Is the Slow-Wake-Up Problem Fixable?

[PianoAl]

I was at the beach when the county's tsunami warning system was tested. It made me picture sitting in my M3, turning airplane mode off and on and running the Tesla app, trying to wake up the car, while a deadly wave roared in from the ocean (yeah, I could use my card, but still).

So, I'm wondering if there is some problem that isn't within Tesla's control that causes this or whether it's fixable. It's been going on for years. What's the source of the problem? Is this really so difficult to fix?

 

[Phlier]

and running the Tesla app,

That right there could be part of the slowness you're experiencing. Try not ever closing the Tesla app. Let it run in the background all the time. We have a mix of iPhone and Android in our family, and as long as we have the app running in the background and bluetooth on, there is never any hesitancy on the cars part at all to unlock the doors and get us on our way.

 

[JulienW]

You should have Sentry Mode on. This will keep the car from sleeping AND offer security.

 

[Watts_Up]

I cannot always connect the App, the display on my phone stays grey
and there is a spinning wheel at the bottom of the screen showing that the connection is hanging.

However, when I approach the car, the Bluetooth connection must work because I don't have any problem to open the door.

so @PianoAl don't panic in case of a tsunami... and your Tesla might float !!!

 

[PianoAl]

your Tesla might float !!!

Yay.

However, when I approach the car, the Bluetooth connection must work because I don't have any problem to open the door.

Right. And I can always lock/unlock or open the frunk with the app.

You should have Sentry Mode on. This will keep the car from sleeping AND offer security.

Hmm. I'll experiment with that. It most often fails to connect at home, when Sentry Mode is off.

 

[rxlawdude]

If you have NFC in your phone, you don't need the app running, at least in Androidland. Just tap your phone exactly where you'd tap the card.

For owners with multiple M3/Ys, the added benefit is it switches the app on and in context to the car that was just tapped. How many times I've come up to our MY and found it ignoring me because my app was set to the M3.

 

[UncertainTimes]

What’s this slow wake up problem? I can get in my car and shift into drive immediately.

 

[Incredulocious]

Yeah, I’m not aware of a slow wakeup problem either. Only delay I ever encounter is if I happen to approach the vehicle in such a way that my phone is in a pocket facing away from the car, it will sometimes not see it and I’ll have to turn slightly before I can open the door and proceed. (iPhone 12 Pro)

 

[leonar40]

What slow wakeup? The app does take several seconds to connect if the car is asleep, but I've never experienced any physical delay getting into and driving the car.

 

[JulienW]

Hmm. I'll experiment with that. It most often fails to connect at home, when Sentry Mode is off.

Sounds like you may have a phone problem.

 

[PianoAl]

What slow wakeup? The app does take several seconds to connect if the car is asleep, but I've never experienced any physical delay getting into and driving the car.

For me, and many others from what I've heard, I'll sit in the driver's seat and try to put it into drive. The car will tell me I need to put the card on the central console. In that case, I usually need to turn on airplane mode then turn it off. Then it works.

Often, there's no problem. It will work flawlessly for weeks, but then, often after an update, the problem returns. Happens to my wife also.

 

[Zacster]

I had the BT disconnect the other day for the first time, but I'd also connected a different device with BT that had lost its connection. I turned BT off and on and it was fine. I wouldn't count out BT on the phone as being the problem, not the car. It isn't as if other uses of BT with my phone or computer have been flawless.

Everything works great, until it doesn't work at all.

 

[GtiMart]

I believe there are a couple of things that some people call slow wakeup. One is starting the app to start the car heating or cooling remotely. When the car is sleeping, this can take a while or even fail. The tesla servers need to send an sms to the car to wake it up, so the car needs good cellular signal. If the car is not sleeping, for example if you recently drove or if sentry is on, then the tesla servers communicate with the car through internet. Either cell phone signal or wifi to the car would work.
Walking to the car and trying to open the door will systematically wake the car up. The issue some people have here is that the "phone as key" doesn't always work so the door stays locked. This is not a slow wakeup problem. It's normally because the phone isn't in range of the car (it needs yo be close to the B pillar, no obstacle. A front pocket, turned towards the car, normally works. The app must NOT have been put to sleep by your phone OS. Every new iOS or Android version comes with yet more ways to save battery, sometimes disabling apps like the Tesla one.

 

[Gasaraki]

I was at the beach when the county's tsunami warning system was tested. It made me picture sitting in my M3, turning airplane mode off and on and running the Tesla app, trying to wake up the car, while a deadly wave roared in from the ocean (yeah, I could use my card, but still).

So, I'm wondering if there is some problem that isn't within Tesla's control that causes this or whether it's fixable. It's been going on for years. What's the source of the problem? Is this really so difficult to fix?

Wut? You're in the car and it's sleeping? Never seen that before.

 

[Gasaraki]

For me, and many others from what I've heard, I'll sit in the driver's seat and try to put it into drive. The car will tell me I need to put the card on the central console. In that case, I usually need to turn on airplane mode then turn it off. Then it works.

Often, there's no problem. It will work flawlessly for weeks, but then, often after an update, the problem returns. Happens to my wife also.

I'm guessing you are using iPhones.