Too easy to get charged for Idle minutes at a Supercharger

[Silicon Desert]

One of the downsides to me in the latest app design (I think starting with version 4.3) is that the charging status is on the main page of the app. I used to keep the app open while supercharging and put the phone in my pocket. Recently, when I pulled the phone out of my pocket, I noticed charging stopped a few minutes after I started it. Yea, I got billed for that idle time, but when complaining to Tesla about how it happens, they removed the charge. Bottom line is that it's too easy to accidentally hit the "Stop Charging" button right in the middle of the app page when getting the phone in an out of my pocket. So now I get in the habit of closing the app so that doesn't happen again.

I wish Tesla would have come up a better method to STOP charging so it doesn't happen accidentially. In my case, I would almost never want to stop charging at a supercharger from the app for this very reason of being billed for idle time.

Your solution is probably better than mine, but I say that button should be moved to somewhere else or do something like needing to hold down the button for several seconds to actually stop charging.

 

[AlexHung]

I get into the habit of locking my phone (using the side power button) before I put my phone into pocket (or leave it anywhere).

 

[Ostrichsak]

Why would you ever put a phone in your pocket with the screen active? I see no reason to make functionality more cumbersome when the obvious solution is to lock your phone before putting it in your pocket.

 

[jboy210]

G. close the app before you put the phone in your pocket. You and I know both know we can't trust developers or users.

With that said, I like your idea of some confirmation for terminating active charging.

 

[Silicon Desert]

G. close the app before you put the phone in your pocket. You and I know both know we can't trust developers or users.

With that said, I like your idea of some confirmation for terminating active charging.

Hi J. Thanks. Yea that is what I almost always do, always turn off the phone when in my pants pocket. In this situation, I stop at a supercharger, get the dog out to go pee while charging a bit. Dog tugs on the chain and I put the phone in my shirt pocket quickly. I pull it back out several minutes later and see charging has stopped by accidentially touching the center of the screen where that put was located. I will "occasionally" put the phone in my shirt pocket for a few minutes at a supercharger without turning it off as I'm not going to take the time to do the password or face recog thing with a mask on. In my 5 years of the Teslas, I have never yet wanted to purposely stop supercharging, but realize someone might want to do that. I just don't need it to be so convenient of a task as to accidentally stop charging.

ps (oh yea, I DO trust YOU and YOUR developers)

 

[jboy210]

Hi J. Thanks. Yea that is what I almost always do, always turn off the phone when in my pants pocket. In this situation, I stop at a supercharger, get the dog out to go pee while charging a bit. Dog tugs on the chain and I put the phone in my shirt pocket quickly. I pull it back out several minutes later and see charging has stopped by accidentially touching the center of the screen where that put was located. I will "occasionally" put the phone in my shirt pocket for a few minutes at a supercharger without turning it off as I'm not going to take the time to do the password or face recog thing with a mask on. In my 5 years of the Teslas, I have never yet wanted to purposely stop supercharging, but realize someone might want to do that. I just don't need it to be so convenient of a task as to accidentally stop charging.

ps (oh yea, I DO trust YOU and YOUR developers)

I have never wanting to stop Supercharging via phone. The only time I have stopped charging early is when I was at the car.

 

[KrenGrl]

Why would you ever put a phone in your pocket with the screen active? I see no reason to make functionality more cumbersome when the obvious solution is to lock your phone before putting it in your pocket.

Glad you mentioned "you" don't see a reason for change. I get the original poster's point. You might be making an assumption about how people use their phones. My example: I go to the sushi restaurant near a supercharger. I set the phone on the table while I eat and occasionally check if it beeps to see if it is a supercharger notice. I don't want to lock the phone and unlock it every few minutes when it is right there on the table, especially when I have a bit of difficulty with my hand dexterity. I picked up the phone last week and accidentally clicked that wide button right in the middle of the main page and it stopped charging. I didn't notice I did that when I put the phone back down on the table. I got dinged for several minutes of supercharging before I noticed.

My point is the user interface was fine in the previous version where the stop charging button was on the second tab. It's rare that people will stop supercharging on their phone while away from the car and risk idle fees so it makes no sense for that button to be right to the main tab where it is so easy to accidentally click. I see numerous threads about this on various forums. So bottom line is that Tesla already made it more cumbersome with this change. Locking the phone is not the "obvious" solution to everyone. If Tesla really wants to help us not to make this mistake, they would sent an alert to the user's phone maybe every 10 minutes or so (user configurable) that we are being charged an idle fee because the charging stopped.