Notice of end of Citroen Connected Assistance on Pre 2016 Vehicles

[GiveMeABreak]

Notice of end of Citroen Connected Assistance on Pre 2016 Vehicles

I thought it useful to inform members with Telematics Systems / Radio Navigation Head units fitted that use a Personal SIM card of the discontinuation of these services after 31st December 2023.

By this I mean those with an SOS or Citroen Logo Button that also require a personal SIM card (usually found in the passenger glovebox or Central Storage Box).

This will not impact later vehicles with for example 'CITROËN Connect Nav' systems as these use PSA's proprietary communications network.

This will be in part to the switching of of 3G, but other factors also play a part. Here is a copy of the FAQs:


Certain vehicles produced before 2016 with radionavigation systems using a personal SIM card: CITROËN ASSISTANCE services: ending on 31st of December 2023.

Why is the Service ending?

The rapid development of the connectivity systems has made the technology used on vehicles equipped with the above mentioned navigations obsolete and incompatible with current telecommunications and connectivity standards.

From a technical point of view, it is impossible to make an upgrade of the radio navigation because bugs, security data breach and security flaws cannot be avoided or corrected.

In addition, these unforeseeable events make the performance of the Connect SOS and Assistance services physically, legally and commercially impossible to fulfil and they have occurred after the sale of the concerned vehicles. Due to these events, Connect SOS and Assistance services will cease to be available for the above mentioned vehicles and will come to an end on 31st December, 2023.

Is my vehicle impacted by the closure?

Only some vehicles produced before 2016 are impacted. You can easily identify if your vehicle is concerned by checking if it has a slot to insert a SIM card that you need to buy yourself, it is subject to this restriction. The slot can be commonly found on the radio or in the glovebox You could benefit from the Connect SOS and Assistance services on the condition to have inserted an active SIM card.

All the other vehicles with newer equipment are not impacted by this closure.

What happens when the end of the service takes effect?

Connect SOS and Assistance calls will no longer work. The radio and navigation systems will not be impacted.

Will there be a replacement/alternative for the service for my current vehicle?

No. Newer vehicles have a similar services built on a different platform. These services are not compatible with vehicles using an active personal SIM card.

What happens if I am involved in an accident after the services are no longer available?

The SOS and emergency call services will not be available. For emergency services, please dial 112 using your personal mobile phone. Please pay attention that some countries need an active SIM card to dial 112. You can contact Citroën Roadside Assistance by calling 0800 197 2045

What happens if I push the SOS and assistance call buttons after the end date?

No phone connection is established.

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How does the non-availability of the service affect the European eCall regulation? Is it mandatory to have an eCall function?

eCall is mandatory for all new types of vehicles approved for manufacture after 31st March, 2018. All our vehicles are compliant with the European eCall regulation.

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Will the service be available until the end date?

Yes. Citroën remains focused on delivering the same level of service through 31st December 2023,?within the technical limitations.

[Sloppysod]

Not sure if this is related, but while driving today the LED on the SOS call button started flashing!
It sopped after about 5 mins so not that bothered yet! Or should I)

[GiveMeABreak]

You need to check if you have this fault code coming up Stu: FD87. If so, it's a replacement of the Independent Telematic Unit. If not, a solid orange light means the internal telematic unit battery needs replacing. If it's only a temporary flash, it may mean the battery is getting weaker and not holding as much charge.

[NotAnInterestingName]

This will not impact later vehicles with for example 'CITROËN Connect Nav' systems as these use PSA's proprietary communications network.

Thanks for the info. I'm (just) OK, I have a 2016 Connect Nav.
Do you know if there's a way of checking if the connection is there? I don't pay for any kind of membership, but would like to know if the SOS button would work if it was needed.
I did try switching on its hotspot once, it didn't do anything but this may be just because I don't pay for it.

This says SOS will always work 24/7 without a membership...

https://www.dsautomobiles.co.uk/owners/ ... tance.html

I've logged in via the web, and have just added Telemaintenance, which is free. Now saying "Activation in Progress". I'll wait to see if this pops anything up.

I also had an option to add traffic reports for £8-odd per month, but this option has vanished, presumably while the telemaintenance is being activated, possibly until I next drive it later today.

There's a free month on the traffic thing, I might try it for a month just to check if the car connects OK, I'm assuming this means the SOS would also work?

[GiveMeABreak]

So just to be clear on a few things:

The SOS is for an emergency call using the independent telematics unit (ITU). On your vehicle it requires no intervention or subscription service to operate. It uses PSA proprietary communications to do this. The Services button is to contact the Citroen / DS / Peugeot customer service contact centre and is generally used if you have a breakdown and use Citroen's breakdown / recovery service provided by the RAC. They can also help connect you to a dealer if there are issues with your vehicle.

Further, the ITU works with the vehicle's safety systems to initiate an automatic emergency call in a collision where the airbags have been triggered. It will use geolocation services to inform the emergency services of the location automatically.

The ITU also provides a connection for the Connected Navigation system to provide live traffic info and connected services if these are provided usually via a subscription service (Speed Camera service, Live Services).

Lastly, the ITU can also provide a WiFi hotspot for your passengers using a paired Smart phone. One paired, there is an option to use the phone's internet connection (and data) to provide a hot spot for your passenger's phones, iPads, etc., but this does not use PSA's connection service - only your phone's data connection.

The telemaintenance is a free service that allows the vehicle to communicate via bluetooth to the app on your smartphone to inform you of servicing or when there may be a problem with the vehicle that needs attention.

I think that covers most of it.

The light modes of the LEDs on the buttons are explained in the DS manual and the number of seconds needed to make and cancel calls.

[nocturnal]

Funny I was listening to Message in a bottle today in the car and now reading this.

"Sending out an SOS"

I wonder how many people it rescued, i.e. did it work?