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Phone as Key Issues
- Thread starter AllDigital
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- Model 3 User Interface
Did the key fob on model X or S ever have a 24 page thread dedicated to problems with the key fob?
Less reliable = not an improvement.
Less reliable = not an improvement.
deonb
Active Member
Seeing as key fobs have existed for 38 years, I think that says something about Tesla's "cutting edge innovation"
Remote keyless system - Wikipedia
Mine will always unlock if I have the Tesla app open and pointed to the 3. If my iPhone 7 is in my pocket, it may or may not open.
But even after getting in the car, it may ask for the key card unless I leave the iPhone in my hand — and not on the charging post. All in all, I wouldn’t worry about the car getting you where you want to go, but I have suggested to my wife that she always drive the S. There is no reason both of us have to be annoyed by this idiotic smartphone solution to a nonexistent key fob problem. Tesla really blew it and the Tesla service techs know it.
You will be able to get into the car reliably, but maybe not with your phone right away. The key card works 100% of the time for me, it is just somewhat of a pain. My car is at the Service Center tonight to have a few things fixed, with the phone key being the main issue for me.
deonb
Active Member
I guess you weren't around in 2013 that there was a "Open all 4 Windows" function at the top of the fob, where every now and again you'd get to the car with 1 or more of the Windows rolled down.
Tesla swore that all of the owners were just pressing the buttons, and all of the owners swear that they didn't.
Apparently at the time, I suffered from a bout of sleep walking where I got up in the middle of the night, unlocked my study, pressed the key fob, locked the study again, and went back to bed.
The fob was also magically able to detect this sleep walking state of mine since when I pressed it while I was asleep, it randomly roll down either 2 or 3 windows, which I thought was cool. I could never do that myself - when I was awake while pressing the button it always rolled down 4 windows - never just 2 or 3.
Tesla subsequently removed this feature, and somewhat coincidentally, my sleep walking got cured at the same time.
Next, let's talk about the invisible RFID chip that all fobs shipped with in 2013...
This has been ridiculously unreliable. Today the door unlocked without any problem with phone in my pocket, but demanded the card to get started. Instead of doing that I turned bluetooth off and then on again. That did it.
Someone asked my wife today how she liked the car. She felt like saying that it is great once she is able to get in it.
Tesla really needs to fix the bluetooth communication issue. If they can't, they should go back to good old fobs.
Someone asked my wife today how she liked the car. She felt like saying that it is great once she is able to get in it.
Tesla really needs to fix the bluetooth communication issue. If they can't, they should go back to good old fobs.
JES2
Member
I don't think that is really comparable with the issues that are being discussed here. As one owner, stated, "I love my car, when I am able to get in it." That is a big issue.
I would think Tesla could easily enough solve the window issue with the FOB. Worse case, deactivate what seems to be a relatively useless function. However, I'm not sure with their current solution, that they can ever satisfy the requirement that a driver should be able to get into his/her car 99.99%, which I think is what a FOB delivers (at a minimum.) This requires a high level of reliability to be met with a variety of phones + the car software, both of which are constantly changing.
I know if I leave with my FOB, in my current car, that when I return, my FOB will let me get into my car and start the engine. Without a FOB, I would have a fear that if I was not carrying around the card (with my phone), that I could easily get stranded somewhere (possibly in inclement weather) outside of my car. That is a big difference. A FOB can't put you in that predicament.
It is somewhat strange that Tesla did not see this coming, but most IT folks know how to quickly handle technical phone / software issues. I don't think they realize the low level of understanding for the typical layperson that just wants to drive the car.
Several people have made mention of "leaving the app running." I'm wondering what exactly that means. I have an iPhone SE. Only one app can be in the foreground at any one time. When I switch to another app, I have no control over the status of the previous app. I'm uncertain what iOS does with apps that are not the foreground one. I can force close an app by double-clicking on the Home button and then sliding the app up, but I've been told by Apple that there's never any need to do that unless an app is malfunctioning.
Does "leave the app running" mean leaving it on-screen when I lock the phone screen?
I never have the Tesla app in the foreground unless I'm trying to use it. ("Trying" because 9 times out of 10 the car has no cell signal when it's in my garage and the app cannot connect.) But I never force-close it. So far (knock on wood!) it always opens the car. I even discovered that with the car locked I can disconnect the charge cable (but only if I have the phone with me). I don't have to open the door to unplug the cable.
Does "leave the app running" mean leaving it on-screen when I lock the phone screen?
I never have the Tesla app in the foreground unless I'm trying to use it. ("Trying" because 9 times out of 10 the car has no cell signal when it's in my garage and the app cannot connect.) But I never force-close it. So far (knock on wood!) it always opens the car. I even discovered that with the car locked I can disconnect the charge cable (but only if I have the phone with me). I don't have to open the door to unplug the cable.
Issue was not fixed during the service call yesterday. I have a long technical explanation on the service invoice which I will post later.
Someone up thread made the point that given the large universe of cell phones, the chances of this feature being 99.9% reliable is almost not possible.
Instead of stating that the only requirement on the phone is: Bluetooth, LE and NFC, maybe Tesla could have provided a list of phones known to work. Maybe they did this, I haven't seen it. Start with highest volume phone seller, etc.
Thousands of different phones, different hardware, different software, user settings, add radios and antennas into the stew, add a dash of "time criticality" cause this all needs to work in several seconds.
Will post later with my thoughts about what happens going forward with my phone/car WRT this.
Glad to have the car back. Loaner was a Chevy Equinox, gross.
RT
Someone up thread made the point that given the large universe of cell phones, the chances of this feature being 99.9% reliable is almost not possible.
Instead of stating that the only requirement on the phone is: Bluetooth, LE and NFC, maybe Tesla could have provided a list of phones known to work. Maybe they did this, I haven't seen it. Start with highest volume phone seller, etc.
Thousands of different phones, different hardware, different software, user settings, add radios and antennas into the stew, add a dash of "time criticality" cause this all needs to work in several seconds.
Will post later with my thoughts about what happens going forward with my phone/car WRT this.
Glad to have the car back. Loaner was a Chevy Equinox, gross.
RT
T34ME
Active Member
my 6 year old Prius does all of these things, including the trunk hatch with a tap on the sensor, with the SKS (Smart Key System), a small key fob that never leaves my pocket. You NEVER have to touch the key fob. As long as the key fob is in range, the car can be locked or unlocked by touching a simple sensor on the door handle. Tesla really complicated things with their smartphone application.
voltage
Member
Leaving app running on iPhone means don’t force close.
For last two days the phone key has worked reliably if I don’t force close the app. If app is force closed and car is in deep sleep then phone key does not work. I have an iPhone X.
Yes, I do, and as noted mine works. I consider myself lucky that it does.
Same with my 12-year-old Prius. Toyota did it right. Tesla tried for "space age" and went too far too fast, eliminating the tried-and-true before making sure that every single smartphone running any available OS would work flawlessly, in spite of all common sense and the history of BT being sketchy.
Thanks for the clarification. As noted earlier, I've been told by a service tech at Apple that I should never force-close an app in iOS unless the app is malfunctioning. He said that unlike OS X, there's no need to force-close apps in iOS. He said they do not consume resources. I don't understand how this can be if the app is capable of unlocking the car. But there's a lot about computers I don't understand. So I take his word for it and I don't force-close the Tesla app.
I've had my M3 for a week now. Interestingly, during delivery orientation, the specialist dropped the card between center console and seat and had to frantically retrieve it. With some effort he did so! I think that speaks to putting the card in a plastic holder and creating a sort of key fob for yourself. My android phone has been working, not on walk up, but with touch commands via the app, altho that is draining the battery somewhat. I have the older Nexus 4 phone and fumbling with it, if you have gloves on or have packages in hand, is problematic as noted by others. I'm starting to think the card as fob is the way to go.
deonb
Active Member
AHEM... forward circa... 2 weeks ago.
Took my Model S in to Tesla for the yearly service which includes swapping the keyfob batteries. 2 days later my fob was dead.
Took it back to Tesla, they apologized for giving me a dead battery and swapped the battery for a known new one. Took the car to the office 2 days later, came down into the parking lot and... nothing. Keyfob dead again. Because I was in the parking lot, my car didn't have LTE service and I couldn't remotely unlock it.
I had to take a Taxi home and bring in the other fob the next day. Now I have to go into Tesla to have the fob completely exchanged.
With both key types of the Model 3 this wouldn't have happen. If my phone was dead it's very simple to recharge - don't need special batteries. And the RFID card doesn't go dead. It's very nice to have a second backup with a completely different technology. I don't even have to take it out of my wallet, I simply swipe my wallet against the door... (which elicit some strange looks, but alas).
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