When and why Kia sends you a thumb drive with the V010.001.230517 update

[ic_craftsman]

After reading most of the previous posts on the May 2023 update that is required for OTA updates I got to wondering what the parameters are for Kia to send a thumb drive with that update. Did every Kia owner receive the thumb drive? I received a thumb drive from Kia a few months ago and at the time I wondered why I received it. People have posted on this forum OTA updates are only available to those who pay for the Kia Connect Ultimate package. I do pay the annual fee with Ultimate but have installed two updates since purchasing my 2021. Did I receive the thumb drive because I owned a Kia or did I also have to be a customer of record for Kia Connect Ultimate? I am a retired software engineer and don't have a problem updating this on my own and I usually am slow to install updates as experience has shown me there is value in others testing new releases. I have yet to install this V10.001 and I ask if I do so will I give up controlling when new releases are installed?

 

[Cacique]

After reading most of the previous posts on the May 2023 update that is required for OTA updates I got to wondering what the parameters are for Kia to send a thumb drive with that update. Did every Kia owner receive the thumb drive? I received a thumb drive from Kia a few months ago and at the time I wondered why I received it. People have posted on this forum OTA updates are only available to those who pay for the Kia Connect Ultimate package. I do pay the annual fee with Ultimate but have installed two updates since purchasing my 2021. Did I receive the thumb drive because I owned a Kia or did I also have to be a customer of record for Kia Connect Ultimate? I am a retired software engineer and don't have a problem updating this on my own and I usually am slow to install updates as experience has shown me there is value in others testing new releases. I have yet to install this V10.001 and I ask if I do so will I give up controlling when new releases are installed?

That's a interesting point you have raised, will installing the latest software update result in giving up control? I installed myself the 2021 update with no problem.
Then a week ago my entertainment screen went haywire for no reason. I took it to the dealer yesterday today, they installed latest software for my 2020 SXP. News flash, the only new update mentioned was being able to find where electric charging stations are located. What good does that for me gasoline powered truck?? Great question IC Craftsman, thank you for raising it.

 

[ic_craftsman]

There was a October 2022 version that had a problem that limited the function of the radio after a period of time. A hard reset did not fix the issue once it occurred. The dealer did a complete system reset where I lost all previous settings, including nav history, radio presets, which did fix the issue but I then updated to the April 2023 version as it was reported (not by Kia) that fixed the radio problem. I have had no problems other than just poor mapping data with this release. On Redit users have reported problems with the Kia supplied thumb drive which is a version newer V010.001 than what I am running now V09.001. Only some people are having problems. I am looking for a reason to install the Kia supplied version. Is anyone currently installed/running V010.001?

 

[slim]

I have a 2023 X-Pro and have Ultimate. I have never noticed any OTA updates until two days ago. I had a notice that a software update to the HUD (head-up display) was unsuccessful. It was gone before I could completely read it. Not even sure where it was displayed. The HUD still seems to work fine. I checked Settings but found no mention of a failure to load. It did have two updates in waiting which I did not "Begin". One for EV charging stations and another for ICE vehicles remembering the gas stations you use or that are nearby. I found no indication of any software versions so cannot find out what versions are loaded. Car still works without issues so figure I an fine for now. I also have never acknowledge or initiated an update since we bought the car in April.

Are software versions details available to the owner or do they require special instruments to find out?