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

[AllenWong]

3.3.4 is out now to fix the homelink bug for multi-car accounts. While I was at it, I added the "updated at" time to the Apple Watch, and the Stop Summon button stays on the screen after pressing the Summon buttons as requested. Watch app also has the ability to switch cars on its own, too, as requested. Pressing on the "switch car" button in the 2nd screen will cycle through your cars. This button only appears if the app detects more than one car in the account. Complications also have a Remote S icon now.

 

[SteveW25561]

Wow, Allen! Thanks for incorporating so many fixes/suggestions/enhancements! Amazing work. Review posted.

 

[Mille Pun]

Allen, great work!!!!

Just updated to 3.3.4 and the Watch app run smoothly.

However, I'm not able to find the complication icon is the list. Running ios10.1 and watchOS 3.1 beta 3

 

[araxara]

3.3.4 is out now to fix the homelink bug for multi-car accounts. While I was at it, I added the "updated at" time to the Apple Watch, and the Stop Summon button stays on the screen after pressing the Summon buttons as requested. Watch app also has the ability to switch cars on its own, too, as requested. Pressing on the "switch car" button in the 2nd screen will cycle through your cars. This button only appears if the app detects more than one car in the account. Complications also have a Remote S icon now.

Thanks for implementing the "Switch Car" function. A suggestion for the next update would be to force the car information to switch immediately after switching cars. Currently, you have to wait for the next update and you wonder if the watch has actually switched to the other car.

 

[Mille Pun]

Allen, great work!!!!

Just updated to 3.3.4 and the Watch app run smoothly.

However, I'm not able to find the complication icon is the list. Running ios10.1 and watchOS 3.1 beta 3

To be precise, complications can be found using the Watch directly, but it cannot be found on the Watch app in iPhone.
Allen, what is the large complications for? So far it displays dotted line.

 

[Phil K]

Once again, thank you very much. The app is getting better and better.

 

[mikeash]

Here's a potentially ridiculous idea for the multi-car case: add an option for the app to automatically switch to whichever car is closest when you launch it. I only have one car so this wouldn't make any difference for me personally, but it seemed like a fun idea to share.

 

[BertL]

To be precise, complications can be found using the Watch directly, but it cannot be found on the Watch app in iPhone.
Allen, what is the large complications for? So far it displays dotted line.

The 3.3.4 complication shows up in My Watch Complications fine with present watchOS 3.0.

The "Remote" complication itself only shows up in the shorter complication pick lists, and then as an arrow with a circle around it on the Watch itself, e.g. where say temperature or perhaps date otherwise appear. It does not appear in the longer complication pick lists e.g. where calendar entries typically can be displayed. I suspect this is because as Allen said upthread, the Remote S Complication now only is a "fast path" to the Apple Watch app itself -- it does not have any real data to display within the complication itself at this stage. Personally, I just press the watch side button, then tap Remote S within the Doc to start it -- one more push than using the complication, but I can keep more important data displayed on my watch faces this way and still get to Remote S very quickly.​

 

[BertL]

Allen, I just have to add in... I L.O.V.E. the addition of the last update time on my Watch... it really helps me cope with the myriad of possible delays obtaining current data. No more guessing if the info is recentbeing able to cross-reference with the current time in the upper right corner of the display, or all of a sudden seeing the screen flash with unexpected new data. It is one of those great little usability enhancements that make all the difference in an already fine App. TU

 

[AllenWong]

Allen, I just have to add in... I L.O.V.E. the addition of the last update time on my Watch... it really helps me cope with the myriad of possible delays obtaining current data. No more guessing if the info is recentbeing able to cross-reference with the current time in the upper right corner of the display, or all of a sudden seeing the screen flash with unexpected new data. It is one of those great little usability enhancements that make all the difference in an already fine App. TU

Glad you guys are liking the little details I added. You can thank SteveW for that suggestion actually.

To be precise, complications can be found using the Watch directly, but it cannot be found on the Watch app in iPhone.
Allen, what is the large complications for? So far it displays dotted line.

Haven't yet implemented the data to fill in the complications yet. For now, it's just a quick shortcut to get to Remote S. A complication that fills itself with data will be for the next major update 3.4.x. This is because there's a few things tied to complications that I want to implement as well. So it's not a simple thing to add yet.

Speaking of which, this version should be the last 3.3.x version, so please leave a rating or review when you get the chance. Sales have dropped by over 50% ever since I started updating the apps, because the ratings get wiped out after each update. It'll be a while before version 3.4.x is ready for release.

 

[Wknapp0924]

Rated and left a review. Thanks for the hard work.

 

[Model S M.D.]

Rated and reviewed. Outstanding work.

 

[slevit1md]

Should I delete the beta test version and re-install from the app store? Not sure how that's supposed to work.
Thanks!

 

[AllenWong]

Should I delete the beta test version and re-install from the app store? Not sure how that's supposed to work.
Thanks!

Correct. The beta is outdated at this point. The app store version is the newest one.

 

[1NJ85D]

Allen -- A suggestion: Add an iOS 10 Widget. Thanks for all of your hard work!

 

[1NJ85D]

Just added review on App Store.

 

[Wknapp0924]

Allen -- A suggestion: Add an iOS 10 Widget. Thanks for all of your hard work!

Using his web commands with the app Launcher you can have all the commands on an iOS10 widget. It's great!

 

[simonog]

Please can someone explain for me. I find at times it can take a couple of minutes for the car icon to go solid while other commands in the interim e.g. changing charge levels, turning on climate control all work.

Surely the fast that commands work mean the app is connecting to the Tesla servers? If so, why the delay in the car icon going solid white?

 

[AllenWong]

Please can someone explain for me. I find at times it can take a couple of minutes for the car icon to go solid while other commands in the interim e.g. changing charge levels, turning on climate control all work.

Surely the fast that commands work mean the app is connecting to the Tesla servers? If so, why the delay in the car icon going solid white?

This is going to be a long explanation. But if you don't want to know what's going on behind the scenes, just skip to the underlined sentences at the end to possibly fix your problem.

The solid white icon is only for HomeLink and Summon commands. This is because both commands require an active connection to Tesla's websocket server to function. The reason is that the Summon commands require a person to continuously press on the app for it to work. As soon as they stop, the Tesla car will stop. In my app, the continuous press is simulated so that you don't have to do it. But if the app were to close or you lose internet or your phone ran out of batteries, your Tesla will stop immediately from the Summon, because the active connection is severed.

Remote S also waits up to 30 seconds for the connection to happen before sending the command if no active connection is detected. So you're still able to issue the command before a connection is made, and it'll send the command as soon as that connection is established. After 30 seconds, the command expires. And if you issue a HomeLink or Summon command before the 30 seconds expires and before a connection is made, it will overwrite all previous HomeLink/Summon commands - so that you don't end up opening and closing your HomeLink at the same time.

None of the other commands require an active connection. It just sends a command to Tesla's servers and then the connection is over. This is done over https:// server. The websocket server is a wss:// server. These are two different communication methods to Tesla's servers, and most likely two different servers.

Having said that, the solid white comes on within 3 seconds on LTE, and within a second on WiFi for me, even though I'm all the way in the East Coast while Teslas servers are in California. What I did notice is that at my garage, the WiFi is pretty spotty, so my device keeps flipping between LTE and WiFi. This causes the connection to Tesla to keep disconnecting and reconnecting. When this happens, it might have trouble getting a solid connection to Tesla's server in a timely manner. In that case, I'd just turn off WiFi temporarily when at a weak WiFi location, so that it sticks to LTE. I suspect that the same thing is happening to you.

 

[simonog]

Allen: thank you - I hadn't realised it was the difference between a socket connection and an HTML message for the two types of interaction.

In my garage, I installed a new access point a few feet from the rhs wing mirror so the car gets a solid and reliable wifi connection. My garage is, however, in the UK so the connection to the Tesla servers may be affected by the 5535 miles (as the crow flies).

When I am back with the car I'll try the latest app to see if I can get the connection to light up more quickly.