In our opinion, a depleted On Call battery should always be replaced, regardless of model year. This is partly to avoid fault codes and annoying warning messages, but also to preserve the car’s functions for as long as possible.

The reason is that mobile operators need to free up capacity for newer technologies such as 4G and 5G.

The old networks have been around for over 20 years and are now used by very few devices. At the same time, modern technology requires much more data and a more stable connection.

If your car is a model year 2013 or earlier, you will lose access to On Call on December 1, 2025.

If you have an active subscription that ends before this date, it will be extended at no cost until the system no longer functions.

If you have an active subscription that ends after this date, any remaining subscription fees will be credited to you during 2026.

We have not yet received information on how this crediting will be handled, but most likely the remaining amount will be added as a balance to your Volvo account.

When/if your car can no longer communicate with the network, the following functions will become unavailable, among others:

• Automatic emergency calls in the event of a collision.

• The SOS and ON CALL buttons.

• Theft tracking and remote diagnostics.

• The Volvo Cars app and all its features, such as remote activation of the fuel heater, statistics, trip log, etc.

• Any built-in infotainment apps that require a connection, such as Spotify, Record & Send, and Weather.

For Europe: No, at the moment there is no way to upgrade a 2G/3G On Call module so that it works with 4G or 5G.

For the US: In most cases, yes! Contact your local dealer for more information.

No, your GPS will not stop working when the 2G and 3G networks are shut down - at least not entirely.

The GPS system uses satellites to determine the car’s position, not the mobile network, so the actual navigation will not be affected.

However, any connected features of your GPS will stop working, such as roadwork alerts, traffic congestion information, temporary obstacles, etc. When these functions stop working, the estimated arrival time will also become less reliable.

* Radio-broadcast traffic alerts are not affected. You will still receive warnings via the radio, for example in the event of traffic accidents.

Volvo Cars USA has developed a replacement module that works with their local 4G network.

The European cars use a completely different technical system, and Volvo Cars Europe has chosen not to develop a corresponding upgrade.

Imported cars may have different hardware and are therefore affected in different ways. For example, a car from the USA may have an On Call module that works on 4G, while the same model in Europe uses 3G.

Even if certain imported cars have the hardware needed to continue functioning, the system will likely still be shut down no later than December 1, 2027, as Volvo has announced that all server communication for the older On Call systems will cease at that time.

No, Volvo Cars Europe has announced that they do not plan to offer any compensation or technical upgrades for the affected models.