Auto-launching Tesla app on Android

[srs5694]

I recently upgraded my phone from a OnePlus 5t running Android 10 (PixelExperience 10, to be precise) to a Google Pixel 6 Pro running its stock Android 12. For the most part, this has been fine, but I'm having one problem that's driving me batty: The Tesla app won't automatically launch once the phone restarts. This renders the phone-as-key functionality dead until I manually launch the app. My OnePlus 5t would auto-launch the Tesla app (it would often take a minute or so, but it would launch). I've checked numerous settings on the phone, and I've done Web searches to try to find an answer, to no avail. (Some Web searches claim to have solutions, but they refer to old versions of Android and don't work with my phone's Android 12.) Once I manually launch the app, it works fine, but it's annoying to have to do this, and I sometimes forget or become distracted between beginning a reboot and the phone starting up again. Does anybody have suggestions for how to fix this?

 

[Marty3SR+]

I thought at first you must have some setting wrong because I've never noticed a problem, but having lots of experience with embarrassing myself, I restarted my phone, and sure enough, it didn't work. However, it used to, and not that long ago.

I used to always see the Tesla notification icon when I first started the phone, and so I knew it was running. But a few weeks ago, I disabled the notification for "Phone Key Status", which made that icon disappear*. So I'm not sure when this change happened, and whether is was a Tesla app update or an Android update. But I just tested, and if I enable that notification, I see it as soon as I first run the app.

The workaround is to quickly run the app after a restart; you can immediately close it, but the notification icon should still be visible, assuming you have it enabled.

*Note. The reason I disabled this notification is that (currently, at least), if you show notifications, often the Tesla notification has a few controls showing, like unlock, front trunk, rear trunk. If you accidentally press the front trunk, it will immediately open with no warning, and there is no way to undo this if the car is not at your location. The app itself will warn you, but not this icon. It's possible to inadvertently press one of these buttons without even realizing it.

Edit: If you really need to automate this, I believe you'd need to use MacroDroid or Tasker if you have one of them. There are apps for autostarting in the app store, but I've never used one, and I'm not sure if they are reliable.

 

[Supcom]

It may be possible to use a utility app, like Tasker, to launch the Tesla app on startup.

 

[srs5694]

FWIW, I just checked, and both my old OnePlus 5t running Android 10 (which I've kept as a backup phone) and my new Pixel 6 Pro with Android 12 are running version 4.9.0-1051 of the Tesla app. It launches fine a minute or so after booting the OnePlus 5t, but not on the Pixel 6 Pro. Thus, I don't think it's a bug in the Tesla app, unless maybe it's specific to particular Android versions. It could be a bug in Android, though.

 

[srs5694]

It may be possible to use a utility app, like Tasker, to launch the Tesla app on startup.

I've thought of that, but I prefer to avoid adding yet another app to my phone. (I don't currently use Tasker or anything similar.) I might relent if I can't find another solution -- or I might just live with it, since I don't reboot the phone all that often, and I can usually remember to manually launch the Tesla app when I do. It's just a nuisance when I forget to do so.

 

[Supcom]

I've thought of that, but I prefer to avoid adding yet another app to my phone. (I don't currently use Tasker or anything similar.) I might relent if I can't find another solution -- or I might just live with it, since I don't reboot the phone all that often, and I can usually remember to manually launch the Tesla app when I do. It's just a nuisance when I forget to do so.

Tasker, combined with the Bolt tasker plugin, appears also to give you a mechanism to automate many Tesla remote control functions with more flexibility than the Tesla app provides. I've not used this plugin, but I've used Tasker on and off over the years and found it to be a very capable addition to Android.

 

[MrSpock]

FWIW, I just checked, and both my old OnePlus 5t running Android 10 (which I've kept as a backup phone) and my new Pixel 6 Pro with Android 12 are running version 4.9.0-1051 of the Tesla app. It launches fine a minute or so after booting the OnePlus 5t, but not on the Pixel 6 Pro. Thus, I don't think it's a bug in the Tesla app, unless maybe it's specific to particular Android versions. It could be a bug in Android, though.

My Galaxy S8 had been launching the Tesla app at startup with no problem -- until about 10 days ago. Around that time both the Tesla App and my phone software both updated. I'm not sure which update caused the problem, but now I need to manually launch Tesla before my phone will work as a key. This is very annoying.

 

[kleinja]

My Galaxy S8 had been launching the Tesla app at startup with no problem -- until about 10 days ago. Around that time both the Tesla App and my phone software both updated. I'm not sure which update caused the problem, but now I need to manually launch Tesla before my phone will work as a key. This is very annoying.

I'm thinking it was a change to the Tesla app. I noticed this last week or earlier this week. I updated my phone today, but it has been at least a month before I updated Android last.

Really annoying the couple times this has happened to me. I think for now I'm going to integrate tasker to launch the app on boot. If anyone is interested, I can share the profile

 

[srs5694]

I'm thinking it was a change to the Tesla app. I noticed this last week or earlier this week. I updated my phone today, but it has been at least a month before I updated Android last.

As I noted earlier, the latest version of the Tesla app (it's now updated to version 4.9.1-1067) auto-launches fine on my OnePlus 5t running Android 10, but the same version does not auto-launch on my Pixel 6 Pro running Android 12. Thus, to me it looks more like an Android version problem than a Tesla app problem; however, it could be that there is a bug in the Tesla app that manifests in Android 12 but not in Android 10, or manifests because of some other difference between these phones.

 

[kleinja]

As I noted earlier, the latest version of the Tesla app (it's now updated to version 4.9.1-1067) auto-launches fine on my OnePlus 5t running Android 10, but the same version does not auto-launch on my Pixel 6 Pro running Android 12. Thus, to me it looks more like an Android version problem than a Tesla app problem; however, it could be that there is a bug in the Tesla app that manifests in Android 12 but not in Android 10, or manifests because of some other difference between these phones.

Good observation, I assume it is a combo of the Tesla app running on Android 12. I just wanted to note that once I noticed the app wasn't launching on boot it wasn't due to a recent SW update on my phone. Hopefully it will get sorted out fairly frequently.

In the meantime, I worked up a solution to Tasker to auto launch the Tesla app, wait a couple seconds, then go back to the home screen once the phone has booted (and I assume once you have unlocked it after boot). If anyone wants me to share, let me know and I can share the Tasker code.

 

[Rtmpaul]

The problem is more likely to be a settings issue. My Pixel 6 running Android 12 and (currently) Tesla app version 4.9.0-1051 almost always works as a key without having to do anything special to start the app. Rarely, the key function won't work and manually opening the app seems to help but as I said that is rare. Do a long press on the app icon and look at the app info. Under permissions, I have listed as 'Allowed': Calendar, Files and media, Location, Microphone and Nearby devices. Perhaps you don't have one of those set. Or perhaps you have some other general security setting that is blocking the app from always being available in the background.

 

[srs5694]

The problem is more likely to be a settings issue. My Pixel 6 running Android 12 and (currently) Tesla app version 4.9.0-1051 almost always works as a key without having to do anything special to start the app. Rarely, the key function won't work and manually opening the app seems to help but as I said that is rare. Do a long press on the app icon and look at the app info. Under permissions, I have listed as 'Allowed': Calendar, Files and media, Location, Microphone and Nearby devices. Perhaps you don't have one of those set.

I tried enabling all of those with no change; it still fails to start when the phone is reset.

Or perhaps you have some other general security setting that is blocking the app from always being available in the background.

That's entirely possible, but if so I have no clue what it might be. Reports from others in this thread that they're seeing similar problems when they used to not have issues makes me think that it's a bug rather than a settings issue, but of course that could be an incorrect conclusion.

 

[spokey]

I have the same problem with Pixel3 on andoid 12. Worked until recently. What's weird is I also have a Samsung TabS7, also on Android 12. It still shows up after a minute or 2. Both are on 4.9.1-1067-xxxxxxx. Both Andriod SP1A.210812.016.<now different>

The problem is more likely to be a settings issue. My Pixel 6 running Android 12 and (currently) Tesla app version 4.9.0-1051 almost always works as a key without having to do anything special to start the app. Rarely, the key function won't work and manually opening the app seems to help but as I said that is rare. Do a long press on the app icon and look at the app info. Under permissions, I have listed as 'Allowed': Calendar, Files and media, Location, Microphone and Nearby devices. Perhaps you don't have one of those set. Or perhaps you have some other general security setting that is blocking the app from always being available in the background.

I don't have those set on the phone or the tablet. The phone has the problem and the tablet does not. They have the same permissions except the tablet (which works) doesn't have location because that mucks up the phones google location sharing I have with the kids.

 

[94874]

Any success on this? I'm now having the same issue as of a few days ago despite no changes initiated by me. Notifications still set to urgent, phone key status set to high. Even just tried switching "modify system settings" to yes. All permissions granted except camera. Android 8 on an LG G7 thinq.

 

[spokey]

None here. I put it in developer mode which shows a lot more permissions although I don't know how to modify those. At any rate, one is called Load at Startup or some similarly obvious (to me at least) permission that should do this and it doesn't. I believe I have allowed everything permission I can.

Weird thing is my phone is a Google Pixel3 and my tablet is a Samsung TabS7. Both are on the same build up until the last set of digits and the tablet still works.

 

[srs5694]

I've had no progress on this; the Tesla app is still failing to launch when I reboot the phone. My phone did a system update about a week ago, and that didn't help. I'm now running version 4.9.2-1087 of the Tesla app, and it's no help compared to earlier versions.

 

[spokey]

Until recently my tablet was working but not the phone. The tablet has now stopped working. I don't think any android updates but I did update the tesla app to 4.9.2-1087 (phone already there). Don't think that has anything to do with it though. I'm pretty sure both were on 4.9.1-1067 when the tablet worked and the phone did not.

 

[SnowTauren]

I've setup my S8 to restart every night, having the same problem, recently the app doesn't auto start.

 

[srs5694]

FWIW, it's now stopped auto-launching on my OnePlus 5t running Android 10. It had been working fine on this phone, so the problem is getting worse, not better.

 

[GtiMart]

Unless you reboot your devices often, it shouldn't be that big of a problem? If you update the application, it stops the app and doesn't restart it anyway. In both cases, launching it once manually solves it. You might also want to look at Tasker to automate things like that.