Remote S: Tesla app for Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch

[AllenWong]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate it. Your support motivates me to keep on coding. I even fell asleep on my macbook last night (or should I say early morning) while coding.

Completely agree that everyone using the app on this forum should go and post a review, let's help Allen out for his hard work! A side question, do you expect anything coming out of Apple's WWDC conference to expand some of the apps features?

I'm hoping for the announcement of:
1) Siri API. Right now I'm coding a workaround for the voice command, but would prefer native support by Siri (and hoping for a faster Siri response time)
2) More functions allowed in the Apple Watch (let us developers use the crown as a control...)
3) A new background mode that would allow me to schedule web commands in the background like Android's platform does. Right now, I have to do this whole workaround with push notification servers that may or may not even work.

 

[evmike]

2) More functions allowed in the Apple Watch (let us developers use the crown as a control...)

Looks like you got your wish on that one. Am really looking forward to your updates, 5-stars from me!

 

[Johan]

Looks like you got your wish on that one. Am really looking forward to your updates, 5-stars from me!

Yup:

Native Apple Watch SDK will drastically improve third-party apps this fall | Ars Technica

I think it was confirmed in the keynote today that it will give programmers access to controlling the digital crown.

 

[AllenWong]

Yup:

Native Apple Watch SDK will drastically improve third-party apps this fall | Ars Technica

I think it was confirmed in the keynote today that it will give programmers access to controlling the digital crown.

Correct. Access to the digital crown should make changing the temperature and changing charge limit much faster and easier on the watch.

As well as this: Apps can access the microphone, play audio through watch speaker or Bluetooth speaker. I can probably leverage that tech to do voice command on the Apple Watch as well as give audio feedback for when a command is issued successfully or failed. This audio feedback is implemented in Remote S version 2.0 already (can be muted in settings or using side mute button on device). Currently adding other features to v 2.0.

 

[wayner]

And it looks like on point 1 as well.

 

[Johan]

Correct. Access to the digital crown should make changing the temperature and changing charge limit much faster and easier on the watch.

As well as this: Apps can access the microphone, play audio through watch speaker or Bluetooth speaker. I can probably leverage that tech to do voice command on the Apple Watch as well as give audio feedback for when a command is issued successfully or failed. This audio feedback is implemented in Remote S version 2.0 already (can be muted in settings or using side mute button on device). Currently adding other features to v 2.0.

I really like this since the main reason for using Siri is that it's inconvenient to touch your screen and often look at your screen, especially now that you can just raise the watch and say "Hey Siri". So you don't want to have to look to see that the correct command was issued. I find myself often doing that now with Siri, which kind of takes away most of the value of her.

 

[benjiejr]

@regoapps, first off, great app! Just got my Apple Watch today and downloaded your app right away. You've done an amazing amount of work in such a short period.

Since I just got the watch and I'm still learning how it works, I have a quick question that you might be able to answer. I've figured out how to set the watch face and I'm trying to customize the "Modular" face. In each of the boxes you can scroll through and set it to many different choices (weather, calendar, time, stocks, sunrise/sunset, etc). Is there any way to set one of these boxes to the current charge % or rated miles of my Tesla? I don't see your app as one of the choices and I'm just not sure if I haven't figured out how to add it or if it's just not a possibility at this time.

Thank you for all your efforts, Ben

 

[jaydee49]

I have a feeling this is more likely a bug in my car and not the app, but since I only see it in Remote S I figured I would ask and see if anyone else has the same issue.

Occasionally, Remote S shows my car's front passenger door being ajar. When it does, the door is completely shut, and I don't have any other kind of warnings/lights in the car saying that it's open, only shows on Remote S. Again, I am assuming the car is reporting this but just thought it was odd.

 

[Johan]

I have a feeling this is more likely a bug in my car and not the app, but since I only see it in Remote S I figured I would ask and see if anyone else has the same issue.

Occasionally, Remote S shows my car's front passenger door being ajar. When it does, the door is completely shut, and I don't have any other kind of warnings/lights in the car saying that it's open, only shows on Remote S. Again, I am assuming the car is reporting this but just thought it was odd.

It's just the currenct graphical representation of the car being unlocked. All the icons for doors open/closed, trunk, frunk etc. weren't in 1.0 or 1.1 but Allen has said he will include it in future versions.

 

[AllenWong]

I have a feeling this is more likely a bug in my car and not the app, but since I only see it in Remote S I figured I would ask and see if anyone else has the same issue.

Occasionally, Remote S shows my car's front passenger door being ajar. When it does, the door is completely shut, and I don't have any other kind of warnings/lights in the car saying that it's open, only shows on Remote S. Again, I am assuming the car is reporting this but just thought it was odd.

View attachment 83464

It means that your car is unlocked and has nothing to do with whether your door is open. This is because in the 10 days I had to start and finish this app, I didn't have time to create all the graphics for all the different situations that the car can be in. In version 2.0, this is already changed where the car will represent almost every car stat possible including whether the car is plugged in or not, trunks are open or closed, individual doors are open or closed, HVAC is on or off, car is unlocked or locked, car is charging or not, front and back defrosters are on or off.

 

[jaydee49]

Cool. Thanks for the reply. I think we all appreciate the fact you are so responsive here. I enjoy the app and look forward to upcoming new features. Thanks again.

 

[AllenWong]

@regoapps, first off, great app! Just got my Apple Watch today and downloaded your app right away. You've done an amazing amount of work in such a short period.

Since I just got the watch and I'm still learning how it works, I have a quick question that you might be able to answer. I've figured out how to set the watch face and I'm trying to customize the "Modular" face. In each of the boxes you can scroll through and set it to many different choices (weather, calendar, time, stocks, sunrise/sunset, etc). Is there any way to set one of these boxes to the current charge % or rated miles of my Tesla? I don't see your app as one of the choices and I'm just not sure if I haven't figured out how to add it or if it's just not a possibility at this time.

Thank you for all your efforts, Ben

No. But WWDC just announced that this might be a possibility in Apple Watch OS 2, which isn't out for the public yet.

 

[benjiejr]

No. But WWDC just announced that this might be a possibility in Apple Watch OS 2, which isn't out for the public yet.

Thank you for your quick response sir.

 

[LetsGoFast]

One thing I miss from the standard app is a representation of the current charging rate.

 

[AllenWong]

One thing I miss from the standard app is a representation of the current charging rate.

It will be in Remote S v 2.0.

 

[Andyw2100]

Occasionally, Remote S shows my car's front passenger door being ajar. When it does, the door is completely shut, and I don't have any other kind of warnings/lights in the car saying that it's open, only shows on Remote S.

It means that your car is unlocked and has nothing to do with whether your door is open.

When I read this question I had to chuckle. And not at you, jaydee49--this has been a somewhat common point of confusion for people. It's even been the source of some nasty comments and low ratings in the app reviews on the iTunes site. I was chuckling at the randomness of it all. I'm guessing Regoapps spent about ten seconds thinking about that, considering everything else he was doing at the time. I was chuckling thinking about how many times he's probably wished he could go back to those ten seconds and switch that really simple decision from an open door to a lock icon. (I'm pretty sure that's what he has said he's using in version 2.0.) It's such a trivial, silly, thing, but it has caused him such grief!

I know someone who will be happy when version 2.0 is finally released, right regoapps?

 

[Vitaman]

One review mentioned that the HVAC function worked less than half the time.
Is this still true?
My Watch has shipped and is due in 2 days.
Can this app be used on the Phone to gain familiarity in advance?

 

[evmike]

One review mentioned that the HVAC function worked less than half the time.
Is this still true?
My Watch has shipped and is due in 2 days.
Can this app be used on the Phone to gain familiarity in advance?

I have never had issues using the HVAC function. If a user has bad connectivity (whether their phone or their car), then I could see the functionality not working, but that's not the fault of the app.

Yes, you can use the app independent of a watch to familiarize yourself with the functions, but since the UI is very different, I'm not sure how helpful it will be to you. In my opinion, I see the app as two separate apps, one for the phone and one for the watch, and I can see someone seeing value in just using one or the other, let alone both. For instance, if you're walking up to your car and don't have your key on you, you can certainly pulled out the phone to unlock your car door, or you can use the watch, which is probably more convenient for most people. One thing I have noticed is that the app is more responsive and more reliable than using Tesla's own app, so for that reason alone, the regoapps app is the one I use.

 

[AllenWong]

One review mentioned that the HVAC function worked less than half the time.
Is this still true?
My Watch has shipped and is due in 2 days.
Can this app be used on the Phone to gain familiarity in advance?

Works 100% of the time for me. If it were the case, more people would have reported this, and I would have looked into it further. So I think that this is an isolated incident that probably has to do with a spotty internet connection. Now that I implemented audio/visual feedback for command successfully sent and commands that failed, there should be less confusion over whether a command failed or not. And if it did fail, a reason will pop up.

 

[Mjc123]

Works 100% of the time for me. If it were the case, more people would have reported this, and I would have looked into it further. So I think that this is an isolated incident that probably has to do with a spotty internet connection. Now that I implemented audio/visual feedback for command successfully sent and commands that failed, there should be less confusion over whether a command failed or not. And if it did fail, a reason will pop up.

question: you get some response from teslas server that the command was successfully sent to the car (I.e. Hvac on), but does the app just assume the action was executed properly or does the app get a response from the car via teslas server or whatever, that the hvac is actually on in the car?