Apple Watch Key Unlock process for Tesla Vehicle -- video

[sirozha]

I am good with using the native Tesla app, but was not clear on all the excitement as this has been a viable option for quite some time. Thanks for your insight.

I purchased the Stats app for $49.99 three years ago. The Apple Watch app that comes with it doesn’t reliably work for me at all. The current price of this app is twice as much (or more than twice). Other third-party apps are even more expensive.

Then I purchased the My Tesla Remote app, which is cheap and its only redeeming feature is the Apple Watch app. I decided to authenticate using the VIN, which only enables Bluetooth-based features. But I only needed Bluetooth-based features, especially because I needed to be sure that I could unlock and drive my Tesla using my Apple Watch only even when there was no cellular coverage. The My Tesla Remote app works amazingly well via Bluetooth. The response is instantaneous. I was very pleased.

The reason people are so excited now that there is an official Tesla app for the Apple Watch is that it should work reliably and it’s free. The known third-party apps that had similar features for the Apple Watch had a hefty monthly subscription fee or a crazy-high lifetime subscription price. For example, Tessie is $199 for the lifetime subscription.

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[mbeltran]

I see. I didn't know there were people that left the house without their phone with them. But judging from the photos, it's like having a phone strapped to your wrist!

I think the primary use case is for active folks that run, hike, bike, surf, etc. that don’t want to strap anything to their bodies. I used to do that when biking to get full GPS and Bluetooth capabilities. Apple Watch already covers all the activities, as does Samsung, but now you can power off and leave the phone behind. Alternative has been to just carry the key card, which is no big deal. App is better.

 

[HaulingAss]

I think the primary use case is for active folks that run, hike, bike, surf, etc. that don’t want to strap anything to their bodies. I used to do that when biking to get full GPS and Bluetooth capabilities. Apple Watch already covers all the activities, as does Samsung, but now you can power off and leave the phone behind. Alternative has been to just carry the key card, which is no big deal. App is better.

It would seem you still have to strap the Apple Watch to your body. Or, you could hold it in your hand, like people do with their phones sometimes.

 

[M0unt41nm4n]

I see. I didn't know there were people that left the house without their phone with them. But judging from the photos, it's like having a phone strapped to your wrist!

Well lets see... Mr HaulingAss has his 70% charged Andoid phone with him as he is about to go out cutting wood for his home fire place. But its a semi-busy day for Mr HaulingAss as his phone is getting SMS-bombed from friends, coworkers, and his upset wife because he was supposed to go to the grocery story store. Mrs HaulingAss tells him he had better stop at the grocery store on the way home. Luckily, there is a QFC just 2 miles away from where he is cutting wood. Mr HaulingAss finally finishes his cutting and heads over to the QFC to get the groceries his wife requested. But little did Mr HaulingAss recognize that because of all the phone use while cutting wood, his phone was at 1%. As Mr HaulingAss is getting groceries, his wonderful wife calls him to not forget a certain item at the QFC. Well wouldn't you know it, his Android ran out of battery.

Mr HaulingAss then looked in his wallet for that Tesla key, but only to remember that he left it at Home because his Android always works. That's when he glanced at his wrist only to find a Timex watch. Then he remembered the comments he made on a certain thread at the CyberTruckOwnersClub. It was at that point he remembered his statement about always having a phone with him, insinuating that there is no need for a watch because its like having a phone strapped to the wrist. It was at that point the lights turned on and he understood why having the watch key made some sense. It was a reminder for him, not unlike having a tire plug kit and air compressor in his car, that it's sometimes really nice to have a backup plan, especially when you have just a phone on your person as your key.

In all seriousness, imagine if you are cutting wood... near a river, and your phone somehow accidentally falls into the river, or it falls and hits a rock. Unless you have that key with you, you are kind of screwed. Maybe you left your wallet in the truck that had a key? But that watch goes with you everywhere.

I actually have 2 backups to my phone. My watch, and ultimately a Tesla ring key. Why? I go river rafting a lot and I have seen a lot of phones go missing or submerged to not work anymore (yeah people do flip rafts). My watch is supposedly water proof and has a high likelyhood of surviving an event like that. That is unless, in the process of flipping the boat, one of the dry box edges orpaddles didn't smash the watch. Thats when the ring comes in. Ok... in honesty, the ring is for when I go out to the garage on a Sunday morning because I forgot my watch and phone inside. So I just knock on the enty location and "Open Sesame".

 

[DMenace66]

Here's how Apple Watch Key unlock function will work. Posted by @chri890216

I downloaded the Tessie app last month, not knowing the Apple Watch app was so close to being released. Always a good option to have an alternative me to opening your vehicle, in addition to the cards.

Looks like now I have an option in whether or not I’m going to renew Tessie next year… Tessie does have a few nice features, so more work to do there in the comparison.

 

[HaulingAss]

Well lets see... Mr HaulingAss has his 70% charged Andoid phone with him as he is about to go out cutting wood for his home fire place. But its a semi-busy day for Mr HaulingAss as his phone is getting SMS-bombed from friends, coworkers, and his upset wife because he was supposed to go to the grocery story store. Mrs HaulingAss tells him he had better stop at the grocery store on the way home. Luckily, there is a QFC just 2 miles away from where he is cutting wood. Mr HaulingAss finally finishes his cutting and heads over to the QFC to get the groceries his wife requested. But little did Mr HaulingAss recognize that because of all the phone use while cutting wood, his phone was at 1%. As Mr HaulingAss is getting groceries, his wonderful wife calls him to not forget a certain item at the QFC. Well wouldn't you know it, his Android ran out of battery.

Mr HaulingAss then looked in his wallet for that Tesla key, but only to remember that he left it at Home because his Android always works. That's when he glanced at his wrist only to find a Timex watch. Then he remembered the comments he made on a certain thread at the CyberTruckOwnersClub. It was at that point he remembered his statement about always having a phone with him, insinuating that there is no need for a watch because its like having a phone strapped to the wrist. It was at that point the lights turned on and he understood why having the watch key made some sense. It was a reminder for him, not unlike having a tire plug kit and air compressor in his car, that it's sometimes really nice to have a backup plan, especially when you have just a phone on your person as your key.

In all seriousness, imagine if you are cutting wood... near a river, and your phone somehow accidentally falls into the river, or it falls and hits a rock. Unless you have that key with you, you are kind of screwed. Maybe you left your wallet in the truck that had a key? But that watch goes with you everywhere.

I actually have 2 backups to my phone. My watch, and ultimately a Tesla ring key. Why? I go river rafting a lot and I have seen a lot of phones go missing or submerged to not work anymore (yeah people do flip rafts). My watch is supposedly water proof and has a high likelyhood of surviving an event like that. That is unless, in the process of flipping the boat, one of the dry box edges orpaddles didn't smash the watch. Thats when the ring comes in. Ok... in honesty, the ring is for when I go out to the garage on a Sunday morning because I forgot my watch and phone inside. So I just knock on the enty location and "Open Sesame".

Wow, that was a long description of things that will never happen. My Android phone goes all day without a charge (and it's 7 years old!). It won't hurt it to dunk it in water. I've tested it two or three times on the Cybertruck's dual wireless chargers and they work fine. My Tesla Key Card never leaves my wallet and my wallet lives on my person whenever I leave the house.

Note to self: Get a new phone.

I trust that my phone will work, but I back it up with my wallet. If you need more than two solutions, that's fine, I don't have a problem with that, I was just saying I don't have that need. When I drove cars that required a physical key, I didn't use any backup, I just kept the key/keyfob in my front pocket (and made sure it was always there). Worked for me. I use the Key Card as a backup because a phone is theoretically not 100% reliable (even though it's never died or failed to work for me).

 

[eswimm]

My phone goes most everywhere, but there are still times that I run downstairs to grab something or help unload the car and I leave my phone behind. I've swapped being tethered to my phone for being tethered to my watch. It's not life changing, but it'll be handy occasionally.

 

[M0unt41nm4n]

Wow, that was a long description of things that will never happen. My Android phone goes all day without a charge (and it's 7 years old!). It won't hurt it to dunk it in water. I've tested it two or three times on the Cybertruck's dual wireless chargers and they work fine.

Yeah I actually had fun writing it

But famous last words. I didn't say "dunk" in water. Your phone is probably IP67 which means its good to 3 feet for 30 minutes. If you lose it in a river, you have moving water, and I am guessing you may have locations > 3 feet. The CO river where I raft can be 20-30 feet. Even if I retrieved my phone, chances are even with it being IP68, it will be water logged. But if you never had a low battery on your phone for whatever reason, you are better than 99.99999% of phone users because most of us have had "that" day.

That said, yeah, if your key is in your wallet, then you are probably fine.

My overall point here is people like to have different back ups. I have 3. That works for me.

 

[sirozha]

My phone goes most everywhere, but there are still times that I run downstairs to grab something or help unload the car and I leave my phone behind. I've swapped being tethered to my phone for being tethered to my watch. It's not life changing, but it'll be handy occasionally.

I’ve had a few occasions when my iPhone died as I was in a store with my Tesla parked locked outside the store. I had to ask the store employees for a charger to let me charge my phone enough so that I could walk to my Tesla and unlock it. You WILL eventually get locked out of your Tesla one of those days when you forget to charge your phone, drive somewhere, walk away from your Tesla, and won’t be able to unlock it because your phone is dead. Pray that you are in the middle of civilization where you can borrow someone’s phone charger for a few minutes. If this happens somewhere far from the civilization, you are screwed.

The Apple Watch app is another layer of protection. However, since you have Android, this extra safety layer is outside your reach for now.

 

[eswimm]

I’ve had a few occasions when my iPhone died as I was in a store with my Tesla parked locked outside the store. I had to ask the store employees for a charger to let me charge my phone enough so that I could walk to my Tesla and unlock it. You WILL eventually get locked out of your Tesla one of those days when you forget to charge your phone, drive somewhere, walk away from your Tesla, and won’t be able to unlock it because your phone is dead. Pray that you are in the middle of civilization where you can borrow someone’s phone charger for a few minutes. If this happens somewhere far from the civilization, you are screwed.

The Apple Watch app is another layer of protection. However, since you have Android, this extra safety layer is outside your reach for now.

I suspect you meant that for HaulingAss. I also keep a keycard in my wallet, I've been using technology long enough not to trust it.

 

[cyberHoward]

What about the ceramic rings that you can use like a card. I am seriously looking at one, but not sure how well they work. That seems to be the ultimate back up key.

 

[Jayse]

Definitely get the ring. It's the ultimate backup. I use it every-time I walk out to my garage to grab something. Of course you don't have your phone or your wallet. But a ring that stays on 24/7 (even in showers) is your "whew!" solution. I've had mine for two years now and still works perfect.

But still - the watch app sounds great. In my opinion you can never have too many backups so why not?

 

[pricedm]

I just purchased my first "smart watch" aka Apple Watch as I was waiting for years for Tesla to release an official app optimized for Apple Watch. This plus Strava for activity tracking using a smart watch is a benefit for me, as I can leave the phone at home when I drive somewhere for a bike ride, skiing, etc.. Watch is a lot smaller then a phone in my pocket. Plus Apple Watch is more waterproof compared to a phone.

 

[DaveRauschkolb]

That does it for me, after years of ambivalence I’m going to buy an Apple Watch so I can leave my phone at home for certain activities and just rely on watch to unlock my Tesla

You will love the Apple Watch. Great for tracking workouts and health in many ways

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