Tesla backing away from "Phone Key as primary key"

[Knightshade]

this is complete nonsense. as i've said many times, my 2013 volt and its key has not once failed to allow me to enter the car, nor start the car, nor drive away without ever taking the key out of my pocket. not once in 5+ years of ownership, and that's not an exaggeration...it LITERALLY has worked 100% of the time.

Ditto the wireless credit card key (that never has to leave my wallet for any use other than changing the battery every couple years) on my 2008 Lexus. Has worked 100% since new and the car even gives you plenty of notice when the card battery is getting low.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

plenty of us have had battery optimization turned off and it still doesn't work. glad that helped for you, but it's not a be all end all fix.

Indeed, didn't solve it for me.

In fact I just turned it back on in hopes of preventing BT from draining my cell phone battery. Over the weekend whenever I was upstairs (which is over the garage) the phone would drain it's battery (which normally only uses 30% before I plug it in at night) in a few hours with all power usage going to BT. This didn't happen the previous weeks I've had the car. Neither car nor phone has had an update though it's possible the Tesla app has (I don't pay too much attention to app auto updates unless it nags me to approve them due to permission changes).

 

[Ficheh]

Sorry you're having problems. You've never had to change your volt key battery in 5 years? I have to change the one in my Benz every year!

 

[Ficheh]

Sooner or later everything fails, just because yours hasn't in 5+ years doesn't mean the system (everybody using it, not just you and your car) is always flawless. Otherwise I could say the same thing about the the phone key and the RFID keys I have. I know sooner or later there'll be an error. There's no reason to get ANGRY when I'm giving g an opinion. You're entitled to yours also. My comments are not out of anger, but meant to be informative. Disagree, fine, but calm down.

 

[Unbeliever]

Welp, I have a Pixel XL 2 that has worked flawlessly for phone as a key.

Recently updated to Android P (pie) and now it works maybe 10% of the time... Also apps crash like crazy and can't even open the play store, it just freezes.

I have a 2XL, and Pie didn't change the behavior. From 100% to 100%.

--Carlos V.

 

[diamond.g]

Sorry you're having problems. You've never had to change your volt key battery in 5 years? I have to change the one in my Benz every year!

That is likely because the fob for the Volt doesn't send or receive anything unless a button on the door or on the fob is pressed.

 

[BioSehnsucht]

My previous car was a Mazda 3, and it has an older style keyfob (buttons, not walk up unlock). I have had to change the battery once in 10 years, though it is clearly getting low again (not working at long range).

Changing the battery every few years is really not an issue, and with a Bluetooth based system the fob could tell the car it's battery level and the car can pop up a warning to the user that they should replace the batteries soon (vs finding out the hard way).

 

[FalconFour]

My previous car was a Leaf, and the battery in that key lasted about 3 years each. It was the kind of key you just stuffed in your pocket for the day, and can easily forget you even had it if you accidentally took it out somewhere. When it's in your pocket, you go to the car, hit the button while pulling the handle, get in, brake+power, and you're driving. Get out, close the door and push the button in the same motion, bingo bango, easy squeezy.

Every. Single. Time. I walk up to the Model 3, I have to get my phone out, turn Airplane Mode on, then back off, then make sure Bluetooth turned back on (it randomly stays off or turns back on depending on ??its mood??the weather??planet alignment??), then press the handle and it unlocks. If I don't do that, 100% of the time I give it a chance to "just work", it tells me to use the key card.

Fob, please.

 

[Nocturnal]

If Bluetooth is on I've had no problems so far. Connects instantly. Galaxy S9.

I keep a key in my wallet just in case though.

 

[tread]

I have a 2XL, and Pie didn't change the behavior. From 100% to 100%.

--Carlos V.

Hmmm. I'll go bang it against the wall a few times.

 

[laxdad]

As a key, it works 100% on my iPhone 7. However, I stopped getting notifications regularly a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully, the new iPhone app that downloaded today will fix the notification problem.

 

[crackers8199]

just got an update for the Android app that added a persistent notification for the phone key. hopefully this will resolve the problems... we'll see.

 

[Lobstahz]

Another +1 to the list of having issues. I've had issues since I first picked up the car. I have a Pixel, so respectable hardware. I just have no faith in the doors unlocking as they should. My wife and I have made a game of it and the car loses a lot.

Overall the phone as key seems to be super sensitive and Tesla tries to be too clever for its own good. I've had it lock on me as I walk to the other side of the car to get my son out. That's just maddening.

I've also tried to leave the car fully running by leaving my phone in the car to keep the climate on as I run back into the house to get something. But since there is no weight on drivers seat it shuts down the car, didn't lock it, but shut it down.

Or when I'm coming out from the grocery store, the car is precooling, I open and toss the groceries in the car, wife jumps in the passenger seat and I return the cart. The car locks and turns off. I realize my wife can touch the screen to bring climate back on, but overall to me it's just annoying and not well thought out or executed.

 

[dusdev]

Another +1 to the list of having issues. I've had issues since I first picked up the car. I have a Pixel, so respectable hardware. I just have no faith in the doors unlocking as they should. My wife and I have made a game of it and the car loses a lot.

Hopefully Tesla will resolve this nonsense soon with a proper fob! Shameful for such a sad experience with such an expensive car

 

[SVMike]

After 4 weeks of using my Samsung S7 with no problems...I've now not been able to get into the car with my phone twice in 3 days (out of maybe 10 times). All started after I went to have Tesla service put my front license plate holder on. I don't see how there could be any connection. I carry the key card in my wallet so I was able to get in. And, of course I checked to make sure my phone had plenty of charge and bluetooth was on.
The second time after I arrived home I got out of the car and walked away -- the car didn't lock. I got in and couldn't start the car. I toggled bluetooth off and back on and it finally worked.

Another vote for a conventional fob

 

[dusdev]

Another vote for a conventional fob

Phone as key is a total fail. Tesla needs to correct this.

 

[Gavyne]

iphone 6s and it has been flawless, absolutely loving not having a key fob in my pocket. I hope Tesla will add key fobs for those that want them. When it comes to mobile devices, I've found that most people won't bother digging into their phones to fix bluetooth/app issues. If you having issues with your phone key, it isn't the car that's the problem. It's almost always the phone, or rather the background processes, apps, settings, or bluetooth interference.

But I get that, the last thing people want to do is to mess around with their phones.

 

[FalconFour]

When it comes to mobile devices, I've found that most people won't bother digging into their phones to fix bluetooth/app issues. If you having issues with your phone key, it isn't the car that's the problem. It's almost always the phone, or rather the background processes, apps, settings, or bluetooth interference.

But I get that, the last thing people want to do is to mess around with their phones.

As a tech guy that digs into OS internals and rips apart API calls and configurations, this makes my blood boil juuuuust a tad...

I've done every damn thing on Earth to get the phone key to work. It works fine on an iPhone, but the fragmentation of Android means it likely may never work right. A phone is not worth $1,000 to me, and it never will be. It's a background tool for when I'm away from a real computer. Nothing more.

Since Android's fragmented ecosystem won't allow for this thing to work right, I just want an alternative.

 

[Gavyne]

As a tech guy that digs into OS internals and rips apart API calls and configurations, this makes my blood boil juuuuust a tad...

I've done every damn thing on Earth to get the phone key to work. It works fine on an iPhone, but the fragmentation of Android means it likely may never work right. A phone is not worth $1,000 to me, and it never will be. It's a background tool for when I'm away from a real computer. Nothing more.

Since Android's fragmented ecosystem won't allow for this thing to work right, I just want an alternative.

Cool so you agree with me it's an issue with the phone not the car

Like I said I hope they do come out with a key fob for those that prefer it.

 

[crackers8199]

so far (in 24 hours with the new app) it has been better since they added a notification for the phone key. better, but still not perfect.