Activating OTA Online Updates while in transit

[whitex]

Anyone activate their online updates while the car was still in Germany? My car is still sitting in Emden, but the web UI allows me to activate online updates remotely (one of the few things I can do without entering the code on the PCM screen). Does it do anything while still in transit? Will the car update itself over the weeks it spends in transit (assuming it gets cellular service that is)? Or does transport mode disable online updates or even disable online communications altogether (prevent unnecessary battery drain)?

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[whitex]

A quick follow-up, after enabling the update I decided that maybe keeping OTA on in transport might unnecessarily run the ECU's and drain the battery. Given Porsche's delays and therefore possibilities the car will spend a lot of time unplugged, why not preserve the battery. However, when I went to disable it, it turns out I cannot do that anymore. I get this error when I click "Deactivate Online software updates".

The car still shows up as online in the MyPorsche app, so it appears to be talking to their servers. Perhaps the car is in the middle of an update right now. Will try again tomorrow.

 

[W1NGE]

Not sure but my guess is that your car will be in Transport mode (and offline) and that anything you do remotely won't actually be reflected in the car itself. Remember that you are connecting to the Porsche server environment as is the car (once configured) and so this middle ground may not actually be communicating yet with the car.

I would wait until the car has been PDI'd and all outstanding software updates (if any) of importance are applied as part of that. You may expect some mapping updates after delivery but typically the number of updates are few and far between.

 

[whitex]

Not sure but my guess is that your car will be in Transport mode (and offline) and that anything you do remotely won't actually be reflected in the car itself. Remember that you are connecting to the Porsche server environment as is the car (once configured) and so this middle ground may not actually be communicating yet with the car.

I would wait until the car has been PDI'd and all outstanding software updates (if any) of importance are applied as part of that. You may expect some mapping updates after delivery but typically the number of updates are few and far between.

Yea, I am not sure whether my car is actually talking to the Porsche servers. When I start the MyPorsche app, the Taycan shows in standby but "wakes up" within less than a minute and its status goes green. I'm not sure if it takes this time for the actual car to wake up, or is this the Porsche server back-end which takes this long to reconnect to the app.

When I first tried to enable the online updates, the web interface accepted the command, but reloading the web page showed it still disabled. But then reloading again, few minutes later, showed online updates as activated. Trying to turn it off a day the following day showed the error above. Checked the status now, still shows as activated.

If it was me designing this, all cars should be in a special transport mode in which they are hibernating, disconnected from the work, preserving the battery. However, I would also not design the MyPorsche app to show the car's status as connected even if the car was offline. Maybe Porsche decided it's better to show the customers what they want to see (car is online), whether it's true or not. I guess that could be the natural evolution of apps not showing when devices are offline to now full lies of showing offline devices as online. This might even be driven by actual customer research showing what makes customers happier - maybe customers prefer to be lied to.

 

[tigerbalm]

Not sure but my guess is that your car will be in Transport mode (and offline)

Just as a FYI – here is my car right off the transport truck and before PDI.

 

[whitex]

Just a follow up this. Now that the car is on a ship in transit, I get the following status:

So perhaps before, when the car was in Emden, it was in fact talking back to the mothership servers and now in the hull of a ship it can no longer get cellular coverage.

PS> The mobile app still shows a green dot when I start it, so apparently not the same status as online in the browser.

 

[W1NGE]

Just a follow up this. Now that the car is on a ship in transit, I get the following status:

So perhaps before, when the car was in Emden, it was in fact talking back to the mothership servers and now in the hull of a ship it can no longer get cellular coverage.

PS> The mobile app still shows a green dot when I start it, so apparently not the same status as online in the browser.

Your car will be in Transport Mode so I'd advise to be patient and not fiddle.

Your car sits in the middle between you (My Porsche App) and Porsche so you won't be communicating directly with the car during this period.
The dealer will change the mode on arrival as part of PDI.

 

[whitex]

Your car will be in Transport Mode so I'd advise to be patient and not fiddle.

Your car sits in the middle between you (My Porsche App) and Porsche so you won't be communicating directly with the car during this period.
The dealer will change the mode on arrival as part of PDI.

Yea, I know that. Since it let me fiddle before, I was seeing if I can undo it (I could not). I was also going to enable all the digital subscriptions such as internet connectivity and DC charging before the end of the month, so that it has time to percolate through Porsche systems, as I'm planning to take it straight from the dealer on a roadtrip (either 1000km or 5000km, haven't decided yet, and it might be dependent on how the car does in the first 1000km). Read stories here how Taycans freshly after PDI don't have their subscriptions properly working, therefore cannot DC charge or connect to the app for example. I'd rather not have to sit in the middle of nowhere for days waiting for Porsche to update their back-end databases and sync up with Electrify America databases.

 

[W1NGE]

Yea, I know that. Since it let me fiddle before, I was seeing if I can undo it (I could not). I was also going to enable all the digital subscriptions such as internet connectivity and DC charging before the end of the month, so that it has time to percolate through Porsche systems, as I'm planning to take it straight from the dealer on a roadtrip (either 1000km or 5000km, haven't decided yet, and it might be dependent on how the car does in the first 1000km). Read stories here how Taycans freshly after PDI don't have their subscriptions properly working, therefore cannot DC charge or connect to the app for example. I'd rather not have to sit in the middle of nowhere for days waiting for Porsche to update their back-end databases and sync up with Electrify America databases.

Internet (not the additional data package unless subscribed to) will be active on delivery.

DC charging is always available but if you mean the subsidised Porsche option then I'm not sure. We apply for the Taycan RFID card here in Europe.

Don't take delivery until you've checked your connectivity at the dealership.

 

[whitex]

Internet (not the additional data package unless subscribed to) will be active on delivery.

In the USA Porsche Connect and the Porsche Charging Service are paid subscriptions, with a price of $0 for the first 3 years. These are the free services which the owner needs to activate in the online store.

Don't take delivery until you've checked your connectivity at the dealership.

Still gets me stuck 5,000km away from home after refusing to take the car. I'd rather minimize the chance of that.

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