Phone as Key Issues

[daniel]

It has one on the screen. You can also have it beep the horn when it locks so you know it is locked.

the car can be locked on the screen or on the app.

A lock button on the screen does absolutely no good for locking the car when you leave. And it is a frigging pain in the arse to have to pull out my phone, launch the app, scroll to the appropriate screen, and then press the lock button. Consider what happens with the Prius, a car that does lock/unlock right: You never have to take the fob or anything else out of your pocket. You get out of the car, close the door, and press the button to lock it. Return to the car, and lightly touch the inside of the door handle, and it unlocks.

Now consider the Model 3: You get out of the car, walk away, and about the time you are out of earshot, it locks and makes a quiet beep. If you forgot that your BT is off, it doesn't lock, and you don't know it because half the time you don't hear it lock anyway. Your alternative is to fruckle around with your phone to lock the car, or pull out the key card to lock it.

Today I nearly had a disaster: It was my day for kayaking again. (On canoeing days I walk to the club, but on kayaking days I drive to wherever we've decided to launch.) I got there, and turned off BT because I want to leave the phone in the car rather than taking it out on the water. I grabbed some of my gear and shut the door and carried my handful of gear over to the kayaks.

But with the BT off, the car thought it had gone out of range, and when I shut the door, it locked. I had not grabbed the otter box with the kay card, so now the car was locked with both phone and card inside! (The Prius won't lock with the key fob inside! The Model 3, as I learned, will happily lock you out.) The spare key card was back at home, half an hour's drive away. I was going to lose an hour on the water and have to beg a ride home and back. I could not even go kayaking first because my hat and dark glasses (both essential for spending several hours out on the water, in the tropical sun) were locked in the car.

Then I had a brain wave: And finally I come to one good thing about the phone as key!: I got my friend to download the Tesla app on his phone, logged in to my Tesla account, and told the app to unlock the car. It asked me "Are you sure you want to remotely unlock the car?" I answered Yes, and voila! my car unlocked. Then I had my friend delete the app from his phone. We only lost about 3 minutes, instead of an hour.

(When I had the Prius, I put the fob in the otter box, put that in a dry bag, and brought it with me on the water. But I don't want to risk taking the phone out on the water, though some folks do.)

 

[StealthP3D]

(When I had the Prius, I put the fob in the otter box, put that in a dry bag, and brought it with me on the water. But I don't want to risk taking the phone out on the water, though some folks do.)

I thought smartphones were all waterproof by now? For the past 2-3 years (since I got my Samsung S8, I clean it by rinsing it under a faucet). In any case, you could always put it in a ziplock sandwich bag, if you don't squeeze out the extra air it will float too.

Oh, the keycards are waterproof too! And cheap. Plus you get two with every car. We have four and have programmed each of them to work with either car.

Of course, Tesla offers a traditional key fob too and you can program itself without any dealership fee. Lots of options here. I don't think any of my previous cars offered as many excellent options for someone who likes to do outdoor activities.

 

[MP3Mike]

A lock button on the screen does absolutely no good for locking the car when you leave.

I was pretty sure that if you open the door and then tap the lock button on the screen that the car would be locked when you close the door.

 

[233.3]

A lock button on the screen does absolutely no good for locking the car when you leave. )

If you open the door then press the lock button on the screen it will be locked and stay locked when you close the door. If you press it before you open the door then you are right it will unlock and stay unlocked.

There is a fob available as an accessory Model 3 Key Fob, it probably won't do everything you are wishing but you would be able to press a button to lock the doors without using your phone. Here is the kicker: it is our of stock.

 

[GPinzone]

I had a situation a couple days ago where the door wouldn't open right away. I thought it was due to the 16.2 update. The issue wasn't with the key, per se. The car wouldn't wake up when accessing by the app or API. I reset the system and it seems fine now.

Only reason I'm posting this is for troubleshooting. If you think you have a key problem, you might have a "deep sleep" problem instead.

 

[daniel]

I thought smartphones were all waterproof by now?

I have an iPhone SE. I've read that it's slightly water resistant, that is, a few raindrops won't kill it. No way am I going to expose it to sea water. Sure, I could put it in the larger otterbox and take it with me, but since there's always the very small possibility of losing the dry bag, I'd rather lose the key card than my phone. A key fob or key card is just that. A phone is my car key and my telephone and it's a computer. The risk of loss is the same, but the consequences of losing it are far greater.

Oh, the keycards are waterproof too! And cheap. Plus you get two with every car.

Which is why I take the key card with me on the water, instead of the phone. Worst case scenario if I lose it is that I have to get a ride home and fetch the other. Or, (and as I said, this is the great thing; the only good thing, about the phone-as-key) get someone to download the Tesla app onto their phone so I can sign into my account on their phone and open my car.

I was pretty sure that if you open the door and then tap the lock button on the screen that the car would be locked when you close the door.

If you open the door then press the lock button on the screen it will be locked and stay locked when you close the door. If you press it before you open the door then you are right it will unlock and stay unlocked.

I didn't know this. Thanks both for mentioning it, I will try it.

There is a fob available as an accessory...

But you still have to physically press the fob button to lock or unlock the car.

This guy

thinks the fob isn't worth the $150.

 

[StealthP3D]

But you still have to physically press the fob button to lock or unlock the car.

Ouch! You have to push a button?

I didn't know that because I just use my phone. Wouldn't want to get a blister on your little finger, wouldn't want to get a blister on your thumb.

 

[nvx1977]

Update: I ended up getting the Pixel 3a. It works flawlessly as a key!

This is my first experience with a phone that works just as you would expect it to work every single time. I had a 1st gen Pixel that worked reliably maybe 50% of the time. Early on, there were connectivity issues between car and phone (early-mid 2018). More recently the vast majority of my issues were signal strength related - the car unlocking was hit or miss if the phone was in my pocket. I often had to pull the phone out of my pocket to be able to shift into R/D.

Based on what I've been hearing, it seems like most newer phones are playing much nicer with Model 3 these days. Maybe another sign is that this thread is so quiet these days compared to a year ago.

 

[daniel]

I have complained, perhaps rather loudly, in the past about the phone-as-key and the app. So I should say that the phone has not failed to unlock the car in quite some time now, and now the app actually connects to the car. Half a year ago it hardly ever connected. Now it seems to always connect. I don't know which firmware version fixed this because I hadn't tried it in so long.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

Update: I ended up getting the Pixel 3a. It works flawlessly as a key!

This is my first experience with a phone that works just as you would expect it to work every single time. I had a 1st gen Pixel that worked reliably maybe 50% of the time. Early on, there were connectivity issues between car and phone (early-mid 2018). More recently the vast majority of my issues were signal strength related - the car unlocking was hit or miss if the phone was in my pocket. I often had to pull the phone out of my pocket to be able to shift into R/D.

Based on what I've been hearing, it seems like most newer phones are playing much nicer with Model 3 these days. Maybe another sign is that this thread is so quiet these days compared to a year ago.

I've also gotten a 3a a couple of days ago. So far it's been nearly 100%, the only failure was one time when I went to leave and clicking the button on the mobile connector to unplug it didn't unlock it immediately, I had to press the door handle to wake the car but then it did work immediately after that (sometimes before, I still had to fiddle with my phone to get the car to unlock and release the connector). I also haven't had any audio problems with phone calls (my old phone would more often than not be silent for 20s or so after answering and then start working, and would constantly cut in and out due to the phone's BT reconnecting to the car constantly)

I appreciate also now that the new phone I can use the google assistant by just pausing the music (so it can hear me - actually I haven't tested without doing so, for all I know it would still work) and then just talking at it in a normal volume. My old phone had to be awake first, which required pulling it out of the charging dock so I could flip the cover open (because I had the otherwise rather nifty HTC Dot View cover for it). So I can now safely tell my wife I'm on the way home without having to juggle a phone one handed with one eye on the road (I at least always waited until I was on the highway and in AP)

 

[srs5694]

Update: I ended up getting the Pixel 3a. It works flawlessly as a key!
....
Based on what I've been hearing, it seems like most newer phones are playing much nicer with Model 3 these days. Maybe another sign is that this thread is so quiet these days compared to a year ago.

This may or may not be a factor for you, but several people (myself included) have reported improvements when going from Android 8.x ("Oreo") or earlier to Android 9 ("Pie"), even on the same hardware. This was true for me with a OnePlus 5t. Under Android 8.1, it worked about 2/3 of the time; but under Android 9, it works more like 90% of the time -- and when it doesn't work, the cause is usually apparent, like a recent update to the Tesla app on the phone.

This isn't to say that newer phone hardware is not an issue; that may well be true in some cases. I would, however, suggest looking into a software update to Android 9, if that's practical, before replacing a phone that's otherwise functional. Even if the phone's manufacturer doesn't support an upgrade, it may be possible to install a third-party Android, like LineageOS, on an Android phone. Note, however, that many people are reporting problems with Bluetooth phone calls on some phones, and these problems seem to be worse for "generic" Androids like LineageOS than for others. Also, installing a non-OEM Android can be a challenge, particularly with some phones, so if you're not comfortable with technical computer matters, going for a third-party OS may not be a good option. So that's a lot of caveats, but it's still worth looking into a software upgrade before buying a new phone, IMHO.

 

[daniel]

... the only failure was one time when I went to leave and clicking the button on the mobile connector to unplug it didn't unlock it immediately, I had to press the door handle to wake the car but then it did work immediately after that ...

For me, pressing the button on the mobile connector never releases the connector until after I operate the door handle. Then I can release the connector. I never thought of this as a phone issue since if the phone is not working (or I had BT turned off and forgot to turn it back on) the door won't unlock.

 

[nvx1977]

For me, pressing the button on the mobile connector never releases the connector until after I operate the door handle. Then I can release the connector. I never thought of this as a phone issue since if the phone is not working (or I had BT turned off and forgot to turn it back on) the door won't unlock.

Same. I have the expectation that if the car is in deep sleep, I need to wake it with a slight press of the door handle. Then I can free the charge cable.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

I've only had it a few days and 2/3 attempts to unplug the connector it worked fine. Before it occasionally worked fine, but almost always I had to tap the rear door handle to wake the car.

It may be the car was awake already for other reasons, it's hardly a significant sample size. But otherwise I've had zero issues since getting the new phone. I'll try to keep track of any failures and give a more representative take later on.

 

[hugh_jassol]

If you forgot that your BT is off

But with the BT off,

there's your problem... why do you turn bluetooth off?

 

[SDKoala]

Update: I ended up getting the Pixel 3a. It works flawlessly as a key!

This is my first experience with a phone that works just as you would expect it to work every single time. I had a 1st gen Pixel that worked reliably maybe 50% of the time. Early on, there were connectivity issues between car and phone (early-mid 2018). More recently the vast majority of my issues were signal strength related - the car unlocking was hit or miss if the phone was in my pocket. I often had to pull the phone out of my pocket to be able to shift into R/D.

Based on what I've been hearing, it seems like most newer phones are playing much nicer with Model 3 these days. Maybe another sign is that this thread is so quiet these days compared to a year ago.

Congrats. It's life changing. After all of the issues with the Pixel 1 for the first 6 months of the car, I've had a near flawless experience with the regular Pixel 3 for the past 8 months. It has has failed exactly twice in hundreds of uses, which is so much better than failing twice a day. It happens so rarely that I can clearly remember when it doesn't work. One failure was for no apparent reason, but it worked as soon as I cycled BT off/on. I think maybe something to do with a Tesla app update or an Android security update. The other failure was delayed connection where the trunk wouldn't open instantly (took about 2 seconds after approaching the car) which I attribute to talking on the phone with a BT headset as I was trying to get in the car, which I pretty much never do.

 

[daniel]

there's your problem... why do you turn bluetooth off?

For one, because I go kayaking. I need the phone with me in the car in case of emergencies. But I don't want to take it out on the water. Salt water is not good for electronics. So I have to leave the phone in the car. I have to turn BT off otherwise I cannot lock the car with the phone inside.

For another because BT is so wonky that, as I've mentioned in another thread, BT in my phone keeps connecting to 4 different devices whose names are just a jumble of letters and numbers, that never asked me for permission to connect, and that although they clearly say CONNECTED, do not show the little i in the circle that with other devices allow you to disconnect from them or tell the system to forget them. Clicking on them does nothing. They are connected, but I cannot disconnect them. So sometimes I turn BT off just because I don't know WTF those damn things are doing! BT is a POS. I wouldn't turn it on at all except that the alternative is to have to pull the damn key card out every time I want to get in my car. And the fob that Tesla sells for $150 is really no better than the key card because it lacks the proximity sensor that much cheaper cars have had for at least 15 years.

But credit where credit is due: One good thing about the phone as key: If you do get locked out of your car, anybody that has a smartphone can download the app, then let you log on to your account and unlock the car.

 

[MP3Mike]

For another because BT is so wonky that, as I've mentioned in another thread, BT in my phone keeps connecting to 4 different devices whose names are just a jumble of letters and numbers, that never asked me for permission to connect, and that although they clearly say CONNECTED, do not show the little i in the circle that with other devices allow you to disconnect from them or tell the system to forget them. Cli

Those are likely all the different BT devices in your Model 3 that it uses to figure out where you are. And you allowed them when you allowed the Tesla app to connect to your car.

 

[hugh_jassol]

For one, because I go kayaking. I need the phone with me in the car in case of emergencies. But I don't want to take it out on the water. Salt water is not good for electronics. So I have to leave the phone in the car. I have to turn BT off otherwise I cannot lock the car with the phone inside.

Can't you lock your car with the card key even with the phone inside?

For another because BT is so wonky that, as I've mentioned in another thread, BT in my phone keeps connecting to 4 different devices whose names are just a jumble of letters and numbers, that never asked me for permission to connect, and that although they clearly say CONNECTED, do not show the little i in the circle that with other devices allow you to disconnect from them or tell the system to forget them.

I think you're overthinking the bluetooth situation

Those "jumble of letters and numbers" devices are the bluetooth beacons in the car. The car has several of these and are constantly sending out a signal for a few meters around your car, when your phone gets close enough, it connects. That's how the car knows it's your phone and to allow the door to unlock when the handle is pulled. There are many of them so that your car can tell exactly where your phone is (inside the car, outside the car, near the trunk, near the driver's door, etc.) . Once you walk away from the car you won't see them anymore in the bluetooth devices list. This is how bluetooth beacons work.

You gave "permission" when you paired your phone as a key to your car.

I believe all you have to do is use the card key to lock your car and it will lock even though the phone is inside.

 

[daniel]

Are you sure that, if I lock the car with the key card and the phone inside, the proximity of the phone won't allow someone to just open the car? I'm not sure I'd trust that. But thanks to both Mike and Hugh for explaining those other BT "devices." Note that I'm seeing them as "connected" even when "My Tesla" is shown as disconnected. But next time I park and walk farther away than my house is from the garage, I'll check.