Audi MMI Forced Reboot | 1 Simple Step To Reset And Clear

Audi MMI Forced Reboot is a necessary piece of knowledge for Audi 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 owners of A6, A7, A8, Q7, and Q8 when nothing but pure frustration seeps throughout your veins to your trigger finger when you touch your Audi START ENGINE button and you keep getting the message “NOTE, Loading the system please wait“ or “Welcome, checking remote access rights” or “Audi MMI Initializing media please wait!”

You need to know how to do an Audi MMI reset or MMI reboot and I will share how for those models mentioned above specifically!

As Audi owners, we’ve all been there, but how do you reset an Audi MMI? I’ll show you how to reboot Audi MMI!

When your Audi MMI does not reboot and instead freezes you may not have the perfect day inside that Audi!

Yes, along with your exceptional vehicle purchase you’ve also reserved a front-row seat to a special phenomenon reserved explicitly made for AUDI owners and it’s free with your purchase (eye roll!) when the MMI doesn’t reboot!

Instead, the Audi MMI keeps rebooting and it is anything but entertaining!

Where To See The Issues Display Making the Audi MMI Reset Necessary

Table of Contents For Specific Topics In This Article To Help You Faster

• What Is The Audi MMI?
• Is It the MyAudi App Or The MMI Screen Creating the Issue?
• What Audi Models Are Affected With The Impairment of the Audi MMI Reset in this article?
• Messages You’ll See Requiring Reboot
• What Functionality is Limited If You Need To Reboot?
• Can You Drive Without The Reboot to Your MMI?
• Options To Try Before The MMI Audi Forced Reboot
• Printable Directions For Rebooting MMI To Keep In Glove Compartment
• Step By Step Audi MMI Reset

I have to tell you it is not a luxury experience it’s a nightmare IMO and it will get you when you need the system the most and have the LEAST amount of time to reset your Audi MMI.

I’ve developed a LOVE/HATE relationship with my Audi Q7’s MMI because when it works, the Audi Multimedia system is awesome and helpful.

Ladies want tips on car buying because I’ve written an article on car buying tips for women, due to a little frustration along the way in the process of purchasing my Audi Q7!

Prefer to not know everything that might happen or see if we have relatable stories? Jump to the MMI Reboot directions here!

But when I have to be somewhere at a very specific time and my Audi Q7 2021 has other plans for me I STOP the chaos and perform a simple Audi MMI forced to reboot to reset and clear the system.

Why You’ll Love The Quick Fix For the AUDI MMI Reset

For me, learning how to master the Audi MMI Reset 2021 was imperative, because if it happens once I assure you it will happen again and you’ll know how to solve the issue.

Really it is a DIY you’ll need to master and fast! Audi needs a masterclass for all the hot mess issues that seem to impede the intent of owning a luxury vehicle!

You’ll note that you won’t be able to Access Audi (Audi Connect) either because the APP becomes useless as well as resetting the Audi MMI is the only way to get everything to communicate again!

Why To Perform An Audi Q7 Audi MMI Forced Reboot

If you see the following things happen on your Audi MMI screen, you will need to do an Audi MMI Forced Reboot:

• the MMI System read out the following: “NOTE, Loading the system please wait“ or “Welcome, checking remote access rights,” or, “Audi MMI Initializing media please wait!“
• Or when you can SEE the MMI screen but it looks like it’s gray coated, such as when your lights go from day tonight. In other words, you can see ALL the MMI options, you really can’t USE them!
• When you keep seeing “Loading the system Please Wait” and on the dashboard “Initializing Telephone Please Wait”

WHAT IS THE AUDI MMI?

In case you bought your AUDI and never knew what it is called (pretty impossible though considering it says MMI On the screen when you start your car daily), the MMI is your ‘infotainment’ system specific to AUDI. 

Right now I will share a super fast review of the Audi MMI system that I keep referring to as the Audi MMI Forced Reboot. 

Quite simply stated it is a ‘multi-media interface’ you might refer to it as your Dual Screens on your dashboard.

Really it is the fancy name for the replacement of all those knobs/buttons and displays that used to exist on the console to control the heating, cooling, radio, etc, but now are inside these dual screens, a.k.a. MMI. 

Why Preform An Audi MMI forced Reboot  

While I LOVE those dual MMI screens and wonder daily how I ever had a car before without the dual MMI screens the messaging notes that state: ‘Checking Remote Access Rights’ and ‘Loading The System Please Wait‘ kills me and require an Audi MMI reboot because you won’t have access to anything on those screens!

When I get those messages, unfortunately, it’s the lower half of the screen that I rely on daily from music to cameras, garage door, and radio interfaces that I can’t use because the system won’t clear me for ‘takeoff’

Trust me it’s not only the Q7 2021 with this awful issue!

What Audi Models And Years Will The Audi MMI Reset Work For?

Don’t worry, I am a car-loving girl and I called the dealer, researched, read, asked questions, and compiled this list of Audi models and years that this Audi MMI reboot will work for!

Use the Audi MMI  Forced Reboot  on the following Models and years:

• Audi A6 2019, 2020, 2021 
•  A7 2019, 2020, 2021 
•  Audi A8 2019, 2020, 2021 
•  Q7 2019, 2020, 2021 
• Audi Q8 2019, 2020, 2021 

Pro Tip: Don’t forget to get an Audi fob cover because those are expensive to replace!

Why Did I Need To Use the Audi MMI Forced Reboot 

Sorry for all the smudges, but I didn’t expect to be photoing issues or I would have cleaned my screen with my favorite screen cleaner for my Audi ↓↓! 

What exactly was happening?

What You Can’t Do If You Don’t Perform The Audi MMI Forced Reboot

• can’t access the garage door opener
• can’t access the camera system
• the air conditioner and the heat won’t function

I could not get beyond the front MMI screens, meaning the initial screen, what you see above is ALL I could access and I had no access to close my garage door or open it, nor to my camera system.

Since I only had the car for 3 weeks, I didn’t know exactly what I needed to do. 

My neighbor having pretty much the same Audi Q7, just a different year, jumped in to help.

The only problem was, that their screens were a bit different and they never had this happen on their MMI. 

We Googled and couldn’t come up with anything.  

So if you SEE this message on your screen follow my directions in the video or right below.

Could I Have Driven my Audi Q7 Without The MMI? 

Yes, I could have, but did I want to? NO!

Here is why I did not want to drive the car and your list may read like mine:

• I am still adjusting to the car, and the cameras are very helpful.
• parking is nicer with cameras
• comfort (from the temperature in the car, to the radio) would not work (it was HOT out and I needed the AC it was a work function I was late for)
• The My Audi App was not working either
• My driver screen (MPH and gear were the only things showing in front of me, so again no maps, radio controls, etc)
• I am probably missing another reason but I am in a hurry writing this to help you!

Is the MyAudi App The Reason For The Audi MMI Reset

No, seems to be the short answer.

However, when resetting Audi MMI is necessary, the MyAudi app and the MMI seem to just all collapse at once!

At the exact same time that I needed to perform the Audi MMI Forced Reboot the MyAudi app logged me out and wanted a new password, leaving me with absolutely zero ability to Access Audi and this was awful.

Plus the MyAudi App is fairly annoying anyway as each time you get into the car and might be prepping to leave, the app knocks you out of whatever you are doing to announce it is connecting!

Overtaken by the total bs of this minor inconvenience, the MyAudi app was just one more pawn in the game to deal with and I wasn’t having it!

I am sure that anyone else using the MyAudi app has experienced that love-hate for the app!  

At this point, I kind of reasoned out in my own mind, that it pointed to a system upgrade and both were annoying and affecting me at the wrong time and place. Stuck in my driveway! 

I reset the MyAudi App, deleted it, and reinstalled it, but…. much to my chagrin, it did nothing to help me reboot/reset the MMI. 

Per the Audi Tech At My Audi Dealer in Pittsburgh 

I am not the only one who called in to find out how to do an Audi MMI Forced Reboot.

Audi has gone from using AT&T to Verizon and he stated that it might be the reason that so many this week have needed the AUDI MMI forced Reboot.

Or, it could have been what generally is the most advantageous thing about the AUDI MMI: it functions as a tablet/smartphone and is continuously upgraded.

In my opinion, its ability to be upgraded is great, until it is not like right freaking now!

In fact, this particular version is now going through its 3rd upgrade and it is on version 3. 

Is that the Glitch that had so many  Audi owners of the aforementioned models and years calling in?  

Be Prepared As The Audi MMI Forced Reboot: Updates Will Keep Happening so…

Whether the MMI system gets map upgrades, quarterly, or if Alexa receives upgrades, so will your MMI.

So keep this article SAVED, so you can keep on resetting AUDI MMI, it kind of sounds like a dance move, but it is a simple finger move! 

Does The Car Manual Guide An Audi MMI Forced Reboot?

Nope, no help.

I looked and could find nothing.

But, I will say it’s a great read if you want to really learn your car and not just rely on videos. 

Step By Step for the AUDI MMI Forced Reboot (Audi MMI Reset) 

By now you have seen the video I made to do the reset for the Audi, and you are probably reading this to learn more for the future.

• Turn the car on by pushing the start/stop engine button,
• then, move your hand to the right, for the volume control
• and push DOWN On it (the volume control)
• Hold it for about 15 seconds (seems like eons)
• then the screen message that you see will disappear, then reappear. 
• You’ve completed the reboot.

Now you have completed the AUDI MMI Forced Reboot.

That’s it.

Hopefully what is on your screen are your readouts for all of your apps, and directives for drive modes, radio, garage, etc. 

Audi MMI Reset FAQs

Try These Options Before The Audi MMI Forced Reboot

A few things I tried when all of this was going on and not sure if all or nothing helped except the true reboot. 

Consider them as helpful as a monkey scratching his ass, but they are things to at least try!

First, if you are in your home garage and this happens, “NOTE, Loading the system please wait!” pull out of the garage and down the driveway a bit. 

• Take your phone off WiFi and Turn Off Bluetooth, I just did both to cover myself.

But, I also did this so that my phone didn’t connect (which it didn’t anyway) to the car.

In case you want to know, I tried many other things before the reboot, the more practical things because I had no idea it was in need of a reboot, but as I have been told a few of these items may cause the messaging as well.

Therefore I could use my phone to text etc. and it was important as well because once I got everything all working, I didn’t feel like dealing with the MyAudi app which popped up and needed a reset too and I didn’t have the time!

• Next, start the car and then turn it off.  Open the doors and walk away with the key. 

Call it insanity or whatever you want, but I was thinking that if there were issues, maybe it was as minor as an on/off, so I started out with all the easy options! 

My neighbor had been advised to do this by their Audi mechanic so I tried it and while futile, it might help yours!

The Issue Error is solved So Drive AUDI~ 

So, getting the message on your MMI of, “NOTE, Loading the system please Wait,” or “Welcome, checking remote access rights” on your AUDI models listed above, it’s a simple press of the button and off you go! 

Accessories For Your Audi 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 > A6, A7, A8, Q7, and Q8 & E-Tron

• Audi E-Tron accessories (mats, fob covers, etc)
• A6 accessories – from all-weather mats to cover trim!
• A8 accessories including a ream bumper protector guard, car cup coasters, etc.
• Q7 accessories from car cover to luminous air caps + check out the AUDI Q7 All weather mats I tested here!

Make Sure To Come Back And Tell Me How The Audi MMI Forced Reboot Worked For You

Stay tuned for Audi 2021 Q7 things you will want to know about! ~ Dana XO 

FREE PRINTABLE For How To Do The Audi MMI Reset

I suggest printing this and stowing it in your glove compartment!

Dana is an award-winning food and travel writer who formerly test-drove and wrote about car models and makes!