The definitive phone key thread...

[DblOSmith]

Situation: My key fob randomly stopped working. No idea why. The warranty is 4 years, so I tried to send it in, but Tesla wouldn't do a mail-in RMA process. They also would only do mobile visit, but due to my job, that is impossible. So, I went back to my phone key and immediately realized how terrible it is. I have a OnePlus 5T, and when used as a phone key, it leaves me just holding the door handle waiting for it to recognize approximately 50% of the time. And, 50% of those times when it doesn't work, I can stay there for over a minute and will have to unlock it using the app anyway. Sometimes I'm sitting in the car and it still doesn't recognize. It's so bad.

Question: Is there a definitive thread on how to set up phone key? Is there some setting I'm possibly not using on my phone? Is there some setting in the car I'm not using? Is my phone just too old? Can we have a definitive phone setup thread?

 

[hugh_jassol]

I have an iphone (and have had several different iPhone models in the time I have had a M3 since early 2019.... I can probably count on one hand the number of time the door didn't 'just work'. I think that's the majority experience.

Do you do things like quit the app in the background? Use power-save (I think that's what android calls it)? Or other things where the phone would suspend/quit the app in the background?

An android user can probably offer better suggestions.

I have smart locks on my house, badge access at work, and phone for my car... I haven't carried a key of any sort in years

 

[Big Earl]

Is your phone in your back pocket? If so, try moving it to your front pocket. I've noticed that proximity detection has gotten more stringent in the past year or so.

Do you use energy monitoring apps on your phone that automatically kill or suspend applications? If so, remove them, as they are incompatible with Phone As Key. The Tesla app needs to be able to run in the background in order for Phone As Key to function properly.

I haven't had phone key problems with my iPhone in several years. I suspect this is either a problem specific to your phone or a problem with how you're using it.

 

[DblOSmith]

I have an iphone (and have had several different iPhone models in the time I have had a M3 since early 2019.... I can probably count on one hand the number of time the door didn't 'just work'. I think that's the majority experience.

Do you do things like quit the app in the background? Use power-save (I think that's what android calls it)? Or other things where the phone would suspend/quit the app in the background?

An android user can probably offer better suggestions.

I have smart locks on my house, badge access at work, and phone for my car... I haven't carried a key of any sort in years

I do quit the app in the background. I will kill myself if it's as simple as that. I've also turned battery optimization off which I think is what you're talking about. I want your key-free setup!

 

[hugh_jassol]

I do quit the app in the background. I will kill myself if it's as simple as that.

Yeah, the app has to be running to verify the key...

 

[DblOSmith]

Yeah, the app has to be running to verify the key...

Did I just turn into the grandpa that needs the kids to do the input on the TV thing? I just figured the app was always on... If that's all I was missing for the past 4 years of driving a Tesla, I will delete this thread out of pure embarrassment. lol

 

[Ther0ck]

The app needs to run at all times for the phone key to work.

 

[jakimo]

By the way, always killing apps on an iPhone actually ends up consuming more battery. Most apps are quietly put away by iOS, and put to sleep. Active streaming apps and GPS apps of course remain.

When you throw out an app, it forces the app to re-initiate and start over every time you launch.. using more energy. Apps not being used are simply put to sleep and wake back up to resume when brought to the foreground. Apple's battery management is excellent, get out of the habit of swiping apps away.. especially apps that are meant to work in the background (home control apps, the Tesla app, etc)

PS - it's the opposite on Android I hear, if apps aren't killed the phone is consuming more battery

 

[Ther0ck]

By the way, always killing apps on an iPhone actually ends up consuming more battery. Most apps are quietly put away by iOS, and put to sleep. Active streaming apps and GPS apps of course remain.

When you throw out an app, it forces the app to re-initiate and start over every time you launch.. using more energy. Apps not being used are simply put to sleep and wake back up to resume when brought to the foreground. Apple's battery management is excellent, get out of the habit of swiping apps away.. especially apps that are meant to work in the background (home control apps, the Tesla app, etc)

PS - it's the opposite on Android I hear, if apps aren't killed the phone is consuming more battery

Not really. It's better to let the app sleep on Android too.

 

[archae86]

I believe the recognition of the phone key by the car uses Bluetooth. People posting here have asserted that the car has the Bluetooth antenna in the right-side rearview mirror mount.

We have had a couple of experiences of the phone key failing to unlock the car which were in the same parking lot of the same business. If it happens again we plan to walk around to the passenger side and wave the phone about a bit.

In our cases the app was definitely running.

 

[thatdude902]

We have had a couple of experiences of the phone key failing to unlock the car which were in the same parking lot of the same business. If it happens again we plan to walk around to the passenger side and wave the phone about a bit.

Interesting. I had a similar experience parking near a neighborhood Walgreens more than once. Took out my phone to see that it's still running, then tried it again and door opens.

 

[DblOSmith]

Although I'm excited that it might not just my ignorance with the phone key, ever since I've been keeping the app running, it's worked 100%. We will see.

 

[jjrandorin]

Although I'm excited that it might not just my ignorance with the phone key, ever since I've been keeping the app running, it's worked 100%. We will see.

From my reading here, phone key working reliably comes down to a few different things.

1. Ensure that you are not trying to have the phone key work through your body (like phone in a back pocket while facing the car)
2. Ensure that the tesla app is running (it does not have to be in the foreground, but does need to be running / not "swiped away")
3. Ensure the phone is not trying to "optimize" power settings on the tesla app, or on bluetooth connections.
4. Ensure one does not try to delete the bluetooth connections for phone as key, which show up sometimes as random looking blueooth connections with strange random looking numbers and letters as the connection name
5. Ensure you are using a fairly modern phone.

Usually some combination of those things is why a persons phone key doesnt work. Some people also just seem to have bad luck with it.

 

[moa999]

As above the app needs to be running.

Depending on how you otherwise use your phone and it's specs eg. Lots of multi-tasking, lots of background apps or resources heavy games, your phone may also kill the app from time to time.

 

[HellsKitchen]

As above the app needs to be running.

Depending on how you otherwise use your phone and it's specs eg. Lots of multi-tasking, lots of background apps or resources heavy games, your phone may also kill the app from time to time.

I thought that the phone can open the car even if it's off, because of nearfield technology?

 

[DblOSmith]

I thought that the phone can open the car even if it's off, because of nearfield technology?

Not nearfield, but that was closer to what I was thinking. My alarm works when the app is closed. I can still bluetooth music when my video app is closed. I still get all kinds of notifications for things when the app is closed. I figured, the Tesla app would work even when the app was closed.

 

[HellsKitchen]

Not nearfield, but that was closer to what I was thinking. My alarm works when the app is closed. I can still bluetooth music when my video app is closed. I still get all kinds of notifications for things when the app is closed. I figured, the Tesla app would work even when the app was closed.

It’s Bluetooth NFC

 

[DblOSmith]

It’s Bluetooth NFC

Grandpa doesn't know what all this fancy dancy is. Just make it so I can watch Perry Mason and don't touch my thermostat.

 

[Rtmpaul]

The phone key does work after the app is swiped away. If you turn on Android developer mode you can see that there is a Tesla background service running and one of its functions must be the key.

 

[Transformer]

People posting here have asserted that the car has the Bluetooth antenna in the right-side rearview mirror mount.

I don't think so. (Maybe the WiFi antenna is there.) My recollection is the car has Bluetooth antennae in the B pillars (in camera modules) and inside in the card reader module.

Although I'm excited that it might not just my ignorance with the phone key, ever since I've been keeping the app running, it's worked 100%. We will see.

After rebooting the phone, I think it helps to start the Tesla app since it doesn't auto-start.

Occasionally the phone key doesn't work. My first step is to open the app, and if that's not enough, swipe it away and reopen it. This seems to help but hey, maybe it just kept me busy while its background service finally connected. If that doesn't work, I'll turn Bluetooth off + on and then try rebooting the phone. (Of course the card key is quicker than that.)

Definitely keep battery optimization off for the Tesla app on Android.

Once to get my wife's phone key to work again, I had to delete that key from the car twice (it was in a weird state!) then re-add it.