Audi Q4 e-tron charging issues after a software update

Software updates are supposed to improve the car. Most of the time they do. But every now and then a release introduces new behaviour on the charging side: a session that will not start, a slower-than-expected AC charge, a feature in the My Audi app that suddenly does nothing, or a charge that stops short of the target. If that has happened to your Q4 e-tron, you are not imagining it, and you are not alone.

The important part is what to not do: do not start swapping hardware before you have ruled out the update itself.

Why updates can change charging behaviour

The Q4 e-tron's charging stack is split across several control units: the on-board charger, the battery management system, the MMI, and the connectivity module. A firmware update can touch any of these, and a small change in one place (for example, how the car negotiates the AC handshake or how it handles a target state of charge) can change everyday behaviour. Audi has issued specific patches for charging-side regressions on the MEB platform before, so dealers are usually familiar with the pattern.

What to do, in order

1. Note what changed and when. Write down the date of the update, the symptoms, the chargers and cables you use, and the conditions (home AC, public AC, DC fast charge). The clearer your notes, the faster the dealer can match them to a known issue.
2. Read your current software version. In the MMI, Settings > System info shows the version. Audi service can map this to known fixes for your VIN.
3. Try a clean session. Use Immediate charging with no timers, no smart-charging profile, and a known-good cable. If the issue disappears, it is likely a settings or scheduling regression, not a hardware fault.
4. Reset the My Audi link. Sign out, uninstall, reinstall, sign back in. A surprising number of post-update charging quirks live in the phone app, not the car.
5. Book a dealer check. Bring your notes. Ask specifically whether a newer release is available for your VIN, and whether the dealer can read the charging history log via VCDS or ODIS.

Hardware is rarely the answer here

It is tempting to think "my cable or wallbox suddenly stopped working," but if everything was fine the day before the update, the hardware did not change. Keep using your normal setup, including a healthy cable such as a Voldt® Audi Q4 e-tron Type 2 charging cable, so the dealer is debugging the car under the same conditions you actually drive in.

Bottom line

Updates can break charging in subtle ways. Document the symptoms, capture the software version, run a clean session to rule out scheduling logic, then let Audi match it against known fixes. New releases usually follow quickly.