Auto phone key not working

[Stevewaclo]

My key fob and my wife’s new iPhone have become profile swapped and we both need to tap the screen to select our settings. Also, she now has to use her key card to get in and her walk away lock function doesn’t work. Mercifully, we’ll be near our SC tomorrow, so I’m optimistic our salesman can put things right. Right now this Homer Simpson quote comes to mind:

 

[vogz]

Recently having this issue after almost 3 year of zero issues. Phone key only works to unlock the car about 20% of the time. The rest of the time I have to open the app on the phone (I never force quiet the app and it has all the permissions). I removed the phone key permissions in the car. Deleted the app on the phone. Re-installed it, logged back in and added phone key again and still had issues. This was with an iPhone 12 mini that I'd had for 2 years. I recently upgraded my phone to a 13 mini and still having the same issue of the car not unlocking when I walk up to it 80% of the time. The weird thing is if I walk to the back of the car to open the trunk, it will open right up.

 

[Transformer]

Recently having this issue after almost 3 year of zero issues. Phone key only works to unlock the car about 20% of the time. The rest of the time I have to open the app on the phone ... The weird thing is if I walk to the back of the car to open the trunk, it will open right up.

Does it unlock reliably if you walk up to the passenger door? Maybe there's a hardware problem with your driver's side bluetooth receiver.

 

[Pepar]

Ditto here, vogz. My issues started recently. I can open the trunk/frunk but the effin mirrors stay folded the the doors locked. Unlocking used to be instantaneous on approaching the car ... before my hand hit the handle. Now its like 20 questions.

 

[vogz]

Does it unlock reliably if you walk up to the passenger door? Maybe there's a hardware problem with your driver's side bluetooth receiver.

I'm not sure. Will have to try that out.

 

[vogz]

So, I'm trying something new. I removed the phone key AND deleted my bluetooth connection (for audio/texts/etc) from the car AND from my phone. I then re-paired everything and so far it's working. Fingers crossed that this continues.

 

[Pepar]

Any of you use MS Windows? Ever have an update break something that had been working trouble-free fuh-evuh?

I think I will try vogz' process .. and then reboot the car .. and then re-pair.

 

[Triple888]

I un-installed Tesla app, and installed it, then paired phone key, now it is working fine.

 

[kamkam]

I'm having with the iPhone app / key system.

I can do all the on screen stuff like unlock the car, trunks, summon.

But I can't walk / leave car and it will auto open / lock on its own. And forced to always use black key card to start the car (so it drives). Can't just have the phone on and it detects its presence.

I don't understand how the app can work like all the buttons can work in the app, but the bluetooth proximity feature won't.

Hey,

So I recently found the solution which is extremely inconvenient...you have to put your phone where you would put the key card to start the car

 

[vogz]

Just to update. I took my car in today for the key issue. In addition to my phone key only working properly about 20% of the time, my key car would no longer unlock or lock the doors when help up to the B-pillar. Though it would start the car without issue. We'll see what Tesla comes up with.

 

[comanchepilot]

The phone retains info from apps - delete the app.

Turn Off the phone.

Wait at least a minute.

Turn the phone back on.

Reload the app.

Go sit in the car and THEN log in.

PAIR THE PHONE AS A KEY. It is a different step from simply BT pairing for phone /music use.

 

[vogz]

Tesla replaced the BT receiver in my b-pillar and all is well. Didn't even have to delete app or log out. Just needed to delete and re-pair my phone key.

The thing that really convinced me that it was the car and not my phone (after going through a phone replacement and deleting and re-installing app, etc) was that my key card wouldn't unlock the doors either. It would start the car without a problem but when I held it up to the b-pillar....nothing.

 

[Joseph H]

I had to uninstall the Tesla app then reinstall from the App Store. Found it right away

 

[MikeRTX]

My phone strangely stopped allowing the car to be driven yesterday. The app even showed "Phone Key Connected", yet it still gave me a popup telling me to place the key card on the console before I could drive. But I've been monkeying with the phone and the app this morning and suddenly it's working again. Not sure what I did. Lol.

 

[eduardo.UY]

My Android phone ceased to work as key on my Tesla Y. Additionally, "key setup" disappeared from the Mobile App.
After a lot of frustration I did two things that together solved the problem.
1. Remove my phone from "keys" under Controls/lock in the main car screen.
2. uninstall and reinstall the Tesla Mobile App in my phone.
After reinstalling, "key setup" appeared again in my App screen, which allowed me to set up the phone as key. Problem solved.

 

[Lotta Fun]

Key card quit starting my car for the first time. After driving around all morning with my key card and restarting everything. Nothing worked. Then I closed out all my apps and opened the Tesla app and now it works. hurrah for now.

 

[ecarfan]

For the past week or more both my wife and I have had the same issue with our 2018 Model 3; the car does not automatically unlock when we approach it with our iPhone 13 (we both have had that phone model for two years) nor does it automatically lock when we exit the car and walk away. Until now we have not had this issue over the 5+ years we have owned the car.

So we have to either use our key cards to open and start the car (no problem there) or open the Tesla app and use it to unlock and start the car (no problem doing that either). But in 5+ years of owning the car we’ve never had to do that before.

In our Tesla apps, Phone Key has always been turned on. In the car, Walk Away Door Lock is on (It always has been, never changed it).

We are on Tesla app version 4.28.1

Car is on 2023.44.30.5.1 but the issue started when it was on 203.44.30. Searching TMC I don’t find reports of those versions causing the issue I’m having.

On our phones, in the Tesla App Settings, Bluetooth is turned on. Our phones connect to a variety of Bluetooth devices we own. So no issues with Bluetooth on our phones. Not using a VPN.

In our garage, the Model 3 and our phones are connected to WiFi (our garage is two stories underground, no cell service) and I know the WiFi is connected to the internet; 6 stories up in our condo I can see the cars using the Tesla app and while in the garage we have internet access on our phones because they are connected to WiFi.

At this point I suppose the next step is to delete the Tesla app, reinstall, and set up Phone Key again. But it seems odd that both our phones are having the same issue. It seems more likely the issue is with the car.

 

[Toyota2T3sla]

I've noticed if I have both Tesie and Tesla app setup for Bluetooth pairing, they conflict and these issues happen. Ever since using Tesla app only as BT, no issues.

 

[ecarfan]

I've noticed if I have both Tesie and Tesla app setup for Bluetooth pairing, they conflict and these issues happen. Ever since using Tesla app only as BT, no issues.

Thanks, but the official Tesla app is the only one I have or have ever used.

 

[Transformer]

At this point I suppose the next step is to delete the Tesla app, reinstall, and set up Phone Key again. But it seems odd that both our phones are having the same issue. It seems more likely the issue is with the car.

Suggestion: First do a scroll wheel reboot, then check all of the car's configuration settings related to keys and phone keys. (This is because of past reports of software updates ending in a bad state or losing some configuration settings. I've not seen recent reports like that, but I still reboot the car after every update.)

If that doesn't fix it, I'd delete and re-add the phone keys in the car's settings. (Once I had to delete a phone key, which didn't fully delete it, then delete again, then add it back. That fixed the problems with that key.)

If that doesn't fix it, maybe try standing near the car and turning your phone's Bluetooth off & back on.

Then go ahead and uninstall & reinstall the phone app.

If you walk up to the locked car, will the trunk unlock & open? (It's a different Bluetooth antenna at the rear.)