Phone key versus key fob

[TBrownTX]

I have a model 3 performance on order, with an estimated arrival of mid to late March.

I have the Tesla app installed (and actually access to a family members Tesla), so I have been checking out all of the features. I’m curious about the Phone Key function.

My concern, is that with the car parked in my garage and me roaming around my house, will it keep waking the car triggering the door to lock/unlock throughout the day?

Not concerned about reliability per-se, but I’m not sure I need car waking and unlocking every time I walk my dogs, take out the trash, etc. Seems like unnecessary cycles.

I have purchased a FOB and I plan to use it versus the phone key. Are my concerns real, and If I don’t do the phone key, will I be missing out on any app features?

I also have other keys I need to carry, so having a FOB does not add anything to my EDC pile.

Tim

 

[skgolf91]

I ended up buying a key fob since I use the frunk and trunk a lot. It is a lot quicker to use it then using my phone. I still use my phone to control everything but I don't have it set as one of the keys. I don't think you have to worry about locking and unlocking since it only opens when you pull the door handles. Once the car locks, it won't unlock until you open the door. It may wake up the car when it senses though.

 

[TBrownTX]

I ended up buying a key fob since I use the frunk and trunk a lot. It is a lot quicker to use it then using my phone. I still use my phone to control everything but I don't have it set as one of the keys. I don't think you have to worry about locking and unlocking since it only opens when you pull the door handles. Once the car locks, it won't unlock until you open the door. It may wake up the car when it senses though.

I was thinking the same thing when it comes to the Trunk/Frunk and Charge Port. Easier to click a fob then pull out phone, unlock, open app, and menu through to find button.

Tim

 

[skgolf91]

For me, it was worth paying.. Plus it was annoying when the car didn't detect my iPhone every once in a while so I had to take the phone out, unlock the phone and click on the app.

 

[Tam]

...My concern, is that with the car parked in my garage and me roaming around my house, will it keep waking the car triggering the door to lock/unlock throughout the day?...

That's true with Model S/X: each time a fob is close enough you can see the effect of locking/unlocking. The S has retractable door handles and the X has automatic opening/closing driver door. Prior to 2021, both S and X don't have phone key just yet.

I don't think that's the case for Model 3 and Y. Their doors don't swing open and their door handles don't extend out so you wouldn't notice that your fob is too close to those car models. That's applicable for phone keys too.

I bought the fob because of the reliability because the phone key doesn't work 100%.

 

[webwarmiller]

Both my wife and I use phone keys for our M3 and our garage is close enough to the living spaces that our phones are often connected to the car from within the house. However, I don't find that this affects sleep unless I actually open the app which will then wake the car. Also we have the car set to not lock when at home so the locking/unlocking isn't a concern at all.

The only small annoyance is that the car will often still be connected to whomever drove last so when the other driver gets in the car it won't automatically switch to their profile.

 

[TomT]

I don't use the Fob but have the car set to not lock at home because it is in a garage so it is a non-issue for me.

 

[F14Scott]

On the contrary, with my phone in my pocket, I often walk up to my wife's TM3 AWD to insert the connector nozzle for her, and the car stays asleep, even when I press the nozzle's button, unless I go half-action on the handle of the aft door.

 

[jjrandorin]

I have a model 3 performance on order, with an estimated arrival of mid to late March.

I have the Tesla app installed (and actually access to a family members Tesla), so I have been checking out all of the features. I’m curious about the Phone Key function.

My concern, is that with the car parked in my garage and me roaming around my house, will it keep waking the car triggering the door to lock/unlock throughout the day?

Not concerned about reliability per-se, but I’m not sure I need car waking and unlocking every time I walk my dogs, take out the trash, etc. Seems like unnecessary cycles.

I have purchased a FOB and I plan to use it versus the phone key. Are my concerns real, and If I don’t do the phone key, will I be missing out on any app features?

I also have other keys I need to carry, so having a FOB does not add anything to my EDC pile.

Tim

Phone as key uses a different (much shorter range) version of bluetooth. You need to be within a couple of feet of the car for it to open the car. Many times, with your phone in your back pocket, it will not work because of the interference from your body (you can turn sideways standing in the same spot and it will work).

So, even though "bluetooth" will show connected while your phone is in the house, if someone went out to the car and tried to open the door with your phone in the house, unless its a couple of feet away, it wont open.

TL ; DR, if the concern is "its going to be open all the time because its bluetooth" that wont happen.

There are reasons to get a keyfob but "too much range on the phone as key" function isnt one of them, in my opinion.

S /X dont have phone as key, so dont have this forum of bluetooth that model 3 uses, so the experience there is different.

 

[GreenHokie]

On the contrary, with my phone in my pocket, I often walk up to my wife's TM3 AWD to insert the connector nozzle for her, and the car stays asleep, even when I press the nozzle's button, unless I go half-action on the handle of the aft door.

Yep, that has been my experience as well. My vehicle does not wake itself (& thus does not consume an extra energy or drain the battery), unless I either open up the app on my phone or open up one of the doors. Opening the charge port does not ever wake up the vehicle... at least for me. Also, the ability to disable the automatic walk-away lock feature when at home, means the vehicle won’t turn on sentry mode (and won’t consume additional energy) when its parked in the garage. I realize this may not be as useful of a feature for those who have to park their vehicles on the street.

My phone has stayed connected to the vehicle & worked flawlessly for me since day 1 of ownership (August 2019). Opening the frunk, trunk or performing any other normal function on the vehicle takes just one extra press of a button on my phone. So, buying and carrying around a separate key fob makes zero sense for me.

Your results may vary...

 

[RayK]

My experience:

I only used the supplied keycards for the first four months of ownership. Read reports here and elsewhere that said the phone wasn't 100% reliable so I didn't bother linking mine with the car. During a three-day road trip I decided to finally test it out. Since then (2+ years ago) Phone Key does work a majority of the time for me but there are still times it doesn't. Murphy's Law dictates that the phone key fails to work during a pouring rain, with both of my hands carrying something. Still, the phone is my primary means to unlock the car, however.... Late 2018 the first version of the fob was offered (SKU 1449859-00-D) so I bought one even though it was expensive ($150). When the phone doesn't automatically unlock / lock the car, I simply push the button on the fob in my pocket instead of doing any finger-pointing with the Tesla app or Bluetooth / Airplane Mode power cycling on my phone.

I still do carry a keycard in my wallet as an emergency backup. Plus I recently installed one sandwiched inside my phone's case. Yeah; I carry all three ways to operate my car (card, fob, phone). It used to be that I could swipe my entire wallet across the B pillar and the car could read the card. But now I have one of those RFID-blocking wallets and it does work as advertised. The card in the phone case is used when I get inside the car and sit too long before driving off. The car times out and wants me to badge-in on the center console. Since I usually put my phone inside the cup holders when driving and it's hard to dig out the fob when I'm already sitting down, it's easy enough to move my phone over the card reader for a second and then back to the cup holders.

 

[oreobbq]

I considered getting the fob at first. I ended up buying the 'Watch for Tesla' app and installing the app widget on my Apple Watch face. So whenever I need to pop the frunk, it's easy to do so with a couple of taps and without taking out my phone. Hope that helps someone else too.

 

[26ct2143]

I just turn off bluetooth when I'm not using the car.
Saves phone battery as well as stops it connecting to the car.

 

[charlieaf92]

You can setup your car not to lock at home and that resolves the issue. I've found the phone key to be almost flawless thusfar. Maybe once or twice there was a slightly delay in unlocking the doors when I approached but for the most part its perfect. I had a loaner car from Tesla with the keyfob and I found the opposite to be true. I only had it for a few days and I had to take it out of my pocket a few times and hold it up to the door to get things unlocked + multiple times had to place it on the center console to get the car into drive.

 

[eCharcoal]

I used to have serious doubt about the phone key and had numerous posts complaining about it but now I’d say it’s 99% flawless and I’m loving it. I think Tesla has made a lot of improvements.

Simply walking around the Model 3 would wake or unlock it. I always work in the garage with the Model 3 next to me locked and it doesn’t wake until I open the door or press the button on the charger.

 

[TBrownTX]

Thank you everyone for all of the feedback. I'll give it a try, but also plan to keep the FOB. Worse case it can be used by my technology challenged Wife if she ever needs to move the car, drive in an emergency, etc.

Tim

 

[AmokTime]

I’ve found that my phone key works 100% if you exclude two circumstances:
1. Phone in back pocket. Apparently, the phone signal can’t make it through my behind. My behind is impenetrable. I have to turn my behind toward the car on approaching so the BT can connect. Or just keep the phone in a different pocket.
2. When Apple iOS updates happen. When I get major Apple updates it seems to break things and I have to delete the phone from the car and the app from the phone and reinstall and pair everything up from scratch.

 

[KenC]

3 different iPhones, all have worked flawlessly with opening the car, when walking up to it. Haven't noticed any unnecessary unlocking or waking, though I'm in the house, so how do I know?

Like others, I use Watch for Tesla as a complication on my Watch to open the frunk.

The complication is in the lower left.

 

[Devils son]

I ended up buying a key fob since I use the frunk and trunk a lot. It is a lot quicker to use it then using my phone. I still use my phone to control everything but I don't have it set as one of the keys. I don't think you have to worry about locking and unlocking since it only opens when you pull the door handles. Once the car locks, it won't unlock until you open the door. It may wake up the car when it senses though.

I always ask Siri to do it. Works like a charm.

 

[eCharcoal]

Simply walking around the Model 3 would wake or unlock it.

Oops I meant to say simply walking around the Model 3 with your phone while it’s locked would NOT wake or unlock it.