PaaK toggle, please

[jimhill]

I have an atypical workplace in that I'm not allowed to take my smartphone in with me. That basically means I have to leave it in the car ... which pretty much makes PaaK a non-option. Having to set it up / remove it repeatedly is just not going to happen ... I would absolutely love to see the app come with a simple on/off toggle so the phone can stay mated up to the car, but when the toggle is off, no worky.

Each update of the app comes with a chipper "keep the feedback coming!" message, unaccompanied by any discussion of how to provide said feedback. How do I get what seems like a pretty straightforward feature request before the eyes of their app folks?

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[HuntingPudel]

I guess you could leave feedback in your App Store/Play Store in the reviews for the app.

 

[RyZt]

If I understand you correctly. Your goal is to leave it in the car. And you want to make sure (1) some one else can't drive it away (2) the car won't refuse to lock or otherwise yell at you.

That's easy to achieve. Turn on flight mode or turn off Bluetooth.

If you're concerned about smart thieves, your options are (1) turn off the phone. I bet PaaK doesn't work until the phone is first unlock after the phone is turned on (2) on many phones, you can require unlock to access Bluetooth/flight mode settings. For example, on iPhone, Settings > TouchID & Passcode > toggle off Control Centre under "Allow access when locked"

 

[SnBGC]

Can also turn off FordPass. That will work too. That was what I uses to do before summer arrived. Now I need to leave FP running so I can remote start the car.

 

[ARK]

I think if you leave your phone inside your Mach-E and either press the lock button before closing the door as you are getting out OR simultaneously press the 7-8 and 9-0 buttons on the keypad once you are out and the door closed, the Mach-E should lock with your PaaK-enabled phone (or the fob for that matter) inside the cabin. You could then use the door code when you are back to regain entry.

But I’m not sure if this would work well in practice because the PaaK link seems to sometimes come and go, and you wouldn’t want the Mach-E to randomly reacquire the signal and unlock. So I agree with the above posts that maybe you should turn off bluetooth to break the PaaK link (not airplane mode, so you can get incoming texts and missed calls), and just use the keypad to regain entry to the Mach-E at the end of the day, turn bluetooth back on with your phone, and drive off with PaaK.

 

[macchiaz-o]

I guess you could leave feedback in your App Store/Play Store in the reviews for the app.

This is what I do. They reply sometimes.

Keep the feedback succinct and put your most important thought in the first sentence.

 

[kmurraydesigns]

What about a faraday bag?

 

[Jimrpa]

I have an atypical workplace in that I'm not allowed to take my smartphone in with me. That basically means I have to leave it in the car ... which pretty much makes PaaK a non-option. Having to set it up / remove it repeatedly is just not going to happen ... I would absolutely love to see the app come with a simple on/off toggle so the phone can stay mated up to the car, but when the toggle is off, no worky.

Each update of the app comes with a chipper "keep the feedback coming!" message, unaccompanied by any discussion of how to provide said feedback. How do I get what seems like a pretty straightforward feature request before the eyes of their app folks?

I worked in a place like that once. They provided us little cubbies outside the offices where we could leave our “forbidden devices”. Is that an option, or are you completely banned from bringing any “forbidden devices” on premises, period?

 

[Jimrpa]

Another thought is to totally power off your phone and leave it in the car. Use the keypad to unlock the car to get in, then power up the phone and you’re good to go.

 

[Mopey]

Can also turn off FordPass. That will work too. That was what I uses to do before summer arrived. Now I need to leave FP running so I can remote start the car.

Just swiping Fordpass closed isn't enough (on Android anyway). Before closing Fordpass, you need to select the Account icon, scroll to the bottom, and select "Log Out". If you don't, Paak will remain functional. I just reconfirmed.

 

[Murse-In-Airy]

I’d go with the turn the phone off method. As a bonus the battery wouldn’t be depleting throughout the day.
The Faraday bag would work but the end result would be the same as turning it off AND you’d have to buy the bag and put the phone in and out of the bag. Plus the battery would still be draining as it continuously searched for a signal.
There is turning off Bluetooth and wifi. Or using airplane mode which can be done quicker than opening an app and toggling PAAK on and off.
You’ve got lots of options and almost all of them are better than anything within the app.

 

[ChasingCoral]

That's easy to achieve. Turn on flight mode or turn off Bluetooth.

Agreed. This is simple and effective. It also reduces burning through your phone battery while you're not using it.

 

[AZBill]

If you lived in a really hot place like Phoenix, you would absolutely need to turn the phone off while it sits in the car. My phones always overheat sitting in a hot car during summer months and turn off anyway.

 

[Jimrpa]

I think power down is your best option. Saves your battery and protects your phone from any environmental extremes.

 

[Rumline]

I have been force-closing Ford Pass to achieve this. (on Android, go to Settings -> Apps -> FordPass, then bottom of screen tap "Force stop") It doesn't seem to re-launch itself. I have to manually open the FordPass app and wait a few seconds and then PaaK and other functionality is back.

I want to look for a widget that can encapsulate this process into one tap from my home screen. Haven't started looking yet.

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