Is changing a phone the only way?

[Xevex]

My LG V30 has opened the door 2/10 times while it was in my pocket.
It's quite annoying, and makes me wondering if I have to change a phone just because of this problem.

Does anyone use V30 and suffers similar problem like me? If I was to change a phone, which phone works best for the Model 3?
I hear lots of good feedbacks from Apple users, but I want to stick with Android.

 

[bedoig]

100% success so far on my Pixel 3 XL (only had the car about three weeks though).

 

[bradhs]

100% success on my iPhone X and now iPhone XS.
100% success summoning (except for one firmware update that Tesla had pushed which rendered summon unusable...That was a month ago.)

 

[alfadur]

My iPhone XS is more like 85%. The times it doesn't work, I just try the handle 3-4 times in a row then it tends to work.

 

[bradhs]

Do you have backgrounding enabled and also are you going through a "quiting" all your applications on a regular basis? (You never have to quit all applications on an iPhone.)

 

[efusco]

Probably depends most on how patient you can be. There's a reasonable chance that there will be software updates to make it work better (if it is a Tesla-side issue). If it is a phone-side issue, then yeah, probably ought to just bite the bullet.

 

[JLFORBES]

I have a Samsung Note9 and mine has worked 100% while in my pocket, however, I've had my car for only about 6 weeks.

 

[fyresoul]

LG V30+ owner

If my V30 is in one of my front pants pockets it's an 85 -90% success rate.
Back pocket 50%. Turning my butt to face the car while pulling a door handle brings it back to about 75%, but it's usually quicker to take my phone out of my pocket and try a handle

 

[ChadS]

I had a Pixel (the original) and an LG V30, and my wife had a Nexus 5x, and all 3 worked about 85% of the time. I tried the suggestions about changing battery optimization settings, etc.

I finally bought a Pixel 3 after seeing lots of happy owners on here. I have only had it a few days, but it's always worked so far.

It really sucks that we have to do that; I was really happy with the V30. I also had to buy a new router for my home network after the Model 3 got Wifi support, as the Model 3 would hang every time it connected to WiFi in my garage. (I did a bunch of testing - it wasn't the ISP, or the access points, or the network name, or the car. It was the router).

 

[Xevex]

Thanks for all the inputs! It seems like my phone itself could be a problem.

Maybe I'll do a factory reset and try again. I already set the Tesla app and bluetooth not to be battery optimized, but it doesn't seem to fix the problem.

 

[BluestarE3]

Seems kind of drastic to get a new phone just to hopefully improve the phone-as-key function for your car... unless, of course, you're thinking of getting a new phone anyway.

My budget Moto G5+ hardly ever worked as a key; however, after upgrading Android from Nougat to Oreo, using phone-as-key has worked consistently well. There's also a persistent notification for the Tesla app on my phone now. If your phone's OS is back-level, maybe this is worth a shot?

 

[iwannam3]

100% on Moto G6 with default setting. Did not have to monkey with anything. 8.0

 

[Nebuchadn3zzar]

I have a Motorola Moto G5 Plus. I had a success rate of less than 10% with the phone key as designed. I'd leave Bluetooth on throughout the day, but when I'd walk up and press a door handle, the car would awake and instruct me to tap my key card. In some cases, it would eventually unlock after 5~10 seconds of holding the handle, but that was rare. None of the "fixes" suggested by other Android users, such as keeping the Tesla app open and disabling battery optimisation for the app, were effective.

I resorted to a routine of removing my phone from my pocket and cycling Bluetooth off and on immediately before I needed to unlock my car, then pressing the brake pedal within a minute or two of entering; otherwise, it would ask me to, again, tap my key card. This workaround had an essentially 100% success rate. Walk-away unlock worked consistently, sometimes even too aggressively, locking before I had a chance to unload the back seats, presumably because the Bluetooth Low Energy connection that the phone key feature is built on had dropped long ago near the beginning of the drive. The media connection, which uses the standard Bluetooth protocol, has been reliable, as with any other car or device.

Then, yesterday, I stumbled on this report by BluestarE3:

Persistent notification showed up for me after upgrading my Moto G5+ to Oreo. This has improved the reliability of phone-as-key to almost 100% for me. However, keeping Bluetooth on all the time runs down my phone battery more quickly, so I tend to disable it when I don't explicitly need it. So, if I forget to turn it back on when I need to get into the car...

I forced a check for system updates, and sure enough, Android Oreo 8.1 was available as an update. Either this OS revision included some major overhaul of Android's Bluetooth stack, or the Tesla app leveraging Oreo's new persistent notifications to remain in the foreground is effective in keeping the BLE connection active. Since the update, my phone key has worked reliably and responsively. I have not (yet) noticed any acceleration of battery drain.

Tl;dr: If your V30 isn't yet on Oreo, check for system updates.

 

[Nebuchadn3zzar]

To clarify, my Moto G5 Plus was previously running Nougat 7.0, so Oreo 8.1 was a major update.

 

[CameronB]

I've heard this before - that having your phone in your front pocket is much more successful than having it in your back pocket. The signal is weaker, I guess, after going through all the em, 'junk' in your proverbial trunk.

So for those having problems with opening your Model 3 with phone in back pocket, try moving it to a front pocket and see if your success rate goes up. It probably will based on reports.

 

[Shygar]

I'm like 95% successful with my samsung galaxy s8. But I've noticed my biggest issue is my phone case. I think it reduces the range. For example, to unlock the back passenger side door, I have to lean against the front passenger door for it to be in range. After I buckle my son in his carseat, I walk around the back of the car and in the process my car locks (and folds/unfolds the mirrors, which I hate).

I wish there was an option to adjust the sensitivity of the walk up unlock feature to adjust for my case and being in my pocket.

 

[boaterva]

Cases could definitely be a problem. We have two versions of the iPhone XS and zero problems on our 3. Not that that helps you at all but one more data point. Neither one is in any case (except pure plastic).

 

[Runebane]

The only times I have issues with my Samsung Galaxy S9+ is after either the phone OS or the Tesla App is updated. Apparently right after either is updated the app is no longer running in the background to connect to the car (the little tesla symbol at the very top near notifications).

 

[Gavyne]

I've heard this before - that having your phone in your front pocket is much more successful than having it in your back pocket. The signal is weaker, I guess, after going through all the em, 'junk' in your proverbial trunk.

So for those having problems with opening your Model 3 with phone in back pocket, try moving it to a front pocket and see if your success rate goes up. It probably will based on reports.

This is because bluetooth has trouble going through water, and your body is made up of large amounts of water.

 

[mike123abc]

I carry my iPhoneX in my pocket. If my phone hip is not within about 12-15 inches from the door it does not work. I have to be sure it is close to the car. It is not usually an issue since I carry it in my front left pocket and it is natural to use the left hand to open the driver's door.