Phone as key, who does it best?

[hedgehog99]

PAAK works. It just lags a little. 90% of time, the first push of button won't open the door. If I rush, keep pushing it, eventually it opens after multiple attempts. It feels like forever, and my wife rolls her eyes, mutters something about "the T...". But if I just relax wait an extra second before my next push, it will work 90%. This is the main reason why she thinks Tesla was better. TBH, unlocking a Tesla with a phone works much better, and they have figured it out years ago. My question is what other car makers have figured it out, and is it as good or maybe even better than Tesla?

P.S. Maybe it has nothing to do with Ford, but rather a combination of my Select not having folding mirrors to give me a visual cue of unlocking, the unlock mechanism of pushing a button vs. pulling a handle, and the quirks of Android phones.

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[E90alex]

I’ve had problems with my previous Tesla not recognizing my phone too so even Tesla isn’t perfect.

What you’re describing isn’t normal. I would try to delete and set up the phone key again, and make sure your phone settings are correct to allow full permissions for the Ford app to use Bluetooth and location all the time. Make sure you never fully close the Ford app and let it run in the background.

 

[AtomicInternet]

I haven't tried PAAK in almost a year now. It used to drain my Pixel 8 phone battery awful, did they ever fix that?

 

[AliRafiee]

Well, on BMWs you have to hold the phone to the door handle to unlock the door. Then you have to put the phone on the charger to start the car. So NOT them

 

[hedgehog99]

I will try to keep the FORD app open in the background to see if it improves the speed of the door response. But I don't think that was an issue with the previous Tesla.​

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Does the Ford system work by Bluetooth or ultra wide band? What about other car makers?​

 

[hedgehog99]

Well, on BMWs you have to hold the phone to the door handle to unlock the door. Then you have to put the phone on the charger to start the car. So NOT them

This sounds like NFC. I don't want to take out my phone, or wake it up at all.

 

[E90alex]

Well, on BMWs you have to hold the phone to the door handle to unlock the door. Then you have to put the phone on the charger to start the car. So NOT them

Newer BMWs have “Digital Key Plus” which now can use UWB and Bluetooth to allow passive entry. Based on Apple and Google’s digital car key standards.

I will try to keep the FORD app open in the background to see if it improves the speed of the door response. But I don't think that was an issue with the previous Tesla.​

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Does the Ford system work by Bluetooth or ultra wide band? What about other car makers?​

Tesla also says you’re supposed to keep the app alive for best phone key experience.

Ford’s implementation is all Bluetooth. So was Teslas until recently with the newly refreshed models that incorporated UWB.

I don’t think there’s any other automakers besides the EV startups (eg Lucid, Rivian) that have their own homegrown PAAK setups.

The other major automakers with digital keys are implementing Apple and Google’s digital car key standards, whether NFC or UWB/BT. In theory that would provide better reliability since it’s OS level for the phone and not dependent on an app after its setup. But I have no personal experience with them.

 

[AZBill]

I don’t think there’s any other automakers besides the EV startups (eg Lucid, Rivian) that have their own homegrown PAAK setups.

I have a Rivian and it is worse than Ford. Early on, with my 2021 MME it was hit or miss, but they really improved it and I see no delays any more. I think in the first 6 months I had to use my backup code twice.

 

[MetalCord]

PaaK was really hit and miss at first for my '24 but that was also in the midst of major update fuckery that caused all kinds of problems. It is now significantly more reliable for me. However, the car does not reliably wake up before I approach. I sometimes have to push the door button to wake it up and then push it again to open the door. That small inconsistency is enough for me to suffer with the fob because that always works. I basically always have the app running in the background unless I know I won't be driving.

I haven't tried PAAK in almost a year now. It used to drain my Pixel 8 phone battery awful, did they ever fix that?

With respect to battery drain, I can not say that it's been "improved" since I have never seen an issue with battery drain on any of my Pixels. I started with a 6a and upgraded to a 9 pro. Both seem unaffected by the app running in the background. I don't run the app when I'm on vacation or on weekends when I work VERY HARD to stay home and I'm never close to needing a charge unless I'm zoning out and gaming on my phone for 4 hours. The 6 series was known to have wonky battery issues but I was lucky enough to never experience any. The 8 and 9 are supposed to be solid.

 

[phil]

I haven't tried PAAK in almost a year now. It used to drain my Pixel 8 phone battery awful, did they ever fix that?

I have a Pixel 8 Pro, and no problem with battery drain.

 

[scott_77]

Yeah. This is still an issue for me as well. It works for awhile then it doesn’t. Maybe something to do with phone software updates. Anyway, I’m still not carrying that giant hunk’n fob though. So I’m just pulling phone out using the unlock from lock screen of iPhone as I approach the vehicle instead. Apple Watch delays too long for me. I might just use the door passcode. I mean we’ve got options, you know? It’s overall still better than any of my previous vehicles.

 

[BlueWhale]

I’ve had problems with my previous Tesla not recognizing my phone too so even Tesla isn’t perfect.

What you’re describing isn’t normal. I would try to delete and set up the phone key again, and make sure your phone settings are correct to allow full permissions for the Ford app to use Bluetooth and location all the time. Make sure you never fully close the Ford app and let it run in the background.

Maybe I'll try that, as PAAK has been working for me very similar to OP.

 

[jav_eee]

Make sure you never fully close the Ford app and let it run in the background.

this is the problem with the iPhone. it will suspend the app (basically put it to sleep) in order to free up resources for more recently used apps. that's what causes issues with PAAK.

 

[BlueWhale]

this is the problem with the iPhone. it will suspend the app (basically put it to sleep) in order to free up resources for more recently used apps. that's what causes issues with PAAK.

Does this explain it taking 5-10 seconds to work, though? Seems like if it were an issue with the app going to sleep, it wouldn’t work until you opened the app again, as opposed to the delay that the OP and I have experienced. I could be completely wrong though.

 

[jav_eee]

Does this explain it taking 5-10 seconds to work, though? Seems like if it were an issue with the app going to sleep, it wouldn’t work until you opened the app again, as opposed to the delay that the OP and I have experienced. I could be completely wrong though.

my guess is the car sends out a Bluetooth search ping that that wakes the app up.

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