Phone As Key issues

RonTCat

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Android 11 has been out since September 8th, and in beta for months before that. I can't believe they didn't have an Android 11 phone anywhere on the development team to test this - if it really is just an Android 11 issue I think that's even worse than being a general issue. The exact reason the OS has a published beta is to allow everyone to get ready for mass rollout.
Google should release beta, not sure why they don't. You should post on the Chromium forums and suggest they do that, instead of just breaking Chrome and releasing it.
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Metal_Horses

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At least you have Paak. I can't get the option on Fordpass to even show up (I'm missing the circled option). I think it may have to do with Android Auto also not working. Very frustrating.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Phone As Key issues 1613311601403
 

BlueMach

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Google should release beta, not sure why they don't. You should post on the Chromium forums and suggest they do that, instead of just breaking Chrome and releasing it.
They do release betas.
 

BlueMach

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My understanding is that it was/is actually an issue with a recent update to Chrome, as far as the hardwired AA reboot goes.

The Wireless AA issue is with the AA app itself. Google has already released a new version to fix it, which should be slowly rolling out soon.
I'm speaking about Phone as a Key, someone seemed to imply PAAK was less stable on Android 11, which I'm saying I don't find acceptable as there's been months to fix this by now.

All the delayed production should have meant software development could become even more stable, not the other way around.
 

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Yes, the mirrors always fold, the projection lamps just never turn on. I'm not sure if they only turn on when it's pitch black out, or maybe they don't work well with PaaK. I've only seen them once, and I had my fob at the time.
My projection lamps seem to always turn on when I approach with key/phone. However, I cannot see them unless it is dark. If really dark, they look very bright.
 


zhackwyatt

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I'm speaking about Phone as a Key, someone seemed to imply PAAK was less stable on Android 11, which I'm saying I don't find acceptable as there's been months to fix this by now.

All the delayed production should have meant software development could become even more stable, not the other way around.
We don't know though. Could be Ford's fault, Google's fault, the Bluetooth driver's fault, the phone manufacturer's fault, etc. Otherwise it's speculation.

I've had Android bugs for years w/o any fix in sight (and that's using Google's own Pixel phones). Same with Windows, same with Mac, same with Linux.

But ultimately, Ford has to take responsibility and figure it out and resolve the issue. I just hope Google will work with them (not sure how much I count on that though).
 

DaveRuns

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I set up PAAK and the backup codes for Marlin when I went to pick him up. The setup was a breeze and worked fine right away. I then had no problem setting up my wife's phone. Mine's an iPhone 12 Pro, hers an iPhone 7.

On my second day I went off about my business, using PAAK and leaving the key fob at home. It worked flawlessly except the pickup isn't really good. I found it worked great if I was holding the phone or had it in a front pocket, back pockets don't work so well. This is true for both opening the door and for starting the car. Of course for starting the car, PAAK works great with the phone in the Qi charger.

Day 2.5
Early afternoon I returned home, had a couple of video calls and went to leave again. The FordPass app was frozen and wouldn't run at all. I closed it, reopened it, turned off the phone, and restarted the phone. Nothing. The app wouldn't work at all. All I got was a frozen white screen with a big F (in nice cursive of course).

As a final step, I deleted the app from my iPhone and reinstalled it.
Good news: the app worked
Bad news: PAAK didn't work any more
I tried to set up PAAK again from the FordPass app. It went through all the steps but the car still had the old instance of my phone and the old backup codes. So I picked a new name for my phone and established new backup codes. No dice. All the steps seemed fine but PAAK wouldn't work.

Day 3
I followed the in-car manual's instructions to delete the PAAKs that were already saved and went through the install again (also deleting and reinstalling the app on my phone for a clean start). I reinstalled my wife's phone, too.

Food news: PAAK is now working fine, in fact better than before. All the commands like window up/down, lift gate are working -- I don't think they were before.

Now let's see how long it all lasts.

One remaining issue: When I went to get into the car this morning (day 4), Marlin didn't automatically recognize me and set the seat, etc. to my preferences. I switched the driver to my profile on the infotainment screen and all was good.
Drama. I think I’d be like you, I’d work through the issues, troubleshooting until it worked. My wife however, would be pissed, frustrated, and would throw her hands up. She’d never use the PAAK or even try. She’d hold a grudge against the car forever.
 

JellyBelly

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Drama. I think I’d be like you, I’d work through the issues, troubleshooting until it worked. My wife however, would be pissed, frustrated, and would throw her hands up. She’d never use the PAAK or even try. She’d hold a grudge against the car forever.
Exactly same with my wife. She would probably say NO to a Ford ever ... that’s why hoping to get a second fob soon if we can figure it’s back order situation.
 

benk016

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I've setup PAAK on mine. I have a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. It just came out a few weeks ago. When I went to set it up, it told me right at the start that my phone wasn't fully compatible and some features may not work.

Everything setup without issue. However, I've noticed the car will only connect to it if my phone is on and i have the app open. If I have the phone on and the app open, And walk up to the car it works as expected. If its not on, it won't work at all.

Luckily, its just me at home, so only 1 fob works for me. Although I'd love to be able to just use my phone and leave the fob at home for a backup.
 

machefan

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Wait till you wash it, leave the phone / keys far away. I found it trying to lock and unlock constantly.
 

mattsaradan

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Perhaps slightly off-thread - does the fob map to the same profile as PaaK or is it a different profile? How about the backup code?
 

methorian

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Wait till you wash it, leave the phone / keys far away. I found it trying to lock and unlock constantly.
Oh yeaaaa. While washing mine it became a full on dance with the mirrors just going in and out while it was locking/unlocking.
 

machefan

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Oh yeaaaa. While washing mine it became a full on dance with the mirrors just going in and out while it was locking/unlocking.
Needs a wash mode ?

maybe leaving the keys inside the car would do the trick.
 

JamieGeek

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Oh yeaaaa. While washing mine it became a full on dance with the mirrors just going in and out while it was locking/unlocking.
I've had the same thing happen shoveling the snow LOL.
 

DBC

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I've had my Mach-E for a little over a week, and I'm finding the Phone as a Key to be a bit unreliable. It mostly works, but a couple of times the door would not open for me, so I had to enter the code on the door to get in. Once I was in the vehicle I could not start it. I restarted the FordPass app on my phone, and after waiting for a bit I was able to turn on the car.

I am the primary driver of the car, but my wife has no patience for unreliable technology, so I gave her the one key fob that you get. I hope that they work out these issues soon.

Regarding the two Bluetooth connections on the phone, one is for making phone calls and listening to music. The second connection is for the Phone as Key. When I initially set up the Phone as a key, it didn't have a description for some reason, and was added to my phone with just the MAC address. I accidentally deleted it from my phone, and had to set up the phone as a key all over again. Strangely the second time I set it up, it did get set up with a description so now I have two connections for the Mach-E. One is listed under media connections, the other is listed under "Other".
Same experience after a few days.

Your write up is really helpful. Thanks. I wondered what the second connection was for. LOL I have one named connection and then one which just pops up which I can't name. Assuming this is the PAAK.

Agree that PAAK can be dicey. Ford should probably have gone with two fobs until experience proved that PAAK worked reliably. As it stands, if you don't have the fob you definitely have to have set up the entry code and the backup start code.
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