Phone Key Issues - Won't unlock car [solved]

[spat82]

Moderator comment - thread renamed back from "iPhone Key Issues - Won't unlock car"

Hi, hoping someone can help as I cannot find a similar issue elsewhere.

I have my phone key set up to my M3LR and the app also.

The car locks itself when I walk away.
The car works when I am sat in it without a key card.

However, the car does not unlock itself so I end up having to use a card or the app.

I have checked that location is "always" on and uninstalled, reinstalled the phone multiple times.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[Jason71]

Hi, hoping someone can help as I cannot find a similar issue elsewhere.

I have my phone key set up to my M3LR and the app also.

The car locks itself when I walk away.
The car works when I am sat in it without a key card.

However, the car does not unlock itself so I end up having to use a card or the app.

I have checked that location is "always" on and uninstalled, reinstalled the phone multiple times.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

Thanks

what sort of phone is it? there have been a lot of issues recently with Samsung Galaxy phones.

 

[Jason71]

You could have an issue with the BT range on the car or it could be this phone.
You need to try another phone and see if you have the same issues. if its all phones you may have a BT antenna issue in the car.
if its just that one phone then the phone is the problem.

 

[spat82]

Thanks, I will try another phone. It is an iPhone 11 Pro.

 

[Alistairuk]

Thanks, I will try another phone. It is an iPhone 11 Pro.

Are you closing the app? (Don’t swipe up to close it just leave it running in the background) and is background app refresh enabled for the Tesla app?

 

[spat82]

not closing it and background refresh is enabled. Guessing it works in part as the car locks when I walk away.

 

[Jason71]

not closing it and background refresh is enabled. Guessing it works in part as the car locks when I walk away.

yes it must be connecting at least once you are in the car or, as you say, you would not be able to drive and it would not lock when you walk away.

 

[MrBadger]

Before getting in, standing close to the car, do you have what looks like a long randomly named bluetooth device beginning with 'S' and if so, its its status connected?

 

[MrBadger]

Moderator comments - Samsung Galaxy posts moved to Car no longer opening with phone

 

[spat82]

Just checked and I do have a long “S” number that says connected on Bluetooth

 

[MrBadger]

So thats the hard part.

The easy part. Have you tried to press a door handle to see if the door opens ? Easy one to miss if not use to it

The car does not actually unlock as such, but is available to be unlocked by pressing the handle. Its very covert in operation I guess to prevent the car looking unlocked to others and going through a unlock/lock cycle every time you walk close to it.

This is totally the opposite behaviour to locking, where locking overtly folds mirrors and toots horn if those options enabled.

 

[Pagemakers]

In the last few weeks my iPhone 12 Pro running iOS 13.2 had also had occasional problems opening the car.

There’s a similar thread here too Car no longer opening with phone [Samsung Galaxy?]

 

[spat82]

So thats the hard part.

The easy part. Have you tried to press a door handle to see if the door opens ? Easy one to miss if not use to it

The car does not actually unlock as such, but is available to be unlocked by pressing the handle. Its very covert in operation I guess to prevent the car looking unlocked to others and going through a unlock/lock cycle every time you walk close to it.

This is totally the opposite behaviour to locking, where locking overtly folds mirrors and toots horn if those options enabled.

Okay, so now I feel very stupid! I had done everything except actually try and open the door! I was waiting for the wing mirrors to open which they don't...but if you open the door, it opens

I feel very silly and really appreciate the help. It is certainly subtle and covert as you say, hopefully would be thieves are as slow as I am

Thank you!

 

[Pagemakers]

Okay, so now I feel very stupid! I had done everything except actually try and open the door! I was waiting for the wing mirrors to open which they don't...but if you open the door, it opens

I feel very silly and really appreciate the help. It is certainly subtle and covert as you say, hopefully would be thieves are as slow as I am

Thank you!

Actually you can even try to open the doors and sometimes it doesn’t work. The the past 10 months it’s worked 100% for me. In the past few weeks it’s about 80%

 

[Adopado]

The easy part. Have you tried to press a door handle to see if the door opens ? Easy one to miss if not use to it

Wow! Just read the reply ... it turns out you made a great guess I must admit it never occurred to me to make that suggestion to OP!

 

[Neilda]

Okay, so now I feel very stupid! I had done everything except actually try and open the door! I was waiting for the wing mirrors to open which they don't...but if you open the door, it opens

I feel very silly and really appreciate the help. It is certainly subtle and covert as you say, hopefully would be thieves are as slow as I am

Thank you!

Happens to the best of us.... I wondered why my indicators didn't work when I first had the car. Wrong stalk!

You will need the Tesla app on in the background (rather than swiped up and closed) - also having the phone in your other hand, rather than back pocket, pretty much guarantees unlocking.