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VW Media Control iOS App Fails to Connect

4K views 15 replies 2 participants last post by  JCDAS 
#1 ·
Hi Folks.
I'm trying to use the VW Media Control app on my iPhones, and it fails to connect to the Atlas.
My iPhones meet the OS requirements as stated.
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All iPhones are connected to the Atlas' WIFI.
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When I check the feedback ratings in the App Store, it seems I'm not alone. Looks like it hasn't been working for at least a year.
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#2 ·
Not sure if this helps, but I connect my Atlas to my iPhone’s hotspot, then connect the kids tablets to the Atlas WLAN and media controls worked fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#3 ·
That sounds different. Are you sure you connect the Atlas to an iPhone hotspot, or the iPhone connects to the Atlas hotspot? Do you see the SSID of the Atlas in your iPhone, or is the iPhone only connected to the Cellular network, and share it's connection to the Atlas ?
 
#4 ·
I've been trying different things to get the Media Control app to work. When it fails to connect, it provides some helpful info.
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In Offline mode, you can play some videos to show where these settings are. But in my Canadian vehicle, without CAR-NET support, these menuu options are not available. Do these menu options show up in other Atlas, especially without a CAR-NET eSIM data connection?
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From the offline mode, it looks like it could be useful. You can access your contacts, find an address and view it via Google Maps, and probably send music or route info the the Atlas.
 

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#5 ·
I connect to my iPhone's hotspot for data, created a SSID that the kids can connect to the Atlas wireless LAN to pull data from the iPhone's hotspot. When I did this and have it set to allow as you've shown that's when the Media app worked, since that app needs data. Next time I'm in the Atlas I'll grab pics, but if I recall from memory the first screen you can see wireless networks it can connect to for data.

I also removed my iPhone from Bluetooth as stated in their tip, especially since I use CarPlay for audio and calls.
 
#6 ·
Think of the in-car wireless as really access points. You need some sort of data connection, whether that is a hotspot from a phone or if your model of Atlas has the ability to get internet from a cellular provider through Car-Net. I utilize my hotspot since I get 40GB a month with LTE speeds.

So I first make my hotspot discoverable



You’ll see I have a device connected, which is the Atlas.



You’ll see the app/MIB shows it’s connected to iPhone and this is the data connection the app is stating that it needs in order to work.




If you tap WLAN that shows iPhone above, you’ll see all available connections it can make/connect to for a data connection. I’m still close enough to pick up wifi connections nearby.



The Mobile Hotspot is the SSID and password you setup for the in-car wifi in order for devices to connect and receive data.



This makes life easier instead of relying on downloaded entertainment, the kids can also stream on trips.

These steps I found in another model forum when I faced the same issues, as the manual isn’t of much help.


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#7 ·
Reihenmotor5
Thank you so much for taking the time to make a detailed post. Makes a lot more sense than what the manual says. I'll see what I can do, but I don't recall seeing screens for multiple WLANs. That may require some programming effort on my part. For some reason VW CAR-NET is not available in Canada at the present time, so VW Canada stripped a lot of Networking options out of our Atlas models, and my dealer doesn't seem to know how to activate them. Multiple WLANs also raises the possibility of connecting to my home VLAN while in the driveway.

I see that you have made some updates to your Atlas. Looks impressive!

I'm going to need new tools for fixing my Atlas;) What OBD interface do you recommend the OBD Eleven device or Ross-Tech HEX WIFI or HEX-V2 USB ? I haven't had a VW since my 1972 411, something that forced me to a long list of GM vehicles that never gave me issues. I have a similar tool (GS-911) for my BMW motorcycle, and I have a background in IT, so this doesn't scare me.

Do you have a vehicle scan of your Atlas BEFORE your extensive mods? Or can you send me a snippet of the network settings?

Thanks Again.

John.
 
#8 ·
You’re welcome! You’ll only have one in-car LAN. The multiple you saw listed are available networks my Atlas could connect to since I was in my driveway. I feel it would make more sense to use Mobile Hotspot for WLAN and In-Car Wifi for Mobile Hotspot since I feel the current labeling doesn’t truly match what’s happening networking wise. If you’re connect to your phone’s hotspot, click on WLAN first. Give it some time first to load up available wifi networks to connect to, as the first time it isn’t fast to find and then connect. Once you’ve done that under this screen:



After you’ve connected hit the back arrow at the top and then click on Mobile Hotspots on this screen below to make edits to your in-car wifi or what they call Hotspot settings. I prefer editing so you know your network name and can create a network key (password) you can remember:




I didn’t make a copy/backup this time, since I have good notes on my changes in my doc. I believe on Ross-Tech you can find backup of admaps that people post, which would be better than my OBD11 backups.

I used to use VCDS since a friend of mine has the software and got their most recent cable. We went half into a small laptop so we could make changes to our VWs. I now use OBD11 since I wanted to learn that platform and we are no longer close physically due to moving. Not as easy to drive down the street to borrow. If you go OBD11 pick up the Pro model so you can do Long Coding. Also all the coding in my Atlas mod doc was performed using OBD11. The “snippet” of my network settings are in the screenshots, nothing really to send from my 5F scan.

I hope that helps.


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#9 ·
So my Atlas doesn't have any Network menu options. Only the WIFI, where you turn on/off the vehicle hot spot.

I tried to rename the SSID to my home WIFI network just to see if it would connect. My Ubiquity managed WIFI really doesn't like this, and sends me a notice of a 'Roque AP Detected'. So that is not a way to access a different AP or mobile Hot Spot as a client.

I tried to change the name of the vehicle Hot Spot and change the Network Key. I can change the SSID OK. Not sure if my new key didn't measure up, but I'm not allowed to save a user defined key. I have to keep the key VW created.

Not sure why, but VW Canada assumes that if my iPhone can connect to the VW Hotspot directly for CarPlay, then why would I want to use a iPhone Mobile Hotspot + VW Hotspot. Not sure if the Atlas has access to the iPhones mobile data for it's needs such as map updates. Any idea of how to check this?

Yesterday when I was trying various settings, something really went wrong with my CarPlay. The car could show/play music, contacts. When driving, the map would move (maybe from a data buffer). But when I tried to start a route on Apple Maps, it timed out without giving route guidance. So no connection to the Internet.

When I tried various data intensive apps on the iPhone directly, nothing worked. Almost like the Atlas had changed the iPhone firewall or something. When I turned off WIFI on the iPhone, and dropped the connection to the Atlas, the iPhone data worked again, and finding routes worked normal on the iPhone.
So I reset the Atlas and iPhone to forget each other, and restarted the connection, first with Bluetooth, and then WIFI. Then Apple CarPlay Map navigation worked normal, and I could still use mobile data on my iPhone directly.

So to get the VW Media Control to work, I need to open up the Network menu options, especially the part that allows access to VW Apps.

I hope I can find this somewhere in the scans from US vehicles, and turn on the functions in my Canadian Atlas.

John.
 
#10 ·
I wouldn’t name the network the same as home, because the iPhone wants to default to wifi data when connected and since the Atlas doesn’t have data it’s just an access point that explains why nothing worked. If you’re near your home since you’re inside the Atlas the signal inside the car will be stronger than your mesh network. This explains the issue of nothing working.

I suspect if you named the network the same and nothing worked iOS should pop up a tray from the bottom if you want to continue using wifi or use cellular for data.



I accessed the functions from the VW Med Center app on my MIB, do you have the newer MIB3?

*I do understand why you’d name it the same, but just not enough distance between the two networks and also due to the nature of how the in-car wifi works. I do the same with a few mesh networks I have at various locations, so that when people go from location to location they seamlessly connect.

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#11 ·
I believe my 2021.5 Atlas is a MIB3 as it has Wireless Apple Car Play. I ordered a Ross-Tech HEX-V2 interface. Hope to be able to run a scan later in the week. How will I tell if any of my control units are protected with SFD ? I hope I can make some changes.

I was trying to see if I could connect to a different AP, as I didn't have any discovered APs showing up. The hot spots on my iPhones didn't show up anywhere.

I don't have any Menu options like your top two items (VW Med. Contr and Images). What do you find in the Images menu?
 
#12 ·
SFD isn’t here yet. It’s currently on the MK8 Golf and one model from Skoda, MQBv38 platform. We’re still MQBv37 from my understanding. If you find you can’t code something, open up your hood. That feature is a carry over/trickle down from certain Audis.

Yea I believe you do have the MIB3. I saw that newer VWs you can get in-car data/internet for like $20 a month from T-Mobile. Hopefully someone with an MIB3 can shed more light.

Images let’s me insert an SD card and import images such as radio station image files, etc.


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#13 ·
I loaded station icon images on a USB-C in both the root and a directory 'Station Icons' but they don't show up when I try to assign them to a station preset.

The radio can play MP3 music and MP4 videos from the same USB-C, so I know the radio can access the USB memory.

One of the 'defects' that I'm trying to raise with VW Canada.

I've been asking if my Atlas has an eSIM for future availability of CAR NET in Canada. No clear answer so far.
 
#15 ·
After a long delay, I'm finally working with VCDS to try to get some suppressed functionality activated.

So I did some updates to my 5F module, and got my MIB3 to connect to my iPhone's Hot Spot.

This allows my PRIMARY iPhone 11 to connect as a Hot Spot (or to connect to my home WIFI while in my garage). I tested this with a SECONDARY old iPhone 5 which does not have a SIM / Cellular data. I connected it to the Atlas MIB3 WIFI Hot Spot (Access Point), and it can get to the Internet fine. Connected this way, my PRIMARY iPhone Apple Car Play seem to work as before. Only 'quirk' that I see is that in the 'Connected Devices', I get an unnamed device with a MAC address that isn't the 'normal' address I see on my Home WIFI as my iPhone 11.

I'm trying to enable the SECONDARY iPhone to use VW Media Control. This VW app is supposed to allow a device connected to the Atlas MIB3 Hotspot to be able browse the net, or send map destinations to the MIB3 Navigation system (among other things). VW Media Control But my SECONDARY iPhone Media Control app times out trying to connect. The help screen says "Please have your Volkswagen dealer check if "VW Media Control" and the "mobile device data transmission" setting are available for your Infotainment system."

Despite activating a lot of menu options, I can't seem to get the "Media Control" menu option to show up like in post #10.

Anyone have any success here?

Can anyone share a 5F Adpmap.
Preferably Version 0805, with working Media Center and Internet radio.
 
#16 ·
So after various attempts to activate VW Media Control (Also known in some VW docs as Rear Seat Entertainment), I think I've determined that VCDS will not allow me to activate this feature through Adaptation. I think my only real solution is to enable via a SWaP / FEC code update by a VW tech using ODIS. But so far, not one dealer that I've tried to connect with is able (or interested) in making this update for my Atlas.

I think I need SWaP / FEC 00070600 for REAR SEAT ENTERTAINMENT, Part Number V03.959.806.QJ is required.
(Maybe SWaP 00060100 for Vehicle Data Interface (multimedia controls smartphone or sai_vehicledata), Part Number V03.959.800.QF. Not sure about this one.)

Ask #1
Can anyone with WORKING Media Control, check their Service Mode menu and see if either of these codes (00070600 or 00060100 or others ) have been enabled on your vehicles.

To access the Service Mode, press and hold Menu pad for 5 seconds Then press the Function enabling code (FEC, SWaP) line.
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Under Supported Codes, you will see a list of codes that are Supported. IE codes that could work in your vehicle, though some might not be activated. There is a Installed codes menu, but it seems a bit bogus to me, showing Invalid for codes that are activated.
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To see which codes are properly activated we have to go to the Engineering screen. Go back to the Service menu, and press the Software update / versions menu. Screen will go blank for a moment. Eventually you will get this Engineering screen with red text.
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Press the Activation keys button. My Atlas has three activation keys. 00070a00 is for Apple Car Play, 00070b00 is for Android Auto, 00060300 is for Mirror Link.
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When you select one of your SWaP / FEC activation keys, you will get this screen.
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The State indicates it's a legal (properly) activated code. The Date / Time above is the date my Atlas was built and when Car Play was enabled for my Canadian Highline Atlas.

The Back buttons will take you back to the Engineering menu. To quit, press the Reboot to normal mode line.
Eventually you will get this screen to confirm you really want to quit the Engineering menu. Press Quit at the bottom of the screen. MIB3 will reboot to the VW logo.
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Ask #2
Can anyone confirm if they actually use Media Control and is it worth my effort. I'm planning on a major road trip this summer to the West coast and back, and think that this will help my shotgun riders to help find things to visit along the way, play tunes etc.

Really appreciate any help you can provide.

John.
 

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