Phone as Key Issues

[schafgro]

4,757 miles on my 3, no issues with phone access for three months (iPhone 6). Now i can’t buy my way into the car! Everything says i’m Connected to Bluetooth and a strong WiFi signal but just doesn’t sense the phone? Once i get in the car it senses the phone for calls and music but says i need the card to start car! Rebooted phone and car many times i have latest software 2018.14.13. Maybe because it’s a 2017? I don’t know why it would suddenly just drop off!

 

[arondaniel]

On a Pixel running Android 8.1.0. Generally, if I reboot my phone every day it works without problems.

Same here. FWIW Tesla blames Google for the borken BlueToof. To which I say... OK sure... but I'd still like to be able to get inside my car and drive it!

 

[pavankp]

I would set the Tasker profile to do it more often than 12 hours. I have it on every 1 hour, which is working well and I haven't had a failure yet when away from the car for many hours. So now we know that it has to be more often than every 12 hours but doesn't need to be more often than every 1 hour. The effect on battery life of the phone at an every 1 hour interval is negligible, though.

The issue that I'm working on now is the loss of phone key functionality when doing a quick return to the car where you barely leave Bluetooth range but need to turn back around to get in again. I've had the phone fail to open the car a few times in this situation.

Interesting. I will try upping the frequency of the Bluetooth thing. It is weird that what works for one phone consistently won't work for another phone of the exact model running the latest stable software! I even went back in and checked the developer settings to see if I had screwed with something there, but they only have settings for audio there.

 

[bhzmark]

It is weird that what works for one phone consistently won't work for another phone of the exact model running the latest stable software

Disable all the other apps from Bluetooth. And if that fixes it, then add back the apps one by one (starting with any apps that aren’t on the other phone) to find the offending app that may be conflicting with the Tesla app.

 

[jamnmon66]

Twitter? I don’t tweet

I don't have Elon's phone number or email.

This one used to work. Can't say that it still does.
[email protected]
Robin

Cool. And if these don't work, try something else. There are so many knowledgeable & intelligent people in this forum that the solution is out there. It just takes persistence. Just my opinion but I think you'll have better luck going directly to the source rather than voicing your complaints in here and hoping Elon/Tesla will find it.

 

[jamnmon66]

Maybe if you try to get as many people as you can who are having the problem send the same message. I wouldn't believe in doing this with any other automaker but I've seen Elon respond directly to customers on Twitter (or at least articles to that effect... I don't do social media). He seems to be genuinely concerned that we have a great experience with our cars. I might be naive about this but I don't think so. You just need a strategy to get the message across.

 

[JES2]

4,757 miles on my 3, no issues with phone access for three months (iPhone 6). Now i can’t buy my way into the car! Everything says i’m Connected to Bluetooth and a strong WiFi signal but just doesn’t sense the phone? Once i get in the car it senses the phone for calls and music but says i need the card to start car! Rebooted phone and car many times i have latest software 2018.14.13. Maybe because it’s a 2017? I don’t know why it would suddenly just drop off!

Maybe you don't understand: Model 3 needs to make Tesla money so they cut out lots of little things: nearly all interior buttons and gauges, grab handles, power trunk, and key fobs -- lots of little things that add up. If supplying any of these items were near zero marginal cost, they would probably include them. This saves them money and is also consistent with a minimalist design aesthetic.

Lots of people are having no problem. I suspect some people have a conflicting app or some other unique circumstance that can eventually be remedied. If Tesla finds that there is no remedy for significant portion, they eventually rollout something -- maybe a fob, maybe a easier key card, or maybe use NFC or something.

If you are getting an EV you already have to adjust to new things. this is one more.

PS, when you say "I've worked in IT for 38 years" most people are more likely to think, "Great, if I have a COBAL or token-ring question I'll come to you" rather than "Great, you are likely a good person to adopt to new technology as people of your vintage are always excited about change and doing things a new way!"

Your second argument now seems to be that creating a FOB would be too costly for Tesla. I would be willing to bet that a lot of drivers would like the security of a FOB as long as the phone solution does not have a functional advantage or offer equal reliability. I know I would pay Tesla a high profit margin on such an option. I like knowing I can get into a car. An option that Tesla could simply outsource.

If the phone had any track record of success from other vehicles, then it makes sense to continue with just the phone and the card, but this is not the case. Secondly, too many variables. As schafgro posted, it was working fine, until it wasn't. That is the problem with the phone only strategy. It keeps changing outside of Tesla's sphere of control.

Your first argument continues to consist of the "but, it's not happening to me" with a dash of "maybe you're not hip enough for my car." Got it. Maybe you don't realize this is the Model 3 forum and not the Roadster forum. Why you decided to wander into a thread that has no interest to you is curious in itself.

I work for IBM and am a storage architect for Blockchain, Cloud, and Analytic solutions in the CSI space (Computer Services Industry.) I have no clue what COBAL is. Maybe you mean COBOL. Sorry, I wrote Assembly back in the day. I guess some of us old guys do know how to adapt.

I have Twittered Elon asking if a FOB is planned in the future.

I am certainly not "mad" about not having the FOB. I'll try my best to plan and deal with the phone I have (I-Phone 8). Once AWD is available, I will be ordering the Model 3. (I have my invite already.) This forum is here to talk about issues and solutions for the Model 3. That is what I and others are doing.

 

[diamond.g]

I wonder if @wk057 has had the time to see if he can get the X fob to work/pair with the 3. I am also really curious to know if the X fob uses BT to unlock and start the X as I was under the impression that it used RF for that and BT for the auto present door option.

 

[slipnslider]

4,757 miles on my 3, no issues with phone access for three months (iPhone 6). Now i can’t buy my way into the car! Everything says i’m Connected to Bluetooth and a strong WiFi signal but just doesn’t sense the phone? Once i get in the car it senses the phone for calls and music but says i need the card to start car! Rebooted phone and car many times i have latest software 2018.14.13. Maybe because it’s a 2017? I don’t know why it would suddenly just drop off!

Because phones weren't designed to be car keys.

 

[slipnslider]

Disable all the other apps from Bluetooth. And if that fixes it, then add back the apps one by one (starting with any apps that aren’t on the other phone) to find the offending app that may be conflicting with the Tesla app.

This is the whole point though - you should not have to do any of this troubleshooting bullcrap. Going from something reliable to something that has to involve troubleshooting all the time is not an improvement. It's change just for the sake of change, to wow the crowd that always has to be new and different and techier than their neighbors.

 

[bhzmark]

This is the whole point though - you should not have to do any of this troubleshooting bullcrap. Going from something reliable to something that has to involve troubleshooting all the time is not an improvement. It's change just for the sake of change, to wow the crowd that always has to be new and different and techier than their neighbors.

OK. Fine. We get that you don't like the phone as key and you wish Tesla would something different. Let us know what they say when you tell them.

But meanwhile, let other people who are interested share information and discuss strategies to troubleshoot the issues for those people who are having problems that may be related to specific settings or apps on their phones.

Why you decided to wander into a thread that has no interest to you is curious in itself.

Because I am sharing information that worked for me to help others so that their phone can work better.

 

[jwinterb]

We took delivery of a new Model 3 yesterday. We had no problem connecting both of our iPhones up as "keys" to accommodate keyless entry and start.

Overall, the functionality seemed great, until we realized the app always needs to be running and then this morning my wife's phone/app showed "disconnected" under the "Phone as a key" setting in the app and it stopped working as a key. This wouldn't be a huge deal, except the "card keys" really suck. The card keys are like going back in time to a physical car key, except these card keys are hard to hold, easy to lose, and try opening the door with one in your hand and a bag of groceries in another with the funky handles. I'd pay another $1000 for a regular old keyfob with basic remote.

On the "phone as a key" disconnect issue. We tried everything to resolve with Tesla. Checked versions of iOS. Rebooted the console. deleted the app and re-added the app. Unpaired the phone from the car (forget/forget). We were able to get it back to a point to set it up again, but when we tried to setup again, it fails every time with "unable to connect to your vehicle", which is ironic, because the same exact app at the same time on the same phone can honk the horn, blink the lights, and do everything else "connecting to the car", except set-up "phone as key". An hour later with Tesla and all we got was a logged issue.

Any other new owners have issues with "Phone as Key" disconnecting and/or unable to set up?

On firmware 81. - 48.15

Yes, I just got mine on Friday and I am having the same issue with my Samsung. I just thought that I was doing something wrong, but I'm starting to think that it is really a problem. This morning it did open after I tried opening the door three times, but that's certainly not as flawless as it should be.

 

[JES2]

OK. Fine. We get that you don't like the phone as key and you wish Tesla would something different. Let us know what they say when you tell them.

But meanwhile, let other people who are interested share information and discuss strategies to troubleshoot the issues for those people who are having problems that may be related to specific settings or apps on their phones.



Because I am sharing information that worked for me to help others so that their phone can work better.

Sure, that part is fine. I feel better to hear that people are getting the phone as a key to function, plus I am making sure I understand whatever workarounds I might be able to do.

However, I think you also missed the part of how you have been suggesting that maybe people shouldn't be buying the Model 3, because they lack your technical prowess. At least you seem to be walking it back. Good for you.

 

[bhzmark]

Sure, that part is fine. I feel better to hear that people are getting the phone as a key to function, plus I am making sure I understand whatever workarounds I might be able to do.

However, I think you also missed the part of how you have been suggesting that maybe people shouldn't be buying the Model 3, because they lack your technical prowess. At least you seem to be walking it back. Good for you.

Please don't state what you wish I said rather than what I actually said. “We get that you don’t like the phone as a key” isn’t a concession and is totally consistent with “maybe the Tesla Model 3 isn’t for you — At least if you are wedded to an android phone that has a conflicting app or Bluetooth setting that you don’t want to bother to diagnose.”

My point is to use this thread to share information to help each other and don’t pollute the thread with repetitive lamentations and requests for a key fob.

 

[Fusion]

I have a Samsung S8 and it has been flawless for me so far. Only 3 days but it hasn't failed yet.

 

[Beagle]

Guys, and Gals - My wife and I will join this fight tomorrow AM. While I found this thread a few days ago, it has taken a long time to get through it, and I have, only rarely, found which phone is experiencing the problem for each poster. (Although it does seem to be predominately Android.) I think that naming the phone/OS would help us all get "The Big Picture".

One potential problem that we may have starting tomorrow, but I have never seen mentioned is the fact that we live in a split level house with constant 6-8 foot proximity with the car. Are we likely to have constant locking and unlocking activity? Would something simple like leaving a window open stop the car from locking?

Thanks,

 

[SDKoala]

Guys, and Gals - My wife and I will join this fight tomorrow AM. While I found this thread a few days ago, it has taken a long time to get through it, and I have, only rarely, found which phone is experiencing the problem for each poster. (Although it does seem to be predominately Android.) I think that naming the phone/OS would help us all get "The Big Picture".

One potential problem that we may have starting tomorrow, but I have never seen mentioned is the fact that we live in a split level house with constant 6-8 foot proximity with the car. Are we likely to have constant locking and unlocking activity? Would something simple like leaving a window open stop the car from locking?

Thanks,

The proximity unlock went away with one of the previous firmware updates so it will stay locked until you physically pull on one of the handles or the press the trunk release. What might happen, though, if you are in and out of Bluetooth range is that the car will be constantly connecting and disconnecting your phone's Bluetooth Low Energy protocol. You can look at the Tesla app to see if the phone is connected as the key and figure out the edge of the range in your house. Depending on the types of phones you have (Android vs iPhone) this could make the phone key unstable unless you reset the Bluetooth before trying to get in the car.

 

[wk057]

So, I'm back to having phone key issues again. No obvious reason. When I upgraded from the S8+ to S9+, the issue seemed to disappear, with a 1 in 10 success rate moving to about 9 in 10.

Now after like a month it's back to maybe 3 in 10. I'm back to walking up to the car, pulling the handle, and being locked out still... until I take out my phone, open the Tesla app, and unlock from there... or fetch my wallet and take out the key card.

Gets quite infuriating, especially when carrying things to the car.

If Tesla doesn't offer a fob for the 3 soon then I'm going to be taking my car in as many times as needed to resolve this seemingly unresolvable issue, and when they can't fix it after the third time or so I'll file a lemon law claim. Not going to fight to get into my vehicle 70% of the time.

Edit: For the record, literally the only thing on my phone that uses bluetooth is the Model 3. I don't even have audio pairings with anything else, nor any other apps that use bluetooth. The phone is pretty much new, and doesn't even have hardly anything installed besides the basics. Overall, I'm pretty good with such things and have diagnosed everything possible on my phone side, including trying multiple phones over the past several months with similar results. The issue is the Tesla app, the car, or a combination of both.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

I have a Samsung Galaxy S8+, it fails to open the doors for me about once or twice a week, which translates into about 1 out of 10-15 times. The rest of the time it works well.

I'm convinced, at least in my situation, that this issue is on the phone side, not the car side. I can always get it working again by cycling Bluetooth on the phone. No need to open the Tesla app or unlock from there -- just turn BlueTooth off, then turn it back on, and the doors then open fine.

I believe I read somewhere that the app loads the BlueTooth hardware on the phone with the necessary data to unlock the car, and then the app shuts down. This means that the BlueTooth hardware on the phone is actually the piece that unlocks the car, without any input from the app. It makes sense that cycling the BlueTooth hardware fixes it, as it reactivates the loaded data. This points to an issue with the BlueTooth hardware -- it's almost like the data "times out" after it sits in the BlueTooth hardware for too long, then needs to be refreshed in order to unlock the car.

 

[cellogig]

I have a Samsung Galaxy S8+, it fails to open the doors for me about once or twice a week, which translates into about 1 out of 10-15 times. The rest of the time it works well.

I'm convinced, at least in my situation, that this issue is on the phone side, not the car side. I can always get it working again by cycling Bluetooth on the phone. No need to open the Tesla app or unlock from there -- just turn BlueTooth off, then turn it back on, and the doors then open fine.

I believe I read somewhere that the app loads the BlueTooth hardware on the phone with the necessary data to unlock the car, and then the app shuts down. This means that the BlueTooth hardware on the phone is actually the piece that unlocks the car, without any input from the app. It makes sense that cycling the BlueTooth hardware fixes it, as it reactivates the loaded data. This points to an issue with the BlueTooth hardware -- it's almost like the data "times out" after it sits in the BlueTooth hardware for too long, then needs to be refreshed in order to unlock the car.

I agree but today I opened my trunk to put my groceries in. Walked about 30 feet from the car to put my cart back. Car locked it self. Came back to car and could not open the drivers door with phone key. The screen inside the car stated tap key card. I went to the trunk again to unlock the car, trunk unlocks with phone key. Car is unlocked was able to access the drivers door.
Just trying to understand this Bluetooth recycling. I have done this where I close Bluetooth to refresh it and sometimes it works to open drivers door and sometimes it does not.