We got a (second-hand) Volkswagen Sharan. Not a nice SUV model (which is the standard nowadays), however, the additional size is worth it with 3 young kids in ISOFIX car seats on the second row (for us). They easily fit together, and we have the third row (with Isofix!) if a friend would want to join.
The car has a Volkswagen Discover Media system (with 2 SD slots and navigation). If I try and access the “app-connect” feature, it shows an error:
“App-Connect” U kunt de functie vrijschakelen met een activeringsleutel. Neem contact op met uw VW-specialist, alstublieft.
“App-Connect” You can activate the function by means of an activation key. Please contact your dealer.
I did contact a dealer, and they charge EUR 325 to unlock the system which would allow me to use Android Auto (my end goal).
Although I found cheaper unofficial offers (EUR 150 and EUR 125), it is very easy to do yourself though! For free (assuming you already have an empty 4GB SD card or MicroSD+convertor) 🙂
It’s as simple as:
- Update to the latest firmware from SD
- Apply (using regular update from SD) a special pre-made patch (a few MB)
All files are available for free from https://mibsolution.one (guest/guest). They have a wiki with more info as well.
In my case, I needed to upgrade from MST2_EU_VW_PQ_PO245T (as per instructions to a higher number matching MST2_EU_VW_PQ_PO2xxT (NOT PO3xxT!). I downloaded the 3.3GB firmware:
I then extracted it to the root of a FAT32 formatted SD and put it in the left SD slot. It showed “software-update” so the card was read successfully. I then WRONGLY went to menu, settings, system information, Update software:
An error showed:
Error: no data available. Please insert a source with software update data or check the source.
Fout: geen bestanden beschikbaar. Een medium met bestanden voor de software-update plaatsen of de bron controleren, alstublieft.
The solution, in the end, was simple, instead activate the update option by keeping the menu button pressed for 5 seconds.
After the regular firmware update, I cleared the card again and put the 3.3MB file with the patch on it (the second one, as I don’t need CP “component protection” off since the hardware is original to the car):
After following the same update process, the feature was unlocked and I could set up Android Auto and navigate on the car screen using Waze and even use Google Assistant via voice! 🙂