Why is PAAK so bad?!?

[E90alex]

No. Other manufacturers like Rivian and Tesla have flawless interactions with customer smartphones. I've also seen Hyundai and MB have much better connectivity than my '22. It might be a smartphone issue to some degree, but I don't think we should be marveling that Ford got it to "work at all" when other manufacturers are leaps and bounds ahead in reliability and user experience.

Far from the truth. Perhaps more reliable than Ford, but definitely not flawless. Many a time after work I was standing there like an idiot pulling repeatedly on my Tesla door handle that wouldn’t open. And this is even with carrying the optional key fob Tesla sells.

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[kamorela]

I never have a problem with PAAK using my Samsung S25+. I'm wondering if the problem may be with your phone. What phone are you using?

I have an S25 Ultra and constantly find myself silently cursing the app due to slow response. Extreme slow. Sometimes minutes. See my post below.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Since it’s not native to the OS, the Ford app must be running in the background

Sorry, but no. I almost never have the Ford App running at all, and 98%+ of the time it works just fine.

 

[kamorela]

Phone: Samsung S25 Ultra
App: Ford (always on, always updated)
Vehicle: '24 AWD ER

PaaK Issues:
(1) I park in my garage which is on the other side of the wall from my kitchen/dining room. My wi-fi router sits not 10 feet away from my car, on a shelf just inside the kitchen/garage people door. The wi-fi signal is strong in my garage. My house is small and the wi-fi signal is strong everywhere in the house. Yet when I step out into the garage, the car just sits there, dark. I walk up and press the door button...nothing. Press again. Nothing. Open app, wait for 10 or 15 seconds, app finally opens, I press unlock...nothing. I press the door button again, nothing. Then on some subsequent attempt the car wakes up, blinks its lights and opens, finally.

(2) Or, conversely, when I go into the garage, the car wakes up like normal, lights blink on, mirrors unfold, all is good. But when I press the door button, the car locks, mirrors fold back in, it's like playing some kind of lottery or something. 'Sorry sucker, try again later maybe'. Luckily, the second door button push usually works. Usually.

(3) By habit, I hit the lock icon when I park, but if I don't I wait to hear the horn beep that tells me the car locked itself. Then I get a notification on my phone saying "Your car locked itself using the walkaway lock feature". Then half a minute later, I get the same message again. And again. Sometimes up to 4 times. What's up with that?

(4) Yesterday, I go to the store. Gone for just a few minutes. Come out and pull up the Ford app to unlock my car and I get this:

Several attempts at trying again and still nothing, same screen. Finally the lightbulb goes off in my pea-sized brain and I push the door button. The door opens and I get in and drive away. Jeez Louise, what now?

I'm hesitant to just walk away from PaaK because I like its interactive functions...when they work. So I put up with the glitches. And yes, I've deleted the app, reinstalled it many times. Nothing works 'perfectly' for any length of time.

 

[KPal64]

Was speaking with a Hyundai owner who raved about never having their “Phone-as-a-key (PAAK) fail. I literally have to make sure the Ford App is active and often have to launch the app and press unlock to get into my 2024 MME4X.

He shared that can add his Hyundai Key to his Apple Wallet. That makes it work every time.

is that an option for the Ford App? Can’t find if it is.

I can honestly say I’ve never had any issues with PAAK in the 3..5 years of ownership and driving almost 100k miles. Works perfect for me with my iPhone .

 

[E90alex]

Phone: Samsung S25 Ultra
App: Ford (always on, always updated)
Vehicle: '24 AWD ER

PaaK Issues:
(1) I park in my garage which is on the other side of the wall from my kitchen/dining room. My wi-fi router sits not 10 feet away from my car, on a shelf just inside the kitchen/garage people door. The wi-fi signal is strong in my garage. My house is small and the wi-fi signal is strong everywhere in the house. Yet when I step out into the garage, the car just sits there, dark. I walk up and press the door button...nothing. Press again. Nothing. Open app, wait for 10 or 15 seconds, app finally opens, I press unlock...nothing. I press the door button again, nothing. Then on some subsequent attempt the car wakes up, blinks its lights and opens, finally.

(2) Or, conversely, when I go into the garage, the car wakes up like normal, lights blink on, mirrors unfold, all is good. But when I press the door button, the car locks, mirrors fold back in, it's like playing some kind of lottery or something. 'Sorry sucker, try again later maybe'. Luckily, the second door button push usually works. Usually.

(3) By habit, I hit the lock icon when I park, but if I don't I wait to hear the horn beep that tells me the car locked itself. Then I get a notification on my phone saying "Your car locked itself using the walkaway lock feature". Then half a minute later, I get the same message again. And again. Sometimes up to 4 times. What's up with that?

(4) Yesterday, I go to the store. Gone for just a few minutes. Come out and pull up the Ford app to unlock my car and I get this:

Several attempts at trying again and still nothing, same screen. Finally the lightbulb goes off in my pea-sized brain and I push the door button. The door opens and I get in and drive away. Jeez Louise, what now?

I'm hesitant to just walk away from PaaK because I like its interactive functions...when they work. So I put up with the glitches. And yes, I've deleted the app, reinstalled it many times. Nothing works 'perfectly' for any length of time.

You are mixing up functions of the app and PAAK.

PAAK is essentially the phone acting like a key fob. It stays in your pocket/bag. You do not need to open the app. It does not need an internet connection to work. Just have to be within Bluetooth range of the car.

The moment you open the app on your phone to press the unlock button, that is not PAAK, that is just using the app over the internet. Using the app to lock and unlock requires your phone and the car to have adequate cell reception and data connection.

For your 1/2/3 above, it’s possible your WiFi router in close proximity is causing interference with the Bluetooth signal and therefore causing it to not work reliably.

For 4, it seems like your phone was trying to connect to some WiFi network with no data connection signified by the WiFi bars with an exclamation point. That’s why the app wasn’t loading. PAAK should still work fine, as it did for you, as it does not require a data connection.

 

[Space_Pony]

It probably doesn't make any difference but I set the Ford app to Keep Open in the Recent Apps screen. Maybe that helps wake it up when you get close to the car.

 

[cooltatts]

I guess I just need to do what it says in the app and always approach with the phone in my hand. It never works from my pocket but it usually does work from my hand and nearly always when in hand and awake.

Maybe my expectations are too high.

 

[E90alex]

Do you keep anything else in your pocket with your phone?

 

[Space_Pony]

I guess I just need to do what it says in the app and always approach with the phone in my hand. It never works from my pocket but it usually does work from my hand and nearly always when in hand and awake.

Maybe my expectations are too high.

Mine looks a little different. Ford app Location settings needs to be set to allowed all the time.

 

[knemchak]

S23 Ultra - No issues.

 

[cooltatts]

Do you keep anything else in your pocket with your phone?

Nope, sometimes front pocket or sometimes back. No real pattern.

 

[cooltatts]

Mine looks a little different. Ford app Location settings needs to be set to allowed all the time.

Yep, you’ve an Android. I’ve an iPhone.

 

[AZBill]

No. Other manufacturers like Rivian and Tesla have flawless interactions with customer smartphones. I've also seen Hyundai and MB have much better connectivity than my '22. It might be a smartphone issue to some degree, but I don't think we should be marveling that Ford got it to "work at all" when other manufacturers are leaps and bounds ahead in reliability and user experience.

I used to have a Rivian, it was much worse than my MME. Not sure where you heard it was flawless.

 

[russwaggs]

Mine has worked 99.9% of the time for the last four years. I never have my Ford app open and I never carry my keys.

My 22 GT (nonPE) consistently lights up as I approach it at home, office or out and about. When it doesn’t work, a press of the unlock button seems to wake up the car and a second push of the button always opens the door.

Not sure if any of this matters. I’m on the latest iPhone, and I deleted the key and added a new key each time I upgraded the phone. I only have one phone setup with ‘phone as a key’ and the key fobs are always at home.

If your having problems, try deleting all the PAAKs and setting up just one phone and see if your experience changes.

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