[Greg Elmassian]

Right, the text messaging has nothing to do with the make or o/s of the phone. The issue is that the text and email notifications are sent by Kia servers.

Again, my Fiat EV had the same issues, often either the text messages were missing or the email messages... both completely independent of the app and model of phone clearly.

Not unusual in my 6 years of my and my friend's experiences with EV's

Greg

 

[atc98092]

Why do you think Kia servers are involved with the infotainment system providing text message notification (emails have never been included in notifications)? This is a function directly between the car and the phone. My Subaru had the same functionality. It don't go through any external devices. It always worked fine in the Subaru and has been fine with my Niro until I installed this firmware update to the car.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

So you can get email or text notifications. Both go through the servers as far as I can tell.

1. have you looked at WHO sent your text messages? It's not your car. You will see it is not from a unique phone number but from Kia.
2. it should be even easier to understand the emails, since you would have to have entered your email address in your car for it to work (address, smtp server, account name, password) and it would need a full broadband connection to send an email.

Let's do some more research. Also I have had both email and text notification since I updated my car, so it's not the firmware.

Another helpful "think"... clearly if the car was sending the text messages directly how would it know? I'll bet you are going to tell me that it "remembers" the last phone connected... well it does not, both my wife's phone and my phone are registered in the car, but it only follows the settings in "My UVO" website...

and why would you have these settings in the "My UVO" website if the car could talk directly to your phone...

(and consider how the destination information works, i.e. sending a destination from the app to the car, clearly through servers)

Greg

 

[atc98092]

I have no idea what you're talking about. When I used to receive a text message notification on my car display, it showed who sent me the text, as in their name (if they're in my contact list) or phone number. It does not show anything about Kia. And no, I have never received email notifications on any car I've owned that had message notification. Text only, and it's a communication between the car and the phone. Kia servers have nothing to do with it.

Sending a route from the app to the car, absolutely requires Kia servers. But that is not what I'm referring to.

 

[Dovidan]

My Apple CarPlay navigation, text messaging... has worked flawlessly from the git go. After reading this, I'm glad that I have not loaded UVO and not updated anything.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Sorry I missed "from the Niro UI", I took it to be from the Niro app. My responses were about the app, I have not got my texts and emails about "charging complete" etc. for a couple of weeks.

Well, you have a different issue, I have the new firmware, and I can not only receive text messages, I can also send them by voice, with "send message to", and then dictate the text.

Working fine on my Samsung phones, Note 9 and S9+ .... I was surprised how well it works.

Greg

 

[atc98092]

My Apple CarPlay navigation, text messaging... has worked flawlessly from the git go. After reading this, I'm glad that I have not loaded UVO and not updated anything.

Yep, I have no issues when using CarPlay. What I am referring to is the Niro infotainment system function to alert you to a received text message when the phone is only connected via Bluetooth. If you are parked, you can read the message, and if in motion the car will read it to you. This is what has now failed. But CarPlay is just fine. Based on what Greg is saying Android Auto is also working without issue.

The firmware update was worthwhile for the updated maps and a few new functions. But I do miss it not alerting me to text messages any longer.

 

[atc98092]

Sorry I missed "from the Niro UI", I took it to be from the Niro app. My responses were about the app, I have not got my texts and emails about "charging complete" etc. for a couple of weeks.

Well, you have a different issue, I have the new firmware, and I can not only receive text messages, I can also send them by voice, with "send message to", and then dictate the text.

Working fine on my Samsung phones, Note 9 and S9+ .... I was surprised how well it works.

Greg

Gotcha. I don't have those alerts configured in my app, so wasn't thinking about those.

Are you saying you can send a text message via the car's interface, or are you using the Android assistant? I can do that if I long press the voice button to activate Siri on the phone, but I've never found a way to send a text via the car's functionality.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

While driving, I will get the notification of a text message, I can listen to it, cancel, and I think there is another option.

I'm not sure it is the android assistant, the prompts look like they are from the car, they follow the way the dial by voice works.

A tip: when you pair a phone with the car, it determines which profiles are supported/paired.

I would unpair the phone and then re-pair, taking special notice of the phone screen to see if prompts to allow certain access pop up. If you miss these, often that function then does not function or is even presented. Had that happen several times to both of my Fiats... when I looked at the pairing details in the phone sometimes it was only the phone profile, and then sometimes it was phone and contacts... it would disappear sometimes, and there was no update on the car or the phone, like it lost a paired profile.

Greg

 

[atc98092]

Yeah, that does sound like the Kia offering the message. If it's working for yours, then it's either the latest iOS update, or a combination of the Kia and Apple update. I'll try contacting Kia to ensure they are aware of the issue.

 

[Carthis]

There's a new update out for the 2020 widescreen system which radically changes the look of the interface (some parts for the worse). Images to follow.

Here's the contents of the .ver file:

+|20Q2|DE20EV.CAN.S5W_M.V005.001.201029|KM|2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|744|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|extra_package_DE20EV.CAN.0000.V005.001.201029.121137.tar|103|656414396|1589596160|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|quick_package_DE20EV.CAN.0000.V005.001.201029.121137.tar|103|-76193063|7034880|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|system_package_DE20EV.CAN.0000.V005.001.201029.121137.tar|103|-607044457|2030295040|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar1|103|-1724299018|2147090432|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar10|103|192316931|2120197632|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar11|103|898576338|1000841728|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar2|103|-98325071|2146334720|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar3|103|-122861267|2141586432|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar4|103|500654297|2142817792|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar5|103|1452895419|2130884608|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar6|103|353644177|2132422144|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar7|103|422438939|2143349760|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar8|103|-1023110806|2128237568|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|navi_backup.tar9|103|-737637097|2138249216|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|sw_backup.tar|103|-2140958260|133486080|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|TarList.txt|103|-1272996367|1039|1
2021_Niro_Electric_CAN|TarList.txt_encrypted|103|-391751036|1026|1

 

[Goner]

As noted in another post, I also had a problem when I tried to load the update while it was still in a master folder. I copied the files within that master file again to the SD card and it worked just fine. I would note that not only did the download take hours to obtain, but for some reason it also took hours to copy from my hard drive onto the SD card. Somewhere in all of that I seem to have seen a message saying not to use a card larger than 32 gb, so i wouldn't try a 64. And since the SD card remains installed in the dash, I don't see how trying to update from a flash drive would work out.

All that said, my maps updated, though I don't think this is the smartest navigation system out there. It seems to want to take very long detours just to put you on a freeway instead of a smaller highway. On a recent trip down rural highways, it wanted to add an unnecessary 45 minutes to my trip.

Besides the map update, I also noticed changes in the display, particularly the elapsed time bar on songs. The stereo now also plays lower-resolution flac files (basically the sound quality of a CD), where it wouldn't play them at all before. That's a huge improvement over the MP3s it played before. Need to keep the files down to 48kHz and 16 bit. This did bring out a bit more quality from the Harmon/Kardon stereo, but I sure wish I could play a higher res file to see how it would sound.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I just did the update, wow, so much better, full screen for navi, mp3 player, etc.

for Goner:
you need a faster computer that has a faster writer and a faster card. Many of the smaller cards are slow. Yes it takes a long time to download as well, the site is just slow.

I would imagine you can use a 64 gig card, but you need to keep the format to FAX or ex-FAT, and often it is hard to control the formats your computer will allow.

Yes the instructions say to put the files in the root of the SD/flash... not all of them in a folder, as it comes from the download.

All in all, a very nice upgrade from the goofy "3 window" interface....

Greg

 

[jmurphEV]

Just did the update and I've noticed two minor changes between the old and new, both involving the radio presets.

First, it's now even easier to add, and more importantly, delete presets. Just hit the star next to the station info in the main radio screen. If the star is empty and you hit it you'll add the current station, if it's red and you hit it you'll delete it from your presets. Nice.

Second, the update changes the behavior of the Up/Down switch on the steering wheel. In the previous version which direction Up/Down would move through the preset list depended on what mode the headunit was in. In anything other than the Radio screen hitting up moved you to the next preset in the numbered list (e.g. if you're on preset 5 and hit up you move to preset 6). However, in the Radio screen, which shows the preset list on the left side, hitting Up moved you one slot up on the display (so if you're on preset 5 and hit up you move to preset 4). In the new version there are no preset numbers and hitting Up moves you to the next higher preset on the display list regardless of what mode you're in. Makes sense as the difference in behavior could be confusing.

 

[Beth]

Love that they fixed the preset move behavior! That drove me bonkers. I'll have to try to do the upgrade again. Last time it didn't work for me.

 

[atc98092]

Great they fixed the preset movement. I reported that to them shortly after I got my Niro. Can you confirm the version number, so I can ensure I'm installing something new?

 

[jmurphEV]

Great they fixed the preset movement. I reported that to them shortly after I got my Niro. Can you confirm the version number, so I can ensure I'm installing something new?

Here's the updated version:

And the OEM for comparision:

 

[atc98092]

My, that's a completely different look from the previous version. More items on the left grid. Or are you not quite on the same screen? Is that the 2020 model? That screen looks larger than mine. Or I'm just getting old...

 

[jmurphEV]

My, that's a completely different look from the previous version. More items on the left grid. Or are you not quite on the same screen? Is that the 2020 model? That screen looks larger than mine. Or I'm just getting old...

The new UI has a bunch of little differences, the system info / update screen one of them. That's the '18 EX Premium PHEV with the large screen so I assume yours is the same size right?

 

[atc98092]

Yeah, that should be the same as mine then. I'll see what the latest downloaded version is that I have, and grab a new one if that's not it. Thanks!