Dr. D

$499 for 18 months of Google Earth? That isn't worth it.

Anything I might really miss if I don't subscribe?

mplsbrian

Nope.
The only thing I even sorta miss is the live traffic, but even that was never even 10% as good as Google/Waze via CarPlay.
Absolutely asinine that Audi thinks they can extort this much for this service.

JD15

I would probably pay $5 per month for the satellite navigation map and live traffic, but no more than that.

m444

It seems to be aimed at people that want to be connected to the internet all the time, be able to lock unlock the car remotely, find the car, find gas stations, ect....

It is another example of overpriced & unnecessary use of technology IoT (internet of things).

heymoe

I didn't renew after my trial ended. Audi Connect Care (free tier - status, lock/unlock and GPS location) and Android Auto + Waze covers everything I normally use. I also enable the external SIM slot and setup my car to use a Google Fi data only SIM so the car's WiFi hot-spot will go over that without having to subscribe to Audi Connect Plus.

BreedsAs

I did the same with VCP, but haven't gone to Verizon to activate the SIM card I'm using.
I am wondering though, can the Google Earth maps run off the SIM?

heymoe

The Audi Connect Prime features such as Google Earth, Traffic, Geo-fencing, Speed Alerts, etc.. all need an active subscription (this is checked by the MMI) no matter what data SIM you're using. At least in the US. I think I read there were some hacks for some of these features in Canada but that was due to them not having the same Audi Connect features or what not that the US has. Now if you're using a Verizon SIM (instead of the AT&T internal eSIM) and you have an active Audi Connect Prime subscription, Google Earth should work fine.

BreedsAs

​​​​​​Ok I'm happy I know that now. I like Google Earth, but no way it's worth all that $. It's not like I'm a long haul trucker.

Absolutely

My trial expired many months ago, but I still have the ability to unlock/lock remotely, find the car, etc. That's all I really wanted.

stanfna

other than WIFI hotspot, does having your own SIM provide any other benefits?