Using phone as a key. Not a good idea.

[RayK]

Isn't the keycard just like a fob, only lighter/smaller?

Lighter? Yes. Smaller? No. Keycard is the same size as a credit card. It must be physically placed next to the B pillar in order for it to be detected. It must be physically placed next to the cupholder for it to be detected. With a fob, you can generally leave it in your pocket and go about opening the door, starting the car and locking it (usually via a button press) when you leave. As a bonus, most fobs can open the trunk and sound the alarm (panic mode).

 

[malcolm]

I suspect that the real problem with fobs is the security / lack of firmware updates.

So if you don't want to use your phone, how about getting an iPod Touch to use as the key?

If you object to $$$, buy used.

 

[wildm011]

Lighter? Yes. Smaller? No. Keycard is the same size as a credit card. It must be physically placed next to the B pillar in order for it to be detected. It must be physically placed next to the cupholder for it to be detected. With a fob, you can generally leave it in your pocket and go about opening the door, starting the car and locking it (usually via a button press) when you leave. As a bonus, most fobs can open the trunk and sound the alarm (panic mode).

Thanks. Makes sense.

 

[RayK]

So if you don't want to use your phone, how about getting an iPod Touch to use as the key?

Still bigger than any fob I know of .

 

[slipnslider]

I suspect that the real problem with fobs is the security / lack of firmware updates.

So if you don't want to use your phone, how about getting an iPod Touch to use as the key?

If you object to $$$, buy used.

If the problem with the phone key is reliability, how would an ipod be more reliable than an iphone?

 

[mwenn1]

Phone as a key has worked great for me with the Pixel 2 XL, I think it has only not worked right away once in the 2 months I have had the car. I have my phone with me all the time, so not having a fob has not been an issue for me in fact it is one less thing I have to carry with me. I do keep one of the key cards in my money clip just in case I would need it, the only time it has been used is when I left the car at the detailers for the tint, wrap and ceramic work.

 

[TexasEV]

If the problem with the phone key is reliability, how would an ipod be more reliable than an iphone?

Because the problems have been reported almost exclusively with Android phones, not iPhones.

 

[slipnslider]

Because the problems have been reported almost exclusively with Android phones, not iPhones.

Read the phone key problems thread. 38 pages long. Plenty of iphone problems.

 

[suwaneedad]

I've had Model 3 for a month. My iPhone 6 has worked flawlessly as the key. I have not carried a wallet in ~15 years. My pocket historically contains three things: a credit card, a driver's license, and a 2012 Nissan LEAF fob. When Model 3 arrived, I removed the fob of my Nissan LEAF and replaced it with the Model 3 key card in the event my phone fails me at some point. Now I am thinking about aggressively adopting ApplePay or whatever apps would enable me to remove the credit card from my pocket, so close am I now to having wholly emptied pockets. I don't begrudge anyone lobbying for a Model 3 fob, particularly since it seems Android is unreliable, but I don't want it. I value simplicity, and I applaud Tesla for driving toward it with all things Model 3.

 

[slipnslider]

I value simplicity, and I applaud Tesla for driving toward it with all things Model 3.

I value simplicity too. That's why I want a fob. I've never spent a second of my life trying to figure out why a fob isn't working. If you're spending time troubleshooting the phone key, that's not simplicity.

 

[bhzmark]

Wow even though the poll question is drafted in an utterly biased way, not having a key fob is still winning.

 

[slipnslider]

Wow even though the poll question is drafted in an utterly biased way, not having a key fob is still winning.

Any car where nearly half the owners say it needs a different kind of key has a problem.

 

[iwannam3]

Think of your phone as a poorly function fob that can also make phone calls 100% of the time! Amazing fob!

 

[bhzmark]

And lots of people saying it works great.

My iPhone has worked >95% of the time without having to touch it.

my phone being used as a key. It has worked consistently since I got the car. I have never had it not work to open the doors. I have an iPhone X and the integration is flawless. I know that I might have some problem but it hasn't failed me yet.

iPhone. It works great !

For many people the phone key is superior to a fob.

I actually like the lack of fob and think it is a step forward in progress for me.

Regardless this is the way the world is moving. I can now pay for my lunch with my phone after a run, I can start my chargepoint charge at work every day with my phone, I use my phone to check into hotel rooms. It is becoming everything I need to the point I won't need a wallet soon.

Phone as a key has worked great for me with the Pixel 2 XL,

My iPhone 6 has worked flawlessly as the key.

So if some say it is flawless, and others are having problems, but the car is the same, and all are running the same app ..... I wonder if it might be a difference in the user's phone . . .

 

[Pkmmte]

Here is my thoughts after having my car a little over a couple weeks:

1. I was concerned about the reliability of my phone being used as a key. It has worked consistently since I got the car. I have never had it not work to open the doors. I have an iPhone X and the integration is flawless. I know that I might have some problem but it hasn't failed me yet.
2. I am slightly annoyed at how long it takes me to get the frunk open. I have to unlock my phone, then open the app, then click the frunk button, then click 'yes' to the are you sure prompt. I wish this was easier.
3. The charge port situation is ackward. I charge at work and as a courtesy I have to go unplug when I am done charging. The problem is the car will not release my 1772 adapter unless I unlock the car. The only easy way I have found to do this without pulling my phone out of my pocket is to open a back door and shut it. I wish there was a way to get the charge port to unlock without having to open a door or take my phone out of my pocket (maybe there is one but I have been missing it).
4. I got a Model S loaner yesterday and frankly I am annoyed by the fob. I really don't like having the extra thing in my pocket besides my wallet and phone. Even though opening the frunk on the Model S and being able to click things quickly on the fob I don't like having the extra small thing in my pocket. I have gotten used to not having keys or fobs in my pocket and I love that!

With that said I usually don't pull my phone out when I am in the car. The car does everything I want and I prefer not to text at all when I am driving. I can call/etc... with the screen so I don't miss the phone being in my pocket when I drive so I don't have the issue of leaving it in the car. I do sometimes put it in the cradle on long trips because I want it to charge and I did forget to grab it so I had to go back into the car to get it but that is very infrequent and I used to do that with my old car because I don't like leaving my phone in the car even to walk into a quick store because I am afraid someone will break into my car to get my phone.

I'm in the exact same situation!

1. I love the phone-as-key feature and it has yet to fail on my Google Pixel XL and iPhone 7 Plus that I carry with me everyday.

2. The frunk is also annoying. I wish there was a way to unlock it from the outside by pressing it or something instead of having to use the app or screen inside. I use it every day.

3. You can also press on the trunk release button once to unlock the car, which is easier because it's closer to the charge port. Pressing it twice will open up the trunk so only do it once.

4. I too, got a loaner this week after taking in my Model 3. Funny enough, the fob has yet to work reliably and requires me to press it to unlock and again to start sometimes. I miss just being able to unlock it with my phone's presence and start driving. Not to mention having forgotten the fob at home sometimes and having to go back to get it.


That said, it'd still be nice for Tesla to offer a fob as an extra option for those having issues or those that have trouble adapting to change.

 

[iwannam3]

And lots of people saying it works great.
So if some say it is flawless, and others are having problems, but the car is the same, I wonder if it might be a difference in the user's phone . . .

It is Tesla's app running on the phone and it is responsible for communicating to the car.

 

[suwaneedad]

That said, it'd still be nice for Tesla to offer a fob as an extra option for those having issues or those that have trouble adapting to change.

I agree with you. The poll question asks whether I would want a fob, though. My answer to that question is a resounding No. Nor do I expect Tesla to backtrack on this topic, retreating to yesteryear. "Hey Elon, would you mind putting a small ICE engine in my Model 3, you know, in case I'm occasionally at risk for running out of charge? In other words, how about making a car that meets GM's specs from five years ago. (channeling Office Space now...) That'd be great, thanks."

 

[timk225]

So you can't bear to carry a keycard with your bank card but you would stuff a fob down your pocket beside your bankcard and not notice that? Weird.

My keys go in right front pocket. Cash / atm card / comb goes in left front pocket. That's been my way for many many years.

 

[SDKoala]

My iPhone has worked >95% of the time without having to touch it.

I don't know about you, but I'm not okay with a failure rate of about 1 in 20 times. That's about once a week or more depending on how many times a day you're in and out of your car. I've gotten to that point having implemented workarounds to get the phone key more reliable and it's still not good enough. Considering that I can count the failures of key fobs/remotes for all the other cars I've driven in my life on one hand (and those have only been due to battery or mechanical issues), anything less than a 99+% success rate of being able to unlock my car on the first try is infuriating.

 

[bhzmark]

It is Tesla's app running on the phone and it is responsible for communicating to the car.

Same app for all users (unless some didn’t update and so they have an older one).

The difference is often the other settings on the phone and other Bluetooth functionality that is interfering with the app. But it is a complicated cognitive operation to discern that if the same app and same car works differently on different people’s phones that the difference is likely to be on the phone, and perhaps is another app or a setting in the phone, or perhaps getting a different phone that could affect that difference.