[burak]

Today, I was fed up waiting for the OTA and visited my dealer and got the update. It was 1.5 hours including the car wash.

Below my comments for changes:

• I think for me one of the best updates is that now we have Bluetooth tethering for data. I don't care about the in-car sim card anymore.
• One pedal driving. The force has definitively increased. I liked it
• Pilot assist works better
• The whole systems seems to be more stable
• Many languages are added.
• Previously on the system menu for software download there was only a toggle switch. Now when you select the software update page, first it checks if there is an update available. So when we know that there is an update available we don't need to drive around for the OTA update to download. ( I hope )

Please add more to this topic if you discover more features.

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

Wouldn't this be the JUNE update, not April?

Updates from June 2021.

Applies to XC40 Recharge Pure Electric:

Pilot Assist changes.

• Switching between Pilot Assist modes (with or without steering assist) is now moved to the center display. The default setting is Pilot Assist with steering. Pilot Assist can be accessed via the settings page. Activation of Pilot Assist, speed setting and distance to vehicle ahead remain on the steering wheel controls. Icons for Pilot Assist and driver assistance have been updated in the driver display and the center display.
• Improved functionality for detecting stationary targets.

Driver assistance systems with new functionality.

• Oncoming braking.
  • The purpose of the function is to mitigate collisions with oncoming vehicles using auto braking. The function will intervene in very late stages where a collision is unavoidable, but the severity of the accident can be reduced by reducing the collision speed. This is a potential world first function.

Additional system languages included:

• Bulgarian, Traditional Cantonese, Traditional Mandarin, Czech, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, Greek, Hungarian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian.
• Please note that all services may not be available in all languages.

Bug fix for interior lighting.
Improvements to Profile Setups.

• Support for Bluetooth tethering (for selected markets).
• Review of privacy settings available as part of Profile setup.

Driver display to support two display modes; Navigation and Calm. Car-centric is no longer available.
Communication stability improvements for eCall.
Bug fix for climate timer stabilization.
Bug fix for lock/unlock with key fob stabilization.
Bug fix in phone/favorites contacts.
Volvo On Call stability improvements.
Volvo On Call app will change name to Volvo Cars App, and will also launch with a refreshed design.

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

I think for me one of the best updates is that now we have Bluetooth tethering for data. I don't care about the in-car sim card anymore.

I guess I don't understand this. Does the car not come with 4 years free Google LTE data up in Canada? Why would you prefer to use your phone's data instead?

 

[SeattleCat]

Nice that we can tether to Bluetooth for those not upgraded you can still tether to your phone via WiFi.

As to why the phones lte fails sometimes. I strongly suggest that everyone sets up the phone tether so when the lte goes down you can switch easily to the phone tether.

Is there are evidence that we might be able to get this upgrade via ota vs going in to service? By proof I mean had anyone actually gotten it via ota?

 

[burak]

I guess I don't understand this. Does the car not come with 4 years free Google LTE data up in Canada? Why would you prefer to use your phone's data instead?

4 years free is for USA not Canada

 

[burak]

Wouldn't this be the JUNE update, not April?

The actual date is 27 April on the system/about menu. Like the April update was 18th March

 

[burak]

Nice that we can tether to Bluetooth for those not upgraded you can still tether to your phone via WiFi.

As to why the phones lte fails sometimes. I strongly suggest that everyone sets up the phone tether so when the lte goes down you can switch easily to the phone tether.

Is there are evidence that we might be able to get this upgrade via ota vs going in to service? By proof I mean had anyone actually gotten it via ota?

Bluetooth is much more stable than wifi

 

[ColoradoNative]

Bluetooth is much more stable than wifi

Hardly. A WiFi network is superior in every way to the data transfer profiles of Bluetooth. If you are specifically talking about leveraging your phone to provide data to your car, then a mobile Hotspot is still superior to Bluetooth, although either should be able to get the job done. Perhaps your experience is another example of how the XC40 's WiFi is inferior.

 

[blitzswede]

4 years free is for USA not Canada

Please re-check your information. The 4 years of free LTE & Data plan applies to Volvo P8 cars sold in USA and Canada.

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

Bluetooth is much more stable than wifi

Maybe - but it's also 100 times slower. BT max speed = 3 Mbps. WiFi max speed = 300 Mbps (or faster in some cases).

 

[burak]

Hardly. A WiFi network is superior in every way to the data transfer profiles of Bluetooth. If you are specifically talking about leveraging your phone to provide data to your car, then a mobile Hotspot is still superior to Bluetooth, although either should be able to get the job done. Perhaps your experience is another example of how the XC40 's WiFi is inferior.

I know that wifi is a superior way for data transmission. The word I used was stable. I guess you know the meaning of stable.. I have other Volvo's too. I want a reliable connection each time I enter the car, That's not the case with wifi. Bluetooth connection was there each time.

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

The actual date is 27 April on the system/about menu. Like the April update was 18th March

Got it, thanks. Still the same confusing naming system, then.

Android OS build date = March 18
Volvo documentation name = "Updates from April 2021".

Android OS build date = April 27
Volvo documentation name = "Updates from June 2021"

 

[burak]

Maybe - but it's also 100 times slower. BT max speed = 3 Mbps. WiFi max speed = 300 Mbps (or faster in some cases).

You don't need these speeds in the car.

 

[ColoradoNative]

Bluetooth is much more stable than wifi

My apologies to @burak...

Blanket statements such as this that are overtly false will always get push back from me. Us Yanks have had a hard go of it with the truth recently.

If I may paraphrase, I think you meant to say 'I've found that the data connection between my phone and my XC40 is more stable when using Bluetooth than when using a mobile WiFi Hotspot'. As I too question the robustness of the XC40's Wi-Fi, that DOES seem plausible.

Cheers

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

You don't need these speeds in the car.

And nobody will ever need more than 640K of memory

But you're right that for many things like streaming compressed music, Bluetooth speeds are adequate.

 

[BainbridgeIsland]

I want a reliable connection each time I enter the car, That's not the case with wifi. Bluetooth connection was there each time.

To me - that's one of the biggest issue with the P8's wi-fi support. It seldom (if ever) automatically re-connects itself. Once the wi-fi connection is lost I've often had to manually re-select it, in order to get the car to switch away from its own LTE.

The other big issue is that it still doesn't see all the wi-fi SSIDs that it should. There's some bug with some (still-unknown) property of certain dual-band routers that it doesn't like.

It would be interesting to see if either of these issues are fixed with the latest software update. If only I could download it & test....

 

[burak]

My apologies to @burak...

Blanket statements such as this that are overtly false will always get push back from me. Us Yanks have had a hard go of it with the truth recently.

If I may paraphrase, I think you meant to say 'I've found that the data connection between my phone and my XC40 is more stable when using Bluetooth than when using a mobile WiFi Hotspot'. As I too question the robustness of the XC40's Wi-Fi, that DOES seem plausible.

Cheers

Exactly, this is what I meant. And I have the same experience with my xc90 t8

 

[arijaycomet]

• Pilot assist works better

1- Can you elaborate on “works better” ?
2- Is this the new update where the “right button” no longer works?

We have a P8 and I’ve been hesitant to worry about the new update, just for sake that both my wife/I turn the pilot asit features on/off regularly during a drive. We like adaptive cruise, but having the PA feature sunk into a menu, making it less safe to toggle, seems a step backwards.

 

[burak]

1- Can you elaborate on “works better” ?
2- Is this the new update where the “right button” no longer works?

We have a P8 and I’ve been hesitant to worry about the new update, just for sake that both my wife/I turn the pilot asit features on/off regularly during a drive. We like adaptive cruise, but having the PA feature sunk into a menu, making it less safe to toggle, seems a step backwards.

Yes it is the new update.No right button.
Works better means: I use the future every day on my P8 and XC90. The new software tracks better between the lanes. But still far away from XC90

 

[arijaycomet]

Thanks for the explanation @burak — we replaced a Tesla (with just ”basic autopilot”) so we have a rather high benchmark set. Volvo does ok but not Tesla level of lane keeping. So any improvement will be welcomed!