Three questions from a relatively new A5 owner

[thelum]

I have a 2023 A5 Sportback that I bought a few months ago. There's a few ticky tack things that I can't figure out, and was hoping someone could explain these to me.

First, I'm sort of old school, and I'm having a tough time fully adapting to not having a traditional key and ignition. To give you some perspective, the only vehicle I've driven in the last 21 years is a 2003 Toyota Tacoma that I bought new, and still have. So this A5 is like a spaceship to me. So let's say I want to drive, park, and sit in the parked car with everything turned off. Radio, dash lights, everything. I drive, I park, and I turn the engine off with the button. Now I want to sit in the car with everything off. The only way I can figure out how is to open the door and shut it. It seems like there has to be some other way, but if there is, I haven't been able to figure it out.

Secondly, I love how the ficticious woman who lives in the car will tell me "your mobile device is still in the vehicle" if I forget it. I don't have the model with wireless charging, so it's only if I plug it in with the usb under the arm rest. Sometimes she does say it, but usually she doesn't. I think it has something to do with if I plug the phone in before Bluetooth picks it up. If I get it done before Bluetooth find it, I think it's more likely to remind me if I forget it, but I don't think it's consistent. I don't know if maybe this is just how it is, or if I'm missing something.

Lastly, occasionally I need to use the key fob to unlock it, instead of using the function where I grab the door handle with the key on me, and it unlocks. It almost always works, but occasionally doesn't. It seems like it might be when it's really cold out, but it's tough to say. Every time it's happened, the vehicle has been parked in my garage, so there's no snow or anything on the handle. Is this a common issue? Or have I just had a few cases of bad luck?

The fact that these three miniscule things are my three biggest issues says a lot about how much I love this car. It's incredible. If anyone has any insight on these things, especially the first one, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you.

[a4audi4fun]

For everything off without opening the door, have you tried Off button at the opposite end of the Drive Select button.

For unlocking the door, when you touch the inside of the handle make sure your thumb or another finger doesn't touch the locking sensor on the outside of the handle. One way to help ensure this, is to touch the handle while your hand is as far forward to the front of the car as possible.

YMWV.

[LYKUNO]

Secondly, I love how the fictitious woman who lives in the car will tell me "your mobile device is still in the vehicle" if I forget it. I don't have the model with wireless charging, so it's only if I plug it in with the usb under the arm rest. Sometimes she does say it, but usually she doesn't. I think it has something to do with if I plug the phone in before Bluetooth picks it up. If I get it done before Bluetooth find it, I think it's more likely to remind me if I forget it, but I don't think it's consistent. I don't know if maybe this is just how it is, or if I'm missing something.

I keep my iPhone 7 plugged into the USB-C port in the area under the console's arm rest. The phone is too old to use the wireless charging feature. i'm using a rather ingenious phone cradle that makes getting the wired charging and CarPlay very easy to use. It was developed by an Audi enthusiast who says: "If you like to easily put your phone away when driving while running wired CarPlay or Android Auto and charging your phone at the same time, this cradle is for you. It is even more useful on longer drives when wireless charging can sometimes struggle to keep your phone charged." The price for his cradles are less than $70 for the iOS phones and include the cradle, choice of the MFi certified captive 12" long lightning to USB-C (or A) cable, mounting screws, instructions and ground shipping."

You can see the cradle and pics of the installation in my '23 S5 at this link: https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...y-and-charging. I highly recommend it!

Oh yeah, about that fictitious woman who tells you "Your mobile device is still in the vehicle". I'd say she only reminds us about half the time. In the year we've had the car, it's become one of those things that we've gotten used to it being inconsistent, and when it does work, we're amazed! Can't tell what triggers it, and have given up on trying to figure it out. There are enough other cool things about the car that it's not bothering us any more.

That said, here are a few comments about the phone reminder feature I've seen on an online search:

* As I remember, there was separate checkbox for this audible warning. But there is a glitch in fact with this warning.
There is two step sequence in order to get this warning:
1. Warning is registered for activation (prerequisite: door opened and phone still in the wireless charging box (Audi phone box)
2. Warning is triggered if you leave driver's seat.
If you open door but not leave the seat, take out your phone from charging box, and then leave your seat, warning will be triggered anyway. This makes me always to smile. Funny, stupid car .

* There's an option in the MMI to turn it off. I can't remember where exactly but I think it is under vehicle settings (I couldn't find it though!)

* I love this feature and I’m very thankful for it. If you don’t want your car to tell you that then unplug it from CarPlay before you shut your car off and open the door. Numerous times this has kept me from leaving my phone in the center console.

* In the settings menu you can also change the verbal “Your device is still in the vehicle” to just a chime. I much prefer that. If I want to leave my phone in the car, I don’t want it announced to everyone within earshot (live in a big city and crime happens/don’t want to come out to a broken window and no phone)

* Speaking to a colleague, who has the B9 Avant SLine on a 66 plate, if he has his phone plugged into the USB and switches off the engine he gets an alert that the phone is still docked so he doesn't forget it. My B9 Avant Sport, on a 16 plate, doesn't do this and I can't seem to find a setting in the MMI to activate it... Anyone know how to activate this function?

Perhaps someone here on AZ will supply the definitive answer that will help achieve a consistent reminder if your phone is still in the vehicle!

Just found these videos! How do we get the woman with the British accent?!!!



After watching the video, I can confirm those settings are in the '23 S5 (and surely the A5). Ours is enabled for the spoken message, but I still have no clue about the inconsistency.

[Smac770]

At engine off, term 15 is ended but there's the power continuation to things like the windows/sunroof/infotainment. The infotainment will turn off after a 10 min inactivity timeout; not sure how long the continuation is for the power glass movement. All those are terminated when any door is opened. At least in my MY09, you can also terminate the power continuation by pressing the start/stop button again.

I'd have to find a way to turn her off. I leave my phone in the car all the time when I'm just running in to grab something, etc.

Don't know about the door handle, if B9.5 is flaky. The door handle works all the time on my MY09, unless one of the handle sensors is flaking out and the system sometimes turns off the handles until I wake the car again, such as unlocking with the key fob. Or if I'm turned weird and my pocket with the fob is away from the doors. You'd need a scan tool to see if there are any DTCs, or if the car things everything is operating normally.

[thelum]

I keep my iPhone 7 plugged into the USB-C port in the area under the console's arm rest. The phone is too old to use the wireless charging feature. i'm using a rather ingenious phone cradle that makes getting the wired charging and CarPlay very easy to use. It was developed by an Audi enthusiast who says: "If you like to easily put your phone away when driving while running wired CarPlay or Android Auto and charging your phone at the same time, this cradle is for you. It is even more useful on longer drives when wireless charging can sometimes struggle to keep your phone charged." The price for his cradles are less than $70 for the iOS phones and include the cradle, choice of the MFi certified captive 12" long lightning to USB-C (or A) cable, mounting screws, instructions and ground shipping."

You can see the cradle and pics of the installation in my '23 S5 at this link: https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...y-and-charging. I highly recommend it!

This looks very cool, thanks for letting me know about it. I don't like that the space under the armrest can't be used for much besides the phone, this would solve that problem. Thank you.

Also, I figured out how to get the power to cut off of everything without opening and closing the door. I'm embarrassed that I didn't think of it earlier. Just lock it. Problem solved.

[Zombie5150]

I have the IPOD cradle by Martin. Fits perfectly and stows the IPOD nice and clean. The IPOD is plugged in via the USB-C and my IPhone sits in the wireless charger.