Using in dash sim and handsfree bluetooth at the same time

[boof]

I've currently got a cheap payg sim in the dash to let google maps and other data services do their thing.

However, as a result my existing setup for my phone has changed and I no longer get my phonebook etc - presumably the car is using the phone book on the inserted sim instead.

I think I can receive calls via my mobile but calling out uses the dash sim by default.

Is there any way / permutation of options that will allow me to use the onboard sim for no phone related functions other than data?

I.e have it use my paried bluetooth handset for outbound calls by default and also display it's phone book by default?

The best solution would be to use rsap but I'd have to root my phone to get it working and I just don't have the gumption to mess around keeping that maintained and working. A seperate sim for buttons is much better - presuming I can make it work as above!

[neil s]

There's an option in the MMI that lets you specify which phone is to be used for phone calls. Can't remember where exactly but it'll be under the telephone settings somewhere.

That's how my car's setup and the dash SIM is only used for the data connection; everything else uses the phone.

Neil.

[boof]

Ah great!

Thanks - sounds like it's perfectly feasible then, I'll just need to start twiddling the options until I get it right :)

[johnsimcox]

There's an option in the MMI that lets you specify which phone is to be used for phone calls. Can't remember where exactly but it'll be under the telephone settings somewhere.

That's how my car's setup and the dash SIM is only used for the data connection; everything else uses the phone.

Neil.
Only if it is a MY14 car (built since mid-May 2013). Prior to that EU spec vehicles did not allow Bluetooth Phones to be connected at the same time as a SIM was in the dash

[boof]

That would put a spanner in the works. 12 car here.

[retired99]

On a MY12 car if you want to use your phone via MMI and use the Audi Connect stuff (Google maps etc.) this is the situation:

Get a SAP capable phone. If you connect in rsap mode this will use the phone to connect to Google earth etc and will enable you to make /receive calls on the same phone. Calls and texts made and received while connected in rsap mode will not appear in the phone but will be recorded in the car. Not many contemporary phones support rsap, Galaxy S3 /S4 I think and some older Nokias, but check first, there is a tool on the Audi site in the owners area which might help.

If you do not have a rsap phone and want Google earth etc you need to put a SIM in the dash. If you do this the SIM in the car will be capable of making and receiving calls. With a SIM in the car you cannot connect a phone via BT for the purposes of making and receiving calls. You can connect via BT to, e.g., play music. You will also be able to connect another device, phone, tablet etc. via WiFi if the WiFi hotspot is enabled.

If you want a SIM in the car and to use the same phone number on a mobile there is one solution: Subscribe to this
Single Number | business phone services | Orange business | Orange business
service from Orange.

A brilliant piece of design by Audi.

[boof]

If this behaviour has changed from MY12 to MY14 is it likely a firmware update etc could bring MY12 cars into line?

[retired99]

Afraid not, there are h/w changes as well apparently.

[Mike41]

I have a MY14 car now BUT there is still a problem with the sim-for-data and phone-over-bluetooth setup. The problem is that the phone uses its own antenna inside the car which means the reception isn't as good as it could be. The sim card in the slot uses the car's external antenna.
Ideally the realtime nature of voice comms means it should have the best antenna. Practically that can only be achieved either via RSAP or by telcos in the UK supplying dual sims for a single account. Both of those solutions work with model years less than 14. So MY14 in my mind, is only a partial fix.

[neil s]

I don't make or receive many calls on my phone whilst in the car but I've never noticed any reception problems.

From reading various threads on here I guess there isn't a solution that's going to please everyone. People originally complained that because their iPhones (and others) didn't support RSAP they weren't able to use their phones for the online connection. Being able to insert a SIM into the dashboard for that was fine but that killed the bluetooth connection; at least Audi have fixed that problem, even if it's not something that can be (easily) retrofitted to older C7s.

Audi's use of RSAP was also criticized as being out-dated (and it does seem that fewer and fewer phones are supporting that) and BMW's solution of using a dedicated SIM card for data services was hailed as the most sensible option, which is the route Audi now provide, in addition to using RSAP. I don't know what cradle/connections are available for a BMW, but as I understand it there's no aerial connection for the iPhone so regardless of how you connect that phone to the car it's always going to be using the phone's antenna.

As for having dual SIMs, I gather that in this country only Orange (?) provide dual SIMs, and even that's only for business users. There's not a lot any of the car manufacturers can do about that.

So all in all, I'd have said that Audi's current solution must cover just about every practical connectivity option there is that ought to satisfy the vast majority of users. There probably just isn't one solution that's going to keep everyone happy.

Neil.

[boof]

Really it would have been better (I think) to allow the data services in the car to connect to wifi to get their data.

That way I can use my phone as a portable hotspot and the car can suck data down *without* the need for rSAP which has support (both car and handset) that is patchier than something already covered in patches. Especially given the car already has an option to have a wifi hotspot in it (my car has this, no idea what option set it's part of) which means a big chunk of the work is already done and could, arguably, be done in software.

That would be a much more elegant solution to the problem in my book. The data connection required by the car is a completely separate issue to phone reception in terms of the function it provides so having them tied together is..awkward. rSAP is a nice idea in theory but the practice just isn't there. More phones these days will support being a wifi hotspot than rSAP (totally made up statistic).

And a dedicated sim doesn't help with the data / phone split unless the granularity is there to mix and match what is used for what - which also sounds iffy as things stand, especially on 'old' c7's like mine (it's only a year old!)

Anyhew - seems like my solution will be rSAP. Not the end of the world, just a huge faff to sort out and maintain. The irony of course being that the car has a mountain of connectivity options available - just none of them are particularly well thought out / condensed into a single useful option.

[a8 tech]

Spot on and the best understanding so far

[onionman100]

I have exactly the same problem, I have a MY12 i think...and bought a 3 data sim only , put this into dash , and lost all my iphone address book & functions. Have conatced audi UK and there is nothing i can do except replace iphone if i want to get full use of google earth etc .

There is no way that my iphone will work on bluetooth and have a data sim card in dash:mad: So i am now thinking of changing to samsung S4 ....? but not too happy about as i love the iphone .

[Mike41]

Agree its pretty dire that Audio should virtually force you into changing your phone.
You might also want to consider the HTC One.....

[johnsimcox]

I have exactly the same problem, I have a MY12 i think...and bought a 3 data sim only , put this into dash , and lost all my iphone address book & functions. Have conatced audi UK and there is nothing i can do except replace iphone if i want to get full use of google earth etc .

There is no way that my iphone will work on bluetooth and have a data sim card in dash:mad: So i am now thinking of changing to samsung S4 ....? but not too happy about as i love the iphone .
Work around ideas have been put on here before so worth doing a search. Best two seem to be either to forward your calls from the iPhone to the number in the SIM in the dash and also transfer all of your contacts to that SIM as well. The other option is to take out a contract with Orange on their business tariff that allows you to have two SIMs with a single number. Unfortunately it is a UK quirk that the mobile operators do not offer a dual SIM solution as the norm as is fairly common in mainland Europe. In the US they had the implementation we now have from the start because Verizon does not even use a SIM so there was no way for Verizon phone customers to use Audi Connect

[onionman100]

Hi Mike, do you have a HTC One ... As I do like the feel & look of them more than the S4 ... But they are both a lot bigger than I like, so was thinking of getting a HTC one mini ? Does anyone own one that works with the high prep. Sat nav system ?

[retired99]

Hi Mike, do you have a HTC One ... As I do like the feel & look of them more than the S4 ... But they are both a lot bigger than I like, so was thinking of getting a HTC one mini ? Does anyone own one that works with the high prep. Sat nav system ?


I'm pretty sure there are no HTC phones that offer RSAP 'out of the box'. There are some apps which provide rsap on Android, but check carefully to see if they really work and are stable.

There is a phone compatibility section on the Audi web site under the 'owners' section. You need to select 'car phone' when using this to see which phones offer rsap.

[onionman100]

Thanks for the reply, I ask vodafone about the specifications of both the S4 & HTC one and they said they both exactly the same protocol and Bluetooth so they should both work with the High prep system.....I'm not sure that's why I'm asking lots of questions etc...to get as much feedback as possible before getting a new 24 month contract.

If the HTC one does not work straight out of the box... Then S4 it is then...because vid had iPhones for the last 5 yrs or so it will take me some getting used to android again & hopefully not too painful !

[retired99]

Thanks for the reply, I ask vodafone about the specifications of both the S4 & HTC one and they said they both exactly the same protocol and Bluetooth so they should both work with the High prep system.....I'm not sure that's why I'm asking lots of questions etc...to get as much feedback as possible before getting a new 24 month contract.

If the HTC one does not work straight out of the box... Then S4 it is then...because vid had iPhones for the last 5 yrs or so it will take me some getting used to android again & hopefully not too painful !

To be blunt it's not really worth asking Vodafone, or car phone warehouse etc as all they seem to know is that the phone supports BT. There are many protocols within BT and the one you need to drive the Audi features is called RSAP /SAP which stands for (Remote) Sim Access Profile.

According to the Audi phone compatibility information the S4 will work and the HTC will not.

RSAP is an ageing technology and fewer and fewer phones / OS support it.

[onionman100]

Thank you for the knowledgeable reply, and you are absolutely correct in what you say with the Samsung & HTC phones...I have been reading up all about rasp on the net, and yes most VW group use this across their range of cars.

I have decided the easiest way forward & the painless is to get an S4 end of......as I could go down the road of jailbreaking iPhone, getting an rsap app for HTC etc,but don't really want to go down that road.

I did read something very interesting with regards to Apple ,they currently working along some big car manufacturers and are looking into installing Siri into all systems. Voice activated everything ...phone,maps address etc...so maybe this is the way to go ?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

[retired99]

Thank you for the knowledgeable reply, and you are absolutely correct in what you say with the Samsung & HTC phones...I have been reading up all about rasp on the net, and yes most VW group use this across their range of cars.

I have decided the easiest way forward & the painless is to get an S4 end of......as I could go down the road of jailbreaking iPhone, getting an rsap app for HTC etc,but don't really want to go down that road.

I did read something very interesting with regards to Apple ,they currently working along some big car manufacturers and are looking into installing Siri into all systems. Voice activated everything ...phone,maps address etc...so maybe this is the way to go ?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)

This might be of interest:

A new RSAP problem on updated Galaxy S4 (http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?151934-A-new-RSAP-problem-on-updated-Galaxy-S4)