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Phone as Key Issues
- Thread starter AllDigital
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- Model 3 User Interface
Because they are attempting to use your phone as your car key without addressing many of the predictable issues this system would create. They'll fix it when they offer the fob. That's the only way to make the entry system fully reliable.
My experience is similar. Using Essential phone now on Android 9.
I keep my keycard in the same retractable holder with my work keycard, so I always carry both (plus phone and wallet.)
I haven't used the keycard for my model 3 since, I don't remember when. (Maybe three times since I picked up the car 2018-05-18).
As far back as I can remember in the last months:
- Usually it opens after holding the driver handle at most a second or two.
- Occasionally I have held as long as five or ten seconds.
- Once I had to release and pull the driver handle again.
- Once I had success only after toggling Bluetooth.
- Once I needed to resort to toggling airplane mode.
- Once I experienced the fabled demand for keycard before driving. I used the phone | app | controls | start, and left the keycard in my pocket.
- If I start climate when I start my after work walk to car, the door will open immediately.
- When in doubt open drivers door, since screen provides feedback (keycard instructions) prior to door opening.
- When screen flips from keycard instructions to normal display, I know the door is about to open.
- Very recently I have observed that adjusting where I am standing makes a difference. My phone is in right front jeans pocket, and success is quicker when pocket/phone is right under B pillar or under center of trunk. Occasionally when waiting, it seems if I move slightly left, success is then immediate.
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Packetdancer
Member
So I did a little bit of experimentation, and at least with iPhone, it seems that the phone key is very susceptible to signal attenuation.
The simplest way to see this in effect is to put the phone in the back pocket of my jeans and stand facing the car directly; in my own experimentation, the signal is weak enough that the car doesn't notice and I cannot unlock the doors. Turning so that I'm no longer a giant bag of water blocking the Bluetooth signal beween my phone and the B pillar, the car sees the phone again and connects.
After doing this, I realized that all the times I've been unable to unlock my M3, I've had my messenger bag with my phone in it slung around behind me. Now that I swing it to carry on the side as I approach the car, I've had 100% success unlocking.
This isn't to say it fixes all problems—not like offering a key fob would—but it might alleviate them somewhat.
The simplest way to see this in effect is to put the phone in the back pocket of my jeans and stand facing the car directly; in my own experimentation, the signal is weak enough that the car doesn't notice and I cannot unlock the doors. Turning so that I'm no longer a giant bag of water blocking the Bluetooth signal beween my phone and the B pillar, the car sees the phone again and connects.
After doing this, I realized that all the times I've been unable to unlock my M3, I've had my messenger bag with my phone in it slung around behind me. Now that I swing it to carry on the side as I approach the car, I've had 100% success unlocking.
This isn't to say it fixes all problems—not like offering a key fob would—but it might alleviate them somewhat.
It's a good observation, but one that's been around for a while and mentioned a few months ago in one of these phone key threads. For me, it doesn't seem to increase my chances of opening the car. As much as I can, I hold my phone out toward the car when walking up to it and still way too many times it will fail to open.
diamond.g
Active Member
The human sized waterbag attenuation issue is a problem with bluetooth. As a fob would be bluetooth as well, I don't think it would help in that respect.
That's been my thinking since the talk of a fob has started - it would still need to use Bluetooth. I'm sure the pairing issue might be a bit resolved, but I'm not convinced that it would be the immediate/100% solution people are looking for. I personally would rather the phone issue get better. As it stands, my Pixel XL only occasionally prefers I power on the screen or very rarely (deep sleep) unlock the phone. Getting it to not have to do that would be nice but not a deal breaker to need a fob I have to carry around.
I don't recall hearing X owners complain about problems and their fob is BT. To be fair though I don't browse the X sub-forums so it could be full of threads complaining about it...
Phone key still going strong now, so there's definitely been improvement and I still think it's both the Android 9 update (since my smart watch is still connected consistently compared to before). I've never had to toggle my bluetooth anymore and on the times the car doesn't open is usually when I leave the car and come back in a few minutes to get something again. But I just have to wake the phone up and wait while holding the handle for the car to unlock again.
It's pretty nice that I don't have to toggle the bluetooth now and if anything, waking the phone resolves the issue on the recent walk away / auto lock and coming back to unlock again.
I used to restart my phone every morning before heading to the car so I would know it'd unlock for sure.. glad thats over with lol.
Is there a different issue involved between car unlocking and car not starting (i.e. screen staying black, no a/c when door opens, pressing brake does nothing)?
My car instantly unlocks pretty much every time I try with my iphone X; however, there are numerous times lately I get in and nothing - screen black, brake doesn't "start car," no a/c. Usually if I wait a bit, the screen starts up (sometimes with the T logo like it rebooted??).
My car instantly unlocks pretty much every time I try with my iphone X; however, there are numerous times lately I get in and nothing - screen black, brake doesn't "start car," no a/c. Usually if I wait a bit, the screen starts up (sometimes with the T logo like it rebooted??).
Packetdancer
Member
That would make sense, as the persistent notification would be able to ensure the background service that provides the 'key' continued running.
SomeJoe7777
Marginally-Known Member
This. On Android, the persistent notification applications are given high background task priority. This enables the Tesla app to avoid battery optimizations and other sleep modes, and ensure it's always listening on the BT connection. I'm virtually certain Tesla reengineered the Android app to do this to improve the phone key performance.
Greetings
Please add me to the list of those wishing that they had a key fob for their model 3. We have both an S and a 3. My wife drives the 3 and continually complains about the issues related to the phone and the card. This system is a pain in the rear compared to using the fob that came with the model s. It all seems "cool" in writing, but it is very cumbersome annoying and irksome to use in real life.
Dear Elon..... PLEASE offer us a key fob for the Model 3. I am tired of listening to my wife complain about it to me and our friends. She compliments the car and is a huge fan of the HVAC system, but somehow all discussions of the car revert back to the access problems. This is not good for me, for Tesla or for my TSLA stock!
thanks
CGW
Please add me to the list of those wishing that they had a key fob for their model 3. We have both an S and a 3. My wife drives the 3 and continually complains about the issues related to the phone and the card. This system is a pain in the rear compared to using the fob that came with the model s. It all seems "cool" in writing, but it is very cumbersome annoying and irksome to use in real life.
Dear Elon..... PLEASE offer us a key fob for the Model 3. I am tired of listening to my wife complain about it to me and our friends. She compliments the car and is a huge fan of the HVAC system, but somehow all discussions of the car revert back to the access problems. This is not good for me, for Tesla or for my TSLA stock!
thanks
CGW
diamond.g
Active Member
Does the persistent notification only pop if you are using phone key? I have my Moto X4 logged into my Tesla account, but no notification...
Seems to not appear on my Nougat phone, as far as I can tell persistent notifications are supported on Nougat (as other apps seem to use them). Curious why this is.
Though lately since I go ahead and open my phone up so it's awake as I approach the car most of my failures are the car staying in deep sleep, and having to press the door handle and wait several seconds for the car to wake.
Zeronet
Member
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