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Iphone 12 won't unlock my Model 3 but does auto lock on walk away.

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zr12708

New Member
Oct 14, 2021
1
0
UK
I have just been delivered a model 3 and have phone key installed. I am able to control the car from the app (lock and unlock, climate, driving etc) and automatic lock when I walk away from the vehicle works. The car doesn't however unlock when I walk up to it. I have to manually unlock it from my phone every time. Does anyone know why this issue is occurring? I have an iPhone 12 and Model 3 with the latest updates.

I have tried deleting the key, reinstalling the app and bluetooth and location is 'always on' and the app is running in the background (not force closed).
 
I have a 2019 M3 with v10.2 (2021.32.21) and a new iPhone 12 with 14.4.1. This is my wife's commuter car, and (tragically) I only drive it 5% of the time. Since I got the new phone a month ago, I was able to unlock the car with the app, but not drive it. The car recognized the phone because the app and my settings migrated from the old phone via iCloud, but that was it. I had the car "forget" the Bluetooth settings of that phone and that did nothing, and then I reset the Bluetooth connection (twice) but that did nothing. I did the steering-wheel-two-button screen reset, and I shut down and rebooted my phone, and that did nothing. Came here for more answers.
Ten minutes later I went out and the phone key was working, without me having done anything new. I could get in the car and drive it, and when I walked away it would lock itself, but it wouldn't enact my driver profile and I had to tap my name on the screen so I could override my wife's shrimpy-little-leg setting so I would fit behind the wheel. So I'm 90% of the way there, but would love to have the driver profile recognized.
On another thread (Auto phone key not working) I saw the comment:

"Delete the phone as key from your car and set it up again. Note, its not the same bluetooth setup as pairing for music."

How do I do that? I don't want to delete all my drivers settings- seat/mirrors, etc... TIA!
 
I just got my MY this week. The first day it opened and locked just normal, but since then it will only lock as I walk away, but it will not unlock while I'm standing outside the car with the phone in my hand. I have an iphone 12 pro and all the settings are the way they should. :(
I also tried resetting the screen but that didn't do anything.
 
This seems odd indeed. My phone has to be right next to the car for the doors to unlock.
We had to remove my wife's phone as a key because she has a habit of leaving her phone on the corner of the kitchen counter (lays it there as she enters the house). I found I could unlock the 3's door when I didn't have my phone with me.

Sitting on the kitchen counter the iPhone is about six feet away from the Model 3, and obviously, there's a wall in-between. But the Model 3 was still reading a Bluetooth signal.
 
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Reactions: KenC
This seems odd indeed. My phone has to be right next to the car for the doors to unlock.
I just discovered that the car actually unlocks, if I open the rear gate or the door they are unlocked, so it is only that the car doesn't beep, diplays lights or unfold the mirrors. I've looked in the control menus but have not found either something unchecked or something to that effect, only about locking.