Remote S iPhone App Apple Watch - Problem Resolved

[Censored]

Thanks for sharing this. I decided to try it again taking into consideration what you said. When I turned OFF my iPhone the Remote S Watch app continued to work fine. It continually updated the last time connected to the Tesla. Good so far. But then I realized that the Watch was on WiFi, the same WiFI as the Tesla. So I then left my house and walked down the street until the Watch was on LTE (green dots on Watch Explorer face). I then tried using the Remote S watch app to honk the car horn. I tried it several times and it did not honk. I then noticed that the last time connected was when I left WiFi. I don’t know why it won’t work for me but it works for you. Any thoughts?

Are other apps able to connect to the internet via LTE on your watch when you tried honking the horn?

You need to wait until that updates to the current time. If it’s not showing the current time there then it is not actually connected to the car.

You don't have to wait for the car to grab updated information before issuing a car command. They should be two separate and independent functions. Getting updated car data is like downloading a webpage from the Tesla server. Telling your car to do something is like sending a text message to the Tesla server. You can do both at the same time.

I'm very interested in this, so please keep the updates coming. I have an Apple Watch 2, and frankly the delay makes me not bother with trying to start HVAC on the watch. previous post said 5 seconds, which is probably accurate and completely unacceptable...I'm not sure if the subsequent post was thinking 5 sec is good?!?

Anyway, I would love to transition to 90% watch and this would be great if the delay is eliminated with direct LTE connectivity

The thing is that after you send a Start HVAC command, the HVAC might start up sooner than 5 seconds. 5 seconds is the refresh rate of Remote S' updated data. Try sitting in your car with your Watch app connected directly to WiFi with the iPhone turned off to simulate what it would be like to have a Watch with only LTE. Then you can see what the actual delay is by looking at your car to see when the HVAC turns on.

I am also hoping that Allen (developer of Remote S app) can update the Remote S Apple Watch app to work independently on the Apple Watch with LTE.

If anyone uses a competing 3rd party Tesla app (e.g. Toolbox) on an Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE, please let us know if you can control the Tesla functions from the Watch over LTE without your phone nearby.

I can confirm that Toolbox doesn't work independently without the iPhone. Remote S is currently the only Watch app that can work independently from the iPhone. A lot of the other Watch apps haven't even been updated in over a year ago, and since they haven't been updated, it shouldn't be able to work independently from the iPhone since that feature is a fairly recent addition to the Apple Watch OS.

 

[Frankman60]

Yes, other Apple Watch apps work when the watch is connected to LTE without the iPhone. For example, I was streaming Apple Music when I was at the gym using LTE without my iPhone. But the Remote S watch app would not start the HVAC on my car or updated the last time connected while I was at the gym.

I realized just now that I didn’t have to leave my house to test the Remote S watch app on LTE. The newest Watch OS has the ability to turn off WiFi in the control center, forcing the watch onto LTE. I did the test again and when the watch was on WiFi, the car honked. When I turned off WiFI and the watch connected to LTE, the car will not honk.


“Are other apps able to connect to the internet via LTE on your watch when you tried honking the horn?”

 

[Censored]

I realized just now that I didn’t have to leave my house to test the Remote S watch app on LTE. The newest Watch OS has the ability to turn off WiFi in the control center, forcing the watch onto LTE. I did the test again and when the watch was on WiFi, the car honked. When I turned off WiFI and the watch connected to LTE, the car will not honk.

I've seen this problem before. This happens when you turn off Cellular Data for Remote S. This prevents Remote S from using mobile data, so that's why it's blocked on LTE and not WiFi. Try looking for some settings to turn Cellular Data back on more Remote S.

 

[u00mem9]

I've also been playing with this by blocking connection to the phone...and that brings me to my #1 question. The thing I use Remote S for 99% of the time to accomplish is to turn on the HVAC. What secret squirrel area of the HVAC watch screen am I supposed to touch to quickly do that?!

So far, I know of two options:
-Bring up remote S app...find HVAC screen...touch the lower right circle (overhead picture of a car)...and then touch 'turn HVAC on'
-Bring up remote S app...force touch...turn HVAC on.

There must be something I'm missing right? I'd love a complication to do it...and I'd settle for one button on the app to do it.

 

[Frankman60]

On the iPhone under Settings, Cellular, Remote S is turned for for cellular access. But I don’t think there is a separate similar setting that just pertains to the Watch. But in the Apple Watch settings app on my iPhone, under Ceullar, Remote S is listed but there isn’t a switch to turn it on/off like on the iPhone.

I've seen this problem before. This happens when you turn off Cellular Data for Remote S. This prevents Remote S from using mobile data, so that's why it's blocked on LTE and not WiFi. Try looking for some settings to turn Cellular Data back on more Remote S.

 

[Frankman60]

I usually start HVAC by using Remote S on my Watch by force pressing and select Start HVAC. That works fine as long as I have my iPhone. On my new Series 3 watch the watch screen updates in about 7 seconds showing that the HVAC is on. On my previous first Gen Apple Watch it took several minutes for the screen to update. But as the previous poster mentioned, the HVAC may actually be starting long before the Remote S screen updates on the watch.

I've also been playing with this by blocking connection to the phone...and that brings me to my #1 question. The thing I use Remote S for 99% of the time to accomplish is to turn on the HVAC. What secret squirrel area of the HVAC watch screen am I supposed to touch to quickly do that?!

So far, I know of two options:
-Bring up remote S app...find HVAC screen...touch the lower right circle (overhead picture of a car)...and then touch 'turn HVAC on'
-Bring up remote S app...force touch...turn HVAC on.

There must be something I'm missing right? I'd love a complication to do it...and I'd settle for one button on the app to do it.

 

[Censored]

On the iPhone under Settings, Cellular, Remote S is turned for for cellular access. But I don’t think there is a separate similar setting that just pertains to the Watch. But in the Apple Watch settings app on my iPhone, under Ceullar, Remote S is listed but there isn’t a switch to turn it on/off like on the iPhone.

Try deleting Remote S and reinstalling it, and also try restarting your Apple Watch and iPhone. It sounds like you're the only one with trouble getting the app to work on your LTE network, so it might just be a glitch. By deleting the app and restarting the devices, you're resetting the settings and hopefully fixing your problem.

 

[Frankman60]

Deleting Remote S from my iPhone and Watch, restarting the watch and iPhone, and reinstalling Remote S did not change any of the behavior I am experiencing. Remote S works great from my iPhone using WiFi or Cellular, and works great from my Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE when my iPhone is nearby or is on the same WiFi network as my Watch. But when my Watch is not close to my iPhone, the Remote S Watch app doesn’t work at all.

Please post your experiences if you are using Remote S with an Apple Watch Series 3 with LTE. This Apple Support article explains what you can expect from your Series 3 watch with LTE when the iPhone is not nearby. One thing for sure, the iPhone must be turned ON for any third party apps to work when the iphone is not close by. How to use your Apple Watch without your iPhone nearby

 

[BrettS]

One thing for sure, the iPhone must be turned ON for any third party apps to work when the iphone is not close by

This not the case. It says that your phone needs to be on to receive notifications from third party apps, but the phone does not need to be on for third party apps to work.

 

[Frankman60]

Thanks for the clarification. This is another article from CNET that says that some 3rd party apps willl not work (e.g. not just notifications) when the iPhone is turned off and not connected to the Internet. Why can't I send texts on my Apple Watch Series 3? I’m assuming that the watch app would have had to be updated since LTE was introduced on the Series 3 watch. Looking at the version update history for Remote S in the Apple App Store shows that Remote S was last updated 3 months ago, and there is no mention of updates made to support LTE on the Apple Watch.

It would be nice if the Remote S app developer jumped into this thread to explain how the Watch App works on only LTE connectivity when the app has not been updated in a while.

This not the case. It says that your phone needs to be on to receive notifications from third party apps, but the phone does not need to be on for third party apps to work.

 

[wayner]

It would be nice if the Remote S app developer jumped into this thread to explain how the Watch App works on only LTE connectivity when the app has not been updated in a while.

Isn't this app, and all non-Tesla created apps, essentially dead due to Apple's heavy-handed policy change of several months ago? Didn't you guys see the post by Allen: The end of 3rd party Tesla apps for Apple devices | Tesla . There are also threads here on TMC discussing the subject, like: Remote S app going away soon -- be sure to update it now!

Apple's review team just told me that they're going to stop the sale of Remote S within two weeks because in their words: "Your app contains content or features that may violate the rights of one or more third parties. Specifically, your app requests, displays, or distributes third-party account information in order to allow unauthorized access to said service, or uses private APIs not made public by the service." Other 3rd party Tesla developers told me that they received the same message around the same time. Unfortunately, there isn't a public API for Tesla, so this effectively means that this is the beginning of the end for third party Tesla apps.

 

[f-stop]

It would be nice if the Remote S app developer jumped into this thread to explain how the Watch App works on only LTE connectivity when the app has not been updated in a while.

you can reach him over here:
Remote S: Tesla app for Apple Watch, iPhone & iPad official thread | Tesla

Isn't this app, and all non-Tesla created apps, essentially dead due to Apple's heavy-handed policy change of several months ago? Didn't you guys see the post by Allen: The end of 3rd party Tesla apps for Apple devices | Tesla . [...]

in his last post (9/20) in the thread you referenced he says they've stoped threatening to remove the app from the app store. so development is continuing

 

[Frankman60]

Thanks f-stop. I went to the Tesla Forum you provided above (forums.tesla.com) but was not able to post there because I was being blocked by a so called Spam Filter. I logged in but am not able to post because every post gets rejected as spam. WTF? Has anyone else encountered this at forums.tesla.com?

 

[Censored]

Thanks f-stop. I went to the Tesla Forum you provided above (forums.tesla.com) but was not able to post there because I was being blocked by a so called Spam Filter. I logged in but am not able to post because every post gets rejected as spam. WTF? Has anyone else encountered this at forums.tesla.com?

Are you signed in on the Tesla account that owns a Model S? It has happened to me before when using an account that doesn't own any Teslas. When I signed into the account I created when I bought my Model S, I was able to post to Tesla.com forums.

 

[Censored]

Thanks for the clarification. This is another article from CNET that says that some 3rd party apps willl not work (e.g. not just notifications) when the iPhone is turned off and not connected to the Internet. Why can't I send texts on my Apple Watch Series 3? I’m assuming that the watch app would have had to be updated since LTE was introduced on the Series 3 watch. Looking at the version update history for Remote S in the Apple App Store shows that Remote S was last updated 3 months ago, and there is no mention of updates made to support LTE on the Apple Watch.

From the version history of Remote S from October 5, 2016:

"Watch app is now working on WatchOS 2+ with speed optimization upgrades from WatchOS 3. This means that it doesn't need to be connected to your phone to work."

You also confirmed that Remote S works with just WiFi and without the iPhone turned on. According to the Apple site, it says "If your watch is connected to a cellular network, but your iPhone isn't nearby, your watch can do the same things that it can when using Wi-Fi." Meaning that there shouldn't be a difference between using WiFi with the iPhone turned off and using the cellular network but your iPhone isn't nearby. So it should have worked for you, and it seems like it works for other people who are only on LTE.

Also, does it work if the Watch is on LTE, far away from the iPhone but the iPhone is turned on and connected to the internet? The article you linked to implied that it should help some apps to work if this is the case.

There's also a "Disconnect from Watch app" setting in the Remote S settings on the iPhone. Perhaps turning that on would allow you to use Remote S untethered from the iPhone?

And finally, there's a written review of Remote S on iTunes from Sept. 25, 2017 that says that he/she was able to use Remote S without the iPhone from the new Apple Watch with LTE. He/she also wrote "Is it possible that the app can keep working if I restart the watch while away from my phone? Currently seems like it's coded where I need to start the Watch app while connected to my phone". Not sure if that helps, but maybe that is the same issue you're having? Try starting the Watch app while connected to your phone first to see if that works. And then perhaps the "Disconnect from Watch app" setting would allow you to use it untethered?

 

[Frankman60]

I changed my forum user name from the default (my email address) to the same user name I use on this forum. I did this before I tried to post a question about Remote S and I haven’t ever posted on that forum before that. But I am still signed into my official Tesla account, I only changed my forum user name.

Are you signed in on the Tesla account that owns a Model S? It has happened to me before when using an account that doesn't own any Teslas. When I signed into the account I created when I bought my Model S, I was able to post to Tesla.com forums.

 

[Frankman60]

Thanks for all of the tips. I already tried most of them, including first connecting the Remote S watch app to the Remote S iPhone app, and then leaving the phone behind.

I think it is strange that there is such a small set of people that have posted comments about using Remote S on an Apple Watch only using LTE. I have seen comments from two other people so far, even after soliciting comments from people on this forum that are actually using Remote S this way. Even the Remote S developer says that he does not have a Series 3 LTE watch to test Remote S on (in his comments on the Tesla Forum link previously provided).

From the version history of Remote S from October 5, 2016:

"Watch app is now working on WatchOS 2+ with speed optimization upgrades from WatchOS 3. This means that it doesn't need to be connected to your phone to work."

You also confirmed that Remote S works with just WiFi and without the iPhone turned on. According to the Apple site, it says "If your watch is connected to a cellular network, but your iPhone isn't nearby, your watch can do the same things that it can when using Wi-Fi." Meaning that there shouldn't be a difference between using WiFi with the iPhone turned off and using the cellular network but your iPhone isn't nearby. So it should have worked for you, and it seems like it works for other people who are only on LTE.

Also, does it work if the Watch is on LTE, far away from the iPhone but the iPhone is turned on and connected to the internet? The article you linked to implied that it should help some apps to work if this is the case.

There's also a "Disconnect from Watch app" setting in the Remote S settings on the iPhone. Perhaps turning that on would allow you to use Remote S untethered from the iPhone?

And finally, there's a written review of Remote S on iTunes from Sept. 25, 2017 that says that he/she was able to use Remote S without the iPhone from the new Apple Watch with LTE. He/she also wrote "Is it possible that the app can keep working if I restart the watch while away from my phone? Currently seems like it's coded where I need to start the Watch app while connected to my phone". Not sure if that helps, but maybe that is the same issue you're having? Try starting the Watch app while connected to your phone first to see if that works. And then perhaps the "Disconnect from Watch app" setting would allow you to use it untethered?

 

[Censored]

Thanks for all of the tips. I already tried most of them, including first connecting the Remote S watch app to the Remote S iPhone app, and then leaving the phone behind.

I think it is strange that there is such a small set of people that have posted comments about using Remote S on an Apple Watch only using LTE. I have seen comments from two other people so far, even after soliciting comments from people on this forum that are actually using Remote S this way. Even the Remote S developer says that he does not have a Series 3 LTE watch to test Remote S on (in his comments on the Tesla Forum link previously provided).

A few of us still have the older Watches and didn't upgrade to Watch 3 LTE. So my guess is that not many people have the Series 3 LTE watch and happen to visit this forum. You might get better results by asking in the Tesla.com forums. Seems like more people visit that forum than here. I can personally vouch that Remote S works without the iPhone turned on when connected to WiFi, and I guess that works for you, too. So there shouldn't be a reason why the Apple Watch shouldn't work without the iPhone when it's on LTE. As far as I read, there isn't a difference between using apps on WiFi vs LTE when the phone is off. And so far, I've only seen people say that Remote S works on their LTE network with the Watch 3 even with the iPhone turned off.

So if you say that other net-connected apps work on the Watch via LTE except Remote S, then through process of elimination, it appears that your problem might be that Tesla's servers are blocking your LTE's IP address for some reason. Tesla's servers have been known to block IP addresses every once in a while. For example, Tesla blocked Amazon a while ago and prevented people from using Alexa to query their Tesla stats for a while. Nobody really knows for sure how Tesla determines who to block.

One way to check if this is the case is to try to use someone else's LTE watch and seeing if you get the same problem with their device. By narrowing down the different variables, you'll know where the problem lies.

 

[Frankman60]

Regarding forums.tesla.com, how does one go about getting unblocked from posting there? I got blocked on my first post to the forum and I own a Tesla! There is a link to report that I was blocked in error, but that takes me to a site called mollom.com where I can submit a report to get unblocked. I started doing that 24 hours ago and I am still blocked and no response from Mollom.com. Does Tesla host forums.tesla.com or is it a 3rd party forum like this forum? If anyone has any suggestions about how to be able to post on forums.tesla.com please let me know.

 

[Censored]

Regarding forums.tesla.com, how does one go about getting unblocked from posting there? I got blocked on my first post to the forum and I own a Tesla! There is a link to report that I was blocked in error, but that takes me to a site called mollom.com where I can submit a report to get unblocked. I started doing that 24 hours ago and I am still blocked and no response from Mollom.com. Does Tesla host forums.tesla.com or is it a 3rd party forum like this forum? If anyone has any suggestions about how to be able to post on forums.tesla.com please let me know.

I did a google search for "blocked from posting on tesla forums" and it seems like they're not blocking users by how many Teslas they have, but instead blocking keywords and links. So you probably just need to word your post differently to get around the spam block. People were joking that the spam filter is overly sensitive. Also, your username might also be triggering the spam filter if every single one of your posts is blocked. Not sure why, though.