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Walk up unlocking/phone start - all gone since app update

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Hi all,

I've tried searching for solutions to this or if anyone has had this happen, but I can't see many/any which has!

Since my app auto-update a week or so ago, my phone no longer unlocks the car as a walk up to/away from it.

Auto-start via phone Bluetooth also doesn't work.

Have tried disconnecting/reconnecting Bluetooth with no luck.

I now have to go into the app to manually unlock and start the car, often forgetting when I leave the car that it hasn't locked behind me.

Anyone else have/resolved this issue?

Iphone iOS 14.7.1
Tesla app 4.0.1 build 646
 
I've had my car a year now.... when I first got it, it seemed whenever I had my phone on me, walking up/away worked and unlocked.

Then an update came along, and I suddenly needed to have the tesla app running... which then worked nicely. Indeed if you close the tesla app in the car it tells you that walk away lock is disabled. Sort of suggesting you need the tesla app open.

But then more recently... it's back to not needing it open, and just having the phone on me unlocks and locks just fine. There are a few moments when I go up to the car and it doesn't unlock, but give it a few seconds and it does.

So I've had it behave both ways, and never worked out what if anything changed. Good luck.
 
What car / firmware?

Tesla App is now 4.0.2 perhaps update manually in App Store. iPhone 14.8 is a highly recommended update due to zero day vulnerability.

Make sure the Tesla App still has permission to run in the background too.

Edit: also try deleting and re-adding the phone key in the car.
 
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Same here, Samsung S8. All great before app update, new app has me standing like an idiot never knowing if the car will unlock or not. Sometimes it does but most often I have to get the phone out, unlock it and open the app before the car will wake up.
 
I had the same happen 1 week ago after an app update on iPhone (first time it’s done it in a year of owning the car - I assume they’ve messed around with something in latest update of the app).

I just deleted the car key from the app, deleted the phone key from the car and re-paired it all from scratch and it’s worked since.
 
Here is what I would do, assuming all basic troubleshooting hasn't fixed the issue. You will need a key card to perform the car-related steps, and note I have not had to do this myself (since I have never had any problems with the phone as a key); these are just my common-sense/scorched-earth/start-from-scratch steps to rule out all possible inconsistencies:

- Update the phone (if there are any pending updates). You may be eligible for iOS 15 which I would recommend anyway (you may have to scroll down in the update screen to see it offered there). iOS 15 is not strictly necessary, but the app developers won't be testing updates to the app against older versions of iOS, so it may be buggier on iOS 14.
- Log out from the Tesla app on the phone, then uninstall the app and reboot the phone.
- Remove the phone as a key in the car.
- Install the app again on the phone, and login (you should now be able to remotely control the car).
- Add the phone as a key in the car.

If you are in the habit of force-killing the app, don't do that, you have to let it run in the background. If you have a really ancient phone (more than 3 or 4 years old), it may have limited RAM and/or a weak battery, both of which may be causing iOS to kill the Tesla app in the background, which may be one of the reasons why it's not working for you.
 
I noted issues unlocking after the Xmas update. With the phone in my front pocket, operating the handle made the screen display the "touch your card to the pillar" message. In order to open the car I had to do it manually in the app. I quit the app and restarted and it seems to have improved (no reset on the car performed yet).
 
Yes, it is
As others have said, make sure;

+ You have the latest version of iOS installed and the latest version of the Tesla App
+ Don't force close the Tesla App or phone key will randomly cease functioning
+ Make sure "Background app refresh" is enabled for the phone and also specifically for the Tesla app
+ Make sure Tesla App has "Always Allow" (or WTF its called these days) access to location information on the iphone
+ Make sure bluetooth is enabled
+ If you have restarted the phone - make sure you reopen the Tesla app

And obviously - but you'd be suprised - make sure it's not in flight mode :)
 
Thanks all for the suggestion, I’ll give them a go When it’s not pissing down lol. As a side note, anyone use the smart ring at all? Call me old fashioned but I’d rather know I’ve locked it than use the app anyway.