Subaru finally fixed the head unit (Nov '23 software update)

[fuzzysoul]

Just finished updating my 2021 Legacy Touring XT (and the wife's 2020 Outback Touring XT) with the latest dealer-available software update.

Wow. It's almost a different unit now. Fast system boot. Vastly improved HVAC and seat controls. Far more responsive Apple CarPlay. And ... an Automatic Brake Hold button on the home screen, where it always needed to be.

For reference, I completed the over-the-air (OTA) update last year, and it did a bit to increase stability, but it was not a substantive change. This USB update took a half hour to complete and completely updated the hypervisor, the software that runs the subsystems that occupy the three main sections of the 11" screen. My wife's Outback received a recall-mandated head unit replacement a few years ago as well as an OTA update last year. The Nov 23 update for her car (a different installation file set) did not update the hypervisor and only took 10 minutes to complete. It appears the the Nov 23 update brought my car up to the modern base software and both cars up to the model year '23 interface.

Subaru has created a very complete installation guide - including warnings, cautions, and notes - that is designed for even the most non-computer people. There are some tricky parts. First, you need to ensure that the USB is formatted in NTFS, and not the default FAT standard. That's very easy to do on a Windows box. The installation clocked in at 6GB for my "high" install. I pulled it from good old chvvkumar's repository. Second, the file names are not intuitive, so you need to be very sure you have the correct file. The files vary by model year, trim, and release date. Strangely, they do not vary by model; both Outbacks and Legacies use the same installations if they share a model year and trim. You do not need to update in sequence. You only need the latest software. Finally, there is the secret button press "Konami code" to get into the dealership menu. Steady presses are the key. Don't just bang on the tuner button.

Don't feel like messing with this? Still under your 3/30K warranty? You should be covered by a technical service bulletin. Take it to the dealer and make them do it. It's worth the hour or so.

I'm going to be keeping an eye on stability. If it's going to crash or do something dumb, it's going to do it within the next month. Subaru software usually doesn't make you wait too long. I will also be checking to see if there are any unadvertised changes/improvements in the settings menus.

[dohturdima]

I've had the update for a while now, and yes it improved the stability and responsiveness - but IMHO Subaru has a long way to go still. Just today, when trying to input directions into Waze, I noted to myself how much lag there was at least  5 seconds after presss - compared to my 2018 Audi headunit, which is nearly instantaneous. I use the same wireless Carplay/Android Auto Carlinkit 5 dongle in both cars, but even when using wired CarPlay the diifference is still the same. Unlike the Audi, Subaru's software does not crash at times - but I haven't updated the Audi in years.