Ordered M3--Smart phone next?

[AustinPowers]

You have two options, OP:

If you are a libertarian nerd and you think that Apple is an evil company yet have no concern with a company like Google whose entire business is to sell you to advertisers then Android is for you.

Else you have Apple.

I would never buy Apple products not because I think Apple is "evil" (or worse than Google), but mainly because all their products are so hideously overpriced (at least over here, might be different in the US of course). My smartphone can do almost everything the iPhone of one of my colleagues can, yet his cost three times what I paid for mine. Just not worth it.
Plus, he had to go to Apple service three times already, and each and every repair cost a fortune as well, even though that stuff was what one would consider warranty with every other manufacturer. Whereas mine works without a glitch for going on six years now. So no, not interested in Apple products (or services) at all. I'm a value-for-money guy.

 

[cwoernle]

Just try without it at first (only using the NFC card), only then decide for yourself if you actually need to have a phone and which one.

You can use the car with only the card. Things you'll miss :
- preconditioning the car (it's less of an issue than a gas car, in the winter at least, because it has instant heat.)
- keyless entry (you'll have to wave the card at the B-pillar and the center console for each drive.)
- to open the frunk, you'll have to use the screen (so wave card, sit in car, touch screen, get out, open frunk)

Are these worth the hassle for you of getting a smartphone ? Only you can decide, but I'd recommend first trying without.
As you've seen from the posters above you can't just get 'a smartphone' and be done with it. ;-)

Fun reading the thread. Thanks for listing the functions provided by a smart phone.

 

[PoitNarf]

This must be a generational thing. I can’t imagine anyone under the age of 40 not owning a smartphone. My iPhone X is my primary computing device. I can go several weeks without ever touching my laptop at home because my iPhone is able to meet a majority of my needs.

Anyway if you ever plan to do long trips that require supercharging a smartphone will be very handy to keep track of the supercharging session while you get a quick bite to eat. You don’t want to be one of those people that doesn’t move their car immediately once the supercharging session is over.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Wow lots of apple fans here. I will never buy an iphone....
But if your not technical, iphones are a bit more dumbed down so it may be a good choice. I would get the same thing your wife has so she can help you with learning it.

If phones are having a problem with bluetooth, I would suggest you get a phone with the latest bluetooth version. Iphone X or Pixel 2Xl would be good choices.

My guess as to the reason more android devices have bluetooth issues is simply because there are many more android devices than iphones. Both in quantity and models. Many Many Many more android models. Other than that I would think it's a problem with the model 3, or maybe it's just particular phones that already have bluetooth issues that are having problems. My pixel 2XL I can even have multiple devices paired with it at once, and it handles them like a champ.

In my Volt it has synced up perfect every time despite all the bluetooth issues people report. But lots of cars have issues with bluetooth, it's crazy how big of a problem this tends to be. At least with tesla there will probably be an OTA update to solve it.

If the OP doesn't have a cellphone, I think that it's insane immediately to suggest a flagship phone.

What the OP needs to know is _a_ device with a decent Bluetooth implementation and reasonable battery life under light load. Hopefully, over time TMC will have a wiki of devices that are known to be reliable or known to suck.

Maybe if the Model 3 is successful we'll end up with tiny Android devices that are fob replacements.

If I get a Model 3, maybe I'll just wear the key card on a lanyard.

 

[Shock-On-T]

Dude, get a smartphone so you can:

• Call an Uber
• Know your location on the planet within a metre
• Scan documents
• Turn on you cars aircon
• Manage your bitcoin wallet
• Fly a drone
• Check your home surveillance
• Listen to every song ever recorded
• Watch any movie ever made
• Transfer money
• SMS for free
• See a name next to all the stars in the sky
• Have a compass
• Monitor your bbq temperature
• Check public transport timetables
• Have your front door unlock as you approach it
• Track the international space station
• Put unnecessary posts on TMC forum

Hmm, now I see what you mean about clutter

 

[Runt8]

I didn't see anyway in the car to make a call without a phone connected to Bluetooth. I also currently don't have my car to be able to check. You'd think this would be something they'd publicize pretty widely if true.

It can’t make generic phone calls, but I thought there was an option to call Tesla roadside assistance directly. Like I said, I may be remembering wrong, hopefully a current owner can clarify.

 

[dwharrison]

It can’t make generic phone calls, but I thought there was an option to call Tesla roadside assistance directly. Like I said, I may be remembering wrong, hopefully a current owner can clarify.

The owner's manual says the roadside assistance phone number is available by touching the Tesla T at the top of the touchscreen. It says nothing about actually making the call for you, though.

 

[SilverGS]

Wow lots of apple fans here. I will never buy an iphone....
But if your not technical, iphones are a bit more dumbed down so it may be a good choice. I would get the same thing your wife has so she can help you with learning it.

If phones are having a problem with bluetooth, I would suggest you get a phone with the latest bluetooth version. Iphone X or Pixel 2Xl would be good choices.

My guess as to the reason more android devices have bluetooth issues is simply because there are many more android devices than iphones. Both in quantity and models. Many Many Many more android models. Other than that I would think it's a problem with the model 3, or maybe it's just particular phones that already have bluetooth issues that are having problems. My pixel 2XL I can even have multiple devices paired with it at once, and it handles them like a champ.

In my Volt it has synced up perfect every time despite all the bluetooth issues people report. But lots of cars have issues with bluetooth, it's crazy how big of a problem this tends to be. At least with tesla there will probably be an OTA update to solve it.

Couldn't agree more. I will never get locked into the closed environment of Apple's ecosystem. I also have a Pixel 2 XL and I have zero issues using BT.

 

[gregd]

If the OP doesn't have a cellphone, I think that it's insane immediately to suggest a flagship phone.

What the OP needs to know is _a_ device with a decent Bluetooth implementation and reasonable battery life under light load. Hopefully, over time TMC will have a wiki of devices that are known to be reliable or known to suck.

Maybe if the Model 3 is successful we'll end up with tiny Android devices that are fob replacements.

If I get a Model 3, maybe I'll just wear the key card on a lanyard.

Agreed. No need to rush, especially with something that can be expensive plus have on-going charges.

In fact, I expect that the phone doesn't even need to have a cell plan (i.e. monthly charges), as you can use it for its Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities without being on the mobile network. Find out what the minimum version of Android / IOS is required, and get a new enough phone off eBay. (Just stay away from the pre-paid ones!) If you find it to be useful beyond its life as a "key", you can always add a cell plan later with many carriers, or upgrade to something newer.

The only caveat to this is that an older phone will very likely have unpatched vulnerabilities, but that risk should be reasonable given it's not on the Internet the vast majority of the time.

 

[Glamisduner]

If the OP doesn't have a cellphone, I think that it's insane immediately to suggest a flagship phone.

What the OP needs to know is _a_ device with a decent Bluetooth implementation and reasonable battery life under light load. Hopefully, over time TMC will have a wiki of devices that are known to be reliable or known to suck.

Maybe if the Model 3 is successful we'll end up with tiny Android devices that are fob replacements.

If I get a Model 3, maybe I'll just wear the key card on a lanyard.

Well if you can buy a model 3, then a "flagship phone" is nothing right? Might as well get one with the best camera and good battery life. Besides, by the time op gets his model 3 the next generation pixel and apple devices will probably be out and he can get the ones I mentioned for a good price.

 

[tonyquan]

It can’t make generic phone calls, but I thought there was an option to call Tesla roadside assistance directly. Like I said, I may be remembering wrong, hopefully a current owner can clarify.

Current model 3 owner here. If you tap on the Tesla T menu, the Tesla roadside assistance number is shown. However, if you don't have a phone paired to the car via Bluetooth and you try to call roadside assistance by tapping on the number, all you get is a message saying that you need to connect a phone or pair a new one.

So yeah, you're remembering wrong.

 

[dwharrison]

In fact, I expect that the phone doesn't even need to have a cell plan (i.e. monthly charges), as you can use it for its Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities without being on the mobile network. Find out what the minimum version of Android / IOS is required, and get a new enough phone off eBay. (Just stay away from the pre-paid ones!) If you find it to be useful beyond its life as a "key", you can always add a cell plan later with many carriers, or upgrade to something newer.

Of course, the risk is that should the Tesla app get into a state where you need to log back in again for the key to work, you'd need to go find WiFi before you'd be able to re-enable it. Probably not a huge issue if you're carrying the key card, but still something to think about, I suspect.

 

[gbrgbr]

can i assume that if i buy a cheap android phone just to use as an over-glorified key fob that i would need to have a sim card in it? bluetooth and wifi should work ok. do i need lte to interface with the car and use the tesla app?

 

[CricTic]

I wouldn't recommend playing roulette with the bluetooth implementation on whatever random android phone you pick up. The evidence seems to suggest that iPhone performance with Teslas is more consistent, so if you're trying to save money I would suggest picking up an iPhone SE on ebay. You may be fine without getting a SIM or service for it if all you need is a key, but as others have said, you'll probably want to have a way to call for help if something happens when you're out and about.

 

[gbrgbr]

i use a windows phone which i love and which provides all my needs. i just may want to have access to the tesla app on an android. best would be a windows version of the tesla app. i'm not certain the android will ever be taken outside my house. fwiw i have a long time (ie 1980s) dislike of apple and will neither use or purchase their products.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Well if you can buy a model 3, then a "flagship phone" is nothing right? Might as well get one with the best camera and good battery life. Besides, by the time op gets his model 3 the next generation pixel and apple devices will probably be out and he can get the ones I mentioned for a good price.

Maybe the OP can afford a 3 because they don't waste their money on stuff that's not important to them.

PM the OP and get their address so you can send them a check that'll cover the nothing.

 

[Glamisduner]

can i assume that if i buy a cheap android phone just to use as an over-glorified key fob that i would need to have a sim card in it? bluetooth and wifi should work ok. do i need lte to interface with the car and use the tesla app?

Newer phones use esims, so no sim cards are required (at least for some carriers) (frees of the slot so you can pop in a sim card if you travel, and need one). LTE should get you the same functionality as being on wifi.

Not to sound like zoolander but having a smart phone is one of the best tools you can have with you. It's really the best thing you can EDC. It's very powerful to have information about everything at the tip of your fingers.

 

[slipnslider]

Just ordered a M3 but I don't have a cell phone, much less a smart phone. Is a smart phone necessary? (Life seems a little less cluttered without it, but my wife was hoping the M3 would lead me to get one.)

Tesla fans say that people like you don't exist. Tesla designers think people like you don't exist, or don't matter. I have a real problem with a car company telling me how I ought to be living my life, which is one of the many reasons I hate the phone key.