How well does phone key work compared to the old key fob?

[cstromme]

We're waiting for a new X to replace our old 2016 X, and I'm honestly kinda excited about the phone key functionality, but have a few questions:
- How well does it work compared to the old key fob? Is it as reliable to unlock? Or do you find yourself having to open the app? We both have iPhones here if that makes any difference.
- Is the unlock distance shorter than the key fob? We have our car parked right outside our kitchen window, which means that we've had to get into the habit of taking the key fob out of our pockets when coming home to avoid the car blinking every time we walked past that window. Will this be a problem with the phone key?

 

[jboy210]

We're waiting for a new X to replace our old 2016 X, and I'm honestly kinda excited about the phone key functionality, but have a few questions:
- How well does it work compared to the old key fob? Is it as reliable to unlock? Or do you find yourself having to open the app? We both have iPhones here if that makes any difference.
- Is the unlock distance shorter than the key fob? We have our car parked right outside our kitchen window, which means that we've had to get into the habit of taking the key fob out of our pockets when coming home to avoid the car blinking every time we walked past that window. Will this be a problem with the phone key?

No idea about this. But I am also very curious what happens when you walk a few feet away because many carry their phones all the time. I imagine this might have an impact on SOC while the car is parked since it wakes up the car.

We also have a fob and keep it a drawer 20 feet from the car. I have thought about switching over to my phone, but my office is directly above the garage and was concerned it would wake up or prevent the car 6 feet below from sleeping and create a phantom power drain.

 

[GoVols!]

When I get my MX, one of the first things I do is download the $20 iwatch app. This way I won’t even need to take my iPhone on my runs, swimming, SUP boarding.

 

[DCGOO]

We're waiting for a new X to replace our old 2016 X, and I'm honestly kinda excited about the phone key functionality, but have a few questions:
- How well does it work compared to the old key fob? Is it as reliable to unlock? Or do you find yourself having to open the app? We both have iPhones here if that makes any difference.
- Is the unlock distance shorter than the key fob? We have our car parked right outside our kitchen window, which means that we've had to get into the habit of taking the key fob out of our pockets when coming home to avoid the car blinking every time we walked past that window. Will this be a problem with the phone key?

First of all, new cars no longer come with key fobs, so your question may be moot. You may be able to buy one or more when you pick up the vehicle, but stock is not guaranteed. $175 each. Your smartphone, logged in to the app, is the primary key. Tesla will make sure that works before you leave the store. You can setup the cards and any fobs you bought after you get home. Back in June 2022 when I picked up my car, they were including fobs at delivery, so I have two. But they are very rarely used because the phone app works so well. The only time I ever carry the fob, is if I remember to grab it when I know somebody else will need to move the car, very rare in my case.

I cannot say that I ever compared the range of the fob to my iPhone, but both are more than adequate. One advantage the phone has is, it can work with with more than one vehicle at a time. The fob is limited to a single vehicle at a time. You also can now program the car to ignore automatic unlock and door open at home.

There are a few things the phone app is not as good at, like opening the doors on approach, or particularly the front trunk. Opening your phone, navigating to the app, and touching the frunk button is a pain. But hardly ever worth the hassle of carrying around an extra device in my pocket.

The only thing to remember is to set location services for the Tesla app, to Always On, which is not the default on an iPhone. If you leave it set to its default (While Using) it will not work correctly.

 

[BPeter]

It's not as reliable or as accurate, but the convenience of not carrying a fob is worth it for me. My new S auto-presenting handles only auto-present about half the time with my phone key but my old S worked >99% of the time. Just pressing the handle wakes it up and presents them though.

 

[preilly44]

My phone has worked very well on our 2020 Y, 2022 Ys and now 2023 X. When it doesn't work well, it's usually an issue with the phone (mainly putting the Tesla app to sleep or deep sleep (or location services are turned off).

 

[Shuttlecraft X]

I lived 5 years with my M3 and used my phone (the last one being a Samsung Note 20) as my key and now I have the fob on my MX. I'm actually enjoying the fob because now I don't have to worry about my phone updating and the car not unlocking for some reason or being prompted to use my keycard every few months. I also find that starting summon to back the car out of the garage is 100% reliable with the fob when, with my phone, summon would "fail" about 1/3 of the time with no explanation.

I'm curious about folks that have a new MX and if the self-presenting doors work the same with your phone as with the fob. With the fob the car seems to know which side of the car I'm on or if I am walking from front to back or back to front. It could be all in my head but if I'm working on the passenger side of the MX the driver door stays closed and then as I walk to the back and then begin walking to the driver door it opens. Does using your phone as the key work the same way?

 

[preilly44]

I lived 5 years with my M3 and used my phone (the last one being a Samsung Note 20) as my key and now I have the fob on my MX. I'm actually enjoying the fob because now I don't have to worry about my phone updating and the car not unlocking for some reason or being prompted to use my keycard every few months. I also find that starting summon to back the car out of the garage is 100% reliable with the fob when, with my phone, summon would "fail" about 1/3 of the time with no explanation.

I'm curious about folks that have a new MX and if the self-presenting doors work the same with your phone as with the fob. With the fob the car seems to know which side of the car I'm on or if I am walking from front to back or back to front. It could be all in my head but if I'm working on the passenger side of the MX the driver door stays closed and then as I walk to the back and then begin walking to the driver door it opens. Does using your phone as the key work the same way?

My self presenting doors work well with my phone, but it's a '23 and they only open about 6". Hopefully that will change with a SW update.

 

[Shuttlecraft X]

My self presenting doors work well with my phone, but it's a '23 and they only open about 6". Hopefully that will change with a SW update.

Got ya. Because of the lack of USS, right? I didn't even think of that. Good to hear they open the same with the phone as with the fob.

 

[JBT66]

I really miss phone as key. I had a a 3 and Y previously and upgraded to a 2020 X and no longer have phone as key. The fob is super annoying. It’s not much of change for my wife though she’s got it in her purse.

 

[RNHurt]

I really miss phone as key. I had a a 3 and Y previously and upgraded to a 2020 X and no longer have phone as key. The fob is super annoying. It’s not much of change for my wife though she’s got it in her purse.

I'm in that exact same boat now. Just got my 2020 MX yesterday and am going to sell my 2020 MY soon.

One of the things I loved about the MY was that I could just carry my phone around (which I'm going to do anyway) and not have to worry about any sort of "key". Now that I switching to an "older" MX I have to carry this key (fob) around with me all the time. I know it's pretty sleek and small and works really reliably, but it's just one more thing in my pocket. And it doesn't even have a key-ring so that I can attach anything else to it.

Oh well. Before I got the MY I drove an Audi A4 which had a similar shaped key. I guess I'm just going to be moving backward a bit with my "new" car.

 

[E90alex]

Phone key is better for convenience if you don’t like carrying keys, but worse as a key system.

Legacy S/X fobs worked like any other brand keyless fob and the fob had to be in the car to start it.

Phone keys have longer working distance than the old fobs or even the new Bluetooth fobs. Bluetooth cannot tell where a phone/fob is, only that it’s “close enough” to allow unlock and start. You can leave your phone on a shelf in the garage 3-5 feet away and it’s still possible to unlock, start, drive away without the phone.

 

[uscbucsfan]

The phone is way better. I only use my fobs for valet, because they ALWAYS drop the keycard between the charger and the center console...you have to floor it to get it back.

 

[phsoccer]

My '22 X came with a fob, but I've never used it other than the initial test. I carry the credit card size key for emergencies in case the car does not want to recognize my iPhone. This has only happened once and it recognized the iPhone when I got in the car. With one of the recent updates I've noticed that it does not always recognize my iPhone in my pocket, so sometimes I need to lift it out of my pocket and the car immediately opens. I think one of the updates shortened the effective range for some reason.

 

[Smh2210]

When I get my MX, one of the first things I do is download the $20 iwatch app. This way I won’t even need to take my iPhone on my runs, swimming, SUP boarding.

Hi What Apple Watch App are you liking, I need to get for same reasons as you. TIA

 

[DCGOO]

Hi What Apple Watch App are you liking, I need to get for same reasons as you. TIA

I believe the one he is referring to is called "Watch for Tesla." Search for it in the iOS App Store. The iPhone app, must be installed on your iPhone, along side the Tesla App. It should work with Model 3, Y and Refresh'd X and S. It will NOT work on legacy X or S (legacy models do not have Bluetooth support for a Key).

Once it is set up, your Apple Watch operates as a key that can be added to the vehicle in Settings-> Locks. You can then leave your phone at home. Works great for me.

 

[Barmats]

We're waiting for a new X to replace our old 2016 X, and I'm honestly kinda excited about the phone key functionality, but have a few questions:
- How well does it work compared to the old key fob? Is it as reliable to unlock? Or do you find yourself having to open the app? We both have iPhones here if that makes any difference.
- Is the unlock distance shorter than the key fob? We have our car parked right outside our kitchen window, which means that we've had to get into the habit of taking the key fob out of our pockets when coming home to avoid the car blinking every time we walked past that window. Will this be a problem with the phone key?

I own a 2023 MS LR which has only the phone key. It's my first Tesla so I've never owned one with a key fob. The phone key has worked reliably and consistently every time, and it's a great convenience. Initially, I discovered that every time I'd walk by the car in the garage it would lock and unlock the doors, so I configured the Home location and disabled this function there. I also disabled Sentry Mode at the Home location in my garage. It's nice that these exceptions are automatic based on location.

I also have a BMW iX, and ended up disabling phone key functionality. I had been using it and really liked it, but there was one time it did not work. Fortunately, it was in my garage rather than at a remote location where I didn't have the key, but it made me nervous about being stranded somewhere. I've never had a problem using phone key on the Tesla. As a backup, my wife has the Tesla app on her phone, too.

 

[Smh2210]

I traded my 2020 X for a 2023 X. I miss the self presenting doors, where if you had your hands full door fully opens. They removed this feature and now the door cracks open only inches. Then when you push to get out or pull to get in, it fights you a bit which is very annoying. I had the same problem with the fob being too close to the car, with the phone key, it only opens if I walk past the car in the garage as example. What else would you like to know comparing old X to new X?

 

[RNHurt]

I traded my 2020 X for a 2023 X. I miss the self presenting doors, where if you had your hands full door fully opens. They removed this feature and now the door cracks open only inches. Then when you push to get out or pull to get in, it fights you a bit which is very annoying.

I think the self presenting doors problem on the new S/X is due to software issues. It's my understanding that the doors are designed to act like the legacy doors (fully open) but that Tesla removed some of the ultrasonic sensors and is now relying completely on the cameras. And since they don't have the camera software working perfectly it doesn't open the doors fully for fear of hitting something. Once they get that figured out the doors should fully present again, just like in the legacy models. Hopefully!

 

[E90alex]

Once they get that figured out the doors should fully present again, just like in the legacy models. Hopefully!

Don’t get your hopes up on that. They may never function like the old doors again.