Phone as Key Issues

[T34ME]

Please, @T34ME: what workaround might you imagine?
Friday, I'm going to try to persuade my 83-year old father to drive a Model 3 as his daily driver. He has a flip phone; not interested in a smart phone. Looks to me as if he is going to have to use the keycard. Worse, from what I've read so far, it looks as if he'll have to take the keycard out of his wallet to press it against the B pillar, unlike other keycards in other settings that can be used from within wallets.

So... I'd love to know if there's some better -- easier! -- way for a non-smart phone-wielding Model 3 driver to interact with the car.

Thanks,
Alan

Good for your Dad, bless his heart! Here are the workarounds I have found that are immediately available.

• Punch a hole in the key card and attach a lanyard to it, affixed to a belt loop (cost almost nothing). The lanyard should be long enough to comfortably touch it to sensor on the B pillar. It would also be long enough to just lay the card on the console to start the car. If he should forget the card on the console when he gets out, as I would be prone to do, the card comes out of the car with him and dangles at his side. The card and lanyard can then be stuffed into his front or back pocket.
• Get a very small format smartphone like the Jellybean suggested in this thread ($79). Don't activate the phone with a carrier, just use it as a glorified key fob. It would always stay in his pocket. The problem with this solution is the smartphone app has not proven to be consistently reliable and would be a source of frustration to me when not working properly.

A workaround that is not yet available, but I think soon will be is a smartwatch that runs bluetooth with the Tesla app (probably $300+). This is the solution I am hoping for. The watch stays on my wrist and no need to touch it to any sensors. Kills three birds with one stone - tells time, operates car, timer to remind me when to take the blue pill.

Good luck with your Dad. Let us know what he thinks of the car. If you can convince him to use EAP, it will keep him safer as he drives. There will be a learning curve, but you can teach him how to use it, with patience on your part. I can remember my Dad teaching me how to drive a manual transmission as a teenager. Inept, uncoordinated, and clueless (me of course! )

 

[BriansTesla]

Model S owner just picked the Wife's M3. Our two Android phones are working very intermittently. I asked about getting a couple of extra keycards. One to hide and one to keep safe somewhere. They didn't seem to know how I could get extra cards.
It's highly likely she'll get locked out soon. Not looking forward to that.

It's confusing to me how the phone can connect and make calls through the car and stream music but not run the car.

 

[MP3Mike]

Punch a hole in the key card

If you do, be careful not to punch the antenna or chip inside the card, otherwise it might not work anymore.

 

[K-MTG]

I have a card case on my phone but have to take out the key card because my phone keeps on engaging Apple Pay that probably overrides the card key signal.

 

[T34ME]

Thanks, @dsvick, that sounds like one problem knocked down. (*)

(*)Maybe. My Dad has been known to stuff an incredible amount of crap into his wallet. I'll treat this as an opportunity to convince him to shrink his wallet.

Be very careful with this solution. You must start the car within 15 seconds of touching the B pillar sensor with your wallet or else you have to take your wallet back out of your pocket while sitting in the car and lay it in the console where I would forget to pick it up when done driving and it could wind up on the floor under foot when making a turn. I do not like this solution because it takes me more than 15 seconds to start the car due to stiffness in aging joints while getting in, feet too large to get quickly through the door opening, extra time to put on the seat belt, adjust rear view mirror, and remember why I got into the car in the first place! I don't think this solution is a reasonable workaround for your Dad, it wouldn't work for me.

 

[RBowen]

I just picked up my 3. First impressions are generally very positive. The "phone as a key" is not one of them. For example, the process for opening, say, the frunk is super awkward without the equivalent of a fob.

Step one: get the phone out of ones pocket or purse (Note that the frunk is now already open if we had a fob)
Step two: unlock the phone
Step three: find and open the Tesla app (and sometimes wait for it to find the car and load)
Step four: go to "controls"
Step five: tap "open frunk"

Or one could get into the car, go to controls, etc., and then get out of the car... Good exercise I suppose.

Tesla, please make a S-style fob an option for those of us who want one.

 

[jomo25]

Question 1: For those of you having issues with the “walk up and unlock”, can the car be unlocked via the app reliably? I.e. open the app, and press “unlock” like the Model S without the fob?

Question 2: Can the trunk and frunk also be opened via the app reliably?

Question 3: Once unlocked, can the car be started and driven without any other action (other than pressing brake and shifting to drive)?

 

[FreeOfPge]

Question 1: For those of you having issues with the “walk up and unlock”, can the car be unlocked via the app reliably? I.e. open the app, and press “unlock” like the Model S without the fob?

Question 2: Can the trunk and frunk also be opened via the app reliably?

Question 3: Once unlocked, can the car be started and driven without any other action (other than pressing brake and shifting to drive)?

Question 1: Yes*.
Question 2: Yes.
Question 3: Yes.

Question "can the car be unlocked via the app reliably?" : Most of the time yes, but often with a delay*.

*Today the app would not work at all, I called Tesla roadside to unlock the car - while waiting on hold I walked back inside to grab the key card - getting the car unlocked (approx 5-8 minutes) right as the support person answered. A waste of my time and theirs. Why this has to be so complicated is beyond me.

One thing I loved about my Model S (and Volt) was that the need for a standard key had been eliminated ... at this point, I'm beginning to long for one.

 

[jomo25]

OK, thanks!

I currently have my Model X set up via iOS HomeKit using something called Homebridge. So I can tell Siri via my iPhone or Apple Watch to “unlock Model X” and it will unlock the car.

If an unlocked M3 can be started without the card or BLE connection, then that might work.

So, I wonder if that would be one way to get around this issue.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

OK, thanks!

I currently have my Model X set up via iOS HomeKit using something called Homebridge. So I can tell Siri via my iPhone or Apple Watch to “unlock Model X” and it will unlock the car.

If an unlocked M3 can be started without the card or BLE connection, then that might work.

So, I wonder if that would be one way to get around this issue.

But then you would have to have a network connection. That's not very reliable. It wouldn't work in my parking garage at work. Tesla just give us a fob please.

 

[cwerdna]

Good for your Dad, bless his heart! Here are the workarounds I have found that are immediately available.

• Punch a hole in the key card and attach a lanyard to it, affixed to a belt loop (cost almost nothing). The lanyard should be long enough to comfortably touch it to sensor on the B pillar. It would also be long enough to just lay the card on the console to start the car. If he should forget the card on the console when he gets out, as I would be prone to do, the card comes out of the car with him and dangles at his side. The card and lanyard can then be stuffed into his front or back pocket.

If the card's the right size, instead of punching a hole in the card, there are numerous plastic (hard and soft like clear vinyl) card holders that have holes for lanyards. I used to have some hard ones when I had to carry a badge at my former work. In many cases, I'd keep the holder w/badge inserted on a lanyard.

 

[run-the-joules]

The card absolutely works through my wallet, FWIW. Y'all need to cut it out with your unobtanium wallets

 

[JenniferQ]

Car worked fine first couple of times with my phone. Now it’s stopped responding. I can hit lock/unlock from the phone and it blinks its lights and clicks and clacks, but nothing changes. Mirrors stay out, lights on, whirring and whirring. Doesn’t turn off or lock itself.

Just sits in garage ready to roll, even though my app says it’s Disconnected. They need to fix this or give us a fob. Having to find my wallet and pull out a keycard is BS.

 

[JenniferQ]

Wait, what? OT, you actually finally got your car??? Congrats!

The card absolutely works through my wallet, FWIW. Y'all need to cut it out with your unobtanium wallets

 

[run-the-joules]

Wait, what? OT, you actually finally got your car??? Congrats!

Thanks!

but yeah, I've used it through my wallet just to make sure I could. Didn't have any sort of problem with it. Just a normal leather wallet.

 

[FreeOfPge]

Car worked fine first couple of times with my phone. Now it’s stopped responding. I can hit lock/unlock from the phone and it blinks its lights and clicks and clacks, but nothing changes. Mirrors stay out, lights on, whirring and whirring. Doesn’t turn off or lock itself.

Just sits in garage ready to roll, even though my app says it’s Disconnected. They need to fix this or give us a fob. Having to find my wallet and pull out a keycard is BS.

Have you installed the latest update? Most got it last night. Its a bit early to confirm victory but the biggest problem of unresponsiveness seems remedied with this update. Personally, I haven't had an issue since installing it nor have I seen posts about it since then.

Check your settings, walk away lock is probably off.

 

[JenniferQ]

Installed the update today before I tried all of this. Walk away lock is on, and was working for a few trips. Then it just stopped. Again. We do have a service call out for it. We shall see.

 

[Msjulie]

You must start the car within 15 seconds of touching the B pillar sensor with your wallet or else you have to take your wallet back out of your pocket while sitting in the car and lay it in the console

Is this how it behaved for you? I didn't try yet - guess I have to now! - but the owner's manual PDF says (emphasis mine)

"Once inside, power up Model 3 by pressing the brake pedal within two minutes of scanning the key card (see Starting and Powering Off on page 40). "

 

[CuriousG]

I just picked up my 3. First impressions are generally very positive. The "phone as a key" is not one of them. For example, the process for opening, say, the frunk is super awkward without the equivalent of a fob.

After using the frunk a few times, I would not recommend using it unless absolutely necessary. It is much harder to shut than current Model S, which uses some kind of assisted motorized lock. I never felt the need to be careful with the Model S where as the Model 3 you have to be careful not to apply too much pressure or possibly make dents on the hood. It would sometimes take me several tries before shutting the frunk.

 

[T34ME]

Is this how it behaved for you? I didn't try yet - guess I have to now! - but the owner's manual PDF says (emphasis mine)

"Once inside, power up Model 3 by pressing the brake pedal within two minutes of scanning the key card (see Starting and Powering Off on page 40). "

I do not have my car yet. I am just repeating what other model 3 owners have reported while using the key card. (see post #101 in this thread)