out for the non Qualcomm GPUs.

I’d imagine limitation is the processing power of the GPU, not necessarily how the data is being delivered to the car from Google/Audi, so all they’d need to do to fix it would be to ‘down-res’ the satellite images sent over to the less powerful GPU models.

Heck I’d take a local dump of the satellite images on the cars SD card if that would work...!

 

[DJAlix]

Updated a non Qualcomm unit the other day

https://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/google-earth-satellite-maps.422356/page-5#post-3648109