Sat Nav Map Updates by USB-C memory stick

[Guy.M]

Hello all, a bit surprised there isn't more chat about this. Hope I haven't missed it in a thread hidden away somewhere.

I have recently noticed my maps on the Sat Nav are out of date (new roads not showing, eg) , so I set about trying to get an update. Van was going in for first MOT, so asked them if they would update. Answer: VW doesn't do it anymore, you can download it from the VW website and do it yourself. They sent me the pdf from the web for the DIY update service (see file attached). First thing: off to buy a 64GB USB-C memory stick. And load the required "7-zip" software onto my home computer to deal with extracting the files onto the USB-C memory stick after having formatted (in "exFAT" initially) the stick to get rid of all other files. Took a long time to download the ~30GB file from the internet (and I have fast broadband...) and even longer to extract the files onto the USB-C stick. Went to the van, inserted the memory stick into one of the 2 USB C ports to the left of the automatic shifter, turned on the ignition, waited. Should automatically update, according to the guide.

Memory stick not apparently able to be read. Decided to reformat the disk in "NTFS" format instead, and extract the files again and see if that made any difference. No joy. The stick still doesn't seem to be able to be read.

Its a T6.1 MY21 Ocean. I noticed the current version of maps were 22.06, which I understand to mean June 2022. So, that must mean it has been updated somehow since I bought the van in 2020... maybe by WeConnect plus over-the-air (30gb, really, over-the-air?), which I also notice is shortly to expire (I assume after 3 years). Current maps version on the web is 23.06.

My questions to those cleverer than me:
1. Does WeConnectPlus mean that the updates happen over the air (even though the last one 23.06 doesnt seem to have downloaded)?
2. What happens when WeConnectPlus expires. If I read the benefits of WeConnectPlus correctly, I'll lose live traffic updates, re-routing when bad traffic etc etc. Is that right?
3. Anyone else had success updating sat nav maps via downloading onto a memory stick and transferring to the van USB-C ports? Any clues?

Thanks for the collective wisdom of the crowd on this, as ever....

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Hello @Guy.M
My Cali gets SatNav updates over the air on a monthly basis without any action by me. It’s currently showing 23.9 which I take to mean September 2023 - so up to date.
It’s a November 2020 (MY21) Ocean with Discover Media Pro and active WeConnect. Not sure about WeConnect at the 3-year old point. Will find out soon.

 

[Guy.M]

Hello @Guy.M
My Cali gets SatNav updates over the air on a monthly basis without any action by me. It’s currently showing 23.9 which I take to mean September 2023 - so up to date.
It’s a November 2020 (MY21) Ocean with Discover Media Pro and active WeConnect. Not sure about WeConnect at the 3-year old point. Will find out soon.

View attachment 114982Thanks for replying GG, identical age to mine but yours is the Pro Media. Maybe mine isn’t updating for some reason…. I wonder if there’s a way to nudge it into updating. Will have another look at that and weconnect plus. It’s a mystery how such big files get updated over the air…

 

[Guy.M]

Hmm my message to you @GrumpyGranddad seems to have gone into your text above - but thanks for replying.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Hmm my message to you @GrumpyGranddad seems to have gone into your text above - but thanks for replying.

I don’t know but doubt that the entire file set gets updated over the air, just minor updates?
Have you gone into the system menu and then onto software updates?

 

[Guy.M]

I don’t know but doubt that the entire file set gets updated over the air, just minor updates?
Have you gone into the system menu and then onto software updates?

Hi @GrumpyGranddad, thanks for the reply. Yes, tried that, but never seems to do anything. Interesting that yours just updates without a prompt. I’ll keep trying various things and report back if I get a breakthrough. Otherwise, I’ll live with slightly outdated maps, supplemented by Google maps on the phone

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Hi @GrumpyGranddad, thanks for the reply. Yes, tried that, but never seems to do anything. Interesting that yours just updates without a prompt. I’ll keep trying various things and report back if I get a breakthrough. Otherwise, I’ll live with slightly outdated maps, supplemented by Google maps on the phone

Easier to use Waze over carplay. Live maps & hazards and it’s free.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Easier to use Waze over carplay. Live maps & hazards and it’s free.

I find that Google and Apple Maps work just fine, but Waze normally pixelates the VW screen after driving for a while. I’m not sure if this is an issue with my old iPhone X though? New iPhone 15 on order and coming soon so will see if it still happens.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

I find that Google and Apple Maps work just fine, but Waze normally pixelates the VW screen after driving for a while. I’m not sure if this is an issue with my old iPhone X though? New iPhone 15 on order and coming soon so will see if it still happens.

Probably an issue with the VW unit.

 

[Begize]

I think it should update over the air, my MY22 Ocean has had a few since I bought it last year and is showing 23.9 so looks up to date. My understanding is that it uses an e-sim for internet connection and that's what does the We Connect stuff as well depending on what your We Connect contract is. I have a "free" 3 year plus deal and have been receiving OTA sat nav stuff so guess you should too.

Maybe try changing the infotainment system's WiFI connection to use your phone as a hotspot and see if anything happens?

Might be also worth trying a manual update of something smaller just to check you are doing it correctly? NTFS formatting the stick is definitely wrong - at worst it will be painfully slow to access files but most of the time it will just not work. FAT32 or exFAT is absolutely correct. Try the instructions in this post for updating the radio station icons as, even though my sat nav stuff updates OTA, the icons didn't and it uses the same process that doing the maps would.

Radio station logos - T6.1 Ocean with Discover Pro screen & Digital cockpit

Hi all, does anyone know how to get radio station icons to display on the T6.1 Ocean with the Discover Pro navigation? In my old T6, this was easy, I’d just upload them to the SD card and I’d be away, but there is no SD card slot in the T6.1. Any assistance appreciated; thank you!

vwcaliforniaclub.com

 

[johna]

Well the whole thing remains as clear as mud and very unsatisfactory. My MY 2020 T6.1 with the fancy display and (renewed) WeConnect+ shows 22.12 as the current map, which suggests that it has previously updated automatically 'over the air'. Manual search for updates never produces any response other than a churning circle. Available updates is always blank. Yesterday I downloaded the 19/06/23 map update from the VW website to my Mac - which took several hours to complete (30GB). Today I followed the VW instructions for Mac, including cleaning the external drive (I used a compact SSD drive because of the size of the update) and buying the Keka app for £4.99. Plugged it into the USB C port below the dashboard and left it for 1.5 hours with the ignition on. According to the VW instructions this prompts an automatic update to run in the background. No screen feedback or any evidence that it does anything at all. Maps still 22.12. Rubbish software implementation and an insult to VW customers.

 

[The Tall Luthier]

There is more than a little voodoo involved here. Having put in similar levels of effort into updating via a correctly formatted USB key with enough spare Gig and formatted on that PC platform that I haven't touched for 13 years I gave up.

Since that time 6 months ago I can confirm that my system has updated. I am fairly sure it was nothing to do with me as the memory stick never seemed to work. I believe that the stars aligned, the magpies came in their pairs, the clover all grew 4 leaves and the 'cloud' did its thing over the air. I now have different version numbers on my system.

 

[CaliOceanDrive]

Well the whole thing remains as clear as mud and very unsatisfactory. My MY 2020 T6.1 with the fancy display and (renewed) WeConnect+ shows 22.12 as the current map, which suggests that it has previously updated automatically 'over the air'. Manual search for updates never produces any response other than a churning circle. Available updates is always blank. Yesterday I downloaded the 19/06/23 map update from the VW website to my Mac - which took several hours to complete (30GB). Today I followed the VW instructions for Mac, including cleaning the external drive (I used a compact SSD drive because of the size of the update) and buying the Keka app for £4.99. Plugged it into the USB C port below the dashboard and left it for 1.5 hours with the ignition on. According to the VW instructions this prompts an automatic update to run in the background. No screen feedback or any evidence that it does anything at all. Maps still 22.12. Rubbish software implementation and an insult to VW customers.

Finally got around to downloading the map update today for my 2022 Cali T6.1. Using a MacBook & a 64GB USB stick, will I be wasting my time? Did you get anywhere with it to date (29th Nov '23)?

To be honest, although tech savvy, very confused with VW info, SW, VW Connect, We Connect, VW apps etc. VW just don't seem to have connected things together at all!

 

[johna]

Did you get anywhere with it to date (29th Nov '23)?

No, I just filed it in the life’s too short category. And I don’t think it’s updated automatically either, because the system still says map database is 22/12. Clearly it has in the past updated itself since mine is a 2020 van.

 

[Guy.M]

Hello all, well, I’ve tried both formatting options on the portable drive leaving it in for a long time (including leaving it for more than 24 hours whilst I drove the vehicle around) on more than 1 occasion, I renewed my Weconnect+ for 2 years after it expired when the van was 3 years old, and still I’m stuck with 22.06 version, but have a sense that some maps have updated, maybe local to me. Some of the graphics seem refreshed….?

So I’m also at a loss, and am hoping the stars, magpies cloud and clover do their stuff to update in due course. In the meantime, it’s filed in the ‘too much time spent on it already’ file, like others. Especially as it seems to work ok…..

 

[Guy.M]

**.......UPDATE.....UPDATE.....**

Hello all - some good news that I wanted to share with you all in case it helps others. It's been a bit of a journey, but it's now solved for me! Hurrah!

After renewing my Weconnect+ for 2 more years, and trying several times to do an offline update without success, I phoned the WeConnect+ digital support team. Can't recommend them enough - best IT-type helpdesk I have experienced (08002797508). They diagnosed that my software version needed updating as the version I had could not communicate with the WeConnect system to update the maps. And further, the system would not communicate either with the memory stick when attempting an offline update - so that's why the offline update didnt work either. My software version at this point was 0781. They helpfully provided me with an email explaining this, and advising a software update was required, and that this could only be done at a VW garage.

The van had just been serviced, and the dealer had told me at that time that no software updates were available at that time. I called them asking them to provide a software update. The dealer advised no software updates were available. I sent them the Digital team email, and they went to investigate, eventually coming back to me and confirming they could do an update.

The update was completed yesterday, my new software version is 0841, and today I see that my navigation database has moved from 22.6 (where it had beeen stuck for a long time) to 23.12. Hurrah!

Things I've learned, that I offer the group;
1. If your software version is 0781, you wont be getting map updates as that version cant communicate with the VW systems.
2. The dealer might well tell you that no software updates are available - but you need to press them hard to push an update.
3. the help desk for the VW digital team is really excellent.

Hope this helps others struggling to get their updates.

__________

Below is also some useful information that the digital team provided to me about the offline map updates, that you might find interesting:

We would also like to note the following, regarding the Online Map Update service.

The service is selective and provides updates only for the regions frequented by the vehicle. This happens automatically when either:

• The vehicle approaches a 50 km radius around a new map region or
• A new update is available for the home regions.

The following circumstances may be responsible for not having the latest map material available:

• The vehicle is being driven mainly for short distances (e.g. to work and back, approx. 10 minutes). Please be aware that the update of the map material takes approx. 30 minutes! Therefore, the map material cannot be downloaded completely on the short journeys.
• Approx. 50 km before entering a new region, an update of the map material is carried out in the background. However, this is only initialized when the ignition of the vehicle is switched off and the vehicle is not used for approx. 15 minutes.

The update is downloaded automatically, and the process happens in the background. However, the update does not appear immediately on the maps of the infotainment system because it has yet to be installed. The installation cannot be performed while driving.

In order for the installation to take place, you must perform a terminal 15:

• Park the vehicle, turning the ignition OFF, leaving and locking the vehicle in an area with good network coverage.
• Allow at least 15 minutes to elapse.
• Return to the vehicle and check the updated maps.

-----------


----------------------------

 

[dspuk]

**.......UPDATE.....UPDATE.....**

Hello all - some good news that I wanted to share with you all in case it helps others. It's been a bit of a journey, but it's now solved for me! Hurrah!

After renewing my Weconnect+ for 2 more years, and trying several times to do an offline update without success, I phoned the WeConnect+ digital support team. Can't recommend them enough - best IT-type helpdesk I have experienced (08002797508). They diagnosed that my software version needed updating as the version I had could not communicate with the WeConnect system to update the maps. And further, the system would not communicate either with the memory stick when attempting an offline update - so that's why the offline update didnt work either. My software version at this point was 0781. They helpfully provided me with an email explaining this, and advising a software update was required, and that this could only be done at a VW garage.

The van had just been serviced, and the dealer had told me at that time that no software updates were available at that time. I called them asking them to provide a software update. The dealer advised no software updates were available. I sent them the Digital team email, and they went to investigate, eventually coming back to me and confirming they could do an update.

The update was completed yesterday, my new software version is 0841, and today I see that my navigation database has moved from 22.6 (where it had beeen stuck for a long time) to 23.12. Hurrah!

Things I've learned, that I offer the group;
1. If your software version is 0781, you wont be getting map updates as that version cant communicate with the VW systems.
2. The dealer might well tell you that no software updates are available - but you need to press them hard to push an update.
3. the help desk for the VW digital team is really excellent.

Hope this helps others struggling to get their updates.

__________

Below is also some useful information that the digital team provided to me about the offline map updates, that you might find interesting:

We would also like to note the following, regarding the Online Map Update service.

The service is selective and provides updates only for the regions frequented by the vehicle. This happens automatically when either:

• The vehicle approaches a 50 km radius around a new map region or
• A new update is available for the home regions.

The following circumstances may be responsible for not having the latest map material available:

• The vehicle is being driven mainly for short distances (e.g. to work and back, approx. 10 minutes). Please be aware that the update of the map material takes approx. 30 minutes! Therefore, the map material cannot be downloaded completely on the short journeys.
• Approx. 50 km before entering a new region, an update of the map material is carried out in the background. However, this is only initialized when the ignition of the vehicle is switched off and the vehicle is not used for approx. 15 minutes.

The update is downloaded automatically, and the process happens in the background. However, the update does not appear immediately on the maps of the infotainment system because it has yet to be installed. The installation cannot be performed while driving.

In order for the installation to take place, you must perform a terminal 15:

• Park the vehicle, turning the ignition OFF, leaving and locking the vehicle in an area with good network coverage.
• Allow at least 15 minutes to elapse.
• Return to the vehicle and check the updated maps.

-----------


----------------------------

I find all dealers are pants are doing manual updates, mainly because it's a pain for them and takes a long time so they just blag it. Our Cali has been fine but it's been a mare to get them to update our Tiguan, to the point they kept telling me it was OTA and I had to explain to them ours does not have OTA. Hey ho. Next service.