Phone as Key Issues

[pipplo]

This probably won't apply to everyone, but I was having a lot of trouble with the phone key so I decided to do some debug. I have a google pixel 2.

I removed all other bluetooth devices from my phone except for the tesla, and then rebooted the phone. For 2 days I had a 100% success rate. So, then I connected my Fitbit Versa watch to my phone, and since then it's been about 50-50 on whether it will work. It seems like it will work eventually, but sometimes you gotta just stand next to the car for a while.

So it seems like (at least in my case) there is some interference with multiple devices.

 

[daniel]

This probably won't apply to everyone, but I was having a lot of trouble with the phone key so I decided to do some debug. I have a google pixel 2.

I removed all other bluetooth devices from my phone except for the tesla, and then rebooted the phone. For 2 days I had a 100% success rate. So, then I connected my Fitbit Versa watch to my phone, and since then it's been about 50-50 on whether it will work. It seems like it will work eventually, but sometimes you gotta just stand next to the car for a while.

So it seems like (at least in my case) there is some interference with multiple devices.

So all anyone has to do is buy a smartphone to use exclusively as a car key. Wonderful.

 

[Bruinfan]

I HATE the phone-as-key.

I LOVE the phone as key. I hate that it doesn't work.

update time:
so i was restarting the phone every nite to great success. Then someone mentioned putting phone in performance mode. I tried that, and it stopped working consistently. Maybe 5 times in 7 days it didn't work.

So, I took it out of performance mode. So for 3 days, it was fine.. then I didn't drive the car for 2 days. Then, after a phone restart, it didn't work. Reset bluetooth, after 45 sec, it worked.

So, I will now start my count over... my record is 9 days in a row. The performance mode experiment failed for me. I am now Days Since Last Incident: Reset to 1.

 

[pipplo]

So all anyone has to do is buy a smartphone to use exclusively as a car key. Wonderful.

Yeah it's definitely not ideal, but at least I seem to have something that works for me in the short term.

The frustrating thing is that I don't know what to do with this info. I'd like to share it with Tesla or Google but who knows how to communicate it.

 

[veg8]

So all anyone has to do is buy a smartphone to use exclusively as a car key. Wonderful.

Sounds like if Tesla ever offered a cheap <$200 certfied smartphone that is guarented to work 99.9%, i would buy it in an instant for my wife who will be primarily driving the car, we both have Samsung S7's that seem to be hit and miss according to folks here. I can then leave the phone in her purse she proably won't even notice it in big bag, then i'll charge it every couple of days, nothing like piece of mind for her since we are expecting in mid summer

 

[daniel]

Even if a smartphone works 100% of the time, it is still inferior to a fob, because a fob could have a button to open the frunk. And as I've repeated until people are probably sick of hearing it, it's a colossal pain in the butt to open the frunk. Either screw around with the phone, opening the screen, opening the app, finding the button, or else, what I actually do: Open the door, then lean way in and press the screen button several times until it registers, and then one time in ten have to do it all over because the latch is still slightly engaged and the frunk still won't open.

Please, Tesla, give us a fob!

 

[Graffi]

I have my old I-5 phone. Maybe I can use it as the key fob when we get our M3.

 

[ergela]

iPhone X, has worked flawlessly for me since delivery. Only gripe is not having easy access to the frunk, opening the app then the frunk is a pain when holding stuff.

 

[ratsbew]

The phone key is just horrible. We need a FOB for two reasons...100% reliability and easy frunk opening. It is maddening to have such a great car with such stupid limitations that could be solved with a $20 FOB.

 

[pipplo]

I kind of wish they'd support widgets for the frunk etc.

 

[iwannam3]

My android opened the door and then the car said it needed the card to drive. Obviously worked to open the door, but would not enable the car to drive 10 seconds later. FOB please, it's embarrassing to stand there fiddling with the phone and then digging out the card.

 

[jamnmon66]

I kind of wish they'd support widgets for the frunk etc.

Agreed. Widgets one of the best parts of Android. One of the many reasons that I'll never have an iPhone.

Plus, you can link them to gestures & I read and article that you can call them with the Google assistant. Haven't tried it yet. I'll look for that article at some point. It'd be great to just say "OK Google, open the frunk". I carry my phone in a belt holster & it can hear me without taking it out.

 

[seattlite2004]

Even if a smartphone works 100% of the time, it is still inferior to a fob, because a fob could have a button to open the frunk. And as I've repeated until people are probably sick of hearing it, it's a colossal pain in the butt to open the frunk. Either screw around with the phone, opening the screen, opening the app, finding the button, or else, what I actually do: Open the door, then lean way in and press the screen button several times until it registers, and then one time in ten have to do it all over because the latch is still slightly engaged and the frunk still won't open.

Please, Tesla, give us a fob!

@2:44....Porsche has a cool way of opening it's frunk...wonder if the Mission E is gonna do this:

 

[SDKoala]

@2:44....Porsche has a cool way of opening it's frunk...wonder if the Mission E is gonna do this:

At first I thought you just meant having a key fob with a frunk button, which actually would be cool. Then I watched until 2:52 and stared in amazement. I wonder how buggy that's going to be.

 

[RubberToe]

So all anyone has to do is buy a smartphone to use exclusively as a car key. Wonderful.

Think of it as a high end car opening fob that can also be used to make phone calls or surf the web!

RT

 

[RubberToe]

I LOVE the phone as key. I hate that it doesn't work.

update time:
so i was restarting the phone every nite to great success. Then someone mentioned putting phone in performance mode. I tried that, and it stopped working consistently. Maybe 5 times in 7 days it didn't work.

So, I took it out of performance mode. So for 3 days, it was fine.. then I didn't drive the car for 2 days. Then, after a phone restart, it didn't work. Reset bluetooth, after 45 sec, it worked.

So, I will now start my count over... my record is 9 days in a row. The performance mode experiment failed for me. I am now Days Since Last Incident: Reset to 1.

Your phone battery will die due to old age before you ever conclusively find the random combination of events that allow it to work 100% reliably. Then you can restart the research with your next phone!

RT

 

[RubberToe]

My phone as key does not work, period. When showing someone my Model 3 today after arriving at work today, my key card disappeared from the cup holder and I couldn't find it.

I had to grab a flashlight I keep in the car and look under both front seats to locate the card. Found it after about 3 harrowing minutes. My success rate using the credit card is 100%. Having said that, I'm pretty careful about keeping track of it since it is a single point failure.

RT

 

[diamond.g]

My phone as key does not work, period. When showing someone my Model 3 today after arriving at work today, my key card disappeared from the cup holder and I couldn't find it.

I had to grab a flashlight I keep in the car and look under both front seats to locate the card. Found it after about 3 harrowing minutes. My success rate using the credit card is 100%. Having said that, I'm pretty careful about keeping track of it since it is a single point failure.

RT

Once you start the car using the key card does it still need to sit near the cup holder?

 

[bhzmark]

@2:44....Porsche has a cool way of opening it's frunk...wonder if the Mission E is gonna do this:

For those who hate watching videos when a few words will suffice: the Porsche method is to simply have the fob in vicinity of the frunk, and gesture your hand in a swipe across the upper bumper and hood surface toward the hood badge and that unlocks the frunk. Pretty cool.

but requires some odd infrared or other hand sensor in hood or bumper. Even more useful would be a sensor that detects waving your foot around under the bumper to unlock -- something that a few grocery getter SUVs have to unlock the back hatch.

Either could work well with phone and even be better than pressing a fob button.

 

[ratsbew]

Tesla could use the autopilot camera to somehow detect a frunk opening gesture if you are within range. The problem is you probably have your hands full of groceries that would make gesturing difficult.