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TomTom update: any idea why?

Journal by Gaaark

I just got this email:

"Your satnav has always been there to guide you, now it needs your help. There is an issue that may impact the functionality of your satnav and requires your attention before 6 April 2019.
Please take a moment to check its status and learn if it will be impacted."

It is TomTom.
Does anyone have an idea why this update is needed? I'm worried it may 'update' a forced retirement on my wife's TomTom (it is getting rather old).

Why April 6?

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The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 03 2019, @04:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 03 2019, @04:45PM (#809451)

    Or something like that. Some variable or other overflows on that date, and the update fixes it.

    There was an article about it here not long ago (may've been on the green site).

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Sunday March 03 2019, @06:14PM

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Sunday March 03 2019, @06:14PM (#809484) Homepage Journal

    https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/updates/ [tomtom.com]

    On 6 April 2019, the GPS Week Number Rollover may impact your satnav. We are here to help you check and guide you through next steps. Get started below.

    Apparently similar to Y2K, or the Unix dating thing. You'll have to visit that site, and input the serial number of your tom device to learn whether your device is vulnerable.

    Explanation of the date problem here https://www.tomtom.com/en_gb/updates/#promo-footer [tomtom.com]

    The GPS Week Number Rollover (WNRO) occurs every 19 years, with the next roll over taking place on 6 April 2019. Similar to odometers in older cars rolling over from 99,999 km to 0, the GPS WNRO is the resetting of the GPS calendar back to 0.

    When the calendar resets, it can cause a miscommunication between GPS satellites and GPS receiver chips. As a result, some chips in satnavs will lose the ability to process certain functions.

    What does this mean for you? It’s time to check your satnav. Depending on your device, you may need to update or upgrade.

    --
    Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 03 2019, @09:08PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 03 2019, @09:08PM (#809540)

    You dump TomTom (I did) and instead use OsmAnd on your smartphone:

    https://f-droid.org/en/packages/net.osmand.plus/ [f-droid.org]

    I actually looked at one of their newer models (the ones based on android tablets). It is just the shitty androd app on a single purpose android tablet. The UI was flatly awful - so back it went, and TomTom's now on my "will not buy from again" list.

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