Recommend an Android phone that works >99% with phone key

[ratsbew]

My current phone is garbage....absolute garbage for phone key. It works less than 25% of the time and even then only if I toggle airplane mode on/off right beforehand.

I need some suggestions on Android phones that work close to 100% of the time.

I prefer to buy used/refurbished, so something last gen would be preferred.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Aellinsar]

It's only 1 data point, but I have a Samsung Galaxy S7. Since a few software updates ago, the phone as a key has worked flawlessly (*knock on wood*).

 

[ratsbew]

When you say flawlessly, does the door pop immediately, or is there any delay between pressing the handle and the door popping open? Sometimes mine will have a 1 second delay, which is annoying, but I consider that a "success" for my phone.

My phone is super slow for everything so I'm pretty sure my problem (in addition to bluetooth crashing) is my phone's slow CPU just taking forever to do whatever phone key related encryption stuff happens.

 

[Aellinsar]

Sometimes I've had a short delay like you indicated. I'm not sure how often, but it's not common. Most of the time if opens immediately.

 

[ratsbew]

Yeah, sometimes if I wait long enough with the handle pulled it will pop after 20-30 seconds. Normally I give up and just use the key card.

 

[dsvick]

It's only 1 data point, but I have a Samsung Galaxy S7. Since a few software updates ago, the phone as a key has worked flawlessly (*knock on wood*).

I'll also plug the S7, mine works right away with no delay more almost every time. I think there is maybe once occurance of a short delay once a week or so.

There was, of course, that one time when it didn't work at all and I finally had to use the key card .... only to have my wife remind me that I'd turned my phone when we went in to the movie theatre

 

[nicholb]

My wife has a Galaxy S9 and I've used both Note 8 and 9. All three rarely have issues opening the door or starting the car. Any issues are usually immediately after a update of the car and then a quick airplane mode toggle resolves it.

 

[RTPEV]

I have a Moto Z2 and currently it is working fine (knock on wood). In the past it failed about 20% of the time (which is WAY too much for my taste). Occasionally (maybe 2-3% of the time) it doesn't work immediately, but I open the app and wait a few seconds (10-15?) and it starts working. No idea whether getting into the app actually affects that (I don't think it does), but I can see when the phone key says "Connected" so I know when to try again.

HOWEVER...having said that, I honestly don't think it's a case of the phone itself, but rather what you are running on it, and your physical proximity to the car.

I think that running certain apps on the phone may exacerbate the problem, and I also think that if the phone is at the very edge of Bluetooth range, it can cause enough comm errors that Tesla app is banned from the Bluetooth stack and this causes you to have to do the airplane mode toggle. So a phone that works perfectly fine for one person may not work at all for you.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

It is really a function of the Bluetooth radio and the level of BT software in the phone.
I'd expect any decent phone built in the last 3 or 4 years will work fine.

I had a Nexus 6P which worked well, but the car occasionally needed the keycard.
However, since jumping to a Pixel 3XL I've not needed to use the keycard at all.

 

[RTPEV]

It is really a function of the Bluetooth radio and the level of BT software in the phone.
I'd expect any decent phone built in the last 3 or 4 years will work fine.

I'd be inclined to agree with you, except my phone went from working unreliably, to working perfectly, to working somewhat unreliably, and back to working more or less perfectly.

In my opinion, there doesn't exist a truly usable level of BT software yet--anywhere. But I think BT is garbage to start with.

 

[aronth5]

Use Galaxy S8, works very well

 

[nizmo]

Note9, haven't had any fails yet.

 

[TW14 9LF]

Google Pixel 3XL.....flawless. Any issues are operator induced (i.e., I've forgotten I'm on airplane mode).

 

[John Beans]

In my opinion, there doesn't exist a truly usable level of BT software yet--anywhere. But I think BT is garbage to start with.

Bluetooth was initially designed and used for "static" applications, where the two ends get set up and don't move (like music speakers and headphones, 95% of historic use). It's only recently been coerced to work acceptably for applications where the two ends wander in and out of range often.

One of the roadblocks has been that mobile OS vendors aggressively manage peripherals for battery life, and for that reason they don't give full control to app designers. The OS can power up or down Bluetooth as it sees fit, with no warning to apps. And Bluetooth is a shared resource for all apps on the phone, so there can be unexpected delays, contention, and hidden OS timeouts that the app has to deal with.

Eventually as "wandering apps" and especially "Bluetooth as key" get more attention, we will get profiles and product designs that ensure reliability. For instance, now that Bluetooth Low Energy is common in new phones (and uses just micro-amps on average), we will see OSs allowing and supporting full-time service and feature support for Bluetooth-as-key.

 

[RTPEV]

Bluetooth was initially designed and used for "static" applications
...
we will see OSs allowing and supporting full-time service and feature support for Bluetooth-as-key.

I think we are saying the same thing!

 

[RFernatt]

Pixel 2XL, 100% except for once when BT was turned off.

 

[GregRF]

Since moving to Pixel 3 (no XL for me!) I've had zero issues.

 

[MountainRatMat]

Note9, haven't had any fails yet.

I'll 2nd that. Went from a Moto G5 (Terrible) to a Note 9 (very satisfied)

 

[ewoodrick]

Yeah, sometimes if I wait long enough with the handle pulled it will pop after 20-30 seconds. Normally I give up and just use the key card.

That's a good indication that the car just isn't hearing the phone. Where is the car when you approach it? In your back pocket? I know that there are times when I just have to turn around so that the car can hear the phone.
Also, open the app and just watch it as you move toward and away from the car. Watch the connected status to see what's happening.

 

[TW14 9LF]

Where is the car when you approach it? In your back pocket?

Dude, you must have some big pockets!!!