Thanks to some folks at the Legacy forum I gathered enough information to attempt a DIY update to the head unit (TSB 15-205-16). This couldn't have come at a better time, since many of us can go on our holiday travels, have our GPS on, and not have Samantha or whatever other navigation voice you use interrupt our peaceful journey every few minutes.
Spoiler alert: I do have a navigation mute button on a May 2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R! Haven't had a chance to play with any other settings, so I don't know if this update screws anything up.
UPDATE: After a few weeks everything seems to work fine - no noticeable lag, zero's in info section of HU, or any other problems.
Disclaimer: If you decide to attempt this update on your own, I am not responsible for any damage you do to your vehicle, including, but not limited to, dead head unit, blown head gaskets, and excessive oil leaks and worn out wheel bearings. If you are not comfortable doing it on your own, take it to your dealer.
You may want to write down radio presets and other HU settings that you applied - the last step of the update is to clear the memory, which clears all of these settings.
Step1: Download and study the TSB 15-205-16 document. I know, the host website name is a bit suspicious, but a 20 page PDF does indeed exist there. I found this link on a Legacy forum here.
Step 2: Download update files from here
Step 3: Format two flash drives (2 or 4 Gb) to FAT32, and extract the files you downloaded in step 2 onto your flash drives. (Alternatively, if you don't have a collection of flash drives, like me, you can update your HU with 1st file, go back to your computer, reformat the drive, extract 2nd file, and then update your HU with 2nd file).
Update: It has been reported that 8Gb and 16Gb USB drives also work. Just make sure that your drive is formatted correctly and that the extracted files are in root directory, not inside a folder. If they are inside a folder, the USB drive will not be recognized by HU.
Important note: When I extracted 2nd file to flash drive, it created a folder with three update files. At first, the HU didn't recognize this (basically, OK button in the first picture of TSB document on p.18 never turned black). I reformatted the drive, extracted the files in a local computer folder, and then moved them onto flash drive without creating any folders. That worked for me, and the drive was recognized within a few seconds.
Step4: Follow instructions in the TSB document that you downloaded in "Step1" to apply the updates. I didn't have the suggested battery charger and my battery held up just fine during the update, which lasted less than 30 minutes.
Update: It seems that for most people it takes two attempts to install second update. You can, and should check the firmware version after update to make sure that all components have updated successfully. For units with Navigation, an obvious sign that your update failed is disappearance of the compass and directions from the instrument cluster, as well as zero's or dashes in vehicle monitor section on the HU.
Very Important Note: Whatever happens, do NOT look at the installation progress bar! It has been proven over and over again that those bars are the most shy things to ever exist and will stop moving the instant you look at them.
I didn't include any screenshots because TSB document has very clear installation instructions with screenshots included.
Good luck!
Spoiler alert: I do have a navigation mute button on a May 2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R! Haven't had a chance to play with any other settings, so I don't know if this update screws anything up.
UPDATE: After a few weeks everything seems to work fine - no noticeable lag, zero's in info section of HU, or any other problems.
Disclaimer: If you decide to attempt this update on your own, I am not responsible for any damage you do to your vehicle, including, but not limited to, dead head unit, blown head gaskets, and excessive oil leaks and worn out wheel bearings. If you are not comfortable doing it on your own, take it to your dealer.
You may want to write down radio presets and other HU settings that you applied - the last step of the update is to clear the memory, which clears all of these settings.
Step1: Download and study the TSB 15-205-16 document. I know, the host website name is a bit suspicious, but a 20 page PDF does indeed exist there. I found this link on a Legacy forum here.
Step 2: Download update files from here
Step 3: Format two flash drives (2 or 4 Gb) to FAT32, and extract the files you downloaded in step 2 onto your flash drives. (Alternatively, if you don't have a collection of flash drives, like me, you can update your HU with 1st file, go back to your computer, reformat the drive, extract 2nd file, and then update your HU with 2nd file).
Update: It has been reported that 8Gb and 16Gb USB drives also work. Just make sure that your drive is formatted correctly and that the extracted files are in root directory, not inside a folder. If they are inside a folder, the USB drive will not be recognized by HU.
Important note: When I extracted 2nd file to flash drive, it created a folder with three update files. At first, the HU didn't recognize this (basically, OK button in the first picture of TSB document on p.18 never turned black). I reformatted the drive, extracted the files in a local computer folder, and then moved them onto flash drive without creating any folders. That worked for me, and the drive was recognized within a few seconds.
Step4: Follow instructions in the TSB document that you downloaded in "Step1" to apply the updates. I didn't have the suggested battery charger and my battery held up just fine during the update, which lasted less than 30 minutes.
Update: It seems that for most people it takes two attempts to install second update. You can, and should check the firmware version after update to make sure that all components have updated successfully. For units with Navigation, an obvious sign that your update failed is disappearance of the compass and directions from the instrument cluster, as well as zero's or dashes in vehicle monitor section on the HU.
Very Important Note: Whatever happens, do NOT look at the installation progress bar! It has been proven over and over again that those bars are the most shy things to ever exist and will stop moving the instant you look at them.
I didn't include any screenshots because TSB document has very clear installation instructions with screenshots included.
Good luck!