MMI does not recognize SIM card on 2018 Audi S6. Need specific VCDS help to fix. Thx.

[elp_jc]

A few people posted having this issue after a service visit. In my case, it happened on my new car when I turned off the 'data module' after having issues the first time I used the AT&T card, specifically WiFi. This is the history that led to that move: After my wife connected to WiFi, MMI immediately disconnected my phone from BT, and couldn't reconnect it again when it was working perfectly before that (not connected to a USB port). Nothing worked. After turning car off and back on, BT worked on my phone and WiFi on my wife's, but the freaking speakers didn't sound in media mode. Tried both USB and BT and files showed as playing, but no sound. Turned to radio, and FM, AM, and XM all worked and sounded perfectly fine, so obviously a weird gremlin, as going back and forth to different sources, all radio ones worked, but none of the media ones did. I was fearing a hardware/firmware issue, but the issue cleared itself later, so definitely an MMI glitch. Anyway, then MMI said I needed to connect my phone to WiFi to be able to hear Spotify, which I knew was crap, since I wasn't enabling ApplePlay, but went along with it. It didn't work, as expected. At that time, decided to disconnect WiFi by putting 'never' on the option box, and also saw the data module option, and disabled it as well (in retrospect, should have tried disabling WiFi only first). After that, menu showed 'enable data module', so all appeared well. Turned engine off, then on again, and that's when I couldn't even get into AudiConnect anymore. It just showed 'no SIM card inserted. Please activate one', or something like that. So no more WiFi, BUT stereo worked perfectly fine from that point on, except no AudiConnect. Since dealer put wrong info on my first SIM card, I asked for a new one, which I personally activated by filling the info on myaudiconnect.com, then calling the Audi hotline since the 6-month option wasn't available on the website. Lady told me it was activated already, to just insert it and enjoy. It didn't work, so I'm 100% sure it's not a SIM card issue. And no, you cannot insert it wrong, as all other 3 ways you can't push it to 'click' into place (I tried them). MMI kept saying 'no SIM card inserted'. Tried resetting the MMI (the 3 buttons at once), and did nothing, so gave up, knowing I needed a VCDS to correct, and ordered one. And that's where I stand today. MMI is still working perfectly, except AudiConnect. Want to try one more time to see if WiFi works without issues after resetting that channel. But need specific help exactly how to turn the SIM card reader back on. A forum member just said to do that on 'module 5F', but that's little help. Being new to VCDS (getting the cable tomorrow), need specifics to avoid screwing up anything. Many thanks. By the way, unless I could use a SIM card from my carrier (T-Mobile), I don't plan to renew the AT&T AudiConnect subscription, so if I can't fix this myself, I won't take my car to the only dealer in town just for that. But hope to be able to do that. Thank you in advance for your help gang.
JC

[elp_jc]

Not that many people having this issue, I guess. Got a full VCDS scan yesterday, and my car has a bunch of codes, most dating from that fateful day (Jan 12). Would like to post it to see what coding experts suggest, but there's no provision to attach a file from my computer. Tried doing it with the 'code' brackets, like on the VCDS forum, but it's too long for this forum. The VCDS forum moderator is stumped by it, so trying to get help here. Thx.

[Nicodemu5]

Surprised a "hard reset" didnt fix the problem...ive had some weird issues with my B8.5 S4 with the newer MMI, like for example the volume knob wouldnt work, but would mute/unmute music when pressed. Same with the bluetooth module..turned it off once and then the whole system was greyed out for a while. had to do a hard reset each time and it ended up fixing all the issues...sucks you are having a hard time. if its under warranty i would just take it straight to the dealership. guaranteed its covered and they will fix it at no charge.

[elptxjc]

Surprised a "hard reset" didnt fix the problem.
Thank you for chiming in. Hey, what's a 'hard reset'? I've only read of a 'reset', involving pressing the 'menu', knob, and upper right soft key at the same time, but need to know what's supposed to happen, because nothing seems to happen when I do. I simply activate either the menu, or the soft key setting. To begin with, should the MMI be in the main menu window, or it doesn't matter? And what should happen to know it was reset? Will try to press the knob first, then the other 2 buttons and see if I get results. Also how long do you need to press them. I waited for an eternity, and still zero. If that doesn't help, then will go into the module 5F after using the car today, to see if any codes come back after using the car after clearing all fault codes I had (a crapload). Probably from dealer leaving keys inside the car for weeks while inside the showroom. Battery must have died, or at least gotten very low. Thanks again. Will be back here later today, for your recommendations. And yes, it's a bit frustrating buying a 7-yr-old car, and still having issues like this. Oh well. Hope to be able to clear them myself. If not, then dealer would be my last option. Car is working perfectly fine except the MMI not recognizing a SIM card (a gremlin I had when first connected to the internet). Thanks again for your help.

[Nicodemu5]

Thank you for chiming in. Hey, what's a 'hard reset'? I've only read of a 'reset', involving pressing the 'menu', knob, and upper right soft key at the same time, but need to know what's supposed to happen, because nothing seems to happen when I do. I simply activate either the menu, or the soft key setting. To begin with, should the MMI be in the main menu window, or it doesn't matter? And what should happen to know it was reset? Will try to press the knob first, then the other 2 buttons and see if I get results. Also how long do you need to press them. I waited for an eternity, and still zero. If that doesn't help, then will go into the module 5F after using the car today, to see if any codes come back after using the car after clearing all fault codes I had (a crapload). Probably from dealer leaving keys inside the car for weeks while inside the showroom. Battery must have died, or at least gotten very low. Thanks again. Will be back here later today, for your recommendations. And yes, it's a bit frustrating buying a 7-yr-old car, and still having issues like this. Oh well. Hope to be able to clear them myself. If not, then dealer would be my last option. Car is working perfectly fine except the MMI not recognizing a SIM card (a gremlin I had when first connected to the internet). Thanks again for your help.

Usually a hard reset (not sure if the C7 platform is different) but you hold down the big center control knob, the top right soft key, and also hold down the "Menu" button (or Tone if yours doesnt have menu). you press and hold those 3 buttons down simultaneously for 2 seconds, then release all three at the same time. The MMI should go black immediately and reboot. That has worked for my cars (b8.5 s4 with the updated MMI, same/similar to the C7's so i think it should work the same for you) Don't have much experience with the C7..although i am trying to get into a 2016 Misano Red S6 as we speak [:D] I do also know that Carriers typically "deactivate" a sim card if it has been un-activated for more than 2 weeks and typically need to get a new one from whichever carrier, that may also be playing a part in your problem..which would make a lot of sense since it cant activate the sim. Hopefully this helps. Also, it shouldnt matter what screen/menu you are on when you do the hard reset.

[elptxjc]

Thanks brother. Then 'hard reset' is the same as 'reset'[:D]. Tried it today as I menitoned (pushing knob first), and it worked. And yes, it 'resets' when you release all 3 keys at the same time, so no need to leave them pressed for minutes, like I did. Ha ha. Well, it worked in the sense the MMI rebooted, but didn't work as far as recognizing the SIM card. And yes, the SIM card is activated for sure because I did it personally with both AT&T (internet) and Audi (telephone call), since the free 6-month trial period wasn't available on the website. The initial SIM card I had was activated with wrong info, and I also thought it was deactivated or something. But even if that was the case, the MMI should recognize there's a SIM card inserted; just not active. Right now can't even get into the AudiConnect menu. Nada. Will mess with the module 5F then, and see what I find, since nobody seems to know. Won't attempt to change anything unless it's obvous. Will post my results here. Thanks for your help man.

[Soft]

Best way to confirm sim working is to put into a phone and see that it is connected,
I would suggest that as the first step of the investigation.

[elptxjc]

It doesn't matter man, but I know it's working. It was also working before, and after turning the data module off, it stopped working, throwing that blue screen with 'please insert SIM card'. Notice it doesn't say 'please activate card'. Heck, even before inserting the SIM card, I could go into the AudiConnect menu. I actually changed the WiFi password before even having a SIM card. Now I can't do shit. It's like your phone not doing anything without a SIM card. That's not the case. You can do anything you want, except connecting to the internet. Or make calls. Same with the car, since I messed with the settings before inserting any cards. Anyway, will look for that channel and hopefully fix it, since nobody knows how to do it, apparently. And if I can't fix it, will probably leave it alone since I wasn't going to renew anyway. Only if I run into issues due to the crapload of DTCs I had I'd let dealer address that as well, but hopefully not. But thanks anyway.

[RAF_S7]

Who is the SIM card operator?

I thought early US models were locked to a specific carrier?

When you insert the card do you get the mobile signal strength meter showing?

Also, can you pair your phone to the MMI via Bluetooth?

There should be an option to share your mobile data plan with the MMI system. If I recall correctly it’s an option that comes up when you first pair, so maybe deleting and re-pairing will help.....

[elptxjc]

The SIM operator is AT&T. Somebody asked if you put another carrier's SIM card what happens. That's a very good question. I'd like to do that (if I ever fix this issue, that is[:D]) since it'd only cost me $10 for an extra line I could add to the car, if it can be done like if it was AT&T. But don't know if the features (like WiFi) are somehow tied to AT&T only. I doubt it, but am not familiar with that technology. Hopefully an expert can chime in. As I said before, the MMI is not reading any SIM cards, so obviously there's nothing. Can't even get into the AudiConnect menu. But yes, when I first connected, the signal strenght meter showed. Maybe there's something inherently wrong with my MMI, but until I can get it to read SIM cards again, can't tell. Will give it a go today with the module 5F, and see if I see something obvious. Thing is I'm new to VCDS, so not familiar with it at the moment. That's why I was asking for help, but unfortunately, nothing. Oh well. Will post my results later.

[RAF_S7]

VCDS will help diagnose if you have an issue with one of the MMI modules, but I’m not sure how far down, or into, the MMI Software VCDS will reach. I don’t recall seeing or reading anything related to accessing the SIM menus.

The in car WiFi simply acts like your WiFi at home. It shares your SIM card data plan with whoever you hooks up to the incar WiFi.

You could buy a data only prepaid SIM (that’s what I used in UK) to test with, no need for a contract. You don’t need a voice and data plan, data only, calls through your phone Bluetooth connection.

Also, SIM cards do go faulty. I had a very similar issue (SIM card not being read) and my carrier issue a new SIM, worked straight away.....

[elptxjc]

Happy resolution folks. And I knew the SIM card was fine, since I got a second one, and activated it myself. Anyway, a big thanks to BigTex, who found a thread with my exact issue somewhere on the internet. Many folks had their cars at dealers for days with the same issue, and one even got the 5F module replaced. And that's with Audi regional technical help. I knew my dealer wouldn't know where the hell to start, so didn't want to take it in just for that. Well, the fix was so easy that I never thought it'd work, but after seeing that worked on that thread, I had hope. It simply was to turn the f***ing data module on from the PHONE menu. Who'd have thought of that? Guess when automakers tack on new techonolgy on outdated one, they have to do it half a$$, and even they don't know how to fix crap like that. And yes, it worked like a charm. My AudiConnect works perfectly now. Hope this helps somebody in the future. Once more, thanks again BigTex.

[ryanlada]

Happy resolution folks. And I knew the SIM card was fine, since I got a second one, and activated it myself. Anyway, a big thanks to BigTex, who found a thread with my exact issue somewhere on the internet. Many folks had their cars at dealers for days with the same issue, and one even got the 5F module replaced. And that's with Audi regional technical help. I knew my dealer wouldn't know where the hell to start, so didn't want to take it in just for that. Well, the fix was so easy that I never thought it'd work, but after seeing that worked on that thread, I had hope. It simply was to turn the f***ing data module on from the PHONE menu. Who'd have thought of that? Guess when automakers tack on new techonolgy on outdated one, they have to do it half a$$, and even they don't know how to fix crap like that. And yes, it worked like a charm. My AudiConnect works perfectly now. Hope this helps somebody in the future. Once more, thanks again BigTex.

Glad you figured it out. I did this exact thing to myself but knew that I turned the module off. A call to Audi support helped me find the place to turn it back on. I never expected the off button and the on button to be in different places!

[Prachatice]

Happy resolution folks. And I knew the SIM card was fine, since I got a second one, and activated it myself. Anyway, a big thanks to BigTex, who found a thread with my exact issue somewhere on the internet. Many folks had their cars at dealers for days with the same issue, and one even got the 5F module replaced. And that's with Audi regional technical help. I knew my dealer wouldn't know where the hell to start, so didn't want to take it in just for that. Well, the fix was so easy that I never thought it'd work, but after seeing that worked on that thread, I had hope. It simply was to turn the f***ing data module on from the PHONE menu. Who'd have thought of that? Guess when automakers tack on new techonolgy on outdated one, they have to do it half a$$, and even they don't know how to fix crap like that. And yes, it worked like a charm. My AudiConnect works perfectly now. Hope this helps somebody in the future. Once more, thanks again BigTex.

I'm having similar issues but I went into the MMI app and everything is turned on. I guess I don't understand what you mean by turning on the data module. Can you explain please?

[RAF_S7]

Maybe you should try starting a new thread....

MMI and SIM card doesn’t exactly scream Suspension help needed.

[Barritia]

Back on topic but if anyone has AT&T and can’t get there SIM card from Apple devices to work it’s the Apple SIM. It’s not compatible with the system in the Audi.

Also just a tip but they were doing a deal where you get a new iPad for $100 if you signed up for $10 a month data. We already had the $10 a month data from the previous iPad deal they did a couple years ago so got a $450 iPad for $100 with no change to the $10 a month data package. Pretty good deal if you got kids or want a new iPad.

[elptxjc]

RAF_S7. Maybe you should try starting a new thread.... MMI and SIM card doesn’t exactly scream Suspension help needed.

Damn, didn't realize I was putting that here; thought it was a non-existent thread about that issue. Ha ha. Sad how stupid chemo makes you. Geez. Thanks for pointing out the obvious[:D]. Already deleted all irrelevant posts, to keep the thread on subject.

As far as the SIM card, a T-Mobile (my carrier) thinks it shouldn't matter which one you use (data only, obviously) if it's just for Wi-Fi, finding a place, etc., but the only way to find out is to stop by your carrier and try a SIM card from one of their tablets and see if it works. All SIMS are identical, so shoudln't matter which phone you have, but again, that's not my take, so please post if true or not after trying. But if you want Audi's features, like sending destinations thru Google to your nav, and such, then you'd have to pay for AudiConnect, I'd guess, since Google asks for your AudiConnect login info. Now that my AudiConnect is fully functional, I'm also curious about what can be done outside AudiConnect. He he. For those using Apple CarPlay and AndroidAuto (I don't like it, especially without a touchscreen), you'd guess only Wi-Fi is needed. But have one question about Bluetooth vs Apple CarPlay: is there any difference in sound quality when using Spotify premium? Just curious about that. And to learn more about options outside AudiConnect. Good luck.

[brian5s]

Happy resolution folks. And I knew the SIM card was fine, since I got a second one, and activated it myself. Anyway, a big thanks to BigTex, who found a thread with my exact issue somewhere on the internet. Many folks had their cars at dealers for days with the same issue, and one even got the 5F module replaced. And that's with Audi regional technical help. I knew my dealer wouldn't know where the hell to start, so didn't want to take it in just for that. Well, the fix was so easy that I never thought it'd work, but after seeing that worked on that thread, I had hope. It simply was to turn the f***ing data module on from the PHONE menu. Who'd have thought of that? Guess when automakers tack on new techonolgy on outdated one, they have to do it half a$$, and even they don't know how to fix crap like that. And yes, it worked like a charm. My AudiConnect works perfectly now. Hope this helps somebody in the future. Once more, thanks again BigTex.

When you say to turn the data module on from the PHONE menu, I’m not sure where you’re talking about. Looks like the data module is on. I cannot see an IMEI and it just says searching for data connection even though I have a valid SIM.

[E-SWIFT]

I'm having the same issue, when I got the car AUDI sent me a sim card, I took it to the dealer to upgrade to ATT, popped in the sim card and nothing...( trying to connect )that's all I got. Went to the ATT store, got a sim a card, put it in , no problem.
Sooooooo, some one tell me, what's the problem?