A911396 2026390-

Technical Service Bulletin
91 Bluetooth - MMI freezes or voice recognition inoperable due to phone book
91 13 96 2026390/5 July 30, 2013. Supersedes Technical Service Bulletin Group 91 number 12-38 dated March 2,
2012 for reasons listed below.
Model(s)
Year
A4
2010 – 2015
A5
2010 – 2015
A5 Cabriolet
2010 – 2015
Q5
2009 – 2015
Q7
2010 – 2015
A6
2010 – 2015
A7
2010 – 2015
A8
2011 – 2015
VIN Range
Vehicle-Specific Equipment
All
MMI 3G or MMI 3G+ (PR 8DY)
Condition
REVISION HISTORY
Revision
Date
Purpose
5
-
Revised Technical Background (Added list of applications/factors that affect
system performance)
Revised Service (Added second step)
Revised header data (added MY 2014 and 2015)
4
3/2/2012
Revised Condition, Technical Background, and Service
3
10/7/2011
Revised header data (Added new A6)
2
7/18/2011
Revised header data (Added MY 2012 and A7)
1
6/14/2011
Original publication
• When a phonebook with a large number of contacts is being downloaded, the MMI screen freezes in one of
the following scenarios:
• After the initial Bluetooth connection (shortly after the phone is bonded to the vehicle), the screen freezes
briefly.
• After the ignition is switched on (shortly after the phone automatically reconnects with the vehicle).
• After the phonebook has downloaded.
© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.
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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
• When the voice recognition system is used, a message appears in the MMI screen stating that the phone book
is too large and that the voice recognition system cannot be used.
Tip: The command “Call ” is a global MMI command that is available in the
telephone menu and main menu screens. If either menu is displayed, the message can appear when the voice
recognition button (push to talk) on the steering wheel is pressed.
Technical Background
The MMI uses a limited portion of the total memory to convert the name and phone number fields of downloaded
contacts into a voice command (text to speech). Extensive processing takes place if too many letters are used in
the first and last name fields or if numbers or special characters are entered. The remaining memory is
dynamically assigned to different applications which can also affect the capacity of the voice command
processing.
The following applications/factors may access the memory at the same time, which affects the system
performance:
• Saved routes/tours in the navigation (long and complex routes need more space than short and simple ones).
• Known Bluetooth devices, their phonebooks, and their call lists (even if they are not actively connected via
Bluetooth, they are stored on the MMI hard drive). Certain smartphones such as Apple iPhone, for example,
send more data than other phones.
• Stored music on the Jukebox.
• The cache which stores the mode of the MMI system prior to the ignition being switched off.
The MMI does not respond until the process is completed, or it may freeze if phonebook fields are too large or do
not follow typical formatting. Also, the text to speech capacity is exceeded and the voice recognition system is
rendered inactive.
Production Solution
Not applicable.
© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 2 of 4
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
Service
1. Ensure that the customer’s phone is compatible with the vehicle model and model year, and that the
phonebook entries follow the guidelines listed below:
Name field:
• Only letters can be used in the first and last names. Numbers, brackets,
addresses, and URLs cannot be used in the name field (Figure 1 and
Figure 2).
• A maximum of 40 letters can be used for the first name and a maximum of
40 letters can be used for the last name.
Figure 1. Example of an
incorrectly saved name field
that exceeds 40 letters and
contains numbers and a URL.
Figure 2. Example of an
incorrectly saved name field
that contains incorrect
characters.
© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.
Page 3 of 4
All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.
Technical Service Bulletin
Tip: With regards to voice recognition issues, the specified 40 letters are only a reference point, as the
spoken and written length differs. For example:
• “Sch” is three letters, but only one syllable.
• “W” is one letter, but is three syllables.
• With special characters and numbers, the difference between spoken length and written length is much
greater, such as in “1234”, which is four characters, but nine syllables (one thousand two hundred thirty
four).
Phone number field:
• Only numbers and the characters +, #, and * can be used in the phone number field. Letters, brackets, and
URLs cannot be used in the phone number field.
A maximum of 63 numbers can be used for the phone number.
Tip: When using desktop software or apps to transfer contacts (e.g. iTunes, Outlook, or Facebook),
ensure that the transferred contacts meet these guidelines.
2. Inform the customer that saved routes/tours in the navigation, phonebooks and call lists, stored Jukebox
music, and the cache affect the available memory of the voice recognition system, which will be deactivated
when capacity is exceeded. The available memory for phonebook text to speech conversion can be increased
with the following steps:
a) Delete call lists (dialed, received, and missed calls).
b) Delete saved navigation routes/tours that are no longer needed.
Warranty
This TSB is informational only and not applicable to any Audi warranty.
Additional Information
All parts and service references provided in this TSB (2026390) are subject to change and/or removal. Always
check with your Parts Department and service manuals for the latest information.
© 2013 Audi of America, Inc.
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All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is based on the latest information available at the time of printing and is subject to the copyright and other intellectual property rights of
Audi of America, Inc., its affiliated companies and its licensors. All rights are reserved to make changes at any time without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, nor may these materials be modified or reposted to other sites, without the prior
expressed written permission of the publisher.