I just took delivery of my 4S on Monday and I only have the embedded card, but google earth (with traffic info) seems to be working. I was advised that the embedded sims do in fact have a trial period on them. I also downloaded the one app that "pairs" with the porsche connect app (as opposed to the porsche car connect app (which service is through vodafone). I can put an address in the connect app and it appears in the nav on the car. Now as for the porsche car connect app - that is a totally different story and have no clue. It is my understanding that the car comes with a 12 month trial and if you want to renew it is $190/year (all using the embedded card). Now, if you want to turn your car into a wifi hotspot I was told I would need to get the additional sim card. Not sure how accurate all this is, but...it is working for now.

 

When I drove up from the LA Porsche Experience Center in Torrance with my new car, I was going to just proceed up 405 to 5. My PEC instructor Zach suggested I use the Navigation and see what it recommended at it was 11:00 am on a Friday. Anyway, the system sent me on a different route with many freeway/highway changes and it did show the traffic colors, etc. very accurately. No external sim card. That said I am having trouble getting the Porsche Connect App to work and be able to use my phone to check on battery charging, etc. Going for a Second Delivery Session soon up here at the Fremont Porsche Center.

 

Everything you wrote is consistent with what I was told by the Porsche Connect representative I spoke with last week except she told me after the first year it would cost $189 per year thereafter. And I did see the Porsche Car Connect App which is through Vodaphone which has no value for us in the US. But my other "Connect" app doesn't seem to be able to connect with the embedded sim card?? Are you using it with your phone connected to the USB slot or in Bluetooth mode? I've tried it both ways and can't seem to get it to connect. Interstingly when I do hook it up via USB I do get the ability to use Amazon Music via Apple Play. And I am getting the traffic info when using the navigation system.

 

I have my phone connected to via blue tooth. The "only" thing that the Porsche Connect App appears to be useful for is searching destinations. I admit it works a little strange. I can put in an address and search for it and once it I have it as a destination, it appears in the nav system with a red "start" button. I have hooked up my iphone x via usb to try apple play (though I am not sure that I will actually use it that way much). I was a little interested in the Porsche Car Connect App as it appeared that you could control more car functions, but seemed way too much work to figure out for any use.

 

 

 

 

If you want to use Amazon Radio, radio.net or Napster and/or do not want to use Amazon Radio through the Apple Car Play app, then you need the Porsche Connect app on your phone. What isn't initially clear is that you don't actually do anything with the app after setting it up for music the first time. (Go to the "Me" tab, click "PCM Services" and log in to any or all of those 3 music services.) After that, if you have set up the phone to connect to the car's wifi, you don't actively need to click on the Porsche Connect app ever again. In my experience, if you connect your phone to wifi using the built-in SIM card, you will not access the internet in a manner that will allow you to use any of these music services - although some other PCM internet functions such as Twitter feeds and Google maps may work for you. To access the internet with sufficient bandwidth to use these music apps without Apple Car Play, I needed to get the removable AT&T SIM from Porsche.

Why would you want to use the PCM for these music apps instead of Apple Car Play? First, with Apple Car Play, you are using your phone's cellular data to access the internet, which can be expensive if you don't have an unlimited data plan. Second, I think the PCM interface is much more attractive and desirable than Apple Car Play's. If you are connected via Apple Car Play, you CANNOT use the Porsche PCM phone interface - where you have nice profile pictures of your contacts, and people's pictures appear when they call you. You have to use Apple Car Play's Phone app for phone calls. I have found that the PCM voice control gets wonky because of Siri also being available. If you have music favorites set up on your home screen, Apple Car Play doesn't have favorites, so there will be an error on your home page. There are other annoyances of Apple Play to me, but to each their own. I still use it occasionally for Audible and Slacker though

 

 

So it turns out I was wrong about the Car Connect App (Vodaphone). It is intended for US usage. I have been working with Gus at Porsche Connect Support and he has set up everything for me. All I have to do is take my car into the dealership and have the "installation Code" put in and then I will receive an "Activation Code" which will allow me to use the app and access my car through my iPhone as shown in the examples above.

 

 

Thanks. Gus has been very helpful. Once you had the Car Connect App set up, did you have to use your iPhone's "Personal Hotspot" to have it connect to the internet or does the embedded sim do it all by itself?