Model S 75 Phone as a key

[plsiskin@gmail]

I have a 2016 Model S 75 (just bought) and the app I downloaded connects to my car and gives me some control but the key is not an option. Am I missing something or is there a feature I need to get this to work?

 

[philander]

Relying on the phone to open and start my S has bitten me in the ass twice recently in dead or no coverage area cell service. just too risky for me to do reliably.
BTW my wife really enjoyed getting dressed and coming to save me late at night with a key FOB!
I’m gonna pay for this one for the foreseeable future.

I think this should be a main takeaway from this thread for any folks that purchased an older used S and are wondering about using the phone rather than fob for unlock and start on a regular basis. It works, but in addition to wandering out of cell range, you can also inadvertently leave your phone in your car or the MCU could crash while you are away, both of which will trigger a call to an aggravated SO.

 

[jlv1]

you can also inadvertently leave your phone in your car

I used to have a 2017 S75 (no phone key) and I've now have a late 2023 S (phone key).

One thing I've accidentally done ONCE is leave my phone in the new car. Since it's a phone key, the car doesn't even lock!

 

[KArnold]

You could always glue your key fob to the back of your phone.

 

[quickstrike12]

How about face recognition (like phones do) on one of the B pillar cameras