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Phone Key Keeps Disconnecting
- Thread starter OCTrojan
- Start date
Just had to drive my wife a key card.
She drove to the store fine. Once done, got back out to the car and the car wouldn’t unlock. She had to use the phone app to unlock the car. She got in the car. Tried to start the car but it wouldn’t. Kept saying to put a key card in the console.
Frustrating! The app is connected because she could unlock it, but it didn’t recognize it as a key.
WTF
Why didn't you just unlock and start it for her from your phone? Or is the app only installed on her phone? Could have installed the app and logged-in way faster than physically delivering a key card.
People are definitely getting more trusting of the phone key as time passes, but this a prime example of why the key card should be carried at all times.
I never knew you could remote start the car until I read this and went searching in the app. What is even the point of remote “starting” the car other than this scenario considering you don’t “start” a Tesla, you just put it into drive or reverse.
Thanks for the heads up.
To answer the other reply here. She is on 3.9.1, but not sure what she was on when the problem occurred. Hasn’t happened since.
We have since hidden a key card in the trunk. The phone opens the trunk in this no “start” situation so I figure there is no harm in it. Am I wrong?
Ferengii
Member
We’re having the same phone key disconnect issue on multiple Apple devices (iPhone X, iPhone 6, 3 new IPads). 3.9.1 upgrade hasn’t fixed the issue for me.
Ferengii
Member
Ok, so I spent a big part of the day trying to get our iPhones to work correctly as keys (meaning “connected” on the Tesla app). I was able to connect by rebooting the device (phone or iPad), signing out of the app, then signing back in, then connecting the device with the car’s Bluetooth. After about 15 minutes, the device would magically get a connected status. That connection would last about half an hour to an hour before getting disconnected. All devices were using the most recentTesla app (version 3.9.1).
Oddly, though, one of the other devices would then magically go to a connected status. I had 2 iPhones and 3 iPads all connecting and disconnecting throughout the day. Finally, I removed all three iPads as phone keys, and the remaining two iPhones magically changed to a connected status. And they have remained connected. Previously, all devices had not had any issues and all worked properly.
My conclusion is that more than two phones and two key cards resulted in “rotating” device connections. Weird, but now everything is stable. Thought I’d share this experience in case it helps someone else with a similar situation.
Oddly, though, one of the other devices would then magically go to a connected status. I had 2 iPhones and 3 iPads all connecting and disconnecting throughout the day. Finally, I removed all three iPads as phone keys, and the remaining two iPhones magically changed to a connected status. And they have remained connected. Previously, all devices had not had any issues and all worked properly.
My conclusion is that more than two phones and two key cards resulted in “rotating” device connections. Weird, but now everything is stable. Thought I’d share this experience in case it helps someone else with a similar situation.
same problem with TM3 and i-phone 10. Frustrated for several days. Just now downloaded the Tesla App 3.9.1 from Apple Aplib and got immediate fix to the problem.
Some clarification (I hope): The "phone key", called "authenticated phone" in the manual, has nothing to do with app. My experience and the documentation are that the app does not need to work or even be installed for the "phone key" to work. That's because using the phone as a key uses direct bluetooth communication to the car. The app talks via LTE over the internet and, if the internet has problems, the app will not work. That happened a couple of weeks ago and, while the app was not working, my "phone key" was fully functional. People who were having trouble then were, I have assumed, actually using the app to unlock instead of the bluetooth "phone key" (i.e. authenticated phone). Some of the posts above seem to show that confusion -- and I agree it is confusing.
Of course, the app is useful as a backup if the "phone key" fails. There are quite a few of those failures, due primarily (in my opinion) to the problems at various times with bluetooth on phones. I have found bluetooth to be fairly unreliable and I have programmed bluetooth devices and bluetooth on Android. Other causes can be other apps on the phone doing something with or to bluetooth, phone updates, phone power saving functions, etc, endless etc. And there may be equivalent issues on the car side but I would like to believe that the car's bluetooth software is more controlled and restricted than on phones.
Of course, the app is useful as a backup if the "phone key" fails. There are quite a few of those failures, due primarily (in my opinion) to the problems at various times with bluetooth on phones. I have found bluetooth to be fairly unreliable and I have programmed bluetooth devices and bluetooth on Android. Other causes can be other apps on the phone doing something with or to bluetooth, phone updates, phone power saving functions, etc, endless etc. And there may be equivalent issues on the car side but I would like to believe that the car's bluetooth software is more controlled and restricted than on phones.
Disagree. We have two Model 3's, two iPhones. Both cars registered to one Tesla account. We must have the app (on whatever phone we're using) switch to select a specific model 3. That is, if I have my app, set to my 3, I CANNOT even unlock my wife's 3. Swipe the app to change, and it's fine.
And today, my wife's phone started having this issue. Updated her to 3.10 of the app, still no bueno.
solved this problem for my wife's phone. I could still connect on BT and stream music, but app always said "enable BT to use this phone as a key"..... which was wrong.
After trying everything, I DELETED the Tesla app from the phone, then reinstalled it from the App Store. Then re-paired it as a key for the car. Works like a charm now.
Ferengii
Member
My wife got a new iPhone SE and set it up as a new key - no problems. Four days later, my iPhone X disconnected as a key and nothing I did worked. I tried everything I could think of numerous times: turned Bluetooth off and on, signed out and in of the Tesla app, rebooted the car, deleted and reinstalled the app (which was on the most recent version). Nothing worked. Then I deleted the old iPhone Tesla app and deleted the phone as a key. Voila! My iPhone X connected again. There must be a limit on the number of devices that can be connected.
I’m from Australia and started happening yesterday. It’s worked flawlessly until now. Constantly disconnects, but works when I switch Bluetooth off and on phone. I thought it may have had something to do with Australia’s new covid safe contact tracing app as it uses Bluetooth. But annoying nonetheless. Will try a hard reset on phone.
Yes having the same issues my iPhone 14 disconnects as phone key and unable to set up Bluetooth with my phone this sucks!!!!!
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