Has anyone else had issues with their phone key lately? I originally had a OnePlus 5 that rarely worked as a key...bought a pixel 3 and it had been flawless until about two weeks ago. Now it's actually almost worse than the op5 was...trunk unlock literally never works unless I take the phone out of my pocket and unlock it, and now door unlock has started doing the same thing more often than not.
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phone key Auto Unlock unreliable recently
- Thread starter crackers8199
- Start date
it's hilarious, because the one thing that was completely unreliable with my OP5 was the walk away lock. with the pixel lately that's the one thing that has always worked, but actually unlocking the damn car and/or trunk are completely unreliable.
this is by far the most frustrating piece of tech i've ever owned.
this is by far the most frustrating piece of tech i've ever owned.
You can probably blame Android for that. There's basically no standard as to how manufacturers implement their Bluetooth stack and One Plus has always been... Interesting. Pixel's usually pretty good because Google employees are all using it and well... they write most of the Android code- but AFAIK Google's still not really as invested in hardware as they'd like you to believe- they definitely don't make their bluetooth/wifi chipset and as such probably are at the whims of that manufacturer to fix their firmware (if that's what's causing the problem here.)
What I've noticed is that Android phones don't poll bluetooth nearly as much as iPhones do- likely due to power consumption reasons.
Not saying iOS is immune but I've never had an issue with my iPhone XS with respect to (un)locking car. Older phones seem to have issues crop up- I'm guessing this is because Apple hasn't been as diligent with keeping their older phones updated properly.
I'd try to reset the Bluetooth cache on your phone and/or unpair your car and set it up again. It worked for some of my coworkers with Android phones that had issues if sometimes temporarily.
What I've noticed is that Android phones don't poll bluetooth nearly as much as iPhones do- likely due to power consumption reasons.
Not saying iOS is immune but I've never had an issue with my iPhone XS with respect to (un)locking car. Older phones seem to have issues crop up- I'm guessing this is because Apple hasn't been as diligent with keeping their older phones updated properly.
I'd try to reset the Bluetooth cache on your phone and/or unpair your car and set it up again. It worked for some of my coworkers with Android phones that had issues if sometimes temporarily.
Kitfox
Member
I'm running on a Pixel 3 XL. A recent Android update broke some Location accuracy and my phone didn't work for key or walk-away lock when the location data was all over the place. Required a phone restart and when location data showed accurately and I didn't block the Tesla app from getting it in the background, it worked just fine.
Also, the Tesla app MUST be running in the background (Displaying a notification icon in the bar) for it to work as a key. If you tell Android to kill it for any reason, or have something like a battery saver app that kills it, it will not key in or out.
Also, the Tesla app MUST be running in the background (Displaying a notification icon in the bar) for it to work as a key. If you tell Android to kill it for any reason, or have something like a battery saver app that kills it, it will not key in or out.
Dan203
Active Member
I occasionally have a situation where I have to angle my pocket with the phone in it closer to the car for it to unlock, but otherwise it seems to work fine.
i do have it running in the background (always have), and i haven't noticed any location issues lately. just came back from a long road trip and used waze the entire way with no issues.
is there a certain setting for blocking location other than the regular location permission?
xxxholic
Member
I am using the iPhone 11 Pro and it is not as reliable as the iPhone X so far. Where I had reliable cellular signals in garages its no longer there. I also have issues with having to take my phone out of my pocket more. I think its overall combination of new software needing to be optimized on both the phone and Tesla.
Phones don’t work on cell signal for 3 key, but BT low power.
Our iPhones Xs’s were about 100%, 11’s are a little pickier and sometimes need the app up and not in background. But with a new Tesla firmware every few days, need more history.
Our iPhones Xs’s were about 100%, 11’s are a little pickier and sometimes need the app up and not in background. But with a new Tesla firmware every few days, need more history.
Kitfox
Member
The app updated in the past few days and when Android updates an app, it kills it to do the update, but doesn't restart it. That's one possible contributor if it was a one-time problem.
For location issues, for example I had Waze running and it just couldn't figure out where I was, getting confused around in a 500m area or so.
If your phone updated to Android 10:
Settings -> Apps and Notifications -> Get to the Tesla App (Might need to do the "See all ### apps" link)
Tap on "Permissions"
Tap on "Location"
Select "Allow all the time"
If it was set to "Allow only while using the app", it would be sad. It can get that way if a change was made in response to notification alerts from Android about the app getting your location in the background. The alert makes it very easy to accidentally block that for any app.
i'm actually still on android 9. haven't done the update yet...so i don't have the "only allow while using the app" or allow all the time options. it's just on or off.
one thing i had noticed recently is that the phone seemed to always be killing the app, as every time i'd open it i would end up at the tesla logo. i thought that might have something to do with it, so i downloaded greenify to try to kill everything else and keep the tesla app in memory...that has worked for keeping the app open, but hasn't fixed the phone as key issues.
i did have the car update to v10 overnight though, so we'll see if things hopefully improve now...
Kitfox
Member
Bluetooth is microwave frequencies, literally at the same general frequency as a microwave oven. Water blocks the signal very well, and our bodies are a lot of water. If there's nothing around for the signals to reflect off of, then having your body between the car and the phone will kill it.
KetchupKilla
Member
I have not been able to just walk up to the car with my phone for unlock ever since the v10 update. I have had to use my card to unlock first.
Johnstac
Member
Same problem here and I can tell you that it's not isolated to Android. Before this update, my iPhone always worked. Now I have to open the Tesla app in order for the car to open. At the same time, In hindsight though, I did just get the Iphone 11 so maybe there's an issue there as well. Aside from opening the Tesla app, the only other way I can open the car is to tell Siri, "Unlock my car" which happens through Stats.
jkoya
NA2 NSX
I've noticed this as well. I broke down and ordered the new version of the key fob that supports passive entry. Hoping this will work more consistently....
Dan203
Active Member
iOS 13 has a feature where you can set app BT usage just like location usage. I.e. always, never or when using app. Did you set the Tesla app to always?
N5329K
Active Member
I would say that a manufacturer that builds a key around a constantly changing tech platform bears a little responsibility too.
Robin
i missed the 10 seconds they were available yesterday...had i known the passive entry version was coming i would have paid more attention. ugh.
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