Trying to Jumpstart the Rivian 12V System Using Schumacher Portable Jumper

Rivian Mom · 2025-05-15T14:45:12+00:00

I've been using my phone's hotspot for months, and my Rivian connects to it automatically to run TuneIn and Spotify through the built-in apps on the main display. To be clear, this wasn’t Bluetooth streaming but actual phone data, and the apps worked perfectly without any issues. In Monday for the first time, I saw a Connect+ message pop up, even though the truck was linked to my phone’s data. I can still stream from my phone using Bluetooth, but the sound quality and user experience weren’t as good. This issue started between over-the-air software updates, though it might be tied to a specific date in the system. I tried a soft reset, but nothing changed. Has anyone heard if Rivian changed their policy on this? I remember Connect+ used to mention it provided "data" for streaming apps, suggesting you could use your own data instead. Now, it seems like you need Connect+ just to access the apps at all. I was surprised they allowed phone hotspots to work before, so this might be a deliberate change. I’m okay with paying for Connect+ if this isn’t just a temporary glitch. Any insights would be appreciated.

Rivian Mom

Active Wheeler

Jan 4, 2025

I just posted an article about wanting to replace my 12V battery proactively so as to avoid issues like this. A friend was trying to jumpstart his 12V system on his R1T. There was no issues hooking up to the primary battery but after a few hours and no luck he wanted to try the secondary. After opening the frunk compartment he saw the following.

With no clearly marked negative side indicator. He also saw another thread with a video where a similar looking unit was claimed to be a capacitor (not a battery).

He used a Schumacher portable jumper and it’s was on the 30A setting. After a bit of fluctuations between 3-5v, tends to resolve on 12v as shown in the image. So, is seemed to indicate that it was charged but I don't think he knows cause he recently just bought the Schumacher system.

One tip I've learned so far was, If the left unit's passenger-side terminal is black (negative), then it is an earlier build with dual 12V batteries. If it instead has a red (positive) connection there, then it is a newer build with a single 12V battery (capacitor on the left, 12V battery on the right / driver's side).

You must log in or register to reply here.