It happens much less frequently than before. I swear my 2018 M3 in 2021 it was literally close to 1/4 of the time. 2022 MYP it's estimated closer to 1/5000. Today, I had both a fob and the phone key on me. Twice today, I walked up and sentry mode activated and I sat at the car with the door handle open for about 20 seconds before it actually opened. I'm curious, any idea why it happens?
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How often does walk-up unlock not work? Why does it happen?
- Thread starter DblOSmith
- Start date
I'd say it happens to me around 5-10x/month. Most of those are just mild occurrences where it does open within 10 seconds or so. But at least once or twice a month it's so bad that I have to get the key card out because I'm tired of waiting. Why does it happen? Not sure but this car is one of the glitchiest computer run items that I've ever owned.
smogne41
Active Member
When I first got my car a few years ago, the phone key was flawless for the first two weeks... worked 100% of the time. Then a software update came (and I installed it) and the very next morning my phone key didn't work... and only worked intermittently ever since.
I suspect the phone key feature is actually a lot more complicated than many would believe. Both the phone and the car have to continually "poll" for each other, and perhaps the car's polling interval was increased to save energy.
The app likely keeps track of the car's last known location and then uses your phone's location service to determine when you're moving close to the vehicle, then sends a signal over cell/WiFi to the vehicle to begin the Bluetooth pairing routine.
If any one of those things (Bluetooth / cell / WiFi / location services on phone) has a hiccup, so does your ability to walk up and open the door. Also, if your phone app isn't allowed to run in the background, that's an issue. Also, if you don't enable location service, that's an issue.
These are all just guesses, I don't have any knowledge about how Tesla implements this feature beyond just being a user, albeit a technical one.
I suspect the phone key feature is actually a lot more complicated than many would believe. Both the phone and the car have to continually "poll" for each other, and perhaps the car's polling interval was increased to save energy.
The app likely keeps track of the car's last known location and then uses your phone's location service to determine when you're moving close to the vehicle, then sends a signal over cell/WiFi to the vehicle to begin the Bluetooth pairing routine.
If any one of those things (Bluetooth / cell / WiFi / location services on phone) has a hiccup, so does your ability to walk up and open the door. Also, if your phone app isn't allowed to run in the background, that's an issue. Also, if you don't enable location service, that's an issue.
These are all just guesses, I don't have any knowledge about how Tesla implements this feature beyond just being a user, albeit a technical one.
For me, this happens quite frequently, and I think I figured it out. If my iPhone is locked, the doors will not open. Totally makes sense, it's like leaving your keys at a restaurant and some opportunist can unlock and start your car. Now imaging you left your phone somewhere; anyone can drive off in your Tesla. This is basically a security issue, only an unlocked phone will open the doors. I have Face ID, so I just need to briefly look at the screen and the doors unlock.
That is not it. It definitely unlocks from a locked phone. What you say makes sense in a way, but it completely defeats the purpose. The point is to be able to walkup to your car and enter hands free. If I'm reaching into my pocket to unlock my phone, I might as well reach into my pocket to hit a button on a key fob. If fact, that's more inconvenient since you can hit a fob while still in your pocket instead of grabbing a phone and holding it to your face or searching for a finger print reader position.
fholbert
Active Member
Only (but not always) when my phone is in my back pocket. I have to turn around a twerk the car a couple of times. I call it the Tesla Twerk.
Hope no one calls the cops.
Hope no one calls the cops.
You should dig on these forums for this... it's likely a setting. The Tesla app likely needs some special permission to run in the background.
smogne41
Active Member
The key(card) is NFC, the phone-as-key key is bluetooth, they are not interfering. Mine are always in the same pocket and phone-as-key works for me >90% of the time. If you are talking about the (optional) FOB then perhaps, but even then I don't buy it.
LadyOnikara
Member
My mom has this problem more than I do. She has an iPhone, I have Android. My phone seems to have stronger bluetooth in general. Our pickup can play songs from my phone when the phone is in my room and the pickup is halfway down the driveway. (My phone is older than hers too.)
Activating, then deactivating airplane mode on the phone almost always unlocks the car.
Often, but not always, deactivating, then activating Bluetooth also unlocks the car.
Sometimes just opening the Tesla app unlocks the car.
Often waiting for up to 30 s unlocks the car.
Using the lock symbol in the Tesla app can always unlock the car. This uses an internet connection, rather than Bluetooth. But I cannot remember any case where this was necessary.
Often, but not always, deactivating, then activating Bluetooth also unlocks the car.
Sometimes just opening the Tesla app unlocks the car.
Often waiting for up to 30 s unlocks the car.
Using the lock symbol in the Tesla app can always unlock the car. This uses an internet connection, rather than Bluetooth. But I cannot remember any case where this was necessary.
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This is definitely incorrect.
For me, I believe it happens about 25% of the time, with one exception that is nearly 100%:
If I've just gotten out of the car, and closed all the doors, then it has a very impatient timer even if I'm right next to the driver's door, where it locks (beeps, mirrors fold). Then it stays locked even if I try to open the door. I think this is unrelated to the main bug, I think this is all about it being bad at determining proximity, and "solving" that problem with paranoia.
One thing I have figured out is that it is not necessary to do anything at all with the phone, and it does not necessarily have anything to do with how long you wait. Both of those things *can* get its attention, even if I don't do any of that, trying to open other doors usually nudges it into attentiveness. Sometimes I have to go back & forth between front & rear driver's side. Occasionally I have to try one on the other side. Most of the time, just one pull on the other door that's on the same side I'm already on will get its attention, and then it will unlock (mirrors will unfold), and then the door I want to use will work the next time I try it.
I also think there is something else going on besides "complications with the phone" because I bought a fob precisely due to the fact that this issue was so bad for me. The same thing happens with the fob, virtually no difference.
My best guess is that this is a hack that a BMW lover snuck into the code to embarrass Tesla for not having the "wave foot under car to unlock" feature. I'm fairly certain of this b/c it almost never happens when I have a free hand, and it almost always happens when I have an armload full of stuff and can barely free up three fingers without dropping everything. Obviously the cameras are analyzing the level of inconvenience I'll experience by it not working first try
In all seriousness, I've heard the theory about enabling background processing for the app. I've had that enabled for years (2020 MYP) and it has never made a difference.
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