Phone App for 2 People, One Login or Two?

[Whoster69]

My wife and I are about to take delivery of our model 3. I have already installed the app on my phone and have logged in with my account information. It shows my car in the app. I downloaded the app and installed it on my wife's phone (we both have Android phones). Will she have a separate login so the car can distinguish between us or will she use my login on her phone for the app?

When I asked the delivery center this question, they said she would use the same login I do. That seems a bit weird to me, so I thought I would ask here to make sure that is correct before setting it up.

Thanks.

 

[82bert]

Same login. Car will recognize your different phones.

My wife and I also use same login for 2 separate 3s. It’s super easy to switch back and forth between them within the app.

There’s no need for a separate login for each person.

 

[Whoster69]

Same login. Car will recognize your different phones.

My wife and I also use same login for 2 separate 3s. It’s super easy to switch back and forth between them within the app.

There’s no need for a separate login for each person.

Thanks! Good to know. I'll set it up today.

 

[jjrandorin]

OP I had this same question and the answer is as you see. You share the same login.

If you want, there IS a way to get her a different login. It involves taking delivery of the car, and emailing customer service with your vin and a request to have them setup a different account that points to the same VIN. They will email you back with the information they require (after a few weeks.. tesla is notoriously slow responding to stuff).

They would then create a separate account for her, after some more indeterminate amount of time. By this time, you would have been using the single login for both phones approach for a few weeks, and found that there is no benefit at all for her having a separate login.

In my case, I went through all that, and decided there was no reason to create the separate login, so we have been happily been sharing my original login with no issues.

 

[Whoster69]

OP I had this same question and the answer is as you see. You share the same login.

If you want, there IS a way to get her a different login. It involves taking delivery of the car, and emailing customer service with your vin and a request to have them setup a different account that points to the same VIN. They will email you back with the information they require (after a few weeks.. tesla is notoriously slow responding to stuff).

They would then create a separate account for her, after some more indeterminate amount of time. By this time, you would have been using the single login for both phones approach for a few weeks, and found that there is no benefit at all for her having a separate login.

In my case, I went through all that, and decided there was no reason to create the separate login, so we have been happily been sharing my original login with no issues.

Good to know. Thanks.

 

[Kilotango74]

So I have a question related to this. If my wife and I both have the App and the same logon, but the car knows the difference between the phones, how does the car know which driver profile to set up when we are both in the car? I have this issue in our BMW and sometimes when we get in the car it will be set up for her (seat, radio, etc) even though I am driving because she has her key in her purse.

 

[Whoster69]

So I have a question related to this. If my wife and I both have the App and the same logon, but the car knows the difference between the phones, how does the car know which driver profile to set up when we are both in the car? I have this issue in our BMW and sometimes when we get in the car it will be set up for her (seat, radio, etc) even though I am driving because she has her key in her purse.

That's a good question. I don't have my car yet, so I'm guessing, but let me take a stab at it. I think you select your profile when you get in the car from the screen and that is how it is done. Otherwise, I'm not sure if both phones are in the vehicle.

 

[82bert]

What Whoster69 said. You select the profile on the screen. Super easy.

 

[Kilotango74]

What Whoster69 said. You select the profile on the screen. Super easy.

Ok thanks.....I know in the bmw there is a similar option but its deep in the iDrive menu so I don't even bother. Kinda goes against the point of driver profiles.

 

[jjrandorin]

Ok thanks.....I know in the bmw there is a similar option but its deep in the iDrive menu so I don't even bother. Kinda goes against the point of driver profiles.

On the BMWs, you can link the profile to a keyfob (I had to teach myself a lot about BMW profile usage over the years). For the problem you mentioned, make sure the driver unlocks the car first, either with comfort access or a keyfob (probably comfort access or keyless entry).

On the tesla front, the car does not recognize the phones separately that I can see as far as opening the door as a key and activating a specific profile. So, if your significant other who has "phone as key" activated on the tesla drives it, then you drive it later, when you get in the car the significant others profile will be the one that activates (at least as far as I have seen).

As mentioned, you simply select the profile from the menu.

 

[Kilotango74]

On the BMWs, you can link the profile to a keyfob (I had to teach myself a lot about BMW profile usage over the years). For the problem you mentioned, make sure the driver unlocks the car first, either with comfort access or a keyfob (probably comfort access or keyless entry).

On the tesla front, the car does not recognize the phones separately that I can see as far as opening the door as a key and activating a specific profile. So, if your significant other who has "phone as key" activated on the tesla drives it, then you drive it later, when you get in the car the significant others profile will be the one that activates (at least as far as I have seen).

As mentioned, you simply select the profile from the menu.

I think I'll just have my wife utilize the card key exclusively. She wont be driving it that much anyway. Yes on the BMW it's almost like I have to race her to the car.

 

[Whoster69]

It has been a non-issue on our Tesla. It connects to both just fine.

 

[jjrandorin]

It has been a non-issue on our Tesla. It connects to both just fine.

Oh yeah it connects, but @Kilotango74 was talking about the car automatically recognizing the profile of the phone that unlocked the car and activating that specific profile. As far as I can see, Tesla's dont do that. They simply activate the profile of the last driver.

 

[Kilotango74]

Oh yeah it connects, but @Kilotango74 was talking about the car automatically recognizing the profile of the phone that unlocked the car and activating that specific profile. As far as I can see, Tesla's dont do that. They simply activate the profile of the last driver.

Perfect....thank-you

 

[dmurphy]

So a quick phone-key question (sorry for hijacking the thread... hope you don't mind.). I've searched and couldn't find a clear answer.

On the iOS platform (Don't care about Android , does the app need to be running in the background for the unlock feature to work?

I'm a heathen and just leave all my apps open, letting iOS manage them in the background. My wife, however, meticulously curates which apps she leaves open on her phone. Adding one to the list is doable but won't make her thrilled.

Does the app need to be open, or does the Model 3 just rely on some "native" iOS BLE functionality?

 

[viper driver]

So a quick phone-key question (sorry for hijacking the thread... hope you don't mind.). I've searched and couldn't find a clear answer.

On the iOS platform (Don't care about Android , does the app need to be running in the background for the unlock feature to work?

I'm a heathen and just leave all my apps open, letting iOS manage them in the background. My wife, however, meticulously curates which apps she leaves open on her phone. Adding one to the list is doable but won't make her thrilled.

Does the app need to be open, or does the Model 3 just rely on some "native" iOS BLE functionality?

Just got mine yesterday. The app asks for permission to track you when closed. If you say "yes", it'll know where you are and unlock the car for you as you get close. If not, which I haven't actually verified, I suspect you'd have to open the app to unlock. I allow it to know my location when the app is closed, and it's been flawless so far.

 

[Whoster69]

I'm new to all of this, having picked up my model 3 two days ago, but from what I can tell, you don't use the phone to connect your profile in car. You select it on the screen. It takes about 1 second. I don't think having a different login would matter. You'd still need to select your profile from the car unless you were the last driver.

The phone app, let's either or both phones connect to the car. You just load the app and you're connected.

 

[Yv3s]

Just a question, if my wife have an account, do she see always the car location? (privacy)

 

[r0xx0r]

Just a question, if my wife have an account, do she see always the car location? (privacy)

Yes!

 

[jjrandorin]

Just a question, if my wife have an account, do she see always the car location? (privacy)

They both point to the same car, so I believe so, yes. If you want privacy, give whoever the second driver is a keycard, and do not let them use phone as key. I always chuckle reading statements asking basically "how can I keep my significant other from seeing my location". It may not be fair, but it sure conjures up visions of the person asking doing something that they dont want their wife to know about. Either a mistress, or lying about being still "in the office" when doing something else, etc... still cant come up with a valid, above board reason for it but hey, you do you.

Edit: I guess I should also qualify this by saying I am have been married to the same lady for 34 years now, so.... thats the experience point I am coming from.