Phone and Keycard Locked in Car

[rdlink]

Well no wonder - you should put your purse ON the back seat, not in it

Seriously, this is easily solved and not an issue with the car

Seriously, the phone as a key/key card locking system is the biggest fail of the Model 3. Stop making excuses for it.

Car manufacturers have pretty much perfected the reliability of key fobs for over a decade. Tesla has taken step backwards here. The locking system in a car should be 99.9997% reliable, and with the Model 3 thousands of peoples' experience has shown it not to be.

 

[RedModel3]

Well no wonder - you should put your purse ON the back seat, not in it

Seriously, this is easily solved and not an issue with the car

It looks like you do not yet own a Model 3, is that correct? If so, you have no first hand experience of how glitchy this car can be. Yes, this can be easily solved, but Tesla insists that we will not be getting a fob. So unless you have something more constructive to say, maybe you should sit this thread out. Otherwise, I'll be happy to give you a shovel, as you seem to like to keep digging.

 

[dusdev]

Seriously, the phone as a key/key card locking system is the biggest fail of the Model 3. Stop making excuses for it.

Car manufacturers have pretty much perfected the reliability of key fobs for over a decade. Tesla has taken step backwards here. The locking system in a car should be 99.9997% reliable, and with the Model 3 thousands of peoples' experience has shown it not to be.

It's a joke how bad it is. And it's more sad how there continues to be defenders. Tesla made a mistake with lack of a fob. Luckily they can correct it. Before it becomes a bigger issue they should do this ASAP. Allow people use the phone-as-key if it is working well for them and their use case. Disable the phone-as-key and allow a fob if that's what the customer wants. They can sell the fob on the Tesla online store for a couple hundred dollars without much problem I would think. Include it for free with the performance edition.

No one can answer how to achieve my simple use case. I want the car left in my private attached garage with the doors unlocked. I'm often coming and going from my car in the garage while my phone is not nearby. It may be somewhere else in the house unreachable by Bluetooth. I don't want the car to lock automatically in this case. I just want my car sitting my garage unlocked.

 

[rdlink]

It's a joke how bad it is. And it's more sad how there continues to be defenders. Tesla made a mistake with lack of a fob. Luckily they can correct it. Before it becomes a bigger issue they should do this ASAP. Allow people use the phone-as-key if it is working well for them and their use case. Disable the phone-as-key and allow a fob if that's what the customer wants. They can sell the fob on the Tesla online store for a couple hundred dollars without much problem I would think. Include it for free with the performance edition.

No one can answer how to achieve my simple use case. I want the car left in my private attached garage with the doors unlocked. I'm often coming and going from my car in the garage while my phone is not nearby. It may be somewhere else in the house unreachable by Bluetooth. I don't want the car to lock automatically in this case. I just want my car sitting my garage unlocked.

Yep. Smartphones are great devices, and I rely on mine for a ton of things. Rarely do I not have it in my pocket. But often I will go down to my garage without it. I usually leave my BMW locked in the garage, because I want the mirrors folded to make it easier to walk past the car. But I am able to keep a spare fob on a small table right by the entrance to the garage.

I know you can get another key card from Tesla easily. But a few months ago I rented a Tesla, and had to use the owner's key card for two days. I have to say that, after having comfort access on the BMW the key card is a pretty lousy way to lock and unlock a car. If the other way of getting into and out of the car (phone key) is as unreliable as I have been reading the locking and unlocking experience on the Model 3 will definitely be a downgrade for me.

 

[dusdev]

I know you can get another key card from Tesla easily. But a few months ago I rented a Tesla, and had to use the owner's key card for two days. I have to say that, after having comfort access on the BMW the key card is a pretty lousy way to lock and unlock a car. If the other way of getting into and out of the car (phone key) is as unreliable as I have been reading the locking and unlocking experience on the Model 3 will definitely be a downgrade for me.

I'm coming from an 8 year old car and it's definitely a downgrade for me... sad for a car which costs $20,000 more than what I paid for my old car. And to save what, $200??

Elon Musk in a recent interview said that Tesla does not do any marketing and relies on delivering a great product which will be promoted through word of mouth. Well, unfortunately with the lack of fob it only gets an 'okay' rating from me.

If someone asks me about the car I'll say 'the driving experience is awesome. Unfortunately be prepared to be frustrated several times per day to get in and out of the car. You won't know if its locked or unlocked. You'll be yanking on a locked door handle occasionally and then fumbling to try and find the card. Then you'll try and unlock it with the card and fumble to find the special position. Then you'll walk away from the car and leave it unlocked all day. And all this friction so Tesla could save $200 or less".

Hopefully Tesla reads some of the user feedback and provides and update for this silly mistake.

 

[diamond.g]

It looks like you do not yet own a Model 3, is that correct? If so, you have no first hand experience of how glitchy this car can be. Yes, this can be easily solved, but Tesla insists that we will not be getting a fob. So unless you have something more constructive to say, maybe you should sit this thread out. Otherwise, I'll be happy to give you a shovel, as you seem to like to keep digging.

I currently couldn't replicate the issue. That isn't to say there are no glitches with the car though.

 

[sperkin]

I have 2 phones and often forget to take one with me when I exit the car. My car never locks if I left 1 phone inside. You should go to a service center so they can pull the log. Make sure to note the date and time this happened.

 

[Cookiemobster]

I noticed that most likely this was a connectivity issue with the app on my iphone. I was unable to connect to the tesla app or link it via bluetooth, it kept reading server error for about 3 hours from the time I had my husband open the car remotely to retrieve my purse/phone. I've had this happen maybe 2-3x in the past month since taking ownership of the car. So at some point during my drive, the app probably had a server error and disconnected from the car. For those trying to replicate this.....see if it happens when the app says server error. And for the person who thinks I should drag all my stuff over from the passenger side, it's not realistic for a pregnant lady to pull a backpack and purse through to the driver side.

 

[Cookiemobster]

I also just tried to call tesla roadside assistance to report the issue from yesterday. This is the message, "we are currently experiencing an issue that may effect mobile app connectivity....."

 

[diamond.g]

I noticed that most likely this was a connectivity issue with the app on my iphone. I was unable to connect to the tesla app or link it via bluetooth, it kept reading server error for about 3 hours from the time I had my husband open the car remotely to retrieve my purse/phone. I've had this happen maybe 2-3x in the past month since taking ownership of the car. So at some point during my drive, the app probably had a server error and disconnected from the car. For those trying to replicate this.....see if it happens when the app says server error. And for the person who thinks I should drag all my stuff over from the passenger side, it's not realistic for a pregnant lady to pull a backpack and purse through to the driver side.

"Phone Key" is designed to not need an internet connection in order to operate. So even if the servers are offline (like they were yesterday) you should still be able to lock and unlock your car with the BT connection. No LTE needed.

 

[Cookiemobster]

The same time it was having server errors, the model 3 was having issues connecting via bluetooth. I tried every trouble shooting method....restart phone, airplane mode on off, turn bluetooth on and off. It wouldn't connect to bluetooth. Unfortunately, I don't think it was an issue with my phone's bluetooth. My airpods and airwatch were connecting without issues.

 

[dusdev]

"Phone Key" is designed to not need an internet connection in order to operate. So even if the servers are offline (like they were yesterday) you should still be able to lock and unlock your car with the BT connection. No LTE needed.

The issue is there is a single point of failure in the mobile app. If the app goes wonky because of a server issue it may affect its hook into the Bluetooth stack and hence affect unlocking the car. Big design fail. Cell phones are just too finicky to work reliably for this situation. Perhaps in the future if a car key features is built into the Bluetooth protocol and subsequently into the wireless chipset. For now, Tesla's software implementation is depending on way too many variables outside of their control.

 

[diamond.g]

The issue is there is a single point of failure in the mobile app. If the app goes wonky because of a server issue it may affect its hook into the Bluetooth stack and hence affect unlocking the car. Big design fail. Cell phones are just too finicky to work reliably for this situation. Perhaps in the future if a car key features is built into the Bluetooth protocol and subsequently into the wireless chipset. For now, Tesla's software implementation is depending on way too many variables outside of their control.

I could understand the app logging you out making phone key unavailable. But I find it odd that you would have to have the app open in the foreground at all for phone key to work.

Note this is wholly different from standard car functions like precondition, honk horn, start car. Those need network connection. Or am i misunderstanding what is happening?

 

[Need]

If you turn off your phone's mobile data, does the phone key still work? It should right? If it is just using bluetooth without needing Tesla's server. What happened if you turn off your phone inside the car and leave the car? Do the doors auto lock or just stay unlock.

 

[dusdev]

I could understand the app logging you out making phone key unavailable. But I find it odd that you would have to have the app open in the foreground at all for phone key to work.

Note this is wholly different from standard car functions like precondition, honk horn, start car. Those need network connection. Or am i misunderstanding what is happening?

My point here is that the app is just a piece of software. It may be partitioned as the user facing portion and some backend services that hook into the OS to utilize the Bluetooth functions. If the software has a bug or otherwise malfunctions, the OS may terminate it or otherwise suspend it, regardless of the 'settings' for that app. How the OS decides to do this may change slightly based on phone model, amount of memory, OS version, security patch level, etc etc. It is a very complex ecosystem with ever changing APIs and patches.

Now your car key functionality has to rely on multiple pieces of this system working correctly. The phone's OS, Bluetooth stack, phone's hardware, Tesla's app. Tesla only really controls the latter aspect. This is why there are so many failures reported for this feature. Tesla has not control over the implementation details from one phone to another. So they can tweak their app, or the software in the car to try and accommodate all the intricacies but it will never be as reliable as custom-build hardware with a fixed purpose (i.e. the fob).

As for the OP's issue (leaving your phone in the car). Here is the experiment for you to try. Run your phone's battery down to 1-2%. Then, leave it in the car 'accidentally' for a few hours. What happens? i.e. when the phone decides to force off the radio's and power down because of the low battery. Now let's say you left this phone and the key card in your purse or bag and went inside your house for a moment, got distracted, and the battery died.

I'll give you a hint as to what will happen - the car will think the phone has left the vehicle and auto-lock. The phone is now locked in the vehicle along with the key card.

 

[dusdev]

If you turn off your phone's mobile data, does the phone key still work? It should right? If it is just using bluetooth without needing Tesla's server. What happened if you turn off your phone inside the car and leave the car? Do the doors auto lock or just stay unlock.

If you turn the phone off while in the car, the car will think the phone has left the vehicle and should auto lock. It can't magically know the phone is still in the car.

 

[richrootes]

It looks like you do not yet own a Model 3, is that correct? If so, you have no first hand experience of how glitchy this car can be. Yes, this can be easily solved, but Tesla insists that we will not be getting a fob. So unless you have something more constructive to say, maybe you should sit this thread out. Otherwise, I'll be happy to give you a shovel, as you seem to like to keep digging.

Thank you!

Does it come with two coats of gold paint?

I’m not trying to be obtuse here, but taking your stuff with you as you exit the car seems pretty achievable to me, especially as the car appears to reside in Las Vegas

However, I’ll butt out now as requested ......

 

[PHX3]

To the OP, its definitely a scary situation when transporting kids. My wife accidentally locked her keys/purse and our infant daughter in our other non-Tesla car through a unique series of locks/remote-starts with the fob. We decided since then that no matter which car, when getting out we won't close the front door until the back door is open. Likewise, when getting in, we won't close the back door until a front door is opened. This, unless we are 100% sure we have the fob/phone in our hand. Maybe its overkill or paranoia, but we haven't had an issue since and it sounds like this method would have helped in your situation.

 

[daniel]

This morning I parked the car and walked around to the passenger side to retrieve my backpack and purse. The car auto locked as I walked around the car, leaving my key card and iPhone locked in the car. Does anyone know how this can happen???? I know the Tesla app was open and the bluetooth was on, but I have noticed a few times where there are server errors and phone key connection issues. I figured if I could drive all the way to work, this shouldn't have been an issue at the time. Is it possible the phone key disconnected in the 30 seconds it took me to walk around the car. This really concerns me since I often do this to get my toddler out of the car before grabbing my purse. Luckily I have an apple watch and was able to call my husband and he unlocked it remotely.

So my phone is in my car. It hasn't locked fo far. Gonna give it some more time and see if it ever locks.

Just to add one more data point: I had the phone sitting propped up at the very front of the storage area next to my legs, in front of the center console, and got out and forgot to take the phone with me. When I got back to the car, it had not locked.

Walk-away-lock is nice, except that if you forget to grab your phone, the car either won't lock (my case as well as diamond.g's case) or will lock you out (the OP's case). Both are unacceptable. With a key fob you press Lock, or on the Prius you press the door button, and if anything prevents locking you get an audible signal.

Phone as key ---> FAIL!

That said, my phone almost always locks and unlocks the car. I dread the day when I leave home and forget the card key. With the Prius, if I forget the fob, the car won't start, and I go back to the house for it. If its battery dies I use the mechanical key and insert the fob in the slot until I get a chance to replace the battery.

 

[SVMike]

They can sell the fob on the Tesla online store for a couple hundred dollars without much problem I would think. Include it for free with the performance edition.

Maybe.
In order to sell you a fob there has to be circuitry and antennas in the car to send and receive the fob signals.
Most cars probably have 4 or 5 antennas with a 2-3 foot range each located all around the car in order to sense where the fob is (inside or outside the car).

I doubt that if this stuff isn't already in the car that it would be just a couple of hundred dollars to add it, if it is even possible.

I haven't had any problem with the phone as key. Sometimes I think it is a bit of an improvement but mostly it seems like it is something I have to think about more than an older key fob to not accidentally have the car lock when I don't want it to. I find myself just leaving the driver door open when I'm putting stuff in the car and then closing it when I'm done.
Not an improvement!

They should wire up all cars with the required circuits and then charge $200 to get two fobs as an option. $300 if you buy later. Most likely most people will eventually buy the fobs, I think.