Phone as key working intermittently

[CKwik240]

Yes, this has been happening to me A TON lately. The weird part is it is inconsistent. Failing to unlock the doors/trunk probably happens about 20% of the time and failing to allow me to drive happens about 50% of the time. The weird part is often even when the car unlocks just fine, it still won't let me drive. DUH, you've already recognized my phone key!!!

This has been happening to me intermittently since 2019, but it's gotten way worse. Have uninstalled and reinstalled phone key, deleted and installed app, etc. These tend to work for a few days and then it's back to the same old crap.

Does anybody know if buying a tesla key fob might work more reliably? Does the fob need to be placed by the cupholders like they key card, or is it purely bluetooth/pocket operation?

This is totally intolerable for someone who drives clients around--straight up embarrassing and along with the awful clunking suspension most of my client "small talk" ends up being about how sh**ty my M3 is. I have a 1996 toyota with a transponder key that is still 100% reliable after 340k miles.

When it got really bad for a while, I started carrying my keyfob and it worked fine.

44.2 and allowing nearby devices in the Tesla app seems to have solved my issues. Based on others still having the issue with 44.2, best guess is the nearby devices function may have solved mine. Only issue I seen to have is it's slow to unpack the charge cable but a few presses of the button and it unlocked. Otherwise mine has been working without issue. *Knock on wood*

 

[stopcrazypp]

Yes, this has been happening to me A TON lately. The weird part is it is inconsistent. Failing to unlock the doors/trunk probably happens about 20% of the time and failing to allow me to drive happens about 50% of the time. The weird part is often even when the car unlocks just fine, it still won't let me drive. DUH, you've already recognized my phone key!!!

This has been happening to me intermittently since 2019, but it's gotten way worse. Have uninstalled and reinstalled phone key, deleted and installed app, etc. This tends to work for a few days and then it's back to the same old crap.

Does anybody know if buying a tesla key fob might work more reliably? Does the fob need to be placed by the cupholders like they key card, or is it purely bluetooth/pocket operation?

This is totally intolerable for someone who drives clients around--straight up embarrassing and along with the awful clunking suspension most of my client "small talk" ends up being about how sh**ty my M3 is. I have a 1996 toyota with a transponder key that is still 100% reliable after 340k miles.

Without saying what phone, Android version, and app version (as well as car software version) I don't think people can really offer any advice on what could be possible causes. Android does do all kinds of updates that easily can break functionality (for example that nearby devices permission), and I've seen people report the same sometimes with iOS versions.

Another common culprit is also the battery/power management features in a lot of phones that have, as well as Android having auto permission removal for permissions not used frequently.

A weak Bluetooth proximity signal is also a cause. People see differences depending on which pocket they have their device in when approaching the car. For example people with phones in back pocket approaching car seems to see lots more failures than those that have in front pocket. Some people face their butt to the car to address this or change the pocket they use.

A common work around for phone key not working is to disable and enable Bluetooth (or airplane mode) and also open the Tesla app. That usually gets things connecting again because it ensures app is active again and Bluetooth is running.

 

[Heckraiser]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have a Galaxy S9 (kinda old). I have also done the airplane mode reset, but just like the other "fixes" it'll work for a little while and then it's back to spotty operation.

If the key fob works 100% reliably, I am totally fine with that as a solution (my wife prefers a fob anyway). Does anyone know if you have to set the fob by the cupholders to drive?

 

[CKwik240]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have a Galaxy S9 (kinda old). I have also done the airplane mode reset, but just like the other "fixes" it'll work for a little while and then it's back to spotty operation.

If the key fob works 100% reliably, I am totally fine with that as a solution (my wife prefers a fob anyway). Does anyone know if you have to set the fob by the cupholders to drive?

I leave my fob in my pocket and it works fine.

 

[glogic88]

But I've seen some others have issues with their iPhones. Either way. Mine had been good since I got my car back. It's on 2022.44.2. But I can't be sure it's the software version or if allowing nearby devices fixed it (winning it's actually fixed).

Totally agree. It seems on the forums that is happening across all all phone brands. While this has continued to be an issue after the 2022.44 update I've acquired a key fob which finally solved my issue. Glad to hear you are set as well.

It'd be nice to be able to get in and start my car with my phone but I'm happy not to be stuck out on the cold and/or rain while trying to get in Mt brand new car anymore.

 

[twilli79]

Same here. Nothing is working.

 

[Lightpixel]

A good part of 2022, my car has also been acting up. 2019 3(LR). Iphone13PM, Series 8 cellular watch, and iphone14pro. All the pertinent settings on all the iDevices are set properly. Tesla app is up to date.

Currently, the car is on 44.2.

We always carry our key cards for backup-always.

Sometimes I’ll drive and my significant other will trigger the car from the passenger side, though I’m at the driver door attempting/waiting for the auto unlock. Other times just nothing, either way phones are in hand, not in a pocket or purse.

Intermittent and unlikely to replicate at the service ctr. (hit or miss whether the SA actually looks into)

Side note: our iPhones and watch are fully wiped and set up as every year when the next version of iOS debuts, so I am used to removing and setting up the devices in the car/Tesla app.

Bringing the Tesla app to the foreground “usually” triggers the car quickly. In the last few months though, we have had to actually hit the unlock button when the app is brought from the background.

It is a very annoying gremlin, especially when I’m ~2021 it work very well.

 

[ThunderBay3Y]

Just an update since holiday update 25.1 and now 25.3 I haven't had this issue again.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Heckraiser]

This has gotten worse in the last couple weeks since the last update. The phone key will let me in the car most of the time, but hardly ever will it let me drive away without tapping my key card on the cupholder.

Finally gave in and bought the $175 key fob today. Fingers crossed it gets here soon and works.

 

[Yeahnah…….]

One thing that has worked for me is to goto settings,tesla app,make sure the location is set to always

 

[Jane4]

The phone-as-key is awful for me, easily the worst aspect of this car. About 60% of the time, I walk up to the car, phone in pocket, and can't open the door right away. It takes anywhere from 1-15 seconds to open the door, though usually less than 5 seconds. (I stubbornly refuse to get the phone out of my pocket, open the app, and try to unlock via the app, or to use the card key in my wallet.) Worse, when the car finally does let me in, I sit down, put on my seat belt, and try to put the car in gear, and it again refuses to let me do anything. Eventually a screen appears telling me to use my wallet key card, which I angrily dismiss and refuse to do because !&#* that, I'm already sitting on my wallet. This usually takes about 10 seconds to clear, before the car finally lets me drive -- even after letting me get into the car and sit down. Really awful experience and worst problem I've faced with this car, and a problem I've never had with any other car for the past 20 years using a fob. What I haven't done is complain to Tesla about it yet -- I can't imagine them taking the problem seriously when I can't force the problem to recur on demand -- nor have I broken down and bought an expensive fob -- because I would prefer not having to carry a special key.

If anyone has had this problem and has a solution, I'd love to hear it. It's not background app refresh, it's not closing the app. My iPhone does seem to have problems with 5G connectivity, so I assume it's related to that -- it refuses to give up on 5G and try 4G which was much more reliable.

Edit: I've decided to try something new and force my phone (iPhone 12 Pro -- model that's 2 years old) to only use 4G/LTE and see if that improves Tesla connectivity. I may also bite the bullet and upgrade my phone, though I would feel more strongly about it if there were articles praising how the iPhone 14 has significantly improved 5G reliability. (I did find one article claiming iPhone 14 T-Mobile 5G speeds were much faster, and that it has a new 5G modem, so maybe?)

Edit: The more I think about it, the more I think it can't possibly use 5G or cellular network connections to unlock the car, it must be Bluetooth or possibly NFC. And I've seen many posts on various sites with folks having iPhone 12 Bluetooth problems. Maybe an iPhone 14 has better Bluetooth?

I use a much older I Phone and, so far, have not had any problems in opening doors, etc. for my Tesla Model 3, 2020. ??

 

[twilli79]

I just wanted to provide a quick update. I am running a FOLD3 and Android 13.
I took the advice on a thread (can't remember which one since there are many on this subject), but I deleted the Telsa App and found an earlier version APK (Nov 22) and installed it. I deleted devices on both the Fold3 and the Tesla and restarted both. I was able to pair the Fold3 as a phone key again after a few tries. After a few drives not bringing my fob, it seems to be working again to allow the car to shift into drive. No telling how long it will last but it at least is paired and is working at the moment. Hopefully this helps some others. I thought it was an Android 13 issues since the forced update but by installing an older Telsa app version, it is back to working which seems to indicate an issue with Telsa's app. I dunno anymore.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I just wanted to provide a quick update. I am running a FOLD3 and Android 13.
I took the advice on a thread (can't remember which one since there are many on this subject), but I deleted the Telsa App and found an earlier version APK (Nov 22) and installed it. I deleted devices on both the Fold3 and the Tesla and restarted both. I was able to pair the Fold3 as a phone key again after a few tries. After a few drives not bringing my fob, it seems to be working again to allow the car to shift into drive. No telling how long it will last but it at least is paired and is working at the moment. Hopefully this helps some others. I thought it was an Android 13 issues since the forced update but by installing an older Telsa app version, it is back to working which seems to indicate an issue with Telsa's app. I dunno anymore.

Check the nearby devices permission. The app should ask for it in the newer version (it might not pop up, but rather show it near under the picture of the car). That was the cause of issues for a lot of people recently. Apparently this permission is required if the app targets Android 12 or newer, which Tesla's new version may.

 

[Heckraiser]

2 days with my new key fob and no failures yet. I know 2 days doesn't seem like much of an achievement, but my phone key had pretty much stopped working 100% to drive the car-- it only worked for unlock and then only intermittently

 

[Heckraiser]

Well crap, my key fob is now malfunctioning the exact same way. It will unlock the car, but won't let me drive. Still need to tap the key card at the cupholder to drive. Fob or phone, I can reset/uninstall/reinstall/whatever and it will work for a short time before the car refuses to drive without the key card again.

I think there must be something wrong with the car at this point.

Anybody experienced this? Do you think this is something tesla service can fix? I imagine they'll probably just reset the fob and say "see it's working," only for it to stop working again in a few hours or days. I'm also out of warranty, so not looking forward to forking over more $$$ after totally wasting $180 on a key fob.

 

[contractorwolf]

Model Y, S22 ultra owner here. I've had this issue as long as I've had the car, a few weeks now. It is getting really upsetting that I can't consistently get in my car and/or drive it without pulling out the keycard. This is much worse than having a fob. I've rebooted car, rebooted phone, removed phone as key, restarted bluetooth, kept phone in foreground, set to never turn off app, gone to service. No luck. This is particularly infuriating when I'm the cold or in the rain, or in the cold rain, and have to fumble pulling a card out of my wallet.

having similar issues, just an FYI though, I dont pull the card out of the wallet to open the door, I just tap the wallet against the a-pillar

 

[KenC]

Well crap, my key fob is now malfunctioning the exact same way. It will unlock the car, but won't let me drive. Still need to tap the key card at the cupholder to drive. Fob or phone, I can reset/uninstall/reinstall/whatever and it will work for a short time before the car refuses to drive without the key card again.

I think there must be something wrong with the car at this point.

Anybody experienced this? Do you think this is something tesla service can fix? I imagine they'll probably just reset the fob and say "see it's working," only for it to stop working again in a few hours or days. I'm also out of warranty, so not looking forward to forking over more $$$ after totally wasting $180 on a key fob.

If both your phone as key and new fob have the same issue, it seems likely the source of the problem is the car; but the issue is it not allowing you to drive, after it allowed you to unlock.

Before that, the only other thing I'd test is just a different phone. It's odd that something works for a short while, then stops working.

 

[Apone]

Well crap, my key fob is now malfunctioning the exact same way. It will unlock the car, but won't let me drive. Still need to tap the key card at the cupholder to drive. Fob or phone, I can reset/uninstall/reinstall/whatever and it will work for a short time before the car refuses to drive without the key card again.

I think there must be something wrong with the car at this point.

Anybody experienced this? Do you think this is something tesla service can fix? I imagine they'll probably just reset the fob and say "see it's working," only for it to stop working again in a few hours or days. I'm also out of warranty, so not looking forward to forking over more $$$ after totally wasting $180 on a key fob.

certainly sounds like the car to me. Mine has done this occasionally but almost always ends up being the phone in back pocket or the app got closed or something. I'd classify it as working 99% of the time since late 2020.

 

[KennyBry]

I have a 2023 Model S on 2023.6.8. Recently my iPhone IOS 16.3.1 phone as a key sometimes unlocks, sometimes doesn't unlock. If I pull out my phone and wake it up, then the car unlocks. It had been working reliably until a few weeks ago.

 

[ThunderBay3Y]

Mine seems better since the last few updates but on occasion it won't connect still. I use the app the unlock the doors and then once the car is awake it generally works with my phone. Sometimes the car opens for me but when I press the brake it tells me to put the keycard in place. I put my phone down where the keycard is supposed to go and it activates and away I go. Usually a reboot of the phone or the car fixes the issue but it is annoying when it happens.